The Image and the Likeness

In Short

Set in a speculative mid-1960s, this science fiction novella follows a team of Western scientists investigating the rise of Pan-Buddhism in Asia. They discover that a monstrously oversized human, mutated by atomic radiation at Hiroshima, is being hidden in an East Indian crater. Groomed by a scheming Burmese priest to serve as a living god for global conquest, the giant possesses a brilliant mind and a noble heart. Refusing to be a weapon, he sets out to end global conflict himself, offering a poignant parable about humanity's tragic tendency to destroy what it fails to comprehend.

The Story

In 1965, four Western scientists—anthropologists Llewelyn Baker and Robert Martin, geologist Walter Chamberlin, and zoologist William Cady—arrive in Shanghai under the guise of an archaeological expedition. In reality, they are investigating New Buddhism, a fiercely nationalistic religious movement sweeping across Pan-Asia. Guided by covert intelligence and shadowed by suspicious priests, the team travels to New Macassar on the island of Celebes. With the help of the local American consulate, they evade capture and infiltrate Yat, an isolated volcanic island ringed by heavy security.

On Yat, the scientists witness an unbelievable sight: a colossal human face peering over a cliff in the moonlight. Captured by yellow-robed guardians, they are brought before Phobat Rau, a Harvard-educated Burmese priest who orchestrates the movement. Rau reveals the truth behind their "Living Buddha." Born Kazu Takahashi in 1946, the giant is a radiation-induced mutation from the Hiroshima atomic blast. Rau plans to use the giant as an unstoppable figurehead to unify Asia and crush the West. To prevent the scientists from interfering, Rau orders them imprisoned in a concrete bunker, intending to eliminate them.

However, Kazu hears the men through a ventilation shaft and rescues them. Having studied history, philosophy, and classical literature, the giant harbor deep doubts about Rau's warlike motives. Crouched beside his four-hundred-foot chair, Kazu asks the scientists to tell him the truth about world history and geopolitics. Baker lectures the giant on freedom, oppression, and ethics. Recognizing that Rau's forces plan to use him in an upcoming war, Kazu decides to walk away from his handlers to see the world for himself and prevent bloodshed.

Carrying the four men in a makeshift wooden box, Kazu wades across the ocean toward the Asian mainland. Along the way, he survives an attempt by Rau's priests to drug his food with barbiturates and intercepts an attack by British fighter jets over Malaysia. As news of the wading titan spreads, Kazu advances into China. In Hankow, he addresses cheering crowds, declaring a message of mercy, peace, and non-interference. When hostile forces launch atomic bombs to destroy him, Kazu miraculously catches the missiles in mid-air, crushing their firing mechanisms with his bare hands to render them harmless.

Realizing that the true seat of global aggression lies further north, Kazu marches toward Moscow to confront the Soviet leadership directly. Striding through mists at five hundred miles per hour, he steps over the Kremlin walls, exposing the hidden corridors of power. Yet his quest for peace is cut short by the harsh reality of human fear. Wounded by military strikes and rejected by a terrified world, the gentle giant wanders toward the freezing mists of the Bering Sea. A lone Eskimo hunter reports seeing the towering god limp into the ocean carrying a tiny radio, vanishing forever into the oceanic abyss.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Four scientists arrive in post-colonial Shanghai, sensing a strange, covert hostility among the population. They travel onward to Celebes to investigate the secretive New Buddhism movement sweeping across Asia.

The giant revealed After sneaking onto the restricted island of Yat, the team discovers a titanic, two-hundred-foot-tall human wallowing in an ancient crater. Captured by armed guards, they learn the giant is Kazu Takahashi, an atomic mutant from Hiroshima being groomed as a puppet god.

A meeting of minds Imprisoned in a bunker, the scientists are rescued by Kazu himself, who seeks an honest education in human history and morality. Rejecting his handlers' militaristic ambitions, the giant decides to march out into the ocean to stop impending global conflicts.

The march across Asia Wading through shallow seas with the scientists carried in a wooden box, Kazu traverses the South China Sea, dodges airstrikes, and enters mainland China. In Hankow, he broadcasts a message of peace and catches dropped atomic bombs with his bare hands, crushing their detonators.

The raid on Moscow Kazu strides across the mists of Russia at blinding speed to confront Soviet leaders directly in the Red Square. Disarming the Kremlin like a child's playpen, he attempts to force an end to global warfare.

Into the mist Battered by human weapons and unable to find a place in a hostile world, the wounded giant retreats to the far north. An Eskimo hunter watches Kazu speak into his radio before disappearing forever into the deep waters of the Bering Sea.

The People

• Kazu Takahashi (The Living Buddha): A four-hundred-foot-tall human mutated by radiation from the Hiroshima blast. Raised in secrecy by Buddhist priests, he desires truth, peace, and moral understanding. Despite his terrifying size, he possesses a soft-spoken, gentle nature and refuses to be used as a weapon of war.
• Llewelyn Baker: A sharp-witted British anthropologist and old China hand who acts as the primary spokesman for the scientific team. Driven by curiosity and a commitment to democratic ideals, he uses his knowledge of history and dialects to educate Kazu and guide him through geopolitical conflict.
• Phobat Rau: A ruthless, Western-educated Burmese priest who directs the New Buddhism movement. Cold, calculating, and opportunistic, he views Kazu purely as a political machine to rebuild Asia and conquer the Western world.
• William Cady: The narrator of the expedition, a pragmatic zoologist who provides a grounded perspective on the surreal events, tracking the team's perilous journey alongside the giant.
• Walter Chamberlin and Robert Martin: A geologist and an anthropologist who complete the core scientific team, assisting Baker in navigating terrain and communicating with Kazu.

In Its Own Voice

"Up from the horror of Hiroshima came a god. He gave the people hope and for this they killed him--as they have always killed their gods."

This opening epigraph establishes the tragic mythical tone that underpins the giant's journey from weaponized icon to martyred savior.

"The blighters have something up their sleeves, all right. The whole crew of them. Did you notice that rickshaw boy? When I said to take us to the hotel, he answered 'Yes, today I take you'."

Baker's early observation in Shanghai captures the subtle, tense shift in post-colonial Asian relations that sets the plot in motion.

"In the next instant we were madmen, staring into a human face a hundred feet wide, that peered back at us from the level of the cliff top!"

Cady describes the breathtaking shock of encountering Kazu for the first time amidst the darkness of the volcanic crater on Yat.

What It's Really About

At its heart, the narrative explores the dual nature of human power and the tragic hypocrisy of global politics. Kazu, born from the destructive horror of the atomic bomb, embodies absolute physical force, yet he chooses gentleness, empathy, and truth over violence. His handlers and political leaders see him merely as an instrument for domination, projecting their own ideological greed onto his massive form. The story questions whether humanity can ever outgrow its reliance on fear and tribalism, suggesting that even if a true savior appeared to stop our self-destruction, human terror and mistrust would inevitably drive him away.

Why Read It Today

This mid-century science fiction tale appeals to fans of classic nuclear-era speculative fiction, offering a unique blend of Cold War espionage, kaiju-scale adventure, and philosophical idealism. It moves with a swift, cinematic pace, contrasting retro-futuristic pulp thrills with genuine warmth and intellectual curiosity. Reading it today provides a fascinating window into mid-20th-century geopolitical anxieties, capturing post-WWII fears of atomic warfare and the shifting dynamics of Western-Eastern relations.

Readers should note that the story contains period-typical attitudes, including geopolitical stereotypes and dated English rendering of Asian dialects, which reflect the era in which it was written. Nevertheless, the central figure of Kazu remains deeply affecting. His earnest desire to learn, his quiet dignity, and his willingness to catch nuclear warheads to save innocent lives create a memorable narrative that lingers long after the giant vanishes into the arctic mists.