Senkichi Awaya
Encyclopedia
was a Japan
ese public official who was killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
while he was its mayor
. He was one of the key figures in the historic clash between the Japanese police and the Imperial Japanese Army
in 1933. He is also known for his Christian
activity in the Nonchurch movement
and close relationship with its early leaders.
Inoue Masaru, in the city of Sendai, after which he was named. He spent his high school
years in Yonago, Tottori
and then entered the First Higher School, the preparatory division to the Imperial University of Tokyo, where he studied German law.
Eisuke had a drinking problem, over which his wife often went to seek help at a local Christian church
with her children. Christianity
therefore was the most familiar religion
for Senkichi since his childhood. One day when he was a high school student, Senkichi was advised by his minister to read Kanzō Uchimura's The Biblical Studies, which impressed him and made him a devout Christian. Unlike his father, he grew up to be a teetotaler.
Awaya started judo
in his early teen, and later obtained a fifth degree black belt
and became a higher-ranking winner in the national police judo championships.
In March 1922, Awaya married Sachiyo Andō, who gave birth to his four sons and three daughters. Five of them survived beyond infancy
:
, assigned to the Hiroshima Prefectural Police in 1919. He was installed as district executive of Mitsugi District in March 1923.
In July 1924, Awaya was assigned to the prefectural government of Hokkaidō
, where he was appointed chief of the city planning division the following year. Living in Sapporo, he was a regular churchgoer at the Independent Church of Sapporo. Awaya had a chance to talk personally with Kanzō Uchimura, for whom he had a lifelong respect, when Uchimura visited Sapporo in the summer of 1928. Since then, Awaya and his family socialized with Uchimura and his son, who became Commissioner of the Nippon Professional Baseball
later.
Awaya was appointed Superintendent
of the Kōchi
Prefecutural Police in July 1929. He succeeded in settling a long-unsolved dispute between a fishery company and local fishermen. Shinobu Agata, who was governor
of Osaka Prefecture
then, appreciated Awaya's negotiating ability and asked him to be the head of the Osaka Prefectural Police. He accepted the governor's offer in 1932.
in uniform who had ignored a traffic light
and a policeman who warned the soldier— developed into fistfights, and finally into a ministerial-level conflict between the Home Ministry and the Army.
Hisaichi Terauchi, Commander of the 4th Division
of the Army, demanded an official apology from the Osaka police, insisting that the policeman had unfairly injured the army's prestige. Awaya, however, refused to apologize because he believed that military personnel
s should also observe the traffic regulations as well as civilian
s. Although their freedom of speech was limited under the Peace Preservation Law
, the public was critical of the army's highhandedness.
Five months later, Awaya and Terauchi resolved their conflict through the mediation of the governor
of Hyogo
, with both apologizing to each other. A year later, when Awaya left the police, however, the Home Ministry and the Army made an agreement that would proclude the civilian police from handling crimes committed by military personnels and bolster militarism in Japan.
Awaya was transferred to the prefectural government of Aichi in January 1935. After serving as Oita
's governor for 20 months, he was farmed out to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
. In March 1942, he resigned his office at age 48. He sequestered himself at his house in Setagaya, Tokyo
, devoted to faith at the Marunouchi Bible study group, led by Toraji Tsukamoto, the leader of Nonchurch movement after Kanzō Uchimura's death.
by his senpai
Okinori Kaya
. He had not been willing to accept it until he decided to try himself when one of his friends told him that mayors should never be angry.
On the Sunday before he left Tokyo for Hiroshima, Awaya attended at the Bible study group as usual. There he talked about how he had stood in his belief and practiced teetotalism through his life in bureaucracy. Reverend Toraji Tsukamoto wrote in his diary, "Mr. Awaya's words are proceleusmatic and impressive to the audience. Blessed is Hiroshima to have such a great mayor!"
Awaya took the mayoralty in July 1943. Militarists held bad feelings toward him, but among citizens his popularity was high for his rectitude. The hardest job that he had to do in Hiroshima was to order to demolish buildings to create firebreak
s according to the military's directions.
Awaya lived at the official mayoral residence in the Kakomachi district of Hiroshima apart from his family at first, but he decided to invite his family after the Great Tokyo Air Raid, believing that Hiroshima was much safer than Tokyo. His wife Sachiyo and third son Shinobu came to live in Hiroshima in April and in June 1945, respectively. On 3 August, three days before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Senkichi and Sachiyo Awaya invited their 3-year-old granddaughter Ayako Sakama.
The city officials who had survived the bomb began to gather at the city office that afternoon, but the mayor was still missing. The city's treasurer
went to look for Awaya and found corpses at the ruin of the mayoral residence. On 9 August, Awaya's chief secretary Kazumasa Maruyama and his coworkers went there to confirm that the half-burnt corpses were those of the mayor and his son. After finding a set of skeleton
which appeared to be Ayako's, they carried out the unburnt parts of the bodies to cremate them at the park near the city hall.
Sachiyo was the only person who had escaped instant death in the mayoral residence. Seriously injured, she was carried into the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital (Nisseki Hospital) and taken care of by her daughters, but died on 7 September that year.
The officials chose Shigetada Morishita
, who had been one of the two deputy mayor
s, as acting mayor
upon confirming Awaya's death. He was succeeded by Shichirō Kihara
, whom the city council appointed mayor on 22 October 1945.
Toraji Tsukamoto delivered a eulogy
for Awaya and his family at their official funeral service held in December 1945. They were buried at Tama Cemetery in western Tokyo
.
in commemoration of Awaya's death where the mayoral residence used to stand. Tsuneo Kanazawa, the minister of the Independent Church of Sapporo, wrote an epitaph to commemorate his 51-year-long life.
Awaya's private house in Setagaya, Tokyo, was inherited by his eldest daughter Motoko Sakama. It was designated as a cultural asset by the government of Tokyo in 2003.
Awaya's third daughter Chikako graduated from the International Christian University
, receiving a scholarship
from an anonymous donor who turned out to be an American
woman. His fourth son Tadashi became a public official like his father.
The diary of Yasuko, Awaya's second daughter, was featured in a documentary by Ryūshō Kadota in 2009. While a student of today's Ochanomizu University
, she was conscripted to work at an armaments factory in northern Tokyo during the closing months of the war. Two weeks after Japan's surrender, she went to Hiroshima to take care of her heavily injured mother until her death on 7 September 1945. Yasuko also died from radiation exposure
at age 19 on 24 November of that year.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese public official who was killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
while he was its mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. He was one of the key figures in the historic clash between the Japanese police and the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
in 1933. He is also known for his Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
activity in the Nonchurch movement
Nonchurch Movement
The Nonchurch movement is an indigenous Japanese Christian movement which was founded by Uchimura Kanzo in 1901. The complete works of Uchimura consist of some 50 volumes: 17 primarily biblical studies, 25 volumes of theological works and 8 volumes of diaries and correspondence. Many of his...
and close relationship with its early leaders.
Early life
Senkichi Awaya was born the second son of , a railway bureaucrat and nephew of ViscountViscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
Inoue Masaru, in the city of Sendai, after which he was named. He spent his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
years in Yonago, Tottori
Yonago, Tottori
is a city located in the northwest of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture....
and then entered the First Higher School, the preparatory division to the Imperial University of Tokyo, where he studied German law.
Eisuke had a drinking problem, over which his wife often went to seek help at a local Christian church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
with her children. Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
therefore was the most familiar religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
for Senkichi since his childhood. One day when he was a high school student, Senkichi was advised by his minister to read Kanzō Uchimura's The Biblical Studies, which impressed him and made him a devout Christian. Unlike his father, he grew up to be a teetotaler.
Awaya started judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
in his early teen, and later obtained a fifth degree black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
and became a higher-ranking winner in the national police judo championships.
In March 1922, Awaya married Sachiyo Andō, who gave birth to his four sons and three daughters. Five of them survived beyond infancy
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
:
Early career
After graduating from the university, Awaya joined the Home MinistryHome Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
, assigned to the Hiroshima Prefectural Police in 1919. He was installed as district executive of Mitsugi District in March 1923.
In July 1924, Awaya was assigned to the prefectural government of Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, where he was appointed chief of the city planning division the following year. Living in Sapporo, he was a regular churchgoer at the Independent Church of Sapporo. Awaya had a chance to talk personally with Kanzō Uchimura, for whom he had a lifelong respect, when Uchimura visited Sapporo in the summer of 1928. Since then, Awaya and his family socialized with Uchimura and his son, who became Commissioner of the Nippon Professional Baseball
Commissioner of Baseball (NPB)
The Commissioner of Baseball is the highest office in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball . NPB's current Commissioner is former Japanese ambassador to the United States, Ryozo Kato.- Commissioners :# Morita Fukui...
later.
Awaya was appointed Superintendent
Superintendent (police)
Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
of the Kōchi
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
Prefecutural Police in July 1929. He succeeded in settling a long-unsolved dispute between a fishery company and local fishermen. Shinobu Agata, who was governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
then, appreciated Awaya's negotiating ability and asked him to be the head of the Osaka Prefectural Police. He accepted the governor's offer in 1932.
Clash with the Army
On 17 June 1933 occurred what is later called the Go-Stop Incident, in which the verbal altercation between two young men—an off-duty soldierSoldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in uniform who had ignored a traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
and a policeman who warned the soldier— developed into fistfights, and finally into a ministerial-level conflict between the Home Ministry and the Army.
Hisaichi Terauchi, Commander of the 4th Division
4th Division (Imperial Japanese Army)
The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call-sign was .-History:The 4th Infantry Division was formed in Osaka City in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army...
of the Army, demanded an official apology from the Osaka police, insisting that the policeman had unfairly injured the army's prestige. Awaya, however, refused to apologize because he believed that military personnel
Military personnel
Military personnel is a blanket term used to refer to members of any armed force. Usually, military personnel are divided into branches of service roughly defined by certain circumstances of the deployment of the personnel. Those who serve in a typical large land force are soldiers, making up an...
s should also observe the traffic regulations as well as civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s. Although their freedom of speech was limited under the Peace Preservation Law
Peace Preservation Law
The Public Security Preservation Laws were a series of laws enacted during the Empire of Japan. Collectively, the laws were designed to suppress political dissent.-the Safety Preservation Law of 1894:...
, the public was critical of the army's highhandedness.
Five months later, Awaya and Terauchi resolved their conflict through the mediation of the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Hyogo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, with both apologizing to each other. A year later, when Awaya left the police, however, the Home Ministry and the Army made an agreement that would proclude the civilian police from handling crimes committed by military personnels and bolster militarism in Japan.
Awaya was transferred to the prefectural government of Aichi in January 1935. After serving as Oita
Oita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan on Kyūshū Island. The prefectural capital is the city of Ōita.- History :Around the 6th century Kyushu consisted of four regions: Tsukushi-no-kuni 筑紫国, Hi-no-kuni 肥国, and Toyo no kuni...
's governor for 20 months, he was farmed out to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)
The ' a cabinet ministry in the government of Japan responsible for oversight of the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries. Its acronym is MAFF.-History:...
. In March 1942, he resigned his office at age 48. He sequestered himself at his house in Setagaya, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, devoted to faith at the Marunouchi Bible study group, led by Toraji Tsukamoto, the leader of Nonchurch movement after Kanzō Uchimura's death.
Mayor of Hiroshima
In 1943, Awaya was offered the mayoralty of HiroshimaHiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
by his senpai
Senpai
and are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...
Okinori Kaya
Okinori Kaya
was the Japanese finance minister between 1941-1944. In 1945, he was captured by the Allies, tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment...
. He had not been willing to accept it until he decided to try himself when one of his friends told him that mayors should never be angry.
On the Sunday before he left Tokyo for Hiroshima, Awaya attended at the Bible study group as usual. There he talked about how he had stood in his belief and practiced teetotalism through his life in bureaucracy. Reverend Toraji Tsukamoto wrote in his diary, "Mr. Awaya's words are proceleusmatic and impressive to the audience. Blessed is Hiroshima to have such a great mayor!"
Awaya took the mayoralty in July 1943. Militarists held bad feelings toward him, but among citizens his popularity was high for his rectitude. The hardest job that he had to do in Hiroshima was to order to demolish buildings to create firebreak
Firebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
s according to the military's directions.
Awaya lived at the official mayoral residence in the Kakomachi district of Hiroshima apart from his family at first, but he decided to invite his family after the Great Tokyo Air Raid, believing that Hiroshima was much safer than Tokyo. His wife Sachiyo and third son Shinobu came to live in Hiroshima in April and in June 1945, respectively. On 3 August, three days before the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Senkichi and Sachiyo Awaya invited their 3-year-old granddaughter Ayako Sakama.
Death
When the United States Army Air Force dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Senkichi Awaya was eating breakfast with Shinobu and Ayako. All of them are believed to have died instantly after the bombing.The city officials who had survived the bomb began to gather at the city office that afternoon, but the mayor was still missing. The city's treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
went to look for Awaya and found corpses at the ruin of the mayoral residence. On 9 August, Awaya's chief secretary Kazumasa Maruyama and his coworkers went there to confirm that the half-burnt corpses were those of the mayor and his son. After finding a set of skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
which appeared to be Ayako's, they carried out the unburnt parts of the bodies to cremate them at the park near the city hall.
Sachiyo was the only person who had escaped instant death in the mayoral residence. Seriously injured, she was carried into the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital (Nisseki Hospital) and taken care of by her daughters, but died on 7 September that year.
The officials chose Shigetada Morishita
Shigetada Morishita
was the Interim Mayor of Hiroshima from August 7 to October 22, 1945.Served as vice mayor of Hiroshima under mayor Senkichi Awaya prior to the atomic destruction of his city. He was appointed acting mayor following the death of the previous mayor Senkichi Awaya in the atomic attack on Hiroshima...
, who had been one of the two deputy mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
s, as acting mayor
Acting Mayor
Acting mayor is a temporary office created by the charter of some municipal governments.-History:In many cities and towns, the charter or some similar fundamental document provides that in the event of the death, resignation, or removal from office of the mayor, another official will lead the...
upon confirming Awaya's death. He was succeeded by Shichirō Kihara
Shichirō Kihara
was mayor of Hiroshima from October 22, 1945 to March 22, 1947 and was elected as member of the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly in 1911.Following the atomic attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, a period of political vacuum was created, as the city lay in ruins its mayor Senkichi Awaya was killed...
, whom the city council appointed mayor on 22 October 1945.
Toraji Tsukamoto delivered a eulogy
Eulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
for Awaya and his family at their official funeral service held in December 1945. They were buried at Tama Cemetery in western Tokyo
Western Tokyo
Western Tokyo, also known as the , or , consists of the part of Tokyo Prefecture to the west of the 23 special wards.-Overview:Whereas the special wards occupy the space that was formerly the city of Tokyo, western Tokyo consists of the 26 cities, three towns, and one village that were not part of...
.
Legacy
In August 1995, just a half century after the bombing, the government of Hiroshima created a monumentMonument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
in commemoration of Awaya's death where the mayoral residence used to stand. Tsuneo Kanazawa, the minister of the Independent Church of Sapporo, wrote an epitaph to commemorate his 51-year-long life.
Awaya's private house in Setagaya, Tokyo, was inherited by his eldest daughter Motoko Sakama. It was designated as a cultural asset by the government of Tokyo in 2003.
Awaya's third daughter Chikako graduated from the International Christian University
International Christian University
There are several rankings related to ICU, shown below.-Alumni rankings:According to the Weekly Economist's 2010 rankings and the PRESIDENT's article on 2006/10/16, graduates from ICU have the 24th best employment rate in 400 major companies, and their average graduate salary is the 4th best in...
, receiving a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
from an anonymous donor who turned out to be an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman. His fourth son Tadashi became a public official like his father.
The diary of Yasuko, Awaya's second daughter, was featured in a documentary by Ryūshō Kadota in 2009. While a student of today's Ochanomizu University
Ochanomizu University
is one of only two national women's universities in Japan. The other one is the Nara Women's University.-History:Ochanomizu University was founded in 1875 as a teacher training institute for women located in Tokyo's Ochanomizu neighborhood. On September 1, 1923, the campus was destroyed in the...
, she was conscripted to work at an armaments factory in northern Tokyo during the closing months of the war. Two weeks after Japan's surrender, she went to Hiroshima to take care of her heavily injured mother until her death on 7 September 1945. Yasuko also died from radiation exposure
Radiation exposure
The term radiation exposure commonly has several uses:* Absorption of high-energy ionizing radiation by an object. In living beings a high absorbed dose can lead to radiation poisoning.* Absorption by an object of non-ionizing radiation...
at age 19 on 24 November of that year.