Ceremony is held to mark 110th anniversary of rescue involving Russian ship
Jun. 10, 2015
by Teru Matsumoto, Staff Writer
A memorial ceremony and Russian Festival were held in the city of Gotsu, Shimane Prefecture on May 31. The ceremony was held to mark the 110th year since the Irtysh, a Russian warship, was damaged in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. Residents of the Waki-cho area of Gotsu rescued crewmen from the ship after they washed ashore. There were participants from Russia at the exchange event, where pledges to promote peace were renewed.
The Irtysh, a special service vessel of the Baltic Fleet of Russia, was bombed on May 27, 1905 and appeared about four kilometers north of Waki-cho, in the Sea of Japan, on the next day, May 28. Local residents rescued more than 200 people who managed to reach the shore in boats and erected a monument for the others who lost their lives.
About 300 people attended the memorial ceremony, held in Kakushi-cho. Nail Latypov, the Russian consul-general in Osaka, made an address in Japanese, saying, “Promoting exchange among our residents is important for friendly relations between Japan and Russia.” Fourteen students from Dubinin Memorial School in Vladivostok performed songs and dances in traditional Russian costumes.
At the Russian Festival, which took place in the afternoon in the Waki-cho community hall, piroshki and borscht were served to about 100 participants.
Aigyul Ovchinnikova, 13, who performed songs and dances at the festival, expressed her appreciation for the people of Waki-cho, saying that she wished to continue their exchange and serve as a bridge between Japan and Russia.
The Russian Festival began as a victory celebration in 1906, but was transformed into an event to strengthen friendly relations between Japan and Russia after World War II to hand down the desire to eliminate war. The festival has been held every year since 1989. This year marks the 110th anniversary of the rescue, and residents of Waki-cho formed a committee to observe this milestone. The committee, headed by Norihiro Kawayuki, decided to hold a memorial ceremony in addition to the festival.
(Originally published on June 1, 2015)
A memorial ceremony and Russian Festival were held in the city of Gotsu, Shimane Prefecture on May 31. The ceremony was held to mark the 110th year since the Irtysh, a Russian warship, was damaged in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. Residents of the Waki-cho area of Gotsu rescued crewmen from the ship after they washed ashore. There were participants from Russia at the exchange event, where pledges to promote peace were renewed.
The Irtysh, a special service vessel of the Baltic Fleet of Russia, was bombed on May 27, 1905 and appeared about four kilometers north of Waki-cho, in the Sea of Japan, on the next day, May 28. Local residents rescued more than 200 people who managed to reach the shore in boats and erected a monument for the others who lost their lives.
About 300 people attended the memorial ceremony, held in Kakushi-cho. Nail Latypov, the Russian consul-general in Osaka, made an address in Japanese, saying, “Promoting exchange among our residents is important for friendly relations between Japan and Russia.” Fourteen students from Dubinin Memorial School in Vladivostok performed songs and dances in traditional Russian costumes.
At the Russian Festival, which took place in the afternoon in the Waki-cho community hall, piroshki and borscht were served to about 100 participants.
Aigyul Ovchinnikova, 13, who performed songs and dances at the festival, expressed her appreciation for the people of Waki-cho, saying that she wished to continue their exchange and serve as a bridge between Japan and Russia.
The Russian Festival began as a victory celebration in 1906, but was transformed into an event to strengthen friendly relations between Japan and Russia after World War II to hand down the desire to eliminate war. The festival has been held every year since 1989. This year marks the 110th anniversary of the rescue, and residents of Waki-cho formed a committee to observe this milestone. The committee, headed by Norihiro Kawayuki, decided to hold a memorial ceremony in addition to the festival.
(Originally published on June 1, 2015)
