J09, Masaru Takebe ‘01, Seiichi Aiki, Grandfather, 1915, Niigata, Yokohama: Kōnan-ku, Manchuria
The best way to find out about a major historical event is to ask someone who was actually there. Often, though, they might be too old or no longer alive. If the events which took place were not too long ago, there is a chance to ask someone to tell you what happened and how they felt.
In my interview, I asked my maternal grandfather, Seiichi Aiki, about how he lived during World War II. He was born in 1915 and is now eighty-four years old. He lives near Kamiōoka, not too far away from my house, in Kōnan-ku, Yokohama. He lives with his wife and has three children who all live in Kanagawa prefecture. He is very healthy and enjoys his life as a senior citizen.
The interview started when he told me where he was born. “I was born in a family of four, including myself. My parents’ names were Tōjirō and Miyo, and my brother’s name was Yoshiteru. We lived in Niigata prefecture at the time and stayed there until the war ended.” He told me that he returned to his hometown a few days ago. He showed me a picture of the place he lived, taken after the war. They were tenant farmers and were not very rich.
Around this time, the Japanese government had a conscription system, which required healthy Japanese men to join the Imperial Army when they turned twenty and to serve in the Army for at least three years. When the war actually started, many Japanese men willingly chose to join the Army. My grandfather told me that “I did not want to end up just being a farmer, so I decided to join the Army when I was nineteen. When the time came for me to go to the Army base in Niigata, everyone in the village gathered at the train station and watched us leave. That is part of my memory still, and I will never forget the faces of the people there,” he told me very softly.
“I joined the railway construction building at the base. We actually built the railways that supplied the front lines with everything they needed. There was bullying on the base, just like any other place,” he said, a bit embarrassed . “The second-year soldiers bullied the first-year soldiers. But I wasn’t bullied, probably because I entered by my own will. After training for a few years, I became an officer and was sent to Manchuria. There, I commanded the railway squad and helped to defend against the Soviet Union.”
My grandfather returned to Japan before the war ended in 1945. After the surrender, he stayed in the Army until December to organize the files of the railway squad. A year later, my mother was born.
My grandfather told me that “My present life is based on my experiences during the war. I worked hard, and I was recognized.” I can feel that he was probably one of the systematic and conscientious soldiers. He is still well-organized, and his personality is like that of a soldier.