Aloha Listserv Friends,
I'm assisting a friend in Guam in finding his birthright...I would appreciate your reading about his story and sharing it with others. Our hope is to find someone who might have information on his "father" and perhaps, we can find what became of him.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Brian
Brian A. Moriki
AVP & Manager - OSD Records Management
First Hawaiian Bank
***THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE STRICTLY "MY OWN" AND IS NOT ENDORSED OR APPROVED BY MY EMPLOYERS OR ANY ENTITY THAT I PARTICIPATE OR REPRESENT.***
70 years ago, a child was conceived from an intimate interlude between a Japanese officer and a Chamorro woman on the island of Yap. A product of the WWII affair, Juan Mafnas seeks to find his father and birthright. Read about the quest in finding a "Kurokawa" who was on Yap during WWII. (see attached) We appreciate "sharing" this story with others as we search for a father and bring closure for a son seeking his identity.
丁度７０年前、ヤップ島にて日本人将校と現地チャモロ人との親しい間柄により
ひとりの子供が生を受けました。第二次大戦の申し子であるジュアン.マフネス氏は
その父親を探し求めています。大戦中ヤップに駐留した黒川氏を追い求める彼の書面を
お読み頂ければと思います。そのお話が皆さんに伝えられ、彼の父親の情報や彼が
日本人であることを確認できる関連情報がもたらされることを切に願っています。
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Search for My Father
August 13, 2015
My name is Juan Mafnas and I was born on June 18, 1946 on the island of Saipan. During the years leading up to and during WWII, my mother (Hilaria) and her family had lived on the island of Yap. At the conclusion of the War, the Yap government demanded the relocation of my grandparents and the rest of the family to Saipan. It was during their stay in Yap that my mother had a relationship with a Japanese “officer.” As a result of that relationship, I was conceived around September 1945.
The “Mafnas” family was employed by Nanbo Trading/Shipping Company harvesting copra for shipment to Japan via Kyushu. My uncle Federico mentioned that he and my biological “father” often accompanied the shipment of copra to Kyushu. The name of my biological father was referred to as “Kurokawa san.” The first name of Kurokawa san remains a mystery.
Our preliminary research has located a potential "candidate" in a "Den-ichi" Kurokawa employed by Nanyo-cho* as their security manager in Yap during the war years. In our initial search of 3 Imperial Army battalions stationed in Yap, we have not found a Kurokawa on their roster of soldiers. We are still searching for any Kurokawa that was on Yap during that period...
I have been living in Guam for the past 27 years since my retirement from the United States Army (after 22 years of military service) and 22 years of serving the local Guam government. My wife, children and grandchildren also reside in Guam. I grew up identifying as an islander from Guam, but deep in my heart I yearn for that lost Japanese identity.
My search for my biological father is strictly to trace my genealogy and identity with hopes that my children/grandchildren will know of their origins. It is a crucial part of my life that has been missing all these years. I seek no financial gain, as it is most important to me to find the heritage that I can pass to my children and their children.
It has been a lifetime search... About 10 years ago I contacted the Japanese Consulate in Guam but was told it was impossible to search without a first name. Now with the help of some wonderful people and whoever reads this letter, I might just succeed in finding my father. Thank you for reading this and I pray that someone can assist us in locating my father and his family.
*Nanyo-cho was the Japanese Government Administrative Headquarters of South Pacific Mandate.
Contact: Team for Kurokawa Project.
Twitter: @YPHawaiian #findkurokawa
Email: [log in to unmask] Akihiko Tanaka in Guam. Japanese available.
Email: [log in to unmask] Brian Moriki in Hawaii.
私の父親を探しています。
私はジュアン.マフネスと申します。１９４６年６月１８日サイパンで生まれました。先般の終戦直前、私の母親ヒラリアとその家族はヤップ島に住んでいました。戦争終結時にヤップ政府により祖父母家族とその親族はサイパンへ移転することを余儀なくされました。そのヤップ在住中に母親は日本人将校と懇意な仲となり、私は１９４５年９月頃に命を育まれました。
母方のマフネス家は当地の日本の南洋貿易会社で働き、コプラの栽培をし、九州経由でコプラを日本へ輸出する業務に係わっていました。私の叔父に当たるフェデリコは私の生みの父親と一緒にコプラ輸出のため九州へよく出かけたそうです。その父親は黒川さんと呼ばれていました。黒川という姓は判っているのですが、フルネームは今もって判明していません。
初期の調査段階でその時代当地で黒川という人がいないか名前を探し求めたのですが、黒川傳一という*南洋庁の守衛長の名前は記録にありましたが、その黒川氏が父親であるという確証はありません。また当時ヤップには日本軍３大隊が派遣されていたのですが、その軍人名簿からは黒川なる人は見つけることができませんでした。当時のヤップ島に黒川さんの情報がないか現在も調査中です。
私はグアムに２７年間住んでいます。２２年間米国陸軍に勤務し、退役後はグアム政府に２２年間勤務しました。現在、私の妻、子供そして孫達と一緒にグアムに住んでいます。私はグアム島出身者として育ちましたが、心の中では日本人でありたいという意識が強くあります。
私が生みの父親を探し求めるのは、ひとえに自分はどこから来たのかという自分の家系を知りたい所以です。それは同時に私の子供や孫達がその来たる所以を知ることにもなるのです。これは私の人生を取り戻す重大な位置づけになります。勿論、金銭的な目的はありません。そうではなく、子供や孫達に精神的遺産を残したいと思うからです。
この父親探しは私の生涯の課題です。１０年以上前にも以前グアムの日本総領事館にもコンタクトしましたが、フルネームが判明しなければ調査は難しいと言われました。今ここに、このレターを読んでくださる方の力添えで、父親やそのご家族の方の手がかりがあればと願っています。なんらかの関連情報をお持ちの方がおられれば、ご連絡頂き度、よろしくお願い申し上げます。
＊南洋庁とは戦前南太平諸島の国連委任統治を行った現地の日本本部。
連絡先: 黒川チーム
Twitter: @YPHawaiian #findkurokawa
Email: [log in to unmask] 田中昭日児Guam在住. 日本語可
Email: [log in to unmask] Brian Moriki in Hawaii.
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