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北海道最北端への旅（１４）稚内公園：前回記事で紹介した稚内港北防波堤を訪ねた後、稚内港を見下ろせる稚内公園へ。そこには幾つかの記念碑が。最も有名なのが、九人の乙女の碑。終戦直後の昭和二十年八月二十日、日本が降伏したにも拘わらず当時日本領であった南樺太に侵入してきたソ連軍が接近し、身の危険を感じた真岡（現・ホルムスク）の郵便局に勤務していた女性九人は青酸カリを仰いで自決。今次のロシアによるウクライナ侵攻で多々報じられている残虐行為の類は、当時ソ連軍が侵攻した満州や樺太でも各所で起き、そのような虐待行為で辱めを受けるよりはと自ら命を断った九人を追悼するためのものである。碑には九人の名前と、自決直前に電話で伝えた「皆さん、これが最後です。さようなら、さようなら」の文句が刻まれている。他に、その樺太で命を落とした日本人全般を追悼する氷雪の門、戦後の南極探査のために稚内で訓練された後に使用された樺太犬を称える碑などがある。（Trip to the northernmost of Japan's northernmost island[14]after visiting the sea wall at the port of Wakkanai as featured in the previous post, I went to the Wakkanai Park, which overlooks the port. Several monuments stand in the park premises. The most famous among them is the memorial to the nine women who took their own lives in Sakhalin immediately after World War II. The Red Army did not stop their advance to Manchuria--then Japan's virtual colony--and the southern half of Sakhalin, a part of Japan at the time, even after Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945. As the Soviet troops were approaching to the city of Maoka--Khormsk today--in Sakhalin, nine women who were employees of the post office in the city killed themselves by taking cyanide acid on August 20. As reports of atrocities committed by the Soviet army--obviously being perpetrated again today in Ukraine now--had become known to them, they decided to kill themselves rather than facing humiliation/abuse by the invading troops. This monument was erected to remember those nine women. Engraved on the monument are the names of the nine, as well as the final remark one of the operators made immediately before they cut off their communications: "Everyone, this is our last message. Farewell, farewell." Among other monuments are the one to remember all Japanese nationals who fell in Sakhalin in those days, and the one to honor Sakhalin huskies which were trained in the city of Wakkanai for use in Japan's Antarctic expedition/exploration after the war.）
稚内公園より、稚内港と北防波堤を望む。
利尻・礼文を行き来するフェリーがすれ違う。
九人の乙女の悲劇を伝える碑。今日のウクライナでも同様な悲劇が・・・。
樺太で倒れた邦人を悼む氷雪の門。
氷雪の門、別アングル。
タロウ、ジロウで知られる樺太犬の碑。