ＵＳＳレキシントン博物館から家族の元に返還される「寄せ書き日の丸」＝２０日、米テキサス州コーパスクリスティ（共同）
【コーパスクリスティ共同】米テキサス州のＵＳＳレキシントン博物館に２９年間展示されていた「寄せ書き日の丸」と呼ばれる日章旗の持ち主が判明し、日本の家族の元へ返還されることになった。太平洋戦争に出征したまま帰らぬ人となった岐阜県出身の睦田繁義さんのもので、博物館で２０日、米海軍や日本総領事館の関係者らが出席して記念式典が開かれた。
旗には「武運長久」と大書され、「睦田繁義君」の文字とともに約９０人の氏名が日の丸を囲むように記されている。長男の敏弘さん（８３）は取材に「奇跡のようなことがあるのかと思い、感激している」と話した。繁義さんは２８歳の時に岐阜県からサイパン島へ向け出征した。
Funeral postponed until flag aboard USS Lexington returns home to Japan
John Oliva, Corpus Christi Caller Times
July 21, 2023·3 min read
After being apart for about 80 years, a husband and wife will finally be reunited and buried together in Japan. The process began with an emotional ceremony Thursday on Corpus Christi's waterfront aboard the USS Lexington.
The ceremony was held aboard the floating museum to repatriate a good luck flag from World War II back to the Mutsuda family in Japan. It will be delivered Saturday, July 29.
The flag had hung aboard the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay since 1994. Initially, the museum staff thought it was a "meatball flag" with kamikaze pilots' names written on it.
Japanese soldier Shigeyoshi Mutsuda's "good luck" flag had been aboard the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay since 1994. OBON Society, a nonprofit that repatriates flags to Japanese families, visited the museum to retrieve the flag Thursday, July 20, 2023.
A family member of Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, a Japanese soldier who died during World War II, discovered the flag and realized it belonged to Mutsuda, his grandfather.
The family member reached out to OBON Society, a nonprofit that repatriates Japanese soldier's "good luck" flags, or yosegaki hinomaru, to their family, in hopes of retrieving his grandfather's only remains.
Good luck flags went to war with Japanese soldiers
A good luck flag was common for Japanese soldiers to have during World War II. They were Japanese flags signed by family, friends and neighbors and served as a memento to the soldiers of their loved ones. Unfortunately, good luck flags are often all that remains of their loved ones who were killed in action.
Rex Ziak, co-founder and president of the nonprofit, said the organization has repatriated more than 500 flags back to Japanese families. Normally American, Australian, Canadian or British veterans contact OBON Society wanting to give back the flags, Ziak said.
Donald E. Larson, former junior past national president of the Fleet Reserve Association Corpus Christi branch, holds a program of the Japanese "Good Luck" Flag Repatriation Ceremony at the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay Thursday, July 20, 2023.
But for the first time, the nonprofit received an email from a man in Japan asking for help.
When Ziak reached out to the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay with the information, Steve Banta, the museum's executive director, said he knew immediately he had to return it.
"We knew the flag did not belong to us and we endeavored to return it home," Banta said.
Ziak said his nonprofit is currently working on more than 900 items that will hopefully be returned to Japan. He said Mutsuda's family is looking forward to finally being reunited with their grandfather.
Hirofumi Murabayashi, consul general for the Japanese Consul-General Office in Houston, said he was honored to witness the repatriation ceremony and said Mutsuda's wife died this year at the age of 102.
"His family members have postponed the funeral until the only remain of her husband will come back to Japan so they can be buried together and be reunited," Murabayashi said. "He will not only be reunited with his family, but also his wife in heaven."
Steve Banta, executive director of the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay, shakes hands with Hirofumi Murabayashi, consul general of the Japanese Consul-General Office in Houston, at the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay Thursday, July 20, 2023. Banta gifted Murabayashi with an American flag and a certificate of authenticity.More
Ziak said Mutsuda's wife longed for her husband and talked about him every day. She died before the news of finding his good luck flag could reach her, never knowing it still existed.
Mutsuda's family was not present in person, but Ziak said they were watching via a live stream of the event.
Along with Ziak and the OBON Society, Banta said he will be visiting Japan to give the Mutsuda family their grandfather's flag. A high-resolution photo of the flag will be displayed at the museum where the flag once hung, along with a placard describing the yosegaki hinomaru, the ceremony held Thursday, and information about where the flag is now.
For more information about OBON Society, visit obonsociety.org.
OBON SOCIETY is happy to be here in Corpus Christi Texas! If you would like to watch the live stream tomorrow (20th) of the flag return event please click the link below. The program starts at 9 AM CST.
日本時間では7月20日23:00より、レキシントン博物館で行われる返還式の様子を下記YouTube動画リンク先を通じてライブでご覧いただけます。歴史的な瞬間をどうぞご覧ください！
We are about to take off from Portland airport to get to USS Lexington in Texas!
Hope to see you all either in person or live streaming at 9:00am on 7/20!!
当団体が今夏7月29日へ向けてレキシントン博物館と共に準備中の歴史的なイベント「80年の時をこえて奇跡のストーリー:USSレキシントン-未亡人-OBONソサエティ」日本語の動画が完成しました。是非、皆さんご覧ください！
https://youtu.be/PV5Biz8ecaM
このストーリーは現在に至るまでの経緯をご案内しておりますが、ご遺族のお手元へ届くまでの奇跡を順次、皆様へもご報告して参ります。
多くの方々にシェアしていただけましたら幸いです。
本日令和５年７月１４日、来たる７月２６日に北海道松前町にて執り行われます「鈴木秀二」命日章旗返還式に関するプレスリリースを北海道内各記者クラブへ配布いたしました。
This ceremony is open to the public, if anyone who would like to attend, there is invitation card to sign up! For more information, please click link below:
https://usslexington.com/uss-lexington-museum-a-wwii-era-aircraft-carrier-will-return-japanese-flag-to-reunite-generations/?fbclid=IwAR0iWMNU1tSr86YBjT3KxU3UdyL6ABfPlJBk9GFCHoUdZGuN4u2-9roUaNQ
We look forward to meeting anyone who can attend at the USS Lexington Museum!
![Help wish Ed Johann a Happy...]()
Help wish Ed Johann a Happy 100th Birthday!
Please click the link below to read our latest newsletter about our friend Ed Johann and his 100th Birthday!
https://mailchi.mp/8262593b06ca/obon-society-needs-your-help-6283058
![The USS Lexington helps a Ja...]()
The USS Lexington helps a Japanese widow find eternal peace.
Please click the link below to read our latest newsletter about how the USS Lexington helped a Japanese family obtain closure.
https://mailchi.mp/5e6ed0628785/obon-society-needs-your-help
終戦からことしで77年となる中、アメリカ兵が持ち帰った日本兵の遺品が、滋賀県の遺族に返還されました。
家族や友人の思いが書き込まれた日章旗。太平洋戦争で戦地に向かう兵士に託されました。
これらはアメリカ兵が自国に持ち帰っていたもので、アメリカのNPO団体が遺族に返還する活動を続けていて、26日は日章旗3枚が遺族に返されました。
フィリピンのレイテ島で20歳で戦死した大継昇さんの旗は、おいの井上準一さんが受けとりました。
【井上準一さん（71）】
「20歳で亡くなるという戦争の怖さ。ウクライナの戦争で本当にわが身にこう迫ってくるというか。もしまた日本で戦争があったら…もうやめて欲しいという気持ちです」
NPO団体は日章旗などを多く集めていて、持ち主の遺族を探しています。
【動画あり】
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ada659d0f624c75a6441d6c540168ec39cf3b344?fbclid=IwAR1PrXcdIeoP-rxwxIaqCwe8vKfuLLPWDlXNYiLRw7nNJOjjwlU1iA7gfyI
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