A10C, Angela Lee ‘85, Sister Marie Gabriel, Saint Maur Nun, 1905, Yokohama: Naka-ku
Japan suffered two great cataclysms in the twentieth century. One was the great Kantō Earthquake of September 1, 1923, which destroyed half of Tōkyō and most of Yokohama, The other was the bombing in World War II, which flattened most of Japan’s cities. Sister Marie Gabriel is a Catholic sister of the Institute of the Infant Jesus [the Saint Maur sisters]. In a recent interview, she shared with me some of her memories
Q: Where were you during the war?
A: I came to the Yokohama convent in 1942. Sister Anna Ogishima, the superior, called me, because she needed more sisters. Many of the foreign sisters had been put into internment camps. The Italian sisters were not [until 1943], but they weren’t allowed to stay in Yokohama.
Q: Were there constant bombing raids?
A: Yes, they took place from 7:00 am until about 10:00 am every day. We were told to hide in the bomb shelters, but many of the sisters continued to pray in the chapel.
Q: Was the convent bombed directly?
A: Yes, it was in 1944, in the morning. I was working in the office. I remember the unbearable heat of the fire, and the sounds of people screaming, bombs dropping, windows shattering, and the whole building crumbling. I was surrounded by smoke.
We had to abandon the building at once, but Sister Anna didn’t want to leave. She was the head of the convent, and she wanted to make sure that everyone was safe. Finally, she had to jump down from the veranda of the second floor. She broke her leg, but she survived.
Some of us attempted to stop the fire with buckets of water, but it was all in vain. It was like the end of the world.
Q: Was the area near the convent totally destroyed?
A: Saint Maur School was destroyed, and so was Kōran [Futaba] Gakuen. Saint Joseph’s College was left unharmed. The Japanese Navy was using the Futaba courtyard, and there was a very tall chimney. Later I heard that the chimney attracted the attention of the American bomber pilots. They must have thought that there was a factory making weapons.
Q: Did you have to go to the countryside after the convent was destroyed?
A: Yes, we went to Karuizawa in the mountains, with seven older sisters and two foreign Saint Maur teachers.
Q: Did you have food shortages?
A: Luckily we had saved some rice in the basement of the convent, and it was not burned. At Karuizawa, we had to rely heavily on food and supplies from the government. I often traveled very far to get them. One time I brought home two kanme (about 7.5 kilograms) of potatoes. I was surprised at how much strength I had. In times of emergency, human beings can do miraculous things.
I remember how disappointed I was when I had lined up for hours, and when it was my turn to get the food, there wasn’t any.
Q: What was life like after the war?
A: Our lives slowly became better. There was a very kind Catholic U.S. Navy captain who helped us a lot. He brought us wood from Yokosuka to build a barracks. It took a year to build it. It was a two-story building at the site of the present Futaba auditorium. I also remember going to get white bread every morning from the British Army.
Q: How do you feel that these incidents have affected your character?
A: They really taught me the value of life and the strength within us. It is important that young people like you learn about these events and tell the next generation about them.