心は奪われていない
復興構想委員会委員長の五百頭真氏は、NHKのインタビュー番組で以下のようなエピソードを語りました。それは国際交流基金日米センター評議会でたまたま隣に座っていたジョージ・アリモト元ハワイ州知事から聞いた体験談でした。
１９４５年日本が進駐軍に占領されているときのことです。当時進駐軍の若い将校であったジョージ・アリモトさんが、寒い冬のある日、東京有楽町で靴を磨かせていました。靴磨き少年が一生懸命靴を磨いているのを見て、アリモトさんは「いい少年だ」と思いました。靴磨きが終わると、彼は進駐軍食堂へ行ってパンにジャムとバターをたっぷり塗って、少年のところに戻り、パンを少年に与えました。少年は最初躊躇しましたが、「ありがとう」と言ってパンを受け取り、箱の中にしまいました。アリモトさんは少年が嬉しそうにパンを食べると思っていたのに、少年は食べなかったのです。なぜ食べないのかと尋ねると、少年は「妹に分けてやるんです」と言いました。年齢を聞くと少年は７歳で、妹は３歳。二人は戦争孤児でした。アリモトさんは、いたけない７歳の子が３歳の妹を食べさせようと頑張っている姿を見て感動しまし、「日本は戦争で物を無くしたが、心は無くしていない」と思ったそうです。
五百頭氏はインタビューの最後に「東北の津波は全ての物を押し流してしまいましたが、心は流し去っていません」と語りました。
THEIR HEARTS ARE INTACT
Makoto Iokibe, head of the Reconstruction Design Council, talked about the following episode during an NHK interview program. He had heard about it from George Ariyoshi, former governor of Hawaii, who happened to sit beside him at the Council of the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership:
This incident took place in 1945 when Japan was occupied by the Allied Occupation forces. The then young occupation officer, George Ariyoshi, had his shoes polished in Yurakucho, Tokyo on a cold winter day. Looking at the shoeshine boy polishing them earnestly, he thought that he was a nice boy. When the polishing was over, he went to the Occupation Forces mess hall, dollopped jam and butter onto a loaf of bread, returned to the boy, and gave it to him. The boy hesitatingly took it saying, “Thank you.” Contrary to the officer’s expectation, however, the boy did not eat it. Instead, he put it in a box. The soldier asked him why he did not eat it, the boy said, ‘I have a little sister named Mariko. I will give it to her.’ The soldier asked their ages. He was seven and his sister was three. They were war orphans.
“The soldier was deeply moved and said to himself, ‘A boy as young as seven years old is working hard to feed his sister. Japan has lost material things, but not their hearts. Japan will surely revive.’”
Iokibe said in conclusion that the Great Tohoku Tsunami had washed away all the Tohoku people’s materials but not their hearts.
復興構想委員会委員長の五百頭真氏は、NHKのインタビュー番組で以下のようなエピソードを語りました。それは国際交流基金日米センター評議会でたまたま隣に座っていたジョージ・アリモト元ハワイ州知事から聞いた体験談でした。
１９４５年日本が進駐軍に占領されているときのことです。当時進駐軍の若い将校であったジョージ・アリモトさんが、寒い冬のある日、東京有楽町で靴を磨かせていました。靴磨き少年が一生懸命靴を磨いているのを見て、アリモトさんは「いい少年だ」と思いました。靴磨きが終わると、彼は進駐軍食堂へ行ってパンにジャムとバターをたっぷり塗って、少年のところに戻り、パンを少年に与えました。少年は最初躊躇しましたが、「ありがとう」と言ってパンを受け取り、箱の中にしまいました。アリモトさんは少年が嬉しそうにパンを食べると思っていたのに、少年は食べなかったのです。なぜ食べないのかと尋ねると、少年は「妹に分けてやるんです」と言いました。年齢を聞くと少年は７歳で、妹は３歳。二人は戦争孤児でした。アリモトさんは、いたけない７歳の子が３歳の妹を食べさせようと頑張っている姿を見て感動しまし、「日本は戦争で物を無くしたが、心は無くしていない」と思ったそうです。
五百頭氏はインタビューの最後に「東北の津波は全ての物を押し流してしまいましたが、心は流し去っていません」と語りました。
THEIR HEARTS ARE INTACT
Makoto Iokibe, head of the Reconstruction Design Council, talked about the following episode during an NHK interview program. He had heard about it from George Ariyoshi, former governor of Hawaii, who happened to sit beside him at the Council of the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership:
This incident took place in 1945 when Japan was occupied by the Allied Occupation forces. The then young occupation officer, George Ariyoshi, had his shoes polished in Yurakucho, Tokyo on a cold winter day. Looking at the shoeshine boy polishing them earnestly, he thought that he was a nice boy. When the polishing was over, he went to the Occupation Forces mess hall, dollopped jam and butter onto a loaf of bread, returned to the boy, and gave it to him. The boy hesitatingly took it saying, “Thank you.” Contrary to the officer’s expectation, however, the boy did not eat it. Instead, he put it in a box. The soldier asked him why he did not eat it, the boy said, ‘I have a little sister named Mariko. I will give it to her.’ The soldier asked their ages. He was seven and his sister was three. They were war orphans.
“The soldier was deeply moved and said to himself, ‘A boy as young as seven years old is working hard to feed his sister. Japan has lost material things, but not their hearts. Japan will surely revive.’”
Iokibe said in conclusion that the Great Tohoku Tsunami had washed away all the Tohoku people’s materials but not their hearts.
Very inspiring! People find a way to be kind even in the worst situations. You see this the world over. It gives me some hope for humanity.
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