Wartime Memories

Prefecture: Tōkyō

  • Sophia Ikeda

    H09B, Sophia Ikeda ‘00, Yuriko Kosakai, Neighbor, 1924, Kanagawa: Kamakura-shi, Tōkyō During the Second World War, many people were killed and many lives were affected. It was not a good time for anyone, because it created many memories that people don’t want to remember. I interviewed my next-door neighbor. Her name is Yuriko Kosakai, and…

  • Lisa Ferrie

    L02U, Lisa Ferrie ‘04, Kisaburō Matsuda, Neighbor, 1925, Tōkyō, Gifu,  Kanagawa: Yokosuka-shi I interviewed Kisaburō Matsuda, who was born in 1925 and is 77 years old. He is my neighbor and a friend of my mother. Q: How old were you when the war started? A: I was sixteen years old when it started, but…

  • Tatsuya Kotake

    M02, Tatsuya Kotake ‘06, Yoshiko Kitano, Grandmother, 1929, Tōkyō, Niigata When World War II began, my grandmother, Yoshiko Kitano, was twelve years old. She had been born in 1929 (Shōwa 4). She was living in the working-class shitamachi area of Tōkyō with her family. Her neighborhood had a narrow street with five houses on each…

  • Mina Mardani

    M03T, Mina Mardani ‘06, Yasuko Takano, Grandmother, 1932, Tōkyō, Chiba I interviewed my maternal grandmother on November 15, 2004. Her name is Yasuko Takano, and she is 72 years old. This is her testimony. On December 8, 1941, I listened to the radio news with my family at our house in Ryōgoku, and I remember…

  • Mira (Milla) Ikeda

    V01, Mira (Milla) Ikeda ‘21, Reiko Yamamuro, Great-aunt, 1944, Shun’ichi Yamamuro, Great-uncle, 1941, China, Yokohama: Kanagawa-ku, Tōkyō For this oral interview, I interviewed my grandmother’s sister, Reiko Yamamuro, and her husband, Shun’ichi Yamamuro, at their house in Yokohama on October 10th, 2019. Reiko Yamamuro was born in Shanghai in the year 1944, just before the…

  • Eri (Elly) Nonaka

    K06, Eri (Elly) Nonaka ‘02, Hideo Nonaka, Grandfather, 1920,  Tōkyō, Yokohama: Naka-ku The only person that I am really close to who is old enough to answer my questions is my grandfather. His name is Hideo Nonaka, and he is 80 years old. He lives right in front of my house, so it was really…

  • Manish Ramiah

    N08I, Manish Ramiah ‘07, Kinko Kaitō, Family friend, 1929, Tōkyō, Niigata On Saturday, October 29, 2005, I interviewed Mrs Kinko Kaikō, a survivor of World War II about her personal experiences during the war. She lives near our house, and my mother often meets her on the way to Nishi-Nippori Station, where they chat a…

  • Shin’ichirō Tanaka

    N09, Shin’ichirō Tanaka ‘07, Ryūji Katayama, Grandfather, 1931, Kanagawa: Fujisawa-shi, Aichi, Tōkyō My grandfather’s name is Ryūji Katayama. He lives in Fujisawa city in Kanagawa. I interviewed him on October 27, 2005. Q. What is your age? How old were you during the Second World War?  A. I am 73 years old. I was born…

  • Rei Kokubu

    U03, Rei Kokubu ‘20, Kanbei Kokubu, Grandfather, 1939, Hyōgo, Tōkyō My grandfather, Kanbei Kokubu, is 79 years old. I interviewed him on November 4, 2018, at my house where we live together. Rei (I):  When were you born? Grandfather (G): In 1939 (Shōwa 14). I: So were you born just before Japan went to war…

  • Maria Imai

    H10, Maria Imai ‘00, Toshiko Endō, Friend’s grandmother, 1920, Tōkyō I chose to interview my friend’s grandmother. She is 78 years old and was a participant in World War II in Japan. I asked her some questions about what it was like to take part in a terrifying, tragic period of history. She was reluctant…