"Something amazing happened the day before yesterday! An American who came to Tome-Acu during the war brought us a baseball!" says Keiichi Otohata, president of the Tome-Acu Cultural Association in the state of Pará, excitedly. When I asked him, "A baseball?" he replied with a smile, "It's a touching story that could be made into a movie."
In 1942, Jordan Young, an American studying at a university in Sao Paulo, learned that World War II had begun and began the process of returning home. While he was waiting for his turn to board a ship, he was asked by the Japanese embassy to carry out a survey of Brazilian labor conditions for the Rockefeller Foundation, which took him to several regions, and he eventually headed to the Japanese settlement of Tome-Acu to conduct research in the Amazon region.
He said that going to the Japanese settlement, where many people had already emigrated from the enemy country of Japan, was very scary. He said that among the Japanese people waiting for him with stern expressions, some were carrying rifles, which made him even more nervous.
However, once the Japanese people learned the purpose of the visit, they were very cooperative with the research, and the tension eased as the days passed. They also found common ground over baseball, a sport popular in both countries, and the two sides became closer.
After a few days' stay, he was about to return to São Paulo when a Japanese man asked him, "We only have a few baseballs here. Can you somehow get some for us?" Jourdan readily agreed, and set off for Japan in 1945.
74 years have passed since then, and Jordan has been so busy with his daily life that he has not been able to keep his promise, but he says he has never forgotten about it. This time, he came back to Tome-Acu with his granddaughter, who is studying at a university in Brazil, and his nephew, who is a monk in São Paulo, and was finally able to fulfill his long-held wish.
Jordan, who is 95 years old, said, "It was physically difficult to come this far, but I really wanted to keep my promise," and looked overwhelmed with emotion as he handed the ball to Yamada Hajime, one of the first Amazon immigrants.
To commemorate this, a memorial service was held at the temple, where all those involved conveyed to Jordan their joy at the reunion and the donation of the ball, as well as their gratitude.
"I was really surprised to learn that there was interaction between Americans and Japanese people in Tome-assu during the war. I am also very glad that Jordan remembered something that no one else, including Yamada, knew. This is an important milestone in the history of Japanese immigration to Tome-assu. We must never forget it, and we must pass it on to future generations," said Chairman Otohata.
Amidst the conflict between nations, people formed bonds with each other, and these bonds have not been severed even after 74 years.
The white baseball delivered to Tome-assu is proof of this. This piece of history that nobody knew about will remain in the hearts of the Japanese people of Tome-assu along with the baseball.
[Reference article]
"Sao Paulo Shimbun" June 15, 2016 (Kota Tsutsumi, Belem bureau chief)
© 2016 Asako Sakamoto
