During the Pacific War, descendants of Americans who moved to Chichijima island in the Ogasawara Islands chain during the Edo period (1603-1867) burned a Stars and Stripes flag, which had been handed down from generation to generation, out of fear of persecution.
Moved by this history of hardship, Akira Kondo, a watch store owner in Saijo, Ehime Prefecture, made a replica of the Stars and Stripes and presented it to the descendants of the family in June.
The recipient was delighted, saying, "We would like to use it as a reminder when we look back on the history of our ancestors."
-- Conveying history
Takashi Savory, the replica's recipient, is a former director of the general affairs division of Ogasawara in Tokyo.
When Commodore Matthew Perry, who led his fleet to Japan in 1853 and 1854, visited the island, he appointed Nathaniel Savory as the administrator of the local government and gave him the Stars and Stripes.
The flag with its 31 stars, which represented the number of U.S. states at the time, was passed down generationally from then on. It was raised whenever foreign ships stopped by the island's harbor and flown on the American Independence Day holiday (July 4).
But when the Pacific War began and the war situation worsened, the islanders were ordered to evacuate to the mainland. Under these circumstances, the Savory family, including Takashi's grandfather, made the decision to burn the revered heirloom.
Speculating about their feelings at the time, Savory said, "They were afraid that they would be forced into a difficult situation because of their different appearance and language, and they had no choice but to burn the flag to protect the family."
In March of this year, Kondo, who lives in Saijo, learned about the history of the Savory family in a newspaper article and was moved by their tragic history of being at the mercy of war.
The Iyo Saijo Tax Association, a group of private businesses in the city, discussed the story and decided to make a replica of the flag and send it to the descendants. Kondo, who is the chairman of the association, proposed the idea to Savory.
The flag, measuring 102 centimeters by 163 centimeters and reproducing the Stars and Stripes that was raised at the signing of Japan's surrender in September 1945, was competed in early June.
Savory said that he raised the flag at his house on June 17.
"The Stars and Stripes given by Perry must have been the emotional support of our ancestors. I am deeply moved by it." Kondo said, "Numerous sacrifices have become the foundation of today's peace. I hope the replica will be useful in conveying the history of Chichijima island."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
