PM's Wife Visits Pearl Harbor

If there are two lingering issues between Japan and the United States that still stir up deep feelings about the war, they are Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor. And while they say time heals most wounds, there are still people in the United States who still hold onto strong feelings of anger of which many were not even born when these tragic events took place. Over the years we have talked about Veterans and Hibakusha who have long made peace, it has only been in recent times that moves to heal such lingering wounds on the part of politicians in both countries made significant gains. In this year we have seen Japan apologize to Korea for the final time and President Obama lay a wreath at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. Now Mrs. Akie Abe who is the wife of Japan's Prime Minster Shinzo Abe has made the historic first of visiting the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. While many see this as a precursor to a visit by the PM himself, others as noted in the Japan Times see this as an important counter balance to her husbands polices.

While this can be seen as being political, Mrs. Abe considers this to be a personal gesture of peace and offered prayers. She is quoted in the Japan Times as saying: "I understand that there are various debates and stances on Pearl Harbor, but I think that we have to pass on the memory to the next generation, transcending the feelings of hate and anger. I offered my condolences to the victims and gave my prayer of gratitude for the peace that we have enjoyed and to establish the peace going forward."

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Hibakusha @ 71

This past weekend marked the 71st Anniversary of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima. As done for the last 30 years, The Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo hosted the annual Commemorative Service in conjunction with the ASA (Atomic Survivors Association) and the JACCC. As per tradition, this years well attended service was held on the first Sunday in August to comemorate the twin tragedies and hear from guest speakers and our resident Hibakusha (Survivors). How fortunate they are still alive to speak with us.

Over the years we have come to know Ms. Kazu Suyeishi and were pleased to see she was more vibrant than in recent years past. She was 14 years old when the attack came and recalled how she could actually see the Enola Gay as it appeared in the crystal blue sky that morning of August 6th, 1945. Part of her story became an inspired component of our illustrated Children's book Ichiro Dreams in Color. Another poignant survivor who attends every year is former ASA President Mr. Junji Sarashina. Still alive and happy to see all who come to this ceremony. Both survivors now in their twilight years bear no grudge for the loss of their families or the scars they have borne. They come every year to speak on the horrors of nuclear weapons and share their annual message of Peace. Candles, Sutras, and Goeika are annually offered each year before the Hiroshima Flame that was originally brought here 40 some years ago from Hiroshima with the intention of remaining a lit until that last nuclear weapon is no more. While this may sound like a lofty and unrealistic aspiration, it's intention is a peaceful one to inspire hope for an age where there are no more wars of this sort and no more future Hibakusha. We do not know how many more years we have with Ms. Suyeishi or Mr. Sarashina, but we cherish each encounter with them and in one sense feel blessed by them. For people who have suffered so much at the hands of others, their faith in mankind and love of this country is one to be learned from. As stated by the guest speaker Dr. Dr. Gloria R. Montebruno Sadler PHD reminded us, "The Americans did not know at the time about the effects of radioactive fallout. No one could have envisioned what consequences would come of such a weapon at that time." Thus, it is perhaps President Truman who authorized the weapons use in Japan forbid General MacArthur from using it five years later in Korea. As we write about this let us reiterate one thing before anyone comments is that the debate over why the bomb was dropped is irrelevant. We look at this as a wartime tragedy that changed the world and luckily has not been repeated. That is the whole point of remembering those lost and those left to tell the tale. We at American Mishima have in the past and will continue to wish all those connected by this chapter in our human history continued peace and hope one day this one solemn flame can be extinguished in peace for all mankind.

President Obama Visits Hiroshima

In an event no one ever saw coming, President Obama became the first United States President to visit Hiroshima. It had been a long desire for him to do so and we at American Mishima are thankful that this historic moment has been made. Joined by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, President Obama made the pilgrimage to Peace Memorial Park and laid a wreath for the the 125,000 people that died there from the Atomic Bomb dropped by the B-29 Enola Gay. This figure included mostly civilian men, women, children, a number of Koreans, and a dozen American POW's. This figure does not include the untold thousands that died later from radiation sickness. 

It is most poignant that for an American President to visit Hiroshima. Not to apologize, but to mourn those lives lost and speak of peace. We are pleased that the president met with three Hibakusha present and later spoke of the peace that was forged from this terrible weapon that unleashed its indescribable cruelty that was later repeated in Nagasaki. Japan and the United States have become the best of friends since those dark days near the end of WWII.

"That is why we come to this place. We stand here, in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell. We force ourselves to feel the dread of children confused by what they see. We listen to a silent cry.

We remember all the innocents killed across the arc of that terrible war and the wars that came before and the wars that would follow. Mere words cannot give voice to such suffering, but we have a shared responsibility to look into the eye of history and ask what we must do differently to curb such suffering again.

Someday the voices of the Hibakusha will no longer be with us to bear witness, but the memory of the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, must never fade. That memory allows us to fight complacency. It fuels our moral imagination. It allows us to change. And since that fateful day, we have made choices that give us hope." - President Barrack Obama 2016.

President Obama to Visit Hiroshima Memorial

In a historic move, President Obama will become the first sitting American President to visit the Hiroshima Memorial. He is expected to be joined by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Peace Memorial Park near Ground Zero Hiroshima. This has long been an expressed  personal desire on the part of President Barack Obama to visit the site memorializing the over 125,000 people who died there during the atomic attack on the city August 6th, 1945. This visit of course is not without it's controversy. Racist detractors here at home have already condemned the unprecedented visit as some "apology tour." The White House has made it crystal clear that this in no way represents an apology for the then deemed essential bombing that shortened the war. Some people will say what they will in an effort to discredit the first Black American President and others will rehash old hatreds that go back to the outbreak of WWII. From our perspective, we see this as pointless as re-fighting a war that we had long won some 70 years ago. Then again we live in a country where these same people riot and burns our own cities when they win sports championships which makes absolutely no sense at all. Go figure.

There will be no doubt there will be many more strong reactions to come (predictably negative) from those on the right. Be it politically motivated or by those who can not bury ancient rancor or hostility for a people they neither know, understand, or feel anything for much less want to. For the rest of us, it is better to consider the of the horrors of nuclear war and better ways to prevent future use of such destructive weapons. It is through such gestures of enduring peace that the memory of those lost by this horrific tragedy of war never be forgotten nor such horrors repeated. To date no U.S. President has visited Hiroshima and until recently had only been visited by the last two U.S. Ambassadors and Secretary of State John Kerry as seen in the above photo. 

It is honorable to pay respects to the dead particularly for these mostly civilian non-combatants of Hiroshima who suffered as the result of wars consequences that were far beyond their control. We have been fortunate enough to befriend a few living Hibakusha that are still alive to tell the tale of what it was like to experience a hell on earth that we shall hopefully never know. I guess to say that there is a stark contrast between Japanese and American people on how they view the bombing. For some some Americans, they can not get past the attack on the part of Japan on Pearl Harbor. For those who actually survived the bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, they wish only peace in the world and bear no grudges against America. People can learn a thing or two from these few living survivors. We get it, they get it, the President gets it, and hopefully some of you will also get it. Our Hibakusha were merely school children when they watched their families die both from the initial blast and from the following suffering from radiation sickness. They will gladly share you their tales and their scars in hope that it brings peace. They know what the President's visit is about. In fact there has been a letter campaign to bring President Obama to Hiroshima which has now borne fruit. But for those who need further reassurance, White House spokesman Ben Rhodes is quoted as saying: "He (President Obama) will not revisit the decision to use the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. Instead, he will offer a forward-looking vision focused on our shared future." We at American Mishima applaud President Obama for his efforts. May there never be more future Hibakusha and no more Hiroshimas. Peace.

Ichiro Dreams In Color Animated Trailer

Here is our first animated promotional trailer for our first illustrated children's book Ichiro Dreams In Color which was both illustrated and written by Louis Edward Rosas. For those who don't already know this is a cautionary tale of how children play in a post war society.

Inspired by real life events, Ichiro combines the author's own childhood growing up in the Post Vietnam Era by a sea side airport where World War II dramas were filmed, thus enabling the author to see waves of vintage Japanese prop planes fly overhead. Combined with the real life experience of Hiroshima Survivor Kazu Suyeshi, Ichiro blends into this panoramic rendering of fiction and thought provoking wonder. To date our best review on Amazon came from a Montessori teacher who read our book to her students who later went outside and pointed at the skies. To order your own copy please visit: Ichiro Dreams In Color.

Hiroshima Hibakusha A-Bomb Survivors 2014

This last Sunday August 3rd three days before the 69th anniversary of the first atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the annual memorial service held at the Los Angeles Koyasan Temple in Little Tokyo. We were pleased to see that Hiroshima Survivor Ms. Kazu Suyeishi and Nagasaki Survivor Junji Sarashina were able to attend as well as other members of the American Society of Hiroshima / Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors (ASA), JACCC, & other Buddhist Clergy from other temples in attendance. This was the most attended memorial service we have seen since we started attending them five years ago. As with every year the Hiroshima Peace Flame was brought out and candles were lit. Incense and prayers offered. While it inevitable that the Hibakusha will be leaving us soon that their memory and the lessons learned by their experiences live on to educate future generations. 

 Hiroshima Peace Flame 2014

Last Crewman of Enola Gay is Dead

69 years ago no one could have ever imagined the destructive weapon about to be unleashed upon the City of Hiroshima and its doomed inhabitants. But that was war and here we are today. So as Obon season comes to a close, the last surviving crewman of the infamous B-29 Enola Gay (which dropped the bomb over Hiroshima) Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk has passed away of natural causes at the age of 93.

Van Kirk flew many missions in North Africa and Europe against the Nazi's but it was his one mission against Japan that made him synonymous with the deaths of over 140,000 people and ending the war. He was once asked if he would do it again. His complex answer goes as such: "Under the same circumstances -- and the key words are 'the same circumstances' -- yes, I would do it again. We were in a war for five years. We were fighting an enemy that had a reputation for never surrendering, never accepting defeat. It's really hard to talk about morality and war in the same sentence. In a war, there are so many questionable things done. Where was the morality in the bombing of Coventry, or the bombing of Dresden, or the Bataan death march, or the Rape of Nanking, or the bombing of Pearl Harbor? I believe that when you're in a war, a nation must have the courage to do what it must to win the war with a minimum loss of lives." Van Kirk would write about this and many more detailed accounts of his experience in his book "My True Course." His passing marks another close for the Showa Era and that of those Hibakusha still alive.

First American Mishima Publication Published!

American Mishima is pleased to announce the arrival of our first Illustrated book Ichiro Dreams In Color which has now been published.It is our first illustrated book which we plan to have a Japanese version  いちろうのゆめ to be available later this fall of 2013. Ichiro is a short story originally written as a poem about a young Japanese boy who spends his afternoons dreaming of flight. But when his colorful imagination flies into the conflict of his grandparents generation, Ichiro must find a way to look up and dream again. This book is loosely based on the personal childhood experiences of the author Louis Rosas who grew up watching waves of Japanese Warplanes fly overhead his childhood home in Oxnard California while they filmed WWII dramas such as Baa Baa Blacksheep and The Winds of War during the late 1970's in the Post Viet-Nam Era. Ichiro is also inspired in part  by the experiences of Hiroshima survivor Suyeshi Kazu who witnessed the B-29 Enola Gay flying above her city before the bomb dropped into history. That being said in combining the two experiences into this one fictional short story, it made sense to take the authors story and set in Post War Japan of the 1970's instead of Oxnard California. If you do purchase and enjoy our book, please write a review for us on Amazon. We hope that you the reader of American Mishima will support this book and continue to follow this blog. Please enjoy! ありがとうございます!

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Hiroshima / Nagasaki Memorial

Every 1^st Sunday in August, a memorial service for the victims of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is held at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo Los Angeles. As with every year, what few surviving Hibakusha of the ASA American Survivors of Hiroshima / Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors that are still with us attend and share their stories. In the last five years that we have attended these memorial services, we have always found it troubling to hear people throw in the age old argument as to the necessity of the bomb to end the war, but never from those who have ever encountered these few survivors who have had the opportunity to hear first hand what it was like to have walked through a burning hell on earth and live to tell about it. We assure you that while it is easy to arm chair quarterback history from a distance, seeing, meeting and shaking the hands and in some cases hugging these aging survivors presents a human face and a reality not one of us could possibly imagine that in our opinion would mute any argument in favor of the bomb. 

As with any post war debate here in the United States, the mention of the bombing of Pearl Harbor is thrown around carte blanche in the same old “well they started it” mentality. We could argue this point all day long but that's not what we are here for. There is no point in re-fighting WWII for argument's sake. While the attack on Hawaii was focused on attacking Military installations and personnel (part of the risk of being part of the military), the atomic bombings on civilian population centers simply do not equate on the same level. While tragic and unfortunate it might have been to have been a serviceman at Pearl, to have been a primary school student forced to search for bodies of your dead and dying classmates under the rubble and ash of your grade school is not the same thing. They didn't volunteer for that nor could they imagine seeing inner city canals clogged with dead bodies and rivers of blood amidst the burning skies and blackened smoke to the screams and cries of those who could no longer be helped. And you think you had childhood trauma? Imagine what these grade school children when through! Compared to these people, we've got nothing to complain about. The United States was so fortunate to not have its cities bombed during the war, it is likely for this reason people could not grasp the concept of total war hence the realities of such war can not be understood leading in some cases to the level of arrogance by those who have never experienced war yet out of ignorance, champion it. 

 

I could not imagine on any level seeing people walking about so burned beyond recognition you could no longer tell if they were male or female or if they were facing you or if their back was turned to you. Yet, these events did happen and must never happen again. When I look into the eyes of these people and see their scars and the humbleness in their voices, it evokes a level of hurt and disappointment that 68 years later, the world has not learned from these events. Selective memory I call it. We as a society choose to remember only what happened to us and ignore the suffering of those civilians who by no fault of their own had been swept up by tragic events beyond their control both in Japan and here in the United States. Like the old people who showed me their tattoos force ably inked onto them in places like Dachau, so too are the scars and haunting looks carried on by these survivors. And what many do not know here is what became of them after the war as they became known as Hibakusha – a people sometimes shunned within their own country as if they were responsible for what happened to them. As said many times by ASA member Kazu Suyeshi – No more Hiroshima's – No more Nagasaki - No more Hibakusha.

Undeniably, War is an ugly business in which there are always casualties be it intended or unintended of consequence. While 68 years have passed, we can not allow these tragic events to be forgotten or written off like some disconnected grainy black & white photograph accompanied by a two sentence footnote in history. You can't say it's a Japanese problem not our problem. War is a world wide human problem that stems from the failure to communicate. We live on such a small planet, it makes no sense why parts of the world still fight like cavemen over tiny scraps of meat or act irresponsibly by threatening the world with nuclear war if they do not get what they want. Such war must never happen again. Such horrible weapons should never be used yet they still exist. Those who have not learned of what took place those terrible days of August 1945 have no concept of what such weapons can do. Therefore it is important to hear the stories of these few remaining survivors for we have such little time left as the WWII generation leaves us in ever greater numbers. We at American Mishima would like to thank Mr. Junji Sarashina, and Ms,Midori Seino for their continued work sharing their stories so that future generations will learn from their experiences. 

 No more Hiroshima's – No more Nagasaki - No more Hibakusha.

広島記念, Last Surving Crew Member of the Enola Gay

In his own words, the last surviving member of the Enola Gay which dropped the first nuclear bomb over the city of Hiroshima August 6th, 1945.

広島記念, 67th Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Anniversary

 

Here stands Junji Sarashina, the director of the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors. Mr. Sarashina himself is a survivor of these tragic wartime events that took place some 67 years ago. He along with Kaz Suyeshi (who was also in attendance) are among a dwindling population of Hibakusha still alive to attend one of these memorial services held every year on the Hiroshima anniversary at the Los Angeles Koyasan Buddhist Temple. 

This was our 4th year we have attended these memorials. And as before, we were thanked by those survivors and their families who together with us gathered to pray for those lost in that wartime tragedy of so long ago. We at American Mishima are grateful and most fortunate to meet such individuals in our lifetime and to hear their stories that bring the human side of what took place come to life. It is hoped that after the World War Two Generation passes on that there will never be another atomic bombing anywhere in the world and no new Hibakusha to bear the scars and tears of such nuclear terrors.

Seen here: Hiroshima Survivor Kaz Seyushi holds our baby Mia-Naoko as we light candles for the people who suffered from the twin atomic bombings 67 years ago.

一日の画像 - Picture of the Day

A serene view of the floating lanterns at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park ( 広島平和記念公園) from August 6th 2011. It is a sobering reminder of the casualties of war and of the nuclear horror that no other nation had suffered prior or since that fatefull week of August 1945 when both the historic cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were reduced to ashes with their civilian populations vaporized in a flash. This particular yearly comemoration memorializes the memory of the over 140,000 victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 before Japan's catastrophic defeat in the final days of WWII. Similar memorials also take place in Nagasaki. May no other nation ever experience nuclear war again. - American Mishima

*Note: This photo was reposted from Japan Today.

広島記念 Hiroshima Commemoration 2010

Every first Sunday of August and every August 6th since that fateful morning in 1945 people gather to commemorate one of the greatest tragedies (if not atrocities) committed by a civilized nation against a civilian population during a time of war. Well over 166,000 men, women, & children, civilians all, wiped out in a single bright flash and resulting mushroom cloud of ash. And what was even worse, the horrors did not stop there for those who were lucky enough to survive the initial nuclear blast. Every year I write about these things and every year I will get one unapologetic American arguing for the bombings justification for avenging the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. 3000 military deaths do not justify 166,000+ civilian deaths in any war or any such instance. Who started the war is not a relevant argument. American history books will tell you The Japanese did at Pearl Harbor. What they wont tell you is how the US imposed an oil embargo essentially bring Japan to it’s knees in 1941 before the Arizona sunk nor will they tell you how American Planes were fighting in China under the guise of the American Volunteer Group weeks before Pearl Harbor. But we can argue about who was right and who was wrong well past the last Hibakusha passes us on and it still will not erase the fact that this great tragedy took place and yet despite it all, what Hibakusha I have met bears no malice towards the nation that wiped out their families and forever left them with scars no American textbook will talk about. It wasn’t that long ago that Enola Gay pilot Paul Tibbets went on to his grave unrepentant for his actions during that raid. What saddens me is to hear that his 66 year old son is equally unapologetic and very angry that the Obama Administration has done the moral and correct thing by sending the first US Ambassador John Roos since the war’s end to participate in this years commemoration at peace Park in Hiroshima. I would rather see Obama himself attend but this first gesture by a fair and just president is perhaps the first of many steps to true reconciliation that has been long overdue.

It was a year ago that I attended my first Hiroshima commemoration service at the Koyasan Betsuin in Little Tokyo where I had met my first Hibakusha who insisted we call her Oba-Chan. It struck me how happy the Hibakusha were to have so many Americans come to these memorial services and this year was no different. Oba-Chan was happy to see us again and so was this years Hibakusha guest speaker Kaz Suyeshi thanked us for attending this years Hiroshima Memorial service led by Asahi Sensei at the Koyasan Betsuin in Little Tokyo. Each year the Hiroshima Peace Flame is brought out and each participant offers a candle for the victims long past. It is a moving solemn experience that brings the tragedy to life. In school we were taught that this was necessary to end the war and that our government had no other choice. When you listen to the humble words of the Hibakusha survivors they will tell you there was always a choice and I am inclined to agree. I have come to develop strong feelings about this issue. While I will still get criticism from people who claim they had some relative they never knew killed in Pearl Harbor, I now have met people who were just school children who watched the lone silver B-29 drop the single atomic bomb over their city obliterating the world around them. It is hard to hear their stories as you take notice of their half covered scars that they have lived with since that day and yet they say tell it without hatred or resentment. They are a better people than me and that’s one of many reasons I say Nippon wa Ichiban.

Today is August 6, 2010. I was invited to a special Hiroshima commemoration at the Garden of Oz atop Beachwood Canyon in the Hollywood Hills. (Sorry I could not take any photos of this event due to the sign posted.) It was a solemn event that started at 7:55 Am marking the start of the Enola Gay’s approach to Hiroshima. Steven Velez played a moving cello piece while Keiko Nakada Sokei performed a special tea ceremony for the dead in full kimono. The cello continued until 8:15 the minute the bomb was dropped. Hibakusha Kaz Suyeishi rang a Tibetan bowl ten times in remembrance of those lost at that fateful moment so long ago. This was not some random footnote out of a history book. This was real. Suyeishi-San was only 18 years old when she saw the bomb drop. The flash had knocked her to the ground. She had tried to cover her eyes and ears as she had been instructed but could have never imagined what happened after she awoke from her state of unconsciousness. The blue sky had gone and the city was silent. “Yare itai!” went the cries of her in the distance as she lay there with third degree burns under the wooden pilings of what was her house. It’s difficult to imagine being there with her at that moment yet there she was all these years later sharing her experience with us as tea and dove sweets from Kyoto was served to all who joined to pay their respects for those who had suffered so long ago. As repeated from Sunday’s service at the Koyasan Betsuin last Sunday, Suyeishi-San asked us to pledge to love and understand one another and that there be no more Hiroshima’s, No more Nagasaki’s, no more war. Once again I thanked Suyeishi-san for extending the invite to the beautiful Garden of Oz Contemplation of Compassion Hiroshima ceremony. As I left the ceremony I took notice of a single plague at the gate to the garden which read:

Cherish the sun for those who no longer can not’

09.11.01.

Koyasan Betsuin 08.01.2010