A08, Mari Tamura ‘85, Keiji Sugiyama, Grandfather, 1906, Tōkyō
My grandfather, Keiji Sugiyama, was born in the year 1906. Although he did not actually go fight in the war, he has very vivid memories of it. The following is my interview with him about his experiences during World War II. I talked to him in May 1984.
Q: First of all, where were you living during the war?
A: My father lived in Koiwa, which is in Edogawa-ku in eastern Tōkyō. Fortunately, this area was never attacked. But we were able to hear the sounds of the American planes close by.
Q: Didn’t you have to turn off all the lights at such times?
A: Yes. We also heard sirens on the radio, and people would also ring the big bells outdoors, the kind used as fire alarms. Then we immediately turned off our lights and stayed as calm as possible. We usually just went to bed.
Q: What were the conditions of your daily life? For example, was there any food?
A: Yes, but very little. We usually just ate sweet potatoes with some rice sprinkled on them. But there were also many days when we went without any food.
Q: What did you do then?
A: I usually went to the nearby farmers and bartered our possessions for their rice, such as clothing.
Q: But weren’t you also in need of clothing?
A: Fortunately, I had purchased a lot of clothing from Maruzen, which was the company that I worked for. Although it was illegal, I bought many clothes and therefore didn’t have to worry about it. One time, our relatives’ house in central Tōkyō burned down. They walked all the way to our house to get help. Since they were very tired, we took them to a nearby public bath. When I gave them some of the brand new clothing that I had, they were overjoyed. That is the one happy thing that I remember.
Q: Did any other relatives come to Koiwa to evacuate?
A: Yes. They figured that Koiwa was a safe place, so we took care of many of our relatives. Some of them just asked us to look after their belongings until they found a new home.
Q: How old were you during the war?
A: I was in my late thirties.
Q: Didn’t you have to go and fight?
A: Well, fortunately, when the Army gave me a physical exam, they decided that I wasn’t healthy enough to be a soldier. I think I was very lucky!
Q: Then what did you do every day?
A: Sometimes I had to go to a nearby school and “pretend” to be a soldier. We wore old uniforms, carried bamboo sticks instead of guns, and practiced marching around the courtyard. We were supposed to attack the American soldiers with the bamboo sticks if they came, but they never did.
Q: Did the conditions improve right after the war?
A: No, in fact, everything got worse right after Japan surrendered. There was much less to eat because the demand was higher, and because of the Occupation, we could not control the food supply. It was about two years later that conditions started improving. Maruzen built its new building, and I began working for them again. During the war, the military government had tried to force me to work in the munitions industry, but my employers were able to keep me. Since I had been working for Maruzen since I was fourteen, I guess they wanted me to stay.
Q: Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
A: Well, having experienced such a tragic and horrifying event, I really hope that we will never have to go through it again. It is a terrible thing that people have to kill each other for their country. I feel that you are very fortunate to be living in this generation.
Through this interview, I was able to get a clearer view of the lives of people during the war. It was much easier to understand compared to reading books. It made me feel very fortunate to live during a time when there is no direct impact from big wars. I would never want to go through all the pain and suffering that my grandparents had to endure.