Official
I remember Mr. Kazutoshi Hanfuji, Sumida River
When you hear the news that the war has begun, some Japanese may have thought of the previous Pacific War. That said, 80 years have passed since the attack on Pearl Harbor, so many people may have felt that it would be a war.
In this news, I came to mind Kazutoshi Hanfuji. He is the person who wrote the best-selling book "Showa History" that spells the history of Showa in an easy-to-understand manner. Mr. Hanto died last year, but since he had a war experience as a child, he has spelled and talked about war and peace.
I knew Kazutoshi Hanfuji when I became a correspondent at the Chuo-ku Tourism Association and tried to find out about the Sumida River a long time ago, when I found Hanfuji's book at a bookstore.
There are surprisingly few books on the old Sumida River's "real experience". Mr. Hanto was born in Sumida-ku today in 1930, and when he was a child, he experienced the Great Tokyo Air Raid and was about to die. After the war, I entered the boat club of the University of Tokyo, held an oar on the water of the Sumida River, and experienced the Sumida River in Namah. The book clearly describes the war experience, downtown scenery, and the background of the times when Mr. Hanto was a child, and Mr. Hanto, who is famous for Showa history, but it is also very useful to know the history of the Sumida River It is a source of information. Mr. Hanto was a very valuable person who could communicate his experience in the form of a proper sentence.
Last summer, before the Corona Delta strain spread, I learned that the Sumida River Boat Monument, which is related to Mr. Hanto, is upstream than Chuo-ku, and went to see the monument. I went there. The photo at the beginning is the photo. Walk from Asakusa Station and cross the Sumida River Walk, which spans the Sumida River, towards Kototoi Bridge. Mr. Hanto's name is engraved, isn't it?
In the past, boating competitions were popular on the Sumida River. Next to this monument, there is a monument in which Emperor Meiji viewed the competition, extending the past.
Even now, a competition called Waseda-Keio Regatta remains on the Sumida River, but the monument contains memories of Mr. Hanto during the Showa era, when boating was more popular. Showa is a period of time, but unexpectedly unknown. I feel that it is very meaningful to leave it in a proper form.
If you are interested in the Sumida River and want to know about a long time ago, I hope that Mr. Hanto will read the remaining sentences.
Regarding Mr. Hanfuji's involvement in Chuo-ku, Mr. Hanfuji, who left university, joined Bungei Shunjusha in Ginza at the time, and has witnessed the city of Ginza, which is recovering from the war. The situation at that time was also contributed to Ginza 100 points, and a book with the text was also published immediately after his death.
What was interesting to read was that when I looked at the woman walking in the reconstructed city "Ginza" from the top of the building every day, I felt that it gradually became beautiful. It seems to be around 1953. I thought that this was because Mr. Hanto himself was still young, so I thought that the eyes of women were getting fertile every day, but Japan and Ginza that survived the hardships It may be an episode of one of the episodes of Ginza.
Such a story that Mr. Hanto felt on his skin is also very valuable. It seems that there are still many books written by Mr. Hanto, so if you are interested, I hope you can read them.
It is a bell of peace on Yaesu Street, Chuo-ku. I took it last summer. Chuo-ku declares a peaceful city and is a city that seeks peace.
Looking at the news of the war that happened this time, the most painful thing was that mothers and children fled to other countries, while their father remained for fighting in their own country. It was a video showing that the family was scattered.
I think Japan is peaceful and happy now. But maybe it's too peaceful. Thank you for being with someone close to you, or with someone you should be with. It may be better to do a lot when you are peaceful now.