After a late night arrival home I took it easy today by finishing a biography of the Japanese artist Foujita. In the 1930s he embraced the influence of the fascist regime and later became Japan’s top official war artist during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Postwar there was an almost immediate backlash from fellow artists and the public against his propagandist work.
Category: War
Soldiers and Pioneers Memorial Cemetery
Every Thursday, on my walk from the bus stop to the school where I volunteer, I pass by Minneapolis’ oldest cemetery, Soldiers and Pioneers Memorial Cemetery, founded 1853. In the photo three rows of weathered headstones mark where Civil War soldiers are interred. Each stone carries a name and the poignant statement ‘A Soldier.’
Hiroshima National Peace Memorial for the Atomic Bomb Victims
Encircling the room, on the upper part of the wall, a grim cityscape frieze consists of 140,000 tiles to represent each individual who died. A water basin in the center commemorates those who died begging for water.
Peaceful Places
Our adventure today combined city bus travel with walking. At the (Queen) Liliʻuokalani Botanical Garden, Dwight located three trees he’ll feature in his blog. The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, situated within a volcanic crater, offered a serene atmosphere and spectacular views, while also serving as a poignant reminder of the Pacific War’s battles.
Remembering the Pacific War
Visited the Battleship Missouri, the ship where Japan surrendered, ending World War II. My friend Dave’s father served on a sister ship, and his story tracks much of the Pacific War. He was an electrician, so we signed up for a small-group engineering tour. I was impressed by the sheer size of the vessel and the enormous network of electrical cables.
Seeing Humanity
This morning: Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims.
A Soldier in Occupied Japan
Posted A Soldier in Occupied Japan. My partner’s uncle was stationed in Kyoto, Japan at the end of the Pacific War. The story could’ve been so different.
A Soldier in Occupied Japan
My partner’s uncle was a soldier in occupied Japan at the end of the Pacific War. The story could’ve been so different.
A Piece of the Past
Dwight’s uncle was posted to Kyoto at the end of WW2. Today, I walked around his old stomping ground trying to reconcile some of his photos with today’s Kyoto. When I matched this 1946 photo I must’ve reacted: people started to gather around me and were excited to see the old photo. More…
Our History
On my cycle ride, stopped at Sheridan Memorial Park which has a plaque for each of our wars. I appreciate how the plaques don’t whitewash or romanticize war. Minnesota’s US-Dakota War of 1862 is a case in point. Click through for more…