My Life: Interview with TV Director Yasuko Isono, Part 2
Jun. 26, 2013
Children of a nation at war
by Takahiro Yamase, Staff Writer
Atomic bombing was a turning point
If I hadn't experienced Japan's defeat from the perspective of Hiroshima, I wouldn't have gotten involved in directing documentary programs. I had believed that Japan was strong, but it was weak and helpless. This had a tremendous impact on me. If I hadn't witnessed the destruction of the Imperial Navy and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I would have led a different life.
Yasuko Isono went to Takata Elementary School in Etajima. In front of her school was Etajima Bay, beyond which was the naval academy.
Japan declared war on December 8, when I was in the second grade. After that, the eighth of every month was made a day to raise the public's morale. Children like us, who didn't go off to the battlefields but instead lent support to the fighting forces from home, got up at 6 o'clock in the morning and all of the students of my school visited a shrine to pray for the nation's victory. The war effort was part of our education at school.
The servicemen at the naval academy were a familiar sight, and we thought they could be counted on. The academy was about two kilometers across the bay from our elementary school. We could see its grand auditorium, which we called “the white palace.” We could also see training boats and cruisers coming and going in the bay. We heard commands being given, carried to us by the wind and waves. My constant hope was that the soldiers would do their best for the nation.
On their days off, the soldiers visited local homes in groups of about 20 to be entertained. My family welcomed them three or four times a year. They looked so dapper in their uniforms, with swords at their sides. I took such pride in them, coming to the defense of our country.
In July 1945, Ms. Isono witnessed firsthand the fierce attack by U.S. war planes on Japan's heavy cruiser Tone.
When Tone came to Etajima, I was under the impression that it would provide protection for our island. The ship was gray at first, but one day the color changed to green and brown. I wondered why it was being camouflaged, and then it was quickly attacked by U.S. war planes. But the ship was unable to fire back.
Tone had returned to Japan, not to protect the Japanese people, but simply to survive. I was thinking that the ship would protect us when it was actually trying to make a narrow escape. After the U.S. attack, the ship keeled over to one side at a 45-degree angle. The bodies of servicemen washed into the inlet of our island. Local residents spent three days and nights cremating the bodies of those officers and soldiers.
On August 6, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Though I still clung to the dream that Japan would win the war, the reality was just the opposite. The atomic bombing turned so many people into tatters, annihilating them. A sense of futility and sorrow filled my child's heart. I vowed to myself that I would never again believe anything until I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears.
(Originally published on December 1, 2010)
by Takahiro Yamase, Staff Writer
Atomic bombing was a turning point
If I hadn't experienced Japan's defeat from the perspective of Hiroshima, I wouldn't have gotten involved in directing documentary programs. I had believed that Japan was strong, but it was weak and helpless. This had a tremendous impact on me. If I hadn't witnessed the destruction of the Imperial Navy and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, I would have led a different life.
Yasuko Isono went to Takata Elementary School in Etajima. In front of her school was Etajima Bay, beyond which was the naval academy.
Japan declared war on December 8, when I was in the second grade. After that, the eighth of every month was made a day to raise the public's morale. Children like us, who didn't go off to the battlefields but instead lent support to the fighting forces from home, got up at 6 o'clock in the morning and all of the students of my school visited a shrine to pray for the nation's victory. The war effort was part of our education at school.
The servicemen at the naval academy were a familiar sight, and we thought they could be counted on. The academy was about two kilometers across the bay from our elementary school. We could see its grand auditorium, which we called “the white palace.” We could also see training boats and cruisers coming and going in the bay. We heard commands being given, carried to us by the wind and waves. My constant hope was that the soldiers would do their best for the nation.
On their days off, the soldiers visited local homes in groups of about 20 to be entertained. My family welcomed them three or four times a year. They looked so dapper in their uniforms, with swords at their sides. I took such pride in them, coming to the defense of our country.
In July 1945, Ms. Isono witnessed firsthand the fierce attack by U.S. war planes on Japan's heavy cruiser Tone.
When Tone came to Etajima, I was under the impression that it would provide protection for our island. The ship was gray at first, but one day the color changed to green and brown. I wondered why it was being camouflaged, and then it was quickly attacked by U.S. war planes. But the ship was unable to fire back.
Tone had returned to Japan, not to protect the Japanese people, but simply to survive. I was thinking that the ship would protect us when it was actually trying to make a narrow escape. After the U.S. attack, the ship keeled over to one side at a 45-degree angle. The bodies of servicemen washed into the inlet of our island. Local residents spent three days and nights cremating the bodies of those officers and soldiers.
On August 6, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Though I still clung to the dream that Japan would win the war, the reality was just the opposite. The atomic bombing turned so many people into tatters, annihilating them. A sense of futility and sorrow filled my child's heart. I vowed to myself that I would never again believe anything until I witnessed it with my own eyes and ears.
(Originally published on December 1, 2010)
