2011年10月20日 星期四

March 1946

[Above: 海防艦34号 No 34 Sea Defense Ship]

It is now better understood how the Japanese residents of Danshui were repatriated. A report by Mr Hirokawa today is posted below [source in Japanese: here]:

At this year's Tansui-Kai meeting, members ruminated about the repatriation experience. Some recalled that in March, 1946, they reported to the Governor General's Office [now the Presidential Palace] in Taipei, then took the train [in Taipei Station] to Keelung where the 引き揚げhiki-age ships awaited. Most of them were on board of Liberty ships during this evacuation. After one week at sea, the evacuees arrived in 大竹Otake [about 20 miles southwest of Hiroshima]. The reason for the long one-week journey was to avoid mines in the seas near Japan, the ships must therefore sail along the coastlines of the mainland. These Liberty ships were hastily built in the US during WWII to meet the needs of wartime transportation:

Some were evacuated on board of 海防艦Sea Defense ships [gun boats]. At least one Tansui-Kai member from Miyazaki Prefecture returned from Keelung to Kagoshima on 海防艦34号 (pictured above) - after two nights and three days. He was then temporarily sheltered in 天保山Ten-po-san Elementary School near Hiroshima.

海防艦s were 70 meter long with a 700 tonnage, used in 引き揚げ process up until 1947 when they were handed over to the Soviet Union.

A postscript: One of Eyedoc's cousins remembers traveling from Danshui to Taipei Station to see her best friend 小林玲子 off and has lost contact ever since - until last year. Her friend, a member of Tansui-Kai, turns out to be alive and well now residing near Tokyo.

2011年10月17日 星期一

Tansui-Kai 淡水会 10-18-2011

Tansui-Kai淡水会 2011 will meet at 6PM on Oct 18. The venue will be the Green Hotel 「グリーンホテル」 in Mie Prefecture Mie County Komono-cho Chikusa 「三重県三重郡菰野町千草」.

Tansui-Kai was founded by Kinoshita Seigai木下静涯 and ex-residents of Tansui [Danshui] who were expatriated back to Japan in 1946. They have always remembered their faraway hometown.

For the first time, at this year's meeting, Mayor Tsai's report on the progress of Tamsui will be presented and pamphlets on the many festivities in Oct in Danshui distributed.

We wish the members of Tansui-Kai a wonderful get-together.