Title: 収容所から来た遺書 Testament from the concentration camp
Author: 辺見じゅん Jun henmi
←Jun Henmi
Hatao Yamamoto→
Key points
The film is based on the true story of Japanese internees who spent 11 years from 1945, after the end of World War II, in a concentration camp in Siberia, where they were subjected to a harsh life. Those who barely survived the war lost their lives one after another in these camps.
The film depicts Yamamoto, who desperately advocated for life in the harsh environment of -40 degrees, harsh physical labor, scant food, unreasonable violence from Russian soldiers, and disparity among the internees, as well as the internees surrounding Yamamoto and his family, including his wife, Mojimi, who waited for his return to Japan.
Summarize story
Then, the war ended in 1945. Hatano Yamamoto was on a train headed for Siberia, a harsh winter world with temperatures of -40 degrees. He is sent to a concentration camp in hell, where Japanese soldiers taken prisoner are forced to work hard with little food and many of them die. The internees, who were in despair as the hard labor continued, were told, "You must not give up hope for life. The day of return will surely come," Yamamoto continued to appeal.
After the end of the war, the decision was made to return to Japan. Yamamoto and the other happy internees boarded the train again with hope in their hearts. However, just as the train was about to reach the port where the return ship was waiting, it was suddenly stopped. Those whose names were called had to get off the train. This meant that they could not return Japan and home. Yamamoto was forced to work for 25 years on suspicion of espionage, which he had no knowledge of. Yamamoto continued to encourage everyone without distinction even as the hard work continued, and his actions and beliefs toward his fellow internees gradually melted the hearts of those who had been in despair.
Eight years after the end of the war, the exchange of letters between the Soviet Union and Japan was permitted. A postcard from his wife, who had passed through strict censorship, reads, “I am waiting for your return.” Receiving the letter from home, Yamamoto felt that the day of his return was approaching, when suddenly he was knocked unconscious by a severe headache. Yamamoto was rushed to the emergency room and recovered, but since then he has frequently fallen ill. The workers began a desperate strike for Yamamoto's sake. They had only one demand: that Yamamoto be taken to a major hospital for an examination. After a hard strike, Yamamoto was finally taken to the hospital for a checkup. However, he was told that he had throat cancer and that he had only three months to live. Despite his friends' efforts to regain hope for life through his words of encouragement, Yamamoto's condition continued to worsen. Yamamoto never gave up hope of seeing his wife again, but his friends, who adored him, recommended that he write a will. Yamamoto took their advice seriously and, with trembling hands, wrote a will expressing his feelings for his family.
Finally, in his sleep, Yamamoto passed away. Yamamoto's remains were buried in Russia. The will was entrusted to his friends and was supposed to be kept in a safe place until his return to Japan. However, in the Gulag, leaving behind any text was considered an act of espionage, and Yamamoto's will was confiscated. After some time, internees were able to return to Japan, but his wife in Japan wept when she received the letter about Yamamoto's death notice.
However, Yamamoto's wife received a will from Yamamoto’s friends. Because the letters would be confiscated on suspicion of espionage, the companions divided the four wills among themselves and memorized them, and they continued to memorize the wills even during hard labor. When the friends visited the Yamamoto family, they neatly cleaned up the memorized wills and handed them to the family.
Connections between the story and our world
Past
・Events as they were
Present
・The importance of having someone who encourages everyone (who encourages you)
・Teaching the preciousness of life and the importance of peace
I am very grateful to my family and parents in Japan for their support and encouragement when I was in a difficult situation of not being able to speak English and wanting to talk to everyone.
I was moved by the way they tried to live like human beings even under the harsh circumstances, and I felt the importance of looking forward.
Future
・It will convey the horror and absurdity of war and will be a deterrent to war and strife.
Differences and similarities between our culture and the culture found in the story
Similarities
A sentence in the will. It sounds like a message to the human beings who will live in the world. It resonates with all the people of today, who have a sense of entrapment with no way out due to the ravages of war and coronas that occur in various parts of the world.
Difference
Freedom to come and go across borders
Two passages that show cultural points
君たちはどんなに辛い日々があろうとも、人類の文化創造に参加し、人類の幸福を増進するという進歩的な思想を忘れてはならぬ。偏頗で矯激な思想に迷ってはならぬ。どこまでも真面目な、人道に基づく自由、博愛、幸福、正義の道を進んでくれ。
No matter how hard your days may be, you must not forget the progressive idea of participating in the creation of human culture and promoting human happiness. Do not be prejudiced. Follow the path of freedom, love, happiness, and justice based on seriousness and humanity everywhere.
１９５６年１２月２４日の朝、興安丸はナホトカ港の岩壁に横づけになり、タラップが降ろされた。乗船が開始されると、ひとりずつタラップを登った。山岸研にはタラップが長い距離に感じられた。舷側と岸壁のあいだには見えない国境がある。いま、その国境を越えるかと思うと、足がふるえた。歩いてわずか１分にもみたないタラップを、一歩一歩踏みしめた。途中でふたたび呼び戻されるのではないかという不安と、もう大丈夫なのだという思いとで歩を運んだ。
On the morning of December 24, 1956, the ship arrived at port and the ramp was lowered. When boarding began, one by one they climbed the ramp. To Yamagishi (Yamamoto's friend), the ramp seemed a long distance. There is an invisible border between the ship and the shore. The thought of crossing that border now made his legs tremble. It took less than a minute to walk up the ramp, but we took it step by step. I walked with the fear that I would be called back to the ship, but also with the feeling that everything was going to be all right.
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