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| Bullets infused in the rocks of Ie Island |
The inspiration for this post comes from a CNN special on the survivors of Auschwitz. We hear our European counterparts and how they rose from the ashes of human treachery. I hear accounts of atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima. However, how many war horror stories do we hear Okinawans recount?
Before I moved to Okinawa, I knew nothing about the prefecture where over half of the US Pacific Fleet is stationed. I knew it wasn't mainland Japan and annexed in 1872. A small section in my history book cited, due to World War II, over 1/3 of Okinawa's population perished in the Battle of Okinawa. If you think about it, this literally obliterated a large part of the culture and language of Okinawa.
When you don't know about the people and you're halfway across the world, it's hard to connect. Walking the coral shores, interacting with Okinawans and actually living on this island, I began to learn more about the people of a place important enough to have 3 sentences in my history textbook. I discovered how they were treated as less than human by ethnocentric Japanese soldiers. Even worse, heavy controversy surrounds the Japanese government with the denial of comfort women, mass suicide propaganda, and the removal of this dismal chapter from Japanese textbooks.
I visited the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park where I discovered Japanese soldiers often stole food from the Okinawans and claimed it was their duty as citizens to do so.
Babies hiding in caves or hakas (Okinawan family tombs) with their mothers were smothered or killed by soldiers so Americans would not find their position. In hakas, many often met their end from air raids causing them to be buried alive. Japanese soldiers gave hand grenades to civilians and said, "If the Americans find you, kill yourselves because what they will do to you is a fate worse than death." Ignorant of what was really happening, the Okinawans took their lives. Due to suicide propaganda, undiscovered caves serve as a watery grave and simpulan resting place to frightened people.
At the Okinawa Peace Park Museum, molds of scenarios depicted Japanese soldiers poisoning each other with cyanide when there was no hope or if they would be dead weight to the mission. Okinawans were used as human shields and when the fighting was at its worst. No one knew who was friend or foe. Black and white photographs brought me to tears showing dead children with maggots infesting their corpses on a ruined landscape.
I read stories, translated into English. about how a young woman came home to find her entire family slaughtered. The Battle of Okinawa wasn't just a turning point for Americans in capturing Japan. In some ways, this was a mass genocide by the hands of two super powers and people with no weapons to defend themselves.
Humans have had a long history in destroying each other in the conquest of land, women, and power. Despite this, I have heard stories of the kindness of the human heart during this war as well.
To lighten the mood, I would like to share a story a coworker told me about her relative. In the North of Okinawa, in Motobu, where fighting was heaviest, a mother, carrying her baby on her back, was running from the fighting. Unable to escape, she was shot and died. No one knows how much longer later, but an American heard a crying baby and took her to an orphanage. Unfortunately, the soldier's name was never known and her family is eternally grateful to the man who saved her.
Okinawans have had a large history of being a peaceful people and many times, I find myself wondering how they were caught up in the midst of a war that had nothing to do with them. I've had the privledge of learning stories of Okinawa's generosity from coworkers. Long ago, Germans were shipwrecked on Miyako. Instead of killing foreigners, (as mainland Japan has a long history of) the Okinawans helped their fellow humans and sent the Germans back to their country. Grateful for the kindness bestowed upon them, they returned to Okinawa with goods from Europe and built a German town that still stands today.
Although Okinawa is technically Japan, in many ways, it also isn't. The culture of this island still stands. A small example would be shikwasa (bitter lemon), Jasmine tea, the sanshin (a snake skin banjo), Ryuso (the style to wear a kimono in Okinawa) and bingata (the way to dye fabric in bright colors). Some days I wake up and think, 'I'm in Japan, but technically not Japan.' Small subtleties give the island a different country feel.
I've traveled around Japan and have seen other countries in Asia. Not all mainland Japanese, but many I meet who speak English have told me, "Okinawans are so uneducated for speaking Uchinachu! They should speak Japanese!" My first question, why the push to be monolingual and second, I'm bilingual, am I uneducated because I speak Spanish? What makes Japanese or any other language more superior to another? When I ask these questions, I often get looks of surprise. They insist they've never seen it that way before and I wonder why these ideas were instilled into their brain.
Let me remind you dear readers, I am only condoning the actions of people who created the chaos. At the end of the day, they were soldiers following orders. Morality does not always get a say in the heat of battle. Whatever the circumstance of the situation, war is terrible and innocents lose their lives due to the actions of their government. You may be thinking, you're so racist, you're saying the Japanese are terrible. Actually, no I'm not. Not all mainland Japanese are bad. Sure, you'll find the occasional asshole, but don't we find one of those everywhere? The kindness I have been shown here has been more than I would receive in the US. If you're interested, you can check out this post: My Crazy Doctor Visit.
Take this however you want and form your own opinions. Humans are capable of intense light and darkness. It just depends on the person and the experiences that shape them. I feel, as a blogger, I should share the stories I know because they are ones we don't hear often.
What are your thoughts and opinions on World War II? Have you visited any of these peace parks or the one in Hawaii? Let me know!
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