“Human Radar”-Asking the stage-November 6, 17:58
The fishermen boarded the boat and gathered at ports across the country. I will slowly go out to the Pacific Ocean. There are no records of where and what was done, although the ships gathered under the national policy. Because fishermen were human radars.
The figure was named “the poorest front”. (Mito Broadcasting Station reporter Takayanagi Tamaki)
Cartoon of Hayao Miyazaki
About 30 years ago, Satoshi Miyazaki, an animation master, drew manga.
The title is "The poorest front", which is only 5 pages.
The stage is the end of the Pacific War.
A fishing boat dedicated to the task of “special surveillance boat” is the model.
The “special surveillance boat” was a ship that was sent by the Japanese army with fishermen to make sure that the enemy ’s movements were “visually” checked.
A poor wooden fishing boat is responsible for the reconnaissance of American troops off the Pacific Ocean.
Miyazaki-san spelled this after the manga depicting the figure.
“Do n’t kill the dog, catch the fish again! "That's the story of those people coming out and completing it, and I've always wanted to do it."
“Human Radar” buried in the dark
The fishermen with binoculars are on the wooden fishing boat.
In contrast, American submarines and fighters equipped with the latest radar at that time.
Kenji Ouchi, a long-time researcher of “special surveillance boats” who is an expert in ship and maritime history, says that his mission was not guaranteed to return to the sea.
“The binoculars are used to monitor the ocean every day, and when an enemy appears, I hit the radio saying that an enemy ship has appeared.”
“But after that, there were many cases where communication was lost from the ship. Because it was killed by the enemy. There should be at least 15 private fishermen on a boat. Many people have lost their lives.”
A mission in exchange for life.
However, according to Mr. Ouchi, the fact has been long because of the special nature of reconnaissance.
After the defeat, the fishermen's cooperative burned the materials, and there is almost no record.
All the photos and videos were taken by the US military, and those taken by the Japanese side have not been confirmed.
Mr. Ouchi has been gathering materials by visiting a library specializing in ships and secondhand bookstores in order to clarify the duties of fishermen.
What they found was that at least 400 fishing boats were hired, and nearly 80% of them seemed to have sunk.
But where, what, and how each ship sank into the sea.
It is said that only one of them has an accurate record.
“I don't have any material to tell you what the ship did or what it did, so it ’s buried in the dark.” (Mr. Ouchi)
Manga on the stage
The “special surveillance boat” was finally lit.
Miyazaki-san's only five-page comic “The poorest front” was set.
The script was written by Katsura Inoue, the artistic director of the stage department at the Art Tower Mito.
He read Miyazaki's comics about 30 years ago in a magazine and felt the reality of war with a fisherman who tried to live hard even in difficult conditions.
“At the end of the manga, the fisherman says,“ What's more about peace? ”I thought that one word reverberated and I read it. It ’s like the lives of those who lived desperately in that era. If things could be reproduced through the stage, I would like to convey the unfortunate feelings of many deceased people on the stage. ”(Mr. Inoue)
Stupidity because of seriousness
On the stage, one fishing boat used as a “special surveillance boat” will be reproduced.
It is Mr. Seino Uchino who plays the captain.
Mr. Uchino and the fishermen leave the Pacific Ocean with soldiers on small fishing boats.
The fishermen who “must live” are in contrast to the soldiers who are ready to die and are faithful to the mission.
Meanwhile, you can see the shadows off the coast.
It makes you feel nervous when the soldiers are enemy submarines.
But fishermen say, "That is a whale."
“I ’m undergoing rigorous training, I ca n’t get it wrong!”
The soldiers shout out.
But ... "Oh, whale."
As the fishermen said, they were whales.
What is depicted in this scene is the air that the war brings, losing so much coolness that it is desperate to complete the mission.
Uchino also talks about this act.
“The soldiers are also serious and are in a strong desire to find enemy submarines and enemy ships. There is a gap between those who normally see whales as fishermen.”
“I don't mean to make it a comedy, but I think that human beings are wars and serious, and they are doing things that are stupid.”
See, feel, think
On the other hand, Katsura Inoue, who was in charge of the script, says that there is something I want you to read from the fact that there is no record while life is lost.
“The important thing is that there are people who have been struck by war, and there is almost no death left in their deaths.
“That ’s what happened, what people were thinking about who did n’t come back. I think it ’s important to think about it. There ’s something I can learn from that time. I made it to be seen from a viewpoint. ''
Mr. Ouchi, who has been researching “special surveillance boats” for many years, was looking forward to the stage.
“From now on, you may think that it is totally“ dead ”, but people at that time thought it was a fine mission.”
“This soldier is intimidating, but I want him to find his own answer, thinking about what he is doing this mission for, why he did n’t have any doubts,”
What the stage is connected to now
A stage that has been held nationwide for about two months. Twitter had such an impression.
“I was very scared when I thought that the line“ Where did I make a mistake? ”
Unlike those days, now we can get various information on our own.
Still, you may believe that it is not true, spread it easily, do not admit anything other than your own thoughts, and truncate others with other thoughts.
This stage is not only about the tragedy of the “special surveillance boat” that was buried in the darkness, but as if it were such a stage as to rethink the way of thinking and thinking of my own, and the present world sharply. Thought.