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Koichi Inomata,
the painter
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Early in August of this year (2002), Inomata,
an executive committee member of the Japan-Australia
Society, sent an old unfinished oil painting
(size 4) to Cook, an ex-POW living in the
suburbs of Sydney. The letter e-mailed on
the same day reads as follows:
Dear John,
This is a picture I exhibited at the
1944
Takada Normal School Students' Exhibition
that was held at the Stainless Steel
Mill
in October. I was working there as
a member
of the school labour service corps.
I was
19 years old then, which means that
I painted
this picture 58 years ago. . . . .
Painted with scanty paint, it is quite
natural
for you to think that this picture
was left
unfinished. Paint was very scarce and
difficult
to obtain in those days. The picture
shows
the Sea of Japan as seen from Arakawabashi
Bridge, which crossed the Arakawa River
near
the Naoetsu POW Camp. Actually, there
was
a munitions plant located on the far
right
side of the scene. I omitted it on
purpose
since we were prohibited by the military
police to sketch or take pictures of
such
installations.
On 10th December 1942, those 300 Australian
POWs from Singapore, including you,
were
crossing this bridge with much anxiety
and
little hope. It was winter and the
scene
must have been all white with the snow
on
the bridge and banks. There would have
been
raging waves from the Sea of Japan
washing
up angrily on the beaches. During that
winter,
severe cold spells and hunger spread
illness
among the prisoners. Besides, during
the
period between March 1943 and February
1944,
constant overwork and inhuman treatment
caused
the death of 60 Australian soldiers.
. .
. .
When the war came to an end on 15th
August
1945, I was not working at the Stainless
Steel Mill any more. On 7th May 1945,
two
days after the bombardment of Kuroi
Station,
which was located near the factory,
I was
drafted into the army, leaving my farewell
note behind. For three months after
that
I was being trained in suicidal attack
against
the invading Allied tanks that would
land
on the beaches of Tokyo Bay.
This picture would have been my posthumous
work if the war had lasted only a few more
weeks. Therefore, the scene depicted in it
is a most unforgettable one to me. You might
have ambivalent feelings about this scene
since you had a hard time as a POW near here.
I am sure, however, that you and I can share
the same feeling as victims of war. The picture,
I hope, will remind us, who belong to the
same wartime generation, of our common experience
of hard work at Naoetsu. It is impossible,
however, to share one picture between you
and me, who live so far away. I think it
better to leave it with you. I presume the
picture, though painted unskillfully and
unfinished, makes a very suitable present
to you. I hope your children and grandchildren
will learn from this picture a lesson in
the importance of peace.
Inomata's association with Cook developed
when 22 members of the Japan-Australia Society
of Joetsu went on a goodwill tour of Australia
in October 1996. Inomata sketched Mr. and
Mrs. Cook while they were on a Sydney Bay
cruise. Their son John acted as a guide for
the painter, taking him around the city so
he could draw the old buildings in town.
When the ex-POW said goodbye to the visitors
from Naoetsu at the airport, he promised
the artist that he would try to write a report
on his bitter experiences during the war.
Five years after saying goodbye, in the month
of Jauary 2002, Cook's experiences as a prisoner
of war arrived. That started their correspondence.
In the process, Inomata promised to present
one of his paintings to his friend in Sydney.
Before he could decide which picture to present,
he sent a photo of his oil painting titled
Merry Christmas and a picture booklet including
his pastel The Prison Camp. (Both pictures
are exhibited at the Peace Park Museum.)
In return, Cook sent an art book for Inomata
to enjoy.
Then Inomata thought of sending the unfinished
picture that he painted 58 years ago. After
exhibiting it at a gallery in town, he presented
it to his Australian friend.
His letter from above ends with the following
passage:
Since I exhibited this picture at the
Easel
Society Exhibition that was held in
the middle
of July and took photos of it, I do
not feel
attached to it any more. It is regrettable,
however, that both you and I are too
old
to meet with each other.
Your Japanese friend,
Kohichi
Cook's letter of thanks begins as follows:
I received that wonderful painting
today.
I am amazed that you could part with
such
an article that must always be so close
to
your heart. Your picture,The Scene
of the
Mouth of the Ara-kawa River, is now
hanging
in our lounge room. Also your letter
is close
by for my family and visitors to read.
I
have never seen a paining framed like
that.
It has everyone thinking about it and
they
all want to know how I came to know
such
a talented artist. . . . .
A picture that Inomata painted 58 years ago
has connected Naoetsu with Sydney beyond
space and time.
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