B13, Tomoko Wakabayashi ‘86, Michie Nishioka, Grandmother, c 1927, Kanagawa: Ōiso-machi, Shizuoka
My grandmother lived through World War II, so I was curious about her experiences. I interviewed her in May 1985.
Q: How were Japanese men drafted into the military?
A: First they received a red, or rather pinkish, letter issued by the government [akagami] which ordered them to go to a specific military unit by a certain date. Usually the date was within three or four days after they received the letter. There were no excuses whatsoever for not obeying. They must quit their jobs immediately and get ready.
When the letter arrived, all of the neighbors and relatives got together and held a party to say “Okuni no tame ni ganbatte kudasai.” (Fight hard for the country.) During this occasion, the wife or mother of the drafted man could not show tears. The women must send the men off to battle with smiling faces. They must say “Die for the country and for the Emperor.” This was the most painful duty of women during the war.
Q: Why did you evacuate from Ōiso [Kanagawa] to Susono [Shizuoka]?
A: After my husband, your grandfather (“Ojiichama”), went to the war, my oldest son Tsutomu entered elementary school, and my youngest son was born. If we stayed near the city, there wouldn’t be enough food. Moreover, elementary school children were required to evacuate from the cities and go to the countryside. I didn’t want to be separated from my oldest son. Since my grandmother was born in Susono, my mother ordered me to go there with my children. However, there was a shortage of food in the countryside as well. I had to exchange my kimono for food with the farmers or go pick some wild plants to eat.
Q: Were there air raids in Susono too?
A: Since Susono is very close to Mount Fuji, American planes like the B-29 bombers used to fly overhead a lot. All of the planes that bombed other parts of Japan would first come to Mount Fuji, fly around it, and then head towards their destinations. The sounds of the planes were heard constantly, and that scared us a lot. However, it was very rare for someone in Susono to be bombed unless he had a light on in his house.
Q: Did you listen to the Emperor’s surrender speech on the radio?
A: Oh, yes. We brought one radio to Susono when we left Ōiso, and my relative had another one. However, those were the only two radios in the entire village. When we heard that the Emperor was going to give his speech, everyone in the village came to listen on our two radios. Everyone dressed up very nicely. Some wore kimono embroidered with their family crests. However, since Susono is surrounded by mountains, we could not understand what was being said. The sound did not come through clearly. Since we heard that the USSR had decided to turn against Japan, we thought that the Emperor told us all to fight until we all die. Later, when we learned that the war ended, and that was what the Emperor was saying, we were all very happy. Now we could keep our lights on at night. Children could play outside as much as they liked.
However, after the war ended, a rumor went around that the Americans would capture all of the women and make all of the men into slaves. One of my most striking experiences was when we saw four American soldiers holding machine guns and riding on a jeep. My cousin and I consulted with each other and decided that when the worst came to worst, we would kill our children and then kill ourselves. We were taught that to be captured is worse than to be killed—especially since I had been brought as a daughter of samurai.
Q: What were women doing while the men were gone?
A: Every morning, women were required to practice fighting with takeyari (bamboo spears). Moreover, we were told that when a bomb was dropped, it would cause a fire. So the women practiced how to put the fire out, using a stick of bamboo with a wet cloth on its end, and to get water ready in a bucket. Since my father used to be the chōchō (mayor) of the town, I was made the bōka-gun-chō (head of the fire-fighting team), and I ordered other women around, saying “Kakare!” (Let’s go!) Very stupid, isn’t it?
Q: How did you feel when Ojiichama came home?
A: Your grandfather was sent to northern China during the war. Since I heard that there were American soldiers there, I was a bit relieved. At least he could communicate with them (as a Nisei Japanese-American). Then I read in the newspaper that every Japanese soldier in northern China was to be sent back to Japan. However, he did not return. Everyone, including me, thought that he was dead. When Ojiichama returned, we all thought he was a ghost. Later I learned that he had had to stay for a while as an interpreter for the US forces.
I will tell you that he was very unique. He bought some books in China before he returned. He brought back nothing, just those books, because his bag was stolen on the way home. Then he told me how great and wonderful Peking University is and how there are a lot of books in the library. He told me that he would take me there some day, but he never did. His letters from China were unique too: he wrote about how the moon reminds him of apple pie and how he would like to eat my o-dango (dumplings).
Q: Did you move to Tōkyō then?
A: Yes. Your grandfather received a letter from the Allied forces ordering him to work as an interpreter at the Tōkyō Saiban [International Military Tribunal for the Far East]. There he tried to look for his friend. He found him, and his friends gave him chocolates. I was very happy to smell the chocolate when your grandfather said “I could smell Hawaii.” I really felt sorry for him at that time.
When the war ended, all of his friends in the U.S. forces came searching for us and gave us candies and other sweets. I didn’t give them to my children; instead, I kept them until Christmas. Every Christmas, I invited all of the children in the neighborhood to share those candies. That is the beginning of the Nishioka Christmas tradition. I am a Buddhist, but I was able to learn the spirit of Christmas through this war.