Miwako was born in a cave, a bomb shelter. It was December 1944 the war was raging. Kyuushuu 九州 is located north of Okinawa. Air raid was constant. Hitoyoshi had an air port which made itself a good target for the bombing. Large cave were cut out at any hills and amall mounteins as a bomb shelter. Miwako's mother Chiyo later told stories about the cave. Because they spend so much time in the shelter her husband Takeshi made the cave very comfortable. It also had a pond with gold fishes. Miwako happens to dream about gold fish swimming in a streem and river untill this day (gold fish are not usually found in natural rivers or streems.) Till this day,no body remember Miwako's true date of birth. Those days babies birth were not reported nor registered for some time after the birth. Parents waited 10days or more to make sure they are to survive. So many babies died in the first 30 days of their birth. By the time Chiyo sent Takeshi to go to city office to register Miwako's birth, no one was sure which date the baby was born. After all there are more immediate worries on everyone's mind, avoid being hit by guns of B29 bomber, gather enough food each day to fill starving family's belly, etc,. It was not all that pressing issue to memorize the date which baby was born. Well, so Takeshi put december 23rd as her birthday. It is the same date as future emperor's birthday. Chinese charactor MI=美（beuty）WA=和(peace) KO=子(child...this was originally used for royal princesses in old days, after the end-of-Tokugawa revolution it is widely used for most of girl's name)were chozen by Chiyo. It was Chiyo's wish that her 4th girl child grows up to be a beauty. When Chiyo was young, before she had six babies, Chiyo was the most beautiful girl in the Hitoyoshi basin. Every one expected Chiyo to produce girl child as pretty as she was. The first born was a girl named Takeko in honer of her father. Takeko resembled her mother, but she was just ordinary. second daughter Toyoko(豊hoping to accumulate wealth) favored her father, which is most unfortinate. Takeo was a hard working good man but he was not blessed with a good look.
So the third baby was expected to be a beauty, but she died a few month after her birth. Now the hope was placed on this tiny red head baby, yes Red ! Japanese babies are supposed to be born with thick black hair. But this baby was born with red hair. Long war and lack of nutrition, every one was malnurished. Malnutrition makes hair color red. The war had ended before miwako's one year birthday, but her hair was still red! Chiyo was not allowed to take Miwako out side of their house. Miwako's red head hair was not to be seen by anyone other than family. Takeshi was trained as a barbar at one time. With his skilled hands he shaved Miwako's hair deligently untill the hair root color showed blackness at age of two.

Labels: Birth of miwako 美和子の誕生