Black Rain

Black Rain (黒い雨, Kuroi Ame) is a novel by Japanese author Masuji Ibuse. Ibuse began serializing Black Rain in the magazine Shincho in January 1965. The novel is based on historical records of the devastation caused by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

The book alternates between Shizuma Shigematsu's journal entries and other characters from August 6–15, 1945, Hiroshima, and the present. The present time in the novel takes place several years later. At this time Shigematsu and his wife Shigeko become the guardians of their niece, Yasuko. Therefore they are obligated to find a suitable husband for her. At the start of the novel, three earlier attempts to arrange a match have already failed. This is due to health concerns over her having been exposed to the "Black Rain". The black rain is the firestorm-generated, soot-filled rain that also contained high concentrations of fission products and carbon-14. If and how much depends on the precipitation's location and time of onset. The radiation sickness is one of the main causes of concern throughout the story. Shigematsu's journal entries attempt to disprove her sickness.