What has Japan truly built up until now?







Oath of the Desert (Stereo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyPavf9eU5g&feature=youtu.be

In this song, this song with a powerful message,
I felt a message vital to connecting with the present.


Publicity for the film "Oath of the Desert" starring Ri Kōran
Publicity for the film "Oath of the Desert."
(Click to enlarge)
In February 1941 (Showa 16), when Ri Kōran performed at the Nihon Gekijo (Nichi-geki) in Yurakucho, Tokyo, her popularity was such that over 7.5 laps of the theater were circled by her many adoring fans, requiring fire trucks to be dispatched and water to be sprayed to disperse them. About a month prior, her film "Oath of the Desert" was released in Saga Prefecture, and just before its release, publicity (advertorials) appeared in the Saga Shimbun.

Saga Shimbun
http://www.saga-s.co.jp/koremade/timetrip/48/02.html




1941 (Showa 16)
Superstar Ri Kōran is from Saga

An article from the Saga Shimbun reporting that Ri Kōran was Japanese and from Saga Prefecture (click to enlarge)
1941 (Showa 16), on the eve of the Pacific War's outbreak. On February 16th, the Saga Shimbun published an article that captured the interest of the prefecture's residents, concerning a film that was the greatest entertainment for the common people.
It reported: "Superstar Ri Kōran of Manchurian Motion Picture Association (a film company in Northeast China) is Japanese, and furthermore, her registered domicile was found to be in Kijima District, Saga Prefecture. Her real name and registered domicile were revealed from documents during her performance at the Nichi-geki in Tokyo."
Ri Kōran's real name was Yoshiko Yamaguchi (honorifics omitted; the newspaper at the time spelled it Toshiko). Born in Manchuria, she was adopted by a Chinese friend of her father, taking the name "Ri Kōran." Her beauty and fluency in Chinese were recognized, and she debuted as an actress and singer in 1938 (Showa 13).
Because she was believed to be Chinese, after the war, she was arrested by the Republic of China government as a collaborator with Japan and put on trial. After returning to Japan, she was active as an actress and a member of the House of Councillors. She will be 90 next year. She is still active today.





Where did you learn that song?





I still know nothing about Taiwan.







I still know nothing about North Korea.



In Asia, in Japan, what has Japan truly built?

What are the important memories we should recall once more?

"Where did you learn that song?"

Guided by Kazuo Hasegawa's fresh dialogue,

I wandered into the labyrinth of YouTube.






A fleeting daydream.



← Diary-T 213–218