S01, Hiromu Fujino ‘18, Giichi Fujino, Great-grandfather, c 1906, China
For my interview, I chose my father, so that he could tell me about my great-grandfather’s experiences during World War II. None of my grandparents remember much of the mid-20th century, because they were all still babies. However, my father and my grandfather still remember my great-grandfather talking about his experiences to them.
My great-grandfather’s name is Giichi Fujino. He went to the war when he was in his thirties, which was very awkward for him, since most of the men around him were usually the age between 16 and 30. The akafuda [also called akagami, literally “red paper”] came to him when he was doing his job, which was working as a postman. I asked what akafuda was. My father said it was a conscription order from the government to join the Japanese Army to fight for Japan.
After he joined the Army, he was sent to the front line of the battles between the Chinese and the Japanese armies. He said there was a lot of blood and dead bodies around him. There were many people who were shot, including some who were shot right next to him. One man next to him was shot through helmet and died. He was the man whom he had first met the day before. My great-grandfather said that he also killed Chinese soldiers and felt horrible. He said that the best way to survive was to shoot or hide by lying down. He thought that he was very lucky to be able to back from the war after it ended. He says it was great to come back home, since he had his wife and his three children waiting for him.
During the war, my great-grandfather said that all the soldiers, including himself, had no power to do what they wanted or to argue against the government of Japan or the higher-ranked officers. Everything was ordered by the generals, and the soldiers couldn’t disobey. He also said that most of the soldiers in the Army were loyal to the Emperor.
During the war, my great-grandfather said that food and water were very important, but they were only allowed to have a small amount. He said that it was very tough living through the war, since they had to eat a lot of bugs and grass around them to make themselves feel full. They also had planned where to hide some of their food, so that they could eat more on the next day. Because of this, according to my father, my great-grandfather always told him that he should never leave his food on the plate or throw it away, since he learned how important and valuable it is.
After I heard all of these stories from my dad, I felt strongly that we should have no wars and that my family was very lucky since my great-grandfather came back and was able to live while others were dead. Also I am very lucky to have been born in this time period and in Japan, where young men don’t need to go to war. Now I think more about the food we eat and the water we drink than before. Now I know why my dad and my grandfather said never leave your food on the plate.
After the war, my great-grandfather lived until he was 89, and then died of old age.