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School flag of former Kaita Girls’ High School is returned from U.S., will be used for peace studies

by Hisashi Konoike and Uzaemonnaotsuka Toukai, Staff Writers

A school flag from Kaita Girls’ High School, the forerunner of Kaita Senior High School, was sent to the high school from Bonner Springs City Library, located in the U.S. state of Kansas, in late June. The girls’ high school existed between 1942 and 1948. The flag, which is believed to have been taken into the United States after the war, was brought to the library several years ago. The library identified its original owner and decided to return it to the school as a token of friendship between Japan and the United States. The school expressed gratitude for the unexpected “gift” it received before the anniversary of the atomic bombing on August 6. The flag will be utilized for the students’ peace studies, the school said.

The cloth flag, which is 70 centimeter long and 100 centimeters wide, arrived at the school in a cardboard box on June 25. The flag has the name of the high school on the side and its emblem in the middle on a dark blue background. The emblem is shaped like cherry blossom petals. The flag has suffered no apparent damage, which means it had been kept carefully in good condition.

Also enclosed was a letter signed by Jack Granath, 52, the director of the library. It said in Japanese, “The library has recently received the flag and would like to return it to Kaita High School, since it is part of the school’s history.”

According to the Kaita Town History, a subdivision of the occupation army of the allied forces was stationed in the town shortly after the end of the war. In November 1945, an inaugural ceremony of the Japan-America Society was held at the town’s public hall. Kaita High School staff surmises that the flag may have been brought into the United States as interactions grew between the two countries.

Interviewed by the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Granath said that the school flag was donated to the library between 2016 and 2018, but that it was unknown who donated it and under what circumstances. After a librarian determined that the flag was from a school in Hiroshima, they decided to return it to the school. Mr. Granath said he was glad that the flag could provide an opportunity to convey the preciousness of peace and the misery of war.

The flag will be shown to students during the closing ceremony of the first trimester to be held on July 19. They will also learn about the history of the flag and how it came back to the high school. The high school is considering displaying the flag in the school. Rokuro Tominaga, the principal of the school, said, “I would like to express my gratitude for their goodwill. Students and teachers died in the atomic bombing. The flag will be utilized as a resource to help students learn and think about the town’s history and the importance of peace.”

(Originally published on July 17, 2019)

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