JAPAN
August 15, 2005 Peace Marker Japan ~ Point of Peace #5
| The story of Peace Marker Japan begins in the art studio of the very talented and renowned fused glass instructor, sculptor and author Mrs. Petra Kaiser and her husband Wolfgang Kaiser. |
 Sculptor - Petra Kaiser |
Amidst a wonderful collection of art works by Petra there were a few works by their visiting guest, Ms. Shigemi Okubo. Shigemi is a powerful and innovative glass artist. Her works are well known in Japan and are gaining much recognition here in America. Petra and Wolfgang had introduced Shigemi to WPMP and invited me to meet her as their nominee for Peace Marker Japan. I was delighted and honored to accept Shigemi as the WPMP Ambassador to Japan. |
 Tiité and Shigemi |
| Within weeks of Shigemi's return to Japan, a number of sites and plans for the placing of the marker were being examined and reported to me via e-mail. A gentleman by the name of Tatunosuke Nakayama assisted Shigemi in the presentation of the Peace Marker to the city officials. With some doing he and Shigemi won the trust of the mayor of Hitachi City, the Honorable Chiaki Kashimura. The Mayor went on to champion the approval and the design of the program to accept the Peace Marker Japan. |
 Mr. Tatunosuke Nakayama and WPMP documents |
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Thanks to their efforts and soon after, I received word from Hitachi Mayor Chiaki Kashimura. A letter from him dated May 12, 2005 read: May 12,2005 Dear Mr.Baquero, On March 25th, I met Ms.Shigemi Okubo and was told about ¨The Worldwide Peace Marker project¨. The passion for peace, which you show in your grand, project left a deep impression on me. Furthermore, on April 6th, some of our staff visited Ms.Okubo and discussed how to go about accommodating the ¨Peace Marker Hitachi City has agreed with pleasure to accept a ¨Peace Marker¨. .When all the details regarding the accommodation of a ¨Peace Marker¨ are finalized we will contact you again officially. Yours sincerely, Chiaki Kashimura, Mayor of Hitachi
Soon after the sculptural Peace Marker Japan was completed and shipped directly to Mayor Chiaki's office in Hitachi City. A letter (pictured below) accompanied the Peace Marker from Cape Coral Mayor Eric P. Feichthaler. |
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| On June 6, 2005 DHL Express delivery associate Monica Helaconde picks up Peace Marker Japan at the WPMP central office and sends it on its long journey to the other side of the world. |
 Ms. Monica Helaconde |
| On July 1, 2005 at a special ceremony Peace Marker Japan was officially accepted and the planning of the unveiling program got under way. |
 Mayor Kashimura, Ambassador Ohkubo and Peace Marker Japan |
 Mayor Kashimura & Ambassador Ohkubo at the Press Conference |
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Mayor Chiaki Kashimura had informed me in a letter dated May 18, 2005 about their plans to incorporate Peace Marker Japan with the 60th anniversary ceremony of the end of the Pacific War. This event commemorates a terrible time in history attended by unprecedented destruction and extreme levels of inhumanity to our own kind. Hitachi bore the wrath of war and mourned the loss of at least 1,500 of its citizens. |
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| In 1995 the community of Hitachi got together and created Bells of Peace. It is a place of reverence for the souls of the victims of war and a place of hope for those who seek peace in our world. The toll of their magnificent bells called “Kariyon” sends onto the wind a variable and melodic daily prayer for peace throughout the seasons. |
 Detail of Bells of Peace on a rainy day |
| As if it wasn't enough, Bells of Peace, this wonderful place, is located at the end of Peace Street. The site for Peace Marker Japan was truly a dream come true. |
 Peace Street in Bloom |
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Next I received the preview of a magnificent glass mosaic "Sakura" created by Shigemi to be a companion piece to the Peace Marker Japan. The strength of the poetic voice of the bells the deep veneration and respect for the souls of the victims of war are transferred into visual context by the five delicate and transparent petals of her floral offering. The offering rests on a bed of mixed memories and feelings that are fused and unified by the fires of hope and devotion for a future where peace is a tangible and translucent reality. |
Detail of Shigemi's World Peace Offering
"SAKURA" |
| Such is the power of her art and our good fortune to have her work endow Peace Marker Japan with a distinct voice that honors the spirit of that great nation and informs the world of its presence in the search for world peace. |
History of Peace Marker Japan continues on page 2