On our recent trip to the Maizuru area we visited an historical site with significance to our family. Maizuru is a large port on the Sea of Japan side of Honshu. Today it is an active fishing port as well as a base for the Japanese Naval Self Defense Forces.
At the end of WWII the port was used as a repatriation point for Japanese families who had been living in China, Manchuria and Russia during the war. One of the closest ports to Korea and China, rescue ships traveled to the port loaded with thousands of Japanese who were left destitute on foreign soil when the Japanese empire fell and surrendered to the US. This is the dock where the refugees landed and began their repatriation to Japan.
Sister McIntyre's maternal grandfather was sent to Manchuria with his family during WWII. He, like most young men at the time, was drafted into the Japanese military. He was sent overseas to work with his wife. It was while living there that Sister McIntyre's mother was born. At the end of the war, many of the families living in parts of China, Manchuria and Siberia were left to survive on their own as the Japanese army had been defeated and was powerless and destitute. There was no food and no way to get back to their homeland. While many of the Japanese families living there had befriended locals, it goes without saying that in general there were not kind feelings towards the Japanese who had invaded these lands and occupied them for several years. To make things worse, the Russian soldiers were not kind to the Japanese families as they came in and took over where the Japanese had once ruled. Many of the Japanese women dressed like men and boys and cut their hair short so the Russian soldiers would leave them alone.
Many Japanese woman and children perished in China waiting to be rescued. This is a monument commemorating the arrival and repatriation of these Japanese back to their country. Sister McIntyre's grandfather helped his wife and two daughters (Sister McIntyre's mother and aunt) find a rescue ship and eventually make their way back to Japan. He, unfortunately could not make the trip and died of starvation in Dalian, China. War is a terrible thing and innocent people on both sides of a conflict are hurt and affected. Certainly many Japanese soldiers did unthinkable things to the people throughout Asia as the war expanded and Japan occupied these countries. But there were also many innocent Japanese caught in the conflict.
Observation deck overlooking Maizuru port.
Displays at the repatriation museum in Maizuru.
A photo of a rescue ship like the one Sister McIntyre's mother sailed on from Dalian, China to Maizuru, Japan.
Models of the various ships used for repatriation.
View of the arrival dock where Sister McIntyre's mother arrived as seen from the observation deck.
This map shows the various locations in China and Russia of Japanese cemeteries and grave sites where Japanese left behind are buried.
Mom boards an abandoned fishing boat in Maizuru.
In 1986, about 5 years after Sister McIntyre's baptism, her mother joined the church in Fukushima, Japan. President McIntyre, who was a teacher at the MTC in Provo at the time, was the teacher that taught the missionaries who went to the Sendai mission and taught her the gospel and baptized her. She currently is a member of the Fukushima Ward, Sendai Stake.
At the end of WWII the port was used as a repatriation point for Japanese families who had been living in China, Manchuria and Russia during the war. One of the closest ports to Korea and China, rescue ships traveled to the port loaded with thousands of Japanese who were left destitute on foreign soil when the Japanese empire fell and surrendered to the US. This is the dock where the refugees landed and began their repatriation to Japan.
Sister McIntyre's maternal grandfather was sent to Manchuria with his family during WWII. He, like most young men at the time, was drafted into the Japanese military. He was sent overseas to work with his wife. It was while living there that Sister McIntyre's mother was born. At the end of the war, many of the families living in parts of China, Manchuria and Siberia were left to survive on their own as the Japanese army had been defeated and was powerless and destitute. There was no food and no way to get back to their homeland. While many of the Japanese families living there had befriended locals, it goes without saying that in general there were not kind feelings towards the Japanese who had invaded these lands and occupied them for several years. To make things worse, the Russian soldiers were not kind to the Japanese families as they came in and took over where the Japanese had once ruled. Many of the Japanese women dressed like men and boys and cut their hair short so the Russian soldiers would leave them alone.Many Japanese woman and children perished in China waiting to be rescued. This is a monument commemorating the arrival and repatriation of these Japanese back to their country. Sister McIntyre's grandfather helped his wife and two daughters (Sister McIntyre's mother and aunt) find a rescue ship and eventually make their way back to Japan. He, unfortunately could not make the trip and died of starvation in Dalian, China. War is a terrible thing and innocent people on both sides of a conflict are hurt and affected. Certainly many Japanese soldiers did unthinkable things to the people throughout Asia as the war expanded and Japan occupied these countries. But there were also many innocent Japanese caught in the conflict. Observation deck overlooking Maizuru port.
Displays at the repatriation museum in Maizuru. A photo of a rescue ship like the one Sister McIntyre's mother sailed on from Dalian, China to Maizuru, Japan.
Models of the various ships used for repatriation.
View of the arrival dock where Sister McIntyre's mother arrived as seen from the observation deck.
This map shows the various locations in China and Russia of Japanese cemeteries and grave sites where Japanese left behind are buried.
Mom boards an abandoned fishing boat in Maizuru.In 1986, about 5 years after Sister McIntyre's baptism, her mother joined the church in Fukushima, Japan. President McIntyre, who was a teacher at the MTC in Provo at the time, was the teacher that taught the missionaries who went to the Sendai mission and taught her the gospel and baptized her. She currently is a member of the Fukushima Ward, Sendai Stake.
After the meetings we had a potluck meal with everyone.
The church is located in the building above on the 2nd floor. As you can see there is book and video store below us. In the picture below, Sister McIntyre is pointing to the sign in front of the building which shows the name of the church. It is the top white sign written in Japanese. Not sure what the bottom sign is all about. But we do think there is a lot of "wisdom" taught in the building every Sunday!
Above: Sister McIntyre and Elders Taketomi and Castleton standing in front of the church doors. The Maizuru Branch had 2 investigators attend today and counting us that brought the sacrament meeting attendance to 13. They do have 2 baptisms scheduled for December. The Branch President is a wonderful young man (return missionary) in his thirties. It was a great day getting to know all the members there and speaking to them and learning with them in Sunday School and the other meetings. Maizuru is home to a Japanese Naval Base and other than that it seems to be basically made up of several small fishing and mountain villages. The two non-members who came to church were both Japanese sailors stationed there. They both had a keen interest in what was taught and were very friendly and likable and said they would come again. These small branches are precious. The members that attend are wonderful. I am still seeking for guidance on how we can better support them.
I made it a point to walk out on the beach and touch the water. We went from coast to coast and back today. The Sea of Japan faces China and Korea. The mission home in Kobe looks out over the inland sea and Pacific Ocean towards North America.
We met a very kind grandma in the village as she was cutting flowers and tending her garden. She told us she was born on Christmas Eve and her father, who was Christian, died on Christmas Eve as well. We shared with her some materials and she gave Sister McIntyre some flowers. You can see a persimmon tree in the background. We saw many growing in the valley there. In the fall the leaves drop but they leave the fruit on the trees to sweeten. Grandma told us she had about 30 wild monkeys down in her garden yesterday raiding the trees. We wish we could have seen that.
Below is one of the trees nearly picked clean by the monkey thieves.
We also snapped a shot of the Daikon Radishes being dried by a local resident as we drove through the village.
Here are some more pictures from the Maizuru area...
