MYOJIN-GA-HANA (CAPE MYOJIN)

Myojin-ga-hana (Cape Myojin)

Standing on the road along the ridge of this cape, one can see the fields stretching to the sea. The islands of Amakusa can be seen in the distance. Myojin-ga-hana is a lovely, peaceful place. However, it is also an area that was severely affected by the Minamata Disease incident nearly 70 years ago. The incident had irreversible consequences for the people and nature in the area. I think I understood the deep meaning of this through the life of Mitsuko, who lived in this cape and died in 2020 at the age of 94. Her daughter Rimiko and a place called Myojin-ga-hana taught me this.

Rimiko YOSHINAGA

She was born and still lives in Myojin-ga-hana. She speaks fondly of her life with the sea as a child. She says, “I grew up playing house on the beach, catching fish and shellfish.” When she was five years old, her father died of Minamata disease. A month later, her grandfather also fell ill with Minamata disease and was bedridden for nine years before passing away. Her mother, Mitsuko, passed away three years ago. In place of her parents, Rimiko has been recounting her experiences of Minamata disease. She says, “I have never been told not to eat fish from Minamata Bay.”

Tamashii-ishi (Soul Stones)

In a corner of the Minamata Bay reclaimed land, there are about 50 Jizo stone statues called “soul stones.” The stones were carved by the victims and their friends, with the hope that the loss of so many lives will not be forgotten and that the land will become a place where lost souls can return. The soul stones on display were carved from scraps of stone by a stone Buddhist sculptor who came to teach sculpture, and are smaller than those in the reclaimed land. It is enshrined under an Akou (Ficus Superba) tree in the garden of Mitsuko’s house.

Photos of Myojin-ga-hana

Akutagawa continued to photograph Myojin-ga-hana even after he published his photo collection “Minamata: Solemnly Existing Landscapes” in 1980. This is probably because of its ability to convey the magnitude of what was taken away by Minamata disease. I hope that you can imagine what this place is like from the photographs taken by Akutagawa in recent years.

Life in Myojin-ga-hana

In the 1950s, when Minamata disease began to occur, Myojin-ga-hana had a rich, self-sufficient lifestyle with half-farming and half-fishing. In the fields, they grew sweet potatoes, wheat, beans, and vegetables. If they went out to sea in a small rowboat, they could catch an abundance of Japanese anchovy, hairtail, sand borer, gizzard shad, horse mackerel, and other fish. On the beach just below their houses, children could easily catch octopus, snails, abalone, oysters, clam worms, and sea cucumber. The tools that were part of life in Myojin-ga-hana in the 1950s are presented here.

Mitsuko’s Story

This is a picture-story show about Mitsuko Oya, who lived in Myojin-ga-hana, from the time of her marriage to her death at the age of 94. It is a Minamata disease study material for 5th grade elementary school students.
Script by Rimiko Yoshinaga and Kaori Okuba
Illustrations by Hitomi Kouzuki
Published by Soshisha, the Supporting Center for Minamata Disease
Innovate MUSEUM Project by Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2022

(1) This person is Mitsuko Oya.
(2) She came to Myojin, Minamata as a bride at the age of 18.
(3) Her husband, Tsugiyoshi, who works at the Chisso factory, loves the sea.
(4) Mitsuko grew up in the mountains. At first, she could not even paddle a boat.
(5) She got used to life and gave birth to four children.
(6) One day, Mitsuko noticed something unusual about the sea.
(7) Around that time, cats and crows started dying.
(8) Tsugiyoshi also became sick.
(9) He was hospitalized, worried about his four children.
(10) Tsugiyoshi died of unknown causes at the age of 38.
(11) Mitsuko had to raise the children by herself.
(12) She worked from morning till night without a break.
(13) Twelve years later, Tsugiyoshi was officially recognized as having Minamata disease by the government.
(14) The polluted waters of Myojin were reclaimed.
(15) Even though she lost one of her legs in an accident, she lived a cheerful life.
(16) Mitsuko lived to the fullest until she was 94 years old.

Mitsuko’s Photos and Diary

The photo of the family of five was taken when her husband, Tsugiyoshi, developed Minamata disease and was hospitalized at the Chisso Affiliated Hospital. At the time, Minamata disease was still called “strange disease” with an unknown cause. Tsugiyoshi was hospitalized for a year, and once discharged but died at the age of 38. One month later, her father-in-law, Yasuta, also contracted Minamata disease and was bedridden for nine years before dying. Mitsuko raised her four children while working at construction sites. She herself was a victim of Minamata disease.

Mitsuko’s Field Work

When she was 59 years old, Mitsuko was working in the fields when she accidentally amputated her left leg below the knee with a tiller. It is not known whether this accident was caused by Minamata disease. Nevertheless, Mitsuko continued to work in the fields until she was 88 years old. She wore work clothes, a monpe (women’s loose pants), and a straw hat. With her right hand on a crutch and her left hand pulling a container of luggage and harvesting with a string. This is Mitsuko’s style. She also used the crutches to wipe off the ventilation fan and hang the laundry on the pole.

Family Belongings

What causes people to retain objects? Mitsuko kept Tsugiyoshi’s tanzen (a large padded kimono) and obi (a band) at the back of a closet, as well as the tools she used to nurse her father-in-law, who had been bedridden for nine years. She has kept her grief with great care.

Mitsuko OYA

In her later years, Mitsuko lived with her youngest daughter, Rimiko, and her husband, Toshio. Perhaps because Toshio introduced me to her first, saying that she could count on me when she was in financial trouble, she quickly learned my name and face, and whenever we met, she would always ask me to have dinner at her house. She was a person who never complained or held a grudge. She rarely talked about Minamata disease. Even so, in October 2016, urged by Rimiko as a final opportunity, Mitsuko offered words of prayer as the representative of the victims and bereaved families of Minamata disease at the memorial service for the victims.

Words of Prayer

Mitsuko traced her memory and wrote a manuscript on pieces of letter paper, to be read at the memorial service for the victims of Minamata disease. When she tried to read it the night before, she could not read it well because of tears. However, on the day of the service, she managed to read it with all her strength. Holding a picture of her husband close to her chest, she expressed her husband’s feelings on his behalf. “If Chisso Corporation is truly sorry for what happened to my husband, I hope they will not run away and tell the truth about Minamata disease.” In the words of her daughter Rimiko, “It was the revenge of a 90-year-old woman!”

Minamata Disease Victims Memorial Service

Minamata City holds the Minamata Disease Victims Memorial Service every year on May 1, the day when Minamata disease was officially recognized in 1956, at the Minamata Bay reclamation site. This service is held to comfort the souls of the Minamata disease victims, remind all citizens to reflect on environmental destruction, and pledge to restore the environment, with all citizens praying together. At the service, a representative of the victim’s bereaved family delivers a prayer. In 2016, the 60th anniversary of the official recognition of the disease, the service was held on October 29 due to the Kumamoto earthquake, and Mitsuko delivered a prayer on behalf of the victims’ bereaved family.

For-By-With Minamata

In 2012, Rimiko founded “For-By-With Minamata.” The goal of the group is to pass on the experiences of Minamata disease victims to the next generation and eliminate persistent prejudice against Minamata disease. In 2015, the group began reading books to the public as a means of communicating and thinking about Minamata disease to as many people as possible. The group gathers monthly to practice and holds presentations in February. The group primarily reads works by Michiko Ishimure. Before her death, Ishimure encouraged them to continue reading.