My Life: Interview with TV Director Yasuko Isono, Part 3
Jun. 26, 2013
Childhood in Etajima
by Takahiro Yamase, Staff Writer
Mother’s independence served as example
My mother [Hatsuko] died when I was in the fifth grade. I was ten. She was born in a family of sake brewers in Kure, and moved to Etajima after getting married. I think she missed life in a bigger city. She took me to a kimono shop in Hiroshima almost every month. For breakfast, she served us bread and butter, and coffee. It was a very modern lifestyle.
Ms. Isono’s grandfather, Sumitaro, left home for Hawaii, where he made his fortune, and returned to Etajima at the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989). Her father, Shigeru, was born in Hawaii.
I learned how to live from my mother’s example. She taught me, through the way she lived her life, the importance of maintaining hope and giving your best effort.
For instance, she was particular about the location of our privy. In those days, most of the farmhouses had their outhouse near the entrance. But my mother moved it to the rear of our house, which made it less conspicuous. She often altered her kimonos into western-style clothes for me. She took delight in making clothes for girls, and I enjoyed wearing her creations.
Though she lived in a rural area, and was a woman, she was a positive thinker who had a vision. I was proud of the fact that she was able to fashion her own way of life without being limited by local traditions. But it may have been because my father’s family had lived in Hawaii that the island’s conservative community accepted her lifestyle. Compared to those very dark days as the war came to an close, my time as a young girl was the happiest chapter of my life.
Ms. Isono’s grandfather died in 1942. Her mother then passed away in 1944.
My father had a pampered upbringing. He could live on his father’s fortune, so he didn’t know how tough life could be. After my mother died, he was at a loss when it came to raising young children.
My father grew crops for us to consume. After my grandfather died, he was also involved in transport operations for the war, making use of a motor-powered sailboat. He carried supplies for the Akatsuki Shipping Transport Unit to Kitakyushu and other places.
The Imperial Japanese Army Shipping Command, based in Ujina, Hiroshima, was commonly called the Akatsuki Unit. The unit’s mission involved transporting soldiers and food supplies to the battlefronts.
My father told us about the military port at Ujina. Back then, when we went from Etajima to Ujina by boat, the windows of the boat were covered with curtains when it drew near Ujina. So it was like my father was telling us privileged information about the military port.
He told us the grim words that the soldiers uttered before leaving for the front. He also said that the shortage of supplies was growing worse, day by day. This was before cities on the mainland began to be hit by air raids, but even though I was just a child, I had already started to sense that Japan was headed for imminent disaster.
(Originally published on December 2, 2010)
by Takahiro Yamase, Staff Writer
Mother’s independence served as example
My mother [Hatsuko] died when I was in the fifth grade. I was ten. She was born in a family of sake brewers in Kure, and moved to Etajima after getting married. I think she missed life in a bigger city. She took me to a kimono shop in Hiroshima almost every month. For breakfast, she served us bread and butter, and coffee. It was a very modern lifestyle.
Ms. Isono’s grandfather, Sumitaro, left home for Hawaii, where he made his fortune, and returned to Etajima at the beginning of the Showa period (1926-1989). Her father, Shigeru, was born in Hawaii.
I learned how to live from my mother’s example. She taught me, through the way she lived her life, the importance of maintaining hope and giving your best effort.
For instance, she was particular about the location of our privy. In those days, most of the farmhouses had their outhouse near the entrance. But my mother moved it to the rear of our house, which made it less conspicuous. She often altered her kimonos into western-style clothes for me. She took delight in making clothes for girls, and I enjoyed wearing her creations.
Though she lived in a rural area, and was a woman, she was a positive thinker who had a vision. I was proud of the fact that she was able to fashion her own way of life without being limited by local traditions. But it may have been because my father’s family had lived in Hawaii that the island’s conservative community accepted her lifestyle. Compared to those very dark days as the war came to an close, my time as a young girl was the happiest chapter of my life.
Ms. Isono’s grandfather died in 1942. Her mother then passed away in 1944.
My father had a pampered upbringing. He could live on his father’s fortune, so he didn’t know how tough life could be. After my mother died, he was at a loss when it came to raising young children.
My father grew crops for us to consume. After my grandfather died, he was also involved in transport operations for the war, making use of a motor-powered sailboat. He carried supplies for the Akatsuki Shipping Transport Unit to Kitakyushu and other places.
The Imperial Japanese Army Shipping Command, based in Ujina, Hiroshima, was commonly called the Akatsuki Unit. The unit’s mission involved transporting soldiers and food supplies to the battlefronts.
My father told us about the military port at Ujina. Back then, when we went from Etajima to Ujina by boat, the windows of the boat were covered with curtains when it drew near Ujina. So it was like my father was telling us privileged information about the military port.
He told us the grim words that the soldiers uttered before leaving for the front. He also said that the shortage of supplies was growing worse, day by day. This was before cities on the mainland began to be hit by air raids, but even though I was just a child, I had already started to sense that Japan was headed for imminent disaster.
(Originally published on December 2, 2010)
