Mi abuela materna, Tsuru Shinzato, nació en el pueblo de Yonabaru, en Okinawa en 1897.
Si aún viviera, hubiera cumplido ya 113 años. Me hubiera gustado preguntarle tantas cosas que ahora, ya de adulta, podría haber entendido mejor, que cuando tenía 9 años.
Falleció cuando yo tenía solo 9 años, y aunque me contaba tanto sobre Okinawa, sus tradiciones, sus creencias (y supersticiones, aunque no sea supersticiosa, aún las sigo creyendo); casi nunca le presté mucha atención. Casi nada me habló sobre la segunda guerra mundial, seguramente para no acordarse del hijo que perdió en una guerra absurda o de las hijas con quienes ya no podía reencontrarse.
Tanto se perdió en esa guerra que al final, me encuentro aquí tratando de reconstruir la historia de mi familia materna. Mi abuela tenía solo 21 años cuando llegó al Peru a bordo del Anyou Maru en 1918. Ese viaje fue conocido como el viaje fatídico, porque murieron 45 de los 437 pasajeros a causa de una epidemia de meningitis en pleno viaje.
Mi grandmother on the maternal side, Tsuru Shinzato, was born in Yonabaru town, in Okinawa in 1897. If she lived still, she would be 113 years old. A century of life for sharing, and I would have liked to ask her so many things that now, as adult, I would have understood better, than as I was 9 years old.
She passed away when I was only 9 years old, and although she told me about Okinawa, its traditions, beliefs (and superstitions, although I am not superstitious, I believe in them still); I almost never paid close attention to them.
She talked me almost nothing about the WWII, probably for not remembering the son whom she lost in an absurd war or the daughters whom she could not meet again.
Mi grandmother on the maternal side, Tsuru Shinzato, was born in Yonabaru town, in Okinawa in 1897. If she lived still, she would be 113 years old. A century of life for sharing, and I would have liked to ask her so many things that now, as adult, I would have understood better, than as I was 9 years old.
She passed away when I was only 9 years old, and although she told me about Okinawa, its traditions, beliefs (and superstitions, although I am not superstitious, I believe in them still); I almost never paid close attention to them.
She talked me almost nothing about the WWII, probably for not remembering the son whom she lost in an absurd war or the daughters whom she could not meet again.
At that war, it lost so much that at the end, I am here, trying to reconstruct the history of my family on the maternal side.
My grandmother was only 21 years old when she arrived in Peru on board of the Anyou Maru in 1918. This voyage was known as the "fateful voyage" because 45 out of 437 passangers died because of a meningitis epidemic in the middle of the voyage.
My grandmother was only 21 years old when she arrived in Peru on board of the Anyou Maru in 1918. This voyage was known as the "fateful voyage" because 45 out of 437 passangers died because of a meningitis epidemic in the middle of the voyage.
 | En esta foto, mi abuela es la que está sentada. Mi madre me contó que mi abuela pensaba regalar la mitad de esta foto a su amiga (quien aparece de pie), y la cortó en dos. In this picture, my grandmother is sitting down. My mother told me that my grandmother wanted to give half of this picture to her friend (who appears standing out), so she cut it in two pieces. |
| Esta foto fue tomada en Japón, probablemente antes de 1918, que fue el año cuando llegó al Perú. Mi abuela aparece de pie al lado izquierdo junto con la hermana de su suegro (la señora que está sentada) y una joven no identificada. This picture was taken in Japan, probably before 1918, when she arrived in Peru. My grandmother appears standing out with her father-in-law's sister (the lady sitting down) and an unidentified young woman. |  |
En estas dos fotos se puede apreciar como eran las mujeres del pueblo de Yonabaru, en Okinawa a inicios del siglo XX. Llevaban el cabello largo, como mi abuela, o recogido (para ocasiones especiales). Si no estaban trabajando en el campo, andaban descalzas.
In both pictures, we can see what the women from Yonabaru town (in Okinawa) look like in the early 20th century. They had long hair, like my grandmother, or tied up (for special occasions). When they were not working on the land, they went barefoot.
In both pictures, we can see what the women from Yonabaru town (in Okinawa) look like in the early 20th century. They had long hair, like my grandmother, or tied up (for special occasions). When they were not working on the land, they went barefoot.
FUENTES:
Fotos: Milagros Tsukayama
SOURCES:
Photos: Milagros Tsukayama
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