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グアムで亡くなった父の面影を探して

雅子さんの父、萩野長善さん1913年８月１３日に高知で生まれた。本籍地は高知県安芸郡伊尾木村伊尾木29。陸軍伍長を務め、グアムで1944年9月30日に戦死した。享年31歳。

「父は、城東商業高校(現高知高校)の卒業生です。野球部に所属して、キャッチャーで主将も務めたようです。卒業後四国銀行に就職しました。」

その頃、雅子さんの母方の伯父が、神戸で鈴木商店に勤務しており、昭和恐慌の影響で会社が分裂。現在の日本発条社のルーツにあたる会社で働くことになった。

「経理担当者を探していて、四国銀行から父を引き抜いたんです。そして、妹である母とお見合いをして結婚することになったようです。その後、神戸で父は子会社である桑原商事で働いていました。」

雅子さんは1941年2月神戸生まれ。1942年の夏に長善さんは高知・朝倉から満州へ出征した。その後、戦況の悪化に伴い、一家は高知の井口町に疎開した。

「父に抱かれた写真が残ってますが、1歳半までのものしかないので、記憶にはありません。満州からグアムへ移り、私が3歳の時に戦死しています。」

終戦後、高知で遺骨も戻らぬまま一家は葬儀をした。骨壷の中には紙が入っているだけだったようだ。当初は南太平洋方面で戦死としか知らされなかったという。

「死亡通知には9月30日とあるが、私は7月20日か8月の頭なのではないかと考えています。タモンビーチのハイヤットリージェンシーホテルの近くに、高知の連帯が隠れていた防空壕(トーチカ)がいまも残ってます。でも、玉砕といわれ、父がいつどこでどのように亡くなったのかはわかりません。」

雅子さんは戦後、高知大学教育学部附属小学校から土佐中学校・高等学校を経て同志社女子大学へと進んだ。日本航空に入社し大阪空港支店に配属される。

「小学校へ入ると、親が戦死したという同世代がたくさんいました。本当に多かったですよ。伯父は最後社長にもなったような方で資金力もあり、従兄弟たちと一緒に7番目の子どものように可愛がってくれました。だからこそ、私は不自由せずに学び、働くことができました。」

大学時代、京都の宣教師の方の家に、英語が学べると思いお手伝いに行っていた雅子さん。同じように英語を学びにきた、岡山出身で当時広島大学の学生だった男性と出会う。仁後文晃さんである。これがきっかけとなり、交際に発展。めでたく結婚することになった。

「私の人生そのものは、たくさん楽しいことがありました。友達も良い人ばかりで、親戚たちも可愛がってくれて。でも、ずっと母子家庭だったので、就職する時も、結婚する時も、もし父がいたらどんな言葉を贈ってくれただろうかといつも思っていました。主人は、私のそのような気持ちをとても理解してくれていて、父親の役割も果たしてくれたように思います。」

文晃さんは、高千穂交易社で働くことになり、バロース社(現日本ユニシス)製の電子計算機を扱っていた関係で、1977年から80年までアメリカ・ミシガンに駐在することになった。

「子どもも3人（当時9歳・7歳・3歳）おりましたが、みんなでアメリカに行きました。子どもたちはすっかりアメリカの文化が好きになりましたね。」

その後、父親が亡くなったグアムに子どもたちを連れて訪ねるようになった雅子さん。慰霊塔で祈りを捧げ、父を偲んだ。孫たちも連れて行った。計画から旅行会社との交渉、会計など全て子どもたちが手配し、雅子さんは成長を頼もしく感じているという。

「還暦でグアムに行った時に、その時のことを朝日新聞ひととき欄に投稿しました。この記事を見て、同じくグアム戦の戦没者遺族である松本さんと内藤さんからご連絡をいただいたんです。アガットに慰霊碑を建てる活動をしているので協力いただけないかという話でした。」

最初は警戒していた雅子さん。文晃さんと共に所沢の航空公園で会って話を聞くことにしたという。最終的には寄附をして、子ども3人と自分の名前を刻んでもらった。その後、慰霊碑が完成した時に、「除幕式をするので一緒に行きませんか？」と誘われ、文晃さんと共にグアムへ向かった。

「そこで、グアム現地で慰霊活動をしているピースリング・オブ・グアムと連携して日本側で活動する団体を立ち上げようという話になりました。日米合同の慰霊祭に参加して、両国の和解の象徴のような活動だなと、素晴らしいなと思っていましたので、私も賛同しました。遺骨収集などについて厚生労働省にどんなにお願いしても、なかなか動いてもらえないことをもどかしく感じていたので、そういう点でも遺族たちが力を合わせることはいいなと感じていました。」

ピースリングでは監事として活動に関わる雅子さん。小学校や公民館に頼まれて、狭山で語り部活動にも取り組んでいる。

「春彼岸慰霊祭は内藤さんのアイデアで始まりました。千鳥ヶ淵戦没者墓苑で開催していることは良いことだと思います。いつも開催する3月には桜が満開になります。父にもこの景色を見て欲しかったと思います。」

グアムの考古学者で、ピースリングに協力していただいているジョン・マークさんから娘が情報を知り、厚生労働省のDNA鑑定の制度に申し込んだが、いまだにマッチングはしていない。

「母は何度かグアムに誘いしましたが、見たくないと言われて最後まで行きませんでした。再婚の話も来ていたようなんですが、連れ子になる私がかわいそうだということで断っていたようです。戦争は男だけのものではないんですよね。みんなが巻き込まれます。」

グアム島には、黒い蝶がよく飛んでいる。遺族はこの蝶を兵隊さんの魂ではないかと言いながら、亡くなられた方々に思いを馳せる。

「帰還兵の中西さんと良くビーチを歩きながら、黒い蝶を見つけると兵隊さんかな、なんて話してました。ある時、高知の馬路村に行った時のことです。宿泊施設にも黒い蝶が現れたんです。父の出身地の伊尾木村はすぐ隣なので、父が私たちの様子を見に来たのかもしれないと思いました。」

最後に、ピースリングの活動や次世代への思いを伺った。

「戦争が父を奪ったので、どんなことがあっても戦争はやめてほしいと思います。戦いになる前に話し合いで解決してほしい。そもそも、なんでこんなに大きな戦争になったのか、自分の国の指導者がどうだったのか、若い人たちには賢くなってほしいです。若い人に平和が大事だということを引き継いでいきたいと思います。」

戦後８０年を迎え、戦争を直接経験した方だけではなく、戦争経験者が身近にいる方も少なくなる中で、平和や慰霊の活動に取り組んできた方々の思いも、次世代がしっかり引き継いでいきたいと改めて感じるお話だった。

仁後雅子

1941年兵庫県生まれ/高知県育ち

元日本航空株式会社

NPO法人ピースリング・オブ・グアム・ジャパン監事

第21回グアム日本人会主催慰霊と慰霊碑清掃行事

6月29日

南太平洋戦没者慰霊公苑、

アンダーソン空軍基地バックゲート近く、

アガットの３つの地点を訪ね、慰霊と慰霊碑清掃を行いました。

現地からは、上田総領事をはじめ、

日本人会権田会長、日本人会の皆様、

ピースリング・オブ・グアム髙木会長ご夫妻、

ピースリング・オブ・グアムの皆様、

グアム政府考古学者ジョンマーク・ジョセフ氏、

日本からは、南太平洋戦没者慰霊公苑青木理事、

ピースリング・オブ・グアム・ジャパンから1名、

多くの皆様が、ご家族や友人と共に参加してくださいました。

English translation of Hotosena news article

"The Air Raids Were Terrifying": The Reflections of a Man Who Collects the Remains of War Dead in Guam on Behalf of His Late Uncle, Who Passed Away Young

Heitaro Matsumoto, the founder of the hair salon chain "Heitaro Matsumoto Hair Salon," which operates in areas such as Ginza and Kichijoji, also serves as the chairman of the NPO Peace Ring of Guam-Japan. In this role, he is dedicated to honoring the memory of those who perished in Guam during World War II and to recovering their remains.

"Experienced the Terror of Air Raids and Lost Both Parents at a Young Age"

Heitaro Matsumoto was born in 1940 in Komagome, Toshima Ward,at the time in the midst of war. During the Tokyo air raid on March 10, 1945, he had been evacuated to a friend’s house in Oyama Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, narrowly escaping danger. However, his home was completely destroyed by fire, and even the belongings stored in the air-raid shelter were burned.

"The air raids were terrifying. Near our house at the time, there was a conspicuous building that seemed to be targeted during the raids, so bombs would often fall around us. It would get so dark, even during the daytime. I remember being so scared when the air-raid sirens went off that I would cry a lot," he recalled.

After His Uncle Goro’s Departure for Military Service (Heitaro is the child in the front row, on the left)

After the war ended, Heitaro, who had been at his evacuation site, lost both of his parents due to the harsh conditions during and after the war. In the postwar chaos, only his grandmother and his young brother remained.

"I was taken in by my uncle, who lived in Mitaka. My uncle ran a barbershop. When I became a middle school student, I started helping out at the shop—cleaning, doing laundry, and even washing customers' hair. I would prepare the shop in the morning, go to school, and then work at the shop after I got back. On my days off, I worked all day. I don’t really have memories of playing with friends," he recalled.

" Opened a Barber Shop to Support Younger Brother's Education"

Heitaro Matsumoto’s younger brother, Tadashi, was an excellent student who dreamed of going to university. However, their uncle decided to send Tadashi to work at a laundry shop instead. Faced with this situation, Heitaro made a major decision.

"I gave up on going to high school so I could support my brother. I wanted to give my brother the chance to continue his studies. I figured that if I became a barber, I wouldn’t need to worry about inventory and could make a living with just my skills. So, I went to a vocational school, trained, and at the age of 19, I opened my own shop in Kumagaya, enabling my brother to attend Kumagaya High School."

Tadashi went on to graduate from Chuo University’s Faculty of Law , later working as the editorial bureau chief at Asahi Shimbun and serving as the principal of the Asahi Shimbun Journalism School..

Meanwhile, around 1965, Heitaro began to think, "The future belongs to the beauty industry." With women increasingly entering the workforce, he focused on developing haircuts and perms that were easy to style during the busy mornings before work. He traveled to Los Angeles and London, where he adopted the "Sassoon Cut" by Vidal Sassoon, a barber-turned-hairstylist whose techniques laid the foundation for modern global hairdressing. In 1978, Heitaro opened a cut-and-perm salon in Kichijoji.

His salon; “Matsumoto Hiratarou Biyiushitu”

The name of the business, Matsumoto Heitaro Beauty Salon, was created by taking the last characters from the names of my great-grandfather Tamehira, my grandfather Tachita, and my father Ichiro. I also hold dear the words of my mentor: "The trust earned through sincerity is the greatest asset." Carrying the names of my ancestors symbolizes my determination to uphold these words in practice.

The company eventually grew to operate 31 salons with hundreds of employees. It expanded beyond Tokyo to cities like Utsunomiya, Maebashi, and Koriyama. The guiding principles of the business were to provide high-quality services at affordable prices and to treat employees with care, including offering good working conditions. The company also took progressive steps, such as becoming one of the first in the industry to implement a complete no-smoking policy.

"In Place of His Late Father, He Honors His Uncle's Memory"

Alongside his business endeavors, Heitaro devoted himself to activities as a bereaved family member of a war casualty. He lost his uncle Goro in the Battle of Guam.

"My father deeply cherished his youngest brother, Goro. Goro was drafted right before his wedding. As a signalman, he was sent to Manchuria and then Guam. He sent exactly 100 letters to our home in Komagome during that time. Many were addressed to me. He wrote everything in katakana so that I, as a young child, could read them. The last letter we received from Guam seemed like a farewell."

One of the parts of letter that delivered from Goro to Heitaro

Heitaro's father often took the young Heitaro to the stonemason's shop when creating Goro's gravestone. "If my father had lived longer, he would have surely devoted himself to honoring Goro. As the eldest son, I must take on the responsibility of Goro's memorial services in his stead." He decided.

When Heitaro first participated in memorial services for the war dead in Guam, he was shocked. "I assumed that most remains had already been repatriated. However, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, out of the 19,135 Japanese soldiers who perished in Guam, only about 520 remains had been returned to Japan. While the average recovery rate for remains from areas where the Japanese military fought is around 45%, for Guam, it's just 3%. I knew something had to be done."

With the mountain where his uncle fought in the background

Responding to the establishment of Peace Ring of Guam by Japanese expatriates in Guam, Heitaro founded the Japanese counterpart, Peace Ring of Guam Japan. Today, the organization operates as an NPO, participating in annual memorial services in Guam and hosting similar events in Japan each March at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery. The organization also advocates for the recovery of remains by petitioning the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare and politicians, holding photo exhibitions, and organizing youth-oriented talks to raise awareness. However, progress remains slow.

"The Struggles of Recovering Remains: Facing Significant Barriers"

"Guam is U.S. territory, so we cannot simply recover remains based on Japanese wishes. Even if official documents confirm the location of remains, or if eyewitness accounts suggest possible burial sites, we cannot excavate without evidence from a radar or other means. There's a high legal barrier."

Even when official documents or testimonies confirm the presence of remains at a certain location, excavation is not permitted unless a radar specifically detects them or the remains are accidentally exposed due to some unforeseen circumstance. This significant legal barrier imposed by local regulations poses a major challenge to the recovery of remains. Additionally, there is a notable difference in motivation regarding the recovery efforts between bereaved families and other individuals.

Scenes from the remains recovery efforts

Heitaro recounted a specific incident:
"In November 2009, we received word that remains had been discovered at a water supply construction site. We managed to retrieve nine sets of remains by January 2010, but two still remained when the excavation was halted, and the site was refilled. I was told it was because the archaeologist was hospitalized and couldn't examine the remains. There were plenty of archaeologists, though! After about six years of persistent requests to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and politicians, the excavation resumed in 2016. However, the Japanese official told me, ' Please let this be the last time.' According to official documents, about 72 sets of remains were estimated to be buried there. On another occasion, a local explorer found remains in a cave, but when I asked to retrieve them immediately, the Japanese official said, 'It's the rainy season; wait until next year.' By the time the rainy season was over, the remains were gone. It’s heartbreaking that these soldiers cannot rest in peace."

"Approaching 80 Years Post-WarⅡ: Hopes for the Next Generation"

As Japan approaches the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the repatriation of remains remains incomplete. Meanwhile, fewer people who lived through the war remain, and its memories are fading. Heitaro hopes younger generations will inherit the responsibility of building a peaceful society and praying for the war dead.

"It’s crucial to prevent these memories from fading. Even the speeches at memorial services feel increasingly perfunctory. I want to ensure that the sacrifices of those who died in the war are not forgotten and that their memories are honored. I’m aging and don’t know how long I can continue, so I want to nurture successors to carry on this mission. Watching the news about conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine is deeply disheartening. While our efforts may be small, I hope they inspire Japanese youth to become advocates for peace."

The talk event held on March for teenagers

"People have varying views on the war, but personally, I often wonder: What was the purpose of that conflict? Some supporters of memorial services and recovery efforts still justify the war, saying it was to liberate Asia. While it's true that post-war independence movements in Asia were influenced by the war, how can a war that claimed the lives of 20 million Asians be considered liberating? How do we account for the many Japanese soldiers who starved to death, and the young lives cut short? Their families endured tremendous hardships in the aftermath. There is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘just’ war."

As the generation that directly experienced the war firsthand gradually passes away, Heitaroremains resolute that the war is not truly over until all remains are repatriated. He hopes that more people, across generations and perspectives, will take an interest in this cause.