SHINGO YOSHIDA

Republic of Palau

​

Year: 29 Aug 2013

Photography

FILM
Sound: No
Length: 53 sec (Loop)
Format: HD (up-converted 4K

English:
After seeing the remnants of the battlefield and the monument, I gazed at the beautiful islands and blue sea while thinking about those who died in battle and drowned in Palau. When I dived underwater, the jellyfish that playfully swayed seemed to resemble the souls of the deceased. The beauty of the bubbles underwater further evoked the severity of the suffering of drowning.

I remember when my family and I visited, the island people were very happy that the Emperor might come to visit them the following year. And the next year, I heard that the Emperor and Empress visited for the first time.

Also, by chance, I met a quite elderly traveler there who was a survivor of the war and had personally seen off the battleship Yamato during the war.

日本語:
戦場の残骸と石碑を見た後、パラオで戦死し溺死した人々を思いながら美しい島々と青い海を眺めた。水中に潜った時、揺れながら戯れてくるクラゲが、なんとなく死んだ人々の魂に見えた。水中の泡の綺麗さがゆえに、溺死の苦しみの辛さをなお連想させる。

私と家族が訪れたとき、島の人々は来年もしかしたら天皇陛下に来てもらえるかもしれないと、とても喜んでいたことを覚えている。そして翌年、天皇陛下と皇后様が初めて来られたとのこと。

また、偶然にもそこで出会ったかなり年配の旅行者が戦争の生き残りの方で、戦時中に戦艦大和を目の前でお見送りをしたという方でした。