Wartime Memories

Tag: Manchuria

  • Mami Yamamoto

    E20C, Mami Yamamoto ‘94, Hideo Kawamata, Grandfather, 1917, Yukie Kawamata, Grandmother, c 1920, Manchuria, China, Taiwan, Tōkyō My maternal grandmother and grandfather are Yukie and Hideo Kawamata. In 1941 (Shōwa 16), they were not yet married. My grandfather went for a government inspection when he turned 20 years old, as all men did at that…

  • Kyōko Murata

    B08, Kyōko Murata ‘86, Mother, 1941, Manchuria, Chiba My mother was born in 1941, so she was still a little girl when World War II took place. I interviewed her in May 1985. Q: How old were you when World War II ended? A: I was four years old, so I have little memory of…

  • Sylvia Leiser

    C03SwC, Sylvia Leiser ‘87, Chen Suzue, Grandmother, Hong Kong, Manchuria, Korea, Yamaguchi In May 1986, I interviewed my grandmother about her experiences during World War II. Her name is Suzue Chen. My grandmother was Japanese, but after she married my grandfather from Taiwan, she became a Chinese citizen. Q: Where were you when the war broke…

  • Nanako Okayama

    C04, Nanako Okayama ‘87, Shige Okayama, Grandmother, 1906,  Manchuria, Fukuoka My grandmother is named Shige Okayama. She lives with us now. I talked with in May 1986. She is 80 years old, so she does not remember very much about the past. Q: Grandmother, please tell me about World War II. A: Your grandfather and…

  • Julian King

    E10B, Julian King ‘94, Shigeko Hoshikawa, Grandmother, 1919, Shizuoka, Aichi, Yamagata, Manchuria My maternal grandmother lives in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. I interviewed her by phone on November 30, 1992. I lived in Ichinomiya city near Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture, from 1940 to 1945, and then again from 1946 to 1952. Grandpa was forced to join…

  • Nanae Nakagawa

    J04, Nanae Nakagawa ‘01, Kyōichi Nakagawa, Grandfather, 1918, Manchuria, Philippines, Taiwan I decided to interview my grandfather, because I know him very well. I talk with him nearly everyday, but this was our first time to talk about war. He was born in 1918 and is now 81 years old. My grandfather, Kyōichi Nakagawa, graduated…

  • Yuriya Miyako

    R02, Yuriya Miyako ‘16, Chiyo Miyako, Great-Grandmother, 1901, Manchuria, Wakayama I interviewed Chiyo Miyako at her elder-care home on November 9, 2014. She is 113 years old. She is my paternal great-grandmother, but I will refer to her as “Grandma,” since that is what I call her. [Before her death at the age of 117…

  • Kenji Moir

    R03B, Kenji Moir ‘16, Tsuneko Okabe, Grandmother, 1937, Manchuria, Siberia I interviewed my maternal grandmother, Tsuneko Okabe, on October 8, 2014, over the telephone. She is 77 years old. Since I do not have any relatives who are alive and have memories of World War II, I decided to ask my grandmother as she is…

  • Keiko Kawamura

    L07, Keiko Kawamura ‘04, Hiroko Ogawa, Grandmother, 1922, Manchuria On November 10, 2002, I interviewed my maternal grandmother, Hiroko Ogawa. She was born on August 1, 1922, and she is now 80 years old. Question: Where are you born? Answer: I was born in Dairen [now called Dalian] in Manchuria [northeastern China]. At that time…

  • Takaaki Ogasawara

    L10, Takaaki Ogasawara ‘04, Kimi Ogasawara, Grandmother, 1924, Miyazaki, Manchuria On November 10, 2002, I interviewed my grandfather, Kimi Ogasawara. He was born on July 13, 1924, and is now 78 years old. In the living room of his house, my grandpa talked about his experience of World War II. During the war he lived…