THE MARTYR AND THE RED KIMONO

The remarkable true story of Saint Maximilian Kolbe and the two men in war torn Japan whose lives he changed forever On the 14th of August 1941 a Polish priest named Maximilian Maria Kolbe was murdered in Auschwitz Kolbe s life had been remarkable Fiercely intelligent and driven he founded a movement of Catholicism and spent several years in Nagasaki ministering to the hidden Christians who had emerged after centuries of oppression A Polish nationalist as well as a priest he gave sanctuary to fleeing refugees and ran Poland s largest publishing operation drawing the wrath of the Nazis His death was no less remarkable he volunteered to die saving the life of a fellow prisoner It was an act that profoundly transformed the lives of two Japanese men Tomei Ozaki was just seventeen when the US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki destroying his home and his family Masatoshi Asari worked on a farm in Hokkaido during the war and was haunted by the inhumane treatment of prisoners in a nearby camp Forged in the crucible of an unforgiving war both men drew inspiration from Kolbe s sacrifice dedicating their lives to humanity and justice Ozaki followed in his footsteps and became a friar Asari created cherry trees as peace offerings In The Martyr and the Red