GetHiroshima had the opportunity to help promote a few talks by Professor Sue Kawashima here in Hiroshima city between June 15th-18th, 2008. Her presentations in Hiroshima were prompted by Yuko Tanaka, the previous owner of Cross Japanese Language school who is now living and working in Montreal. Yuko introduced us to Sue after she met her at Hunter College (a part of New York City University) in New York and subsequently read her Japanese book, Shojo no kiroku, Ano Koro (A young girl's journal). Which she is currently translating into English. She said that she started writing her book in 1945 at the end of the war after she had a collection of drawings and journals starting from 1935 that her mother had helped her bury to preserve during the wartime.

Kawashima recalls that living through the war made her see how terrible war is and how no one can truely understand what it is like unless they live it, however she wanted to share her story with others in an effort to carry on her message of Peace.

Nagoya

Nagoya was the first city in Japan to be air-raided (starting 4 months after the war started) since there was a large Mitsubishi factory for airplane parts there. In her slideshow, she showed us pictures from the war of citizens being taught to cover their eyes and ears in case they were caught in an air raid, little boys in uniform being taught to fight, women actively trying to keep up with the many protective Obi belts they were making by asking people to make a stitch in their "1000 stitch belts" to send to their loved ones in combat.

Pictures of schoolgirls being trained to protect the emperor's picture in their schools "at any cost". The government communicating their propaganda and rules through the neighborhood association boards passed house to house (as is still the practice today to keep people up to date on community news and events).

There were also pictures of people celebrating the "victory" of Nanjin / Nankin at a festival before the time when normal citizens were aware of the horrible atrocities that were committed there. She also showed signs prohibiting the use of katakana. She recalls the frustration of shopping for "ink" or her brothers bemusement at asking for his baseball "glove". There were also pictures of signs prohibiting getting permanents for curly hair or anything else that was considered "non-Japanese". At the end there were pictures of people with bamboo sticks which was a tactic used as a last resort- all citizens were taught to use sharp bamboo sticks as a last line of defense (even her 5 year old brother). She described the feeling of being part of this defense as "fighting a dinosaur with a toothpick."

At that time, Japanese parents paid the tuition for their children's schools, but the children were forced to work as farmers, day laborers, scavengers, armament factory workers, janitors, conductors of buses and street-cars, sewing factory workers, nurses, pharmacists, clerical workers in companies and government offices, woodcutters and so on. The home-room teacher of Sue's class said, "Classes will only be resumed after we win the War!" They had no weekends, no summer break, and they even worked at night. Sue worked so hard that she fell seriously ill, thereby losing her chance to receive more advanced education.

Sue, herself was asked to lie to her own parents about being recruited to work in the airplane factory when she was in high school and as the 4am daily commute to work was killing her- she broke the secret code. After apologizing (in prayer) to the Emperor, she told her parents about being made to work in the factory and they decided it was time to take the chance of being called traitors and move to Morioka-city.
Soon after she had moved, her house in Nagoya was destroyed in an air raid and she is sure that she would not be around to tell her story if she had kept silent.

New York

After moving to New York in her late 40's because her husband's was assigned a position at the United Nations Head Quarters, she studied English intensively for one year at Columbia University. She was then accepted by the University and in five years she earned her B.A. (Cum Laude). During the War in Japan, Sue's generation couldn't receive an education beyond the 8th grade. When she received her B.A. she was 55, and after another 3 years, she received her M.A. at Columbia univerisity, majoring in Western Art History. She was then given a job as a teacher of Japanese language at Hunter College (CUNY).

Taking 7 more years, Sue completed all the course work requirements toward her Ph.D at Columbia. However, being "America's busiest Japanese lecturer" as she kept up the post of the only Japanese instructor at New York City University for the next 20 years, she did not have the time to earn her Ph.D.

In addition to her Japanese language education courses, Sue created a Japanese Culture & History Course at the college. Thereby creating the Japanese Division singlehandedly, and this led her to receive a tenured position at age 74 from the New York Board of Education.

Kawashima recalls the many changes she has seen in her class demographic. In the beginning, most of her students were white male students with plans to go sightseeing in Japan. However, in recent years, she has noticed more diversity in students, an overwhelming majority of whom are of Asian decent with plans to study at Japanese universities or work in Japan.

Recently, she has had to turn away some students who have tried to join her class but were then dissapointed that it was not about Manga and Anime. Two years ago, she was surprized when a white male student started to speak to her in "Samurai" Japanese that he had learned from manga, games and Japanese films.

Connections
There were many instances of comparison from her life in war-torn Nagoya and her experiences teaching and living through 9-11 in New York. The ominous feeling of walking the empty streets before or after a raid in Nagoya came to mind as she walked outside of her normally busy university on 9-11 and during the New York blackout. Also, looking up at the night sky on the night of the blackout and seeing so many stars and the vastness of the sky reminded her of the nights during the government ordered blackouts during the war.

As she had lived most of her young life among women since most men during the war were drafted (conscripted), she often discusses with her (American) students during her culture course what they would do if there were a draft to fight in Iraq. A high percentage of her students in New York said they would rather spend their lives in jail than go to war which was radically different from the attitude of the men in Nagoya who did not even entertain the notion of not going to war when they were called.

Some questions from the audience at her presentations:

• What can we do to promote Peace?
  (Kawashima) It would take me six months to answer your question, but the most important thing you can do is to keep talking about the important issues of Peace around the world, especially important for young people to have an understanding of it. Be considerate of others and teach your children not to be Kireru impatient and short tempered.
• What was the most difficult aspect of living during wartime?
  (Kawashima) When we have enough to eat and enough space to live, it should be enough- but in these materialistic times, peace is lost in the search for more and more- this is not good for Peace. In wartime, you learn to appreciate so little, the basics are of the utmost importance and there is nothing else.
• Richard Dorf who listened to both the Japanese and English lectures wrote:
  "I was truly touched by Sue Kawashima's account of her life experiences, both with 9/11 and WWII. It was like a bridge between similar tragedies of both past and present, a fresh reminder that history really can repeat itself if not learned from. Her amazing energy despite her age, and her dedication to put her experiences to good use for all of us, really inspired me to continue in peace- related efforts, and I hope she continues to inspire others, throughout Japan, the U.S, etc. And I really look forward to reading her book!"
• Ewen Ferguson, the JALT Hiroshima secretary writes of her presentation to the JALT teacher's organization in Hiroshima:
  Sue Kawashima's talk was cozy and inspiring. It was akin to going to an old aunt's house, ensconcing yourself in a soft chair in front of her and proceeding to help yourself to any juice and snacks that she put out especially for you.
  But then, suddenly, you are cast under a spell when she begins to weave stories and her memories enact themselves out in front of you and you see your aunt as living history and as a more rounded person. Sue's life has been hard but she is an indomitable woman, full of the joys of life. Still working at 80, she continues to break down barriers and build bridges.
  Her example is a tremendous one and the English translation of her wide-ranging book will be eagerly awaited.
  "I wish she were my aunt", we all said as we left the room that night.

Please feel free to add your own comments and impressions of Sue Kawashima's presentations to this article by writing to us through feedback.

Joy Jarman-Walsh, 7/2008