Shigeru's grandfather, Tatsu Go-Ro Yamada, was drafted into the Japanese campaign in Manchuria. He was there for over a year and came back with malaria.
*MANCHURIAN INCIDENT, 1931
The Japanese had claimed special rights in Manchuria since the early part of the 20th century, and were concerned with the threat posed to its neutrality by Chiang Kai-shek's campaign to unite China in the 1920's as well as Soviet advances from the north.
Using an alleged explosion on the South Manchurian Railway (controlled by Japan) as a pretext, officers of the Japanese Kwantung Army, stationed in Manchuria, seized Mukden during night maneuvers on September 18, 1931. No authorization had been sought or given by the Japanese civil government, and within three months all of Manchuria had been occupied.
The puppet state of Manchukuo was established, and the League of Nations appointed the Lytton Commission to review the matter. The Commission's report found Japan to be the aggressor, and recommended non-recognition of Japanese rule. Japan withdrew from the League, and Japanese occupation of Manchuria continued until 1945.
*MANCHUKUO, 1932
Name of the puppet state established by Japanese troops in Manchuria after seizing the territory in 1931.
*MANCHURIA.
Territory on the mainland of China seized by Japanese troops in 1931.
*LEAGUE OF NATIONS
A forerunner of the United Nations, this organization was founded by the Allied Powers at the end of World War I as a means of preventing such conflicts in the future. Its potency was checked by the failure of the US Congress to ratify United States adherence to the league covenant.
The League was further weakened by its failure to stop the Japanese seizure of Manchuria, the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, and Hitler's violations of the Treaty of Versailles. It ceased to function during World War II. After the war, the United Nations was established, modeled after the League and carrying forth many of the League's principles and plans.
*EDO PERIOD
*TOKUGAWA (EDO) PERIOD
From around 1600 to 1868 the Tokugawa family maintained a shogunate and ran the country from their headquarters in Edo (Tokyo). In general it was a time of peace, increased prosperity, and national isolation.
The height of the Edo Period was known as the Genroku era (1688-1704), which saw the rise of an affluent merchant class, the waning of the samurai class, a general loosening of political control, and a flourishing of the arts and other cultural developments.
*SUKA GRANDFATHER
*SUKA DISTRICT
*SUKA
An historic district in Hiratsuka adjacent to the Sagami River and the Sagami Bay. The Yamada (Mrs. Miyagawa's) family had their shoe factory here, and Shigeru referred to his Yamada grandfather, Tatsu Go-Ro (1904-1988), and grandmother, Nami (1904-1991) as his Suka grandparents.
*HIROSHIGE
Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), one of Japan's greatest artists, known for his landscape paintings, especially the "Fifty-Three Stages of the Tokaido," which made him famous at the age of thirty. His ukiyoe (woodblock) prints, along with those of his contemporary, Katsushika Hokusai, were a major influence on Western impressionist painters.
*HOT SPRING
*ATAMI HOT SPRING RESORT
Hot springs are very popular resorts in Japan. There are usually inns at the site of a hot spring where the water is piped in for bathing. The waters are considered very healthful and beneficial, each with its own special therapeutic qualities.
*ELDER'S CLUB
Elder's clubs are popular among retired Japanese, as a way of staying active and socializing. One of the favorite sports of the elder's clubs is gateball [croquet].
