The Martyr and the Red Kimono

‘In this beautiful chronicle stretching across a whole century and between continents, Naoko Abe reminds us of how human interconnections and inspirations help us rise above the terrors and divisions of war.’ * Bill Emmott, writer and chairman of the Japan Society of the UK *
‘One of the most moving true stories I have ever read, touching on all human emotions, strengths and weaknesses. Its mixture of happiness and sorrow, hope and horror played havoc with my spirits and brought many a tear to my eyes. I am amazed at the depth and geography of Naoko Abe’s research and travels in piecing together such a multitude of stories. Throughout, the cherries keep the main story moving. Despite the sadness and the darkness, love and belief prevail.’ * Roy Lancaster, CBE, former presenter of BBC TV’s ‘Gardeners’ World’ and BBC Radio 4’s ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’. *
The Martyr and the Red Kimono is a rich and inventive biography of three men who never met but who shared a deep dedication to the betterment of humanity. In chronicling the lives of Father Maximilian Kolbe, murdered at Auschwitz, Tomei Ozaki, witness to the bombing of Nagasaki, and Masatoshi Asari, who sent Japanese peace symbols around the globe, Naoko Abe not only honours three inspirational figures but provides a compelling and unexpectedly positive account of a century of spiritual, cultural and political links between East and West. * Michael Arditti *
‘Naoko Abe reminds us that despite humanity’s brutality, hope endures in the simplest of messages: stop killing, renounce war and never forget love. ’ * Lucy Moore, author of In Search of Us *
‘Vivid, absorbing, and compelling’ * Catherine Coldstream, author of Cloistered: My Years as a Nun *
‘a rich and inventive biography ..a compelling and unexpectedly positive account of a century of spiritual, cultural and political links between East and West.’ * Michael Arditti *
‘Ultimately, the winning charm of Abe’s book … is the epic scale of its historical lens, which draws so much of its power from human subjects that lived through, and were immersed in, the full panoply of change our all-too fragile world underwent through the 20th century. Figures like Ozaki and Asari - from humble roots to great ambitions - feel like indomitable fighters pushing against the very fabric of history’s grand narratives of war and peace; striving ever onward with goals which are both deeply personal and also tied up with the very idea of humanity.’ * Laurence Green, The Japan Society Review *
‘Her virtues as a stylist shine... her tone balances impartiality and vividness’ * The Telegraph *
‘It leaves behind it a moving glow of human connectedness, across the barriers of death and geography.’ * Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times *
‘Abe rather brilliantly weaves individual lives into broader Japanese and global stories … [and] draws out the humanity (of Kolbe and Ozaki) in beautiful ways.’ * Christopher Harding, BBC Hitsory Magazine *

Naoko Abe is a Japanese journalist and non-fiction writer. She was the first female political writer to cover the prime minister’s office, the foreign ministry and the defence ministry at Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan’s largest newspapers. Since moving to London with her British husband and their two boys in 2001, she has worked as a freelance writer and has published five books in Japanese. Her biography of Collingwood Ingram in Japanese won the prestigious Nihon Essayist Club Award in 2016. She has now written an adaptation of the book for English-language readers. She is a trained classical pianist and an advanced yoga practitioner.

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