A05, Motoni Katayama ‘85, Mrs Ishikawa, Piano teacher, 1925, Tōkyō
On Tuesday, May 15, 1984, I interviewed my piano teacher, Mrs Ishikawa, about her experiences during and after World War II.
Q: How old were you in 1945?
A: Well, it’s such a long time ago! [Laughs] I was twenty years old then.
Q: Where were you living during and after the war?
A: Right now I live here in Setagaya-ku, but until 1974 my family lived in the residential area of Kugahara in Ōta-ku.
Q: What were your living conditions like during and after the war?
A: Since my father was a professor teaching Economics at Waseda University, and my mother was from a wealthy family, we did not suffer from hunger or poverty so much. Also I began playing piano when I was three years old, and I have never stopped playing ever since.
Q: So you were one of the lucky people at that time?
A: Yes, I think so. But still every family had to share what they had at that time, so I think we could not have much privacy. Also many of my friends lost their fathers and brothers during the war. It is quite sad to remember those incidents. But I think I was lucky, because I was an only child, so I did not experience the sorrow of losing brothers on the battlefield.
Q: I am sorry to hear about your friends. But would you mind telling me your saddest event during the war?
A: Let me see. The whole idea of the war was terrifying me all the time. Every time I played piano, I could not concentrate on it, because of the sirens and my fear of my house being bombed. Japan at that time was totally disorganized—the people, the towns, everything.
Q: What was the happiest moment that you experienced?
A: I think that is much easier to answer [Laughs] The happiest event for me was when my family gathered in the living room after dinner and played musical instruments together. My father played violin, and my mother and I played piano. We could forget that the war was going on for a moment. Also I was really happy when my mother called workers from the piano company to tune my piano. Since then, I have always called them once a year. But during the war, I became really frustrated and sad when it was impossible for my piano to be tuned. At that time, my mother somehow pleaded with her friends and was able to get some professionals to tune the piano. I was really elated at that moment.
Q: Thank you for telling me your valuable experiences. Do you have anything to say to the younger generations today?
A: Oh, I have nothing great to say to you! [Laughs] But I feel that children and young people nowadays are really lucky. You have plenty of food, nice places to live, and good education. I really hope that there will be no war in the future.