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(单词翻译)
Ookado Takako was born in Tochigi County in 1945.
Just ten days after she was born, her hometown was bombed by American forces in the lead-up to the end of the war, leaving many dead.
But Takako and her mother survived.
After growing up in post-war Japan, Takako decided1 to become a music teacher.
"During war time, teachers sent their students to battlefields and encouraged them to fight. Now at a time of peace, I wish something like this would never occur. I don't want children lost their lives at war so I teach them how precious peace is."
At first Takako, like many in Japan, were only vaguely2 familiar with certian incidents during the war, including the Tokyo airstrikes and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as conservative elements in post-war Japan still tended to consider Japan a vicitim, rather than an aggressor.
Then, by coincidence, Takako read a story about a Chinese flower and a Japanese soldier in Nanjing.
The flower is named Orychophragmus.
It blossoms in early springs.
In the spring of 1938, in the aftermath of the Nanjing Massacre3, a Japanese soldier arrived in the ruins of what Nanjing had become, only to see these lovely violet flowers blooming.
Stunned4 by the beauty of what was growing out of the devastation5, the soldier saw in the flower a sense of bravery and peace.
He decided to bring the seeds back to Japan and plant this flower.
Takako was so moved by this story that she sought out the soldier, and then learned the history of Nanjing Massacre.
This prompted her to write a musical ensemble6 named The Story of Violet Flowers.
In 1998, Takako co-founded a chorus named after this flower which began putting on concerts across Japan, as well as in a number of Chinese cities, including Nanjing.
She says the people of Japan should not deny and ignore this part of history.
"Every time I saw the pictures of the inhuman7 Nanjing Massacre I can't help to cry. Japanese people need to know this history. We can't deny the fact just because we don't know it. Every time I am at Memorial Hall of Nanjing Massacre, I think Japanese should rethink thoroughly8. Especially when I saw some youngsters watch our chorus sing, this feeling becomes stronger."
However, there is still a strong sense of denial among certian nationalistic elements in Japan.
History text books still often refer to the Nanjing Massacre only as an "incident".
Takako says the Japanese government, as well as those in charge of education and culture, need to be more accountable for the messages they put out.
"Firstly the Japanese government still holds right wing attitude towards this history. Some scholars and writers also fail to spread the truth. This phenomenon is more common now. Regrettably in textbooks there are increasingly less content regarded to Nanjing Massacre and other historical facts. I really fear that history would happen again."
Takako, aside from spreading her message of peace through music, has also become a leading advocate for using things like music and comic books to create a better understanding of Japan's history.
1 decided | |
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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2 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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3 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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4 stunned | |
adj. 震惊的,惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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5 devastation | |
n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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6 ensemble | |
n.合奏(唱)组;全套服装;整体,总效果 | |
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7 inhuman | |
adj.残忍的,不人道的,无人性的 | |
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8 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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