By Kumis Kumis
A story during the Second World War in Sabah, North Borneo
of a Japanese accounts, a local perspective, from the eye of a local woman
named Aen @ Yamazaki Aen, who first worked as a housekeeper for a Japanese
Civilian Administrator, Yamazaki Kenji, (the famed Apin Apin, Keningau,
Straight Road) the Japanese Prefecture Governor of Keningau and later became
his wife.
"Most of the existing writings on the war in Sabah,
North Borneo are either based on local accounts or an official record collected
by the Allied forces, especially the British and Australian. Thus, in many
ways, the accounts presented tend to have quite a similar perspective,
especially with regards to some significant events such as Kinabalu Guerrillas
and the Jesselton Uprising of October 1943." (Prof. Danny Wong)
"Of the 50 Million people who died in the Second World
War, more than half were Asian people and Allied servicemen and women, the
victim of Japanese Aggression. But it is absurd and wrong to 'hate' a whole
Japanese people, as during First World War the Japanese was an ally and treated
German and Russian prisoner of war with exemplary care and restraints. I,
therefore appeal to our shared sense of humanity, which recognises no social or
cultural distinctions, transcends race, religion and color of our skin, and
reaches out to embrace the higher attributes of human nature of justice,
compassion and mutual good will. " (Paul Ham)
Aen Yamazaki
AEN @ YAMAZAKI AEN
Aen was born on the 10th June 1925 in Sandakan of a
Cantonese father and peranakan cina's mother.
Her father a businessman who had a shop in Sandakan, left the family and
returned to China after his business failed.
After the father left the marriage suffered.
The 8-year-old Aen and her mother returned to Jesselton. Aen
was adopted by a Dusun couple and when she was 15 years old, she was sent to
Keningau to live with her relatives. Aen had a very difficult childhood.
Aen eventually worked as a housekeeper to Yamazaki Kenji and
later became his wife in 1943. They have a son born in 1944 named Kohnan. Aen
was very sympathetic to the plight of the locals living under the Japanese rule
but as the same time cared much for her husband safety and well-being.
Aen claimed to have warned her husband to constantly remind
his subordinates not to be harsh towards the workers at the Keningau road and
airport construction sites especially the forced labourers. Aen suggested to
the husband that the officers should treat the workers with smile, and listen
to complaints and try to solve the problems.
Aen claimed to have played a part in the allaying the
prevailing anti-Japanese feelings to her interactions with wives of Chinese and
Malay government employees in Tenom and Melalap, she served as a link between a
local and the Japanese.
Aen tried to harmonise Japanese-locals friendship. She
mentioned that, due to their effort, the Muruts, Dusun and Chinese were willing
to bring their problems to the prefecture office.
Yamazaki Kenji
YAMAZAKI KENJI
Yamazaki Kenji was born on the 19th September 1902 (23 years
older than Aen). He grown up in Nino-oka, Gotenba, Shizuoka and studied as an
Auditor of Agriculture in Tokyo University.
He worked several years in Manchurian Railway in Manchu. He
had a case of a love affair in Manchu.
Yamazaki Kenji married Michiko Saito on the 1st May 1925 and
became an elected member of Parliament on February 1936 under the Socialist
Party.
Yamazaki Kenji and Michiko Saito had a son named Ryoichi and
a daughter named Emi before his departure to Borneo.
The Imperial Military Government declared National
Mobilisation and force all political parties to unify under One Party. This
decision which made Yamazaki Kenji fed up politics and stowed away to Borneo
arriving in Kuching in June 1942.
Since he was an ex-member of parliament, Military
Headquarter in Miri could not return him back to Japan, so they appointed him
as Keningau Prefecture Governor.
The Japanese invaded Labuan on January 1942. Yamazaki Kenji
before he left to Keningau ordered the construction of Labuan Airport, which
completed within 2 months by employing locals native and Javanese.
Yamazaki Kenji arrived in Keningau in October 1942 and
worked as a Prefecture Governor of Keningau until April 1945 and later was
instructed as Japanese Mayor in Jesselton until the surrender of Japanese Army
on 15th August 1945.
In the aftermath of the Kinabalu Uprising, Albert Kwok's
mother was sent to Keningau under detention. Yamazaki Kenji, however, made her
time in Keningau much more pleasant by asking her to be a gardener.
This gesture of goodwill was not lost on those associated
with the Guerrillas.
Yamazaki Kenji and Aen (Haran- No Minanmijuujisei - Yamazaki
Kennji - No Isshou)
Yamazaki Kenji was released from Jesselton by the Japanese
Army and returned to Keningau. During the confusing time in Keningau and
Jesselton after the Japanese surrender, Yamazaki, Aen and their son Kohnan got
away to Penampang crossing the Crocker range from Tambunan with the support
rendered by several Ketua Kampung namely from Apin-Apin, Tambunan, Sinsuron and
others.
The journey was so difficult and at the time Aen was into
her second pregnancy. Yamazaki and Aen settled themselves in Inanam, where Aen
gave birth to a second son Einan on the 3rd January 1946.
Yamazaki and Aen received some much-needed food and milk
powder from some of the former guerillas before boarding the ship at the
Jesselton wharf to Japan. Yamasaki and
Aen left Jesselton with Kashima-Maru on the 23rd March 1946 and reached
Hiroshima on the 1st April 1946.
In Japan, Yamasaki Kenji's first wife, Michiko Saito won in
the election as a first lady member of Parliament. Aen, a young woman from
North Borneo, after the second world war had to endure the most difficult
moment of her life having to raise a young child, to adjust her life to a new
country, new environment and living in Japan as an illegal wife to a married
Japanese man.
On the 19th June 1947, Aen gave birth to their 3rd Son named
Sannan. On the 29th December 1950, Aen gave birth a daughter named Akemi. A
tragic accident occurred when her 1st Son named Kohnan was drowned in Numazu
City Japan at the age of 6 years old.
Aen, Kenji and Childrens
Yamazaki Kenji stood by Aen side through the difficult time
and gave her his unconditional love and moral support despite all her hardship,
suffering and challenges.
Michiko finally announced in the Japanese newspaper that she
will divorce Yamazaki Kenji. Yamazaki Kenji submitted registration to declare
the marriage of Aen on 11th April 1950 to the Mayor of Numazu City, Japan.
In April 1951, Yamazaki Kenji elected as a member of the
municipal of Numazu City. In October 1952, Yamazaki failed to win the National
Election.
On 25th September 1954, Yamazaki Kenji and Aen migrated to
Brazil on board of America-Maru with Yamazaki Kenji's eldest son Ryoichi,
Sannan (3rd Son) and Akemi. While their other children named Einan was adopted
by Michiko Saito.
On the 31st January 1958, Yamazaki Kenji died of liver
cancer at the age of 57 at Sao-Paulo Brazil.
Aen and Akemi returned to Japan in March 1964 with Yamazaki
Kenji remains. Akemi was adopted by Michiko Saito at the age of 14.
Aen remarried Hishinuma Tsuneharu (then the vice Chairman of
Yaohan) in December 1964. Hishinuma died in 1990.
It was said that Aen had returned to Sabah and left her
children in Japan but later went back to Japan.
We were informed by the granddaughter also name Ain Yamazaki
in Brazil that her grandmother Aen passed away peacefully in Japan few years
ago.
Summary:
A short story dedicated and a tribute to an incredible local
Sabah Woman that had to endure hardship, struggles and suffering in order to
survive alone in foreign country right after the second world war.
A long lost and untold story of a lifelong local woman's
journey from Sandakan, Jesselton, Keningau, back to Jesselton and to Japan
eventually to Brazil back to North Borneo and finally back to Japan.
She had a very difficult and challenging life as a local
Sabah woman in foreign country raising a young child and earns a living in a
very hard way.
She was very lonely with a terrible accident when the elder
son drowned. She was utterly devastated.
Found out that the husband was actually a married man with
children of his own and a complicated love triangle ensued.
But later greater love prevails when the husband divorced
the wife and married Aen the young and pretty Sabahan..
The small family later moved to Brazil but the adventure
turned the other way around with disaster and failed business with eventually
the husband passed away.
Aen decided to go back to Japan and latter remarried and
came back to Jesselton and later Kota Kinabalu.
Second husband also died and she went back to Japan until
her last day...
A Poems
When you love, you discover
"My heart shall forever hold her
In her grape globes I gaze our reflection
This love is inescapable
As if seeing a star fall from above
A true treasure of untold wealth~"
wonderful quote by Anton Chekhov Writer (1860-1904)
Photo Credit:
1. Junichi Taniyama
2. Ain Yamazaki
Source Credit:
1. The Southern Cross Never Deceives (1952) by Yamasaki Aen
(Tokyo: Hokushindo).
2. Historical Sabah. The War (2010) by Prof. Danny Wong.
Published by Opus Publication.
3. Sandakan-The Untold Story of The Sandakan Death March (2012)
by Paul Ham. Published by William Heinemann: Australia (Courtesy David Porter)
4. Keningau-Heritage and Legacy in the Interior Residency
(2016) by Abednigo Chow. Published by Opus Publication
5. An Articles Southern Cross Never Deceives, translation by
Junichi Taniyama
Disclaimer: Apology if there is any mistake due to
translation, please highlight for immediate rectification or amendment
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