Korean artist in Japan hopes to help a new generation embrace peace
By Anna Fifield October 14
KYOTO, JAPAN — When it comes to tackling the tensions in East Asia — the historical disputes, the territorial battles, the entrenched stereotypes — plastering people’s faces probably isn’t the first remedy that comes to mind.
But in a part of the world where Japan’s wartime wrongs remain contentious 70 years on, and political leaders seem unable or unwilling to do much about it, a group of young people from across the region is giving art a chance.
On a recent fall day in the old imperial capital of Kyoto, Ryoma Yamanao, a 28-year-old businessman, lay down on a table and let Kim Myong-hee, a Korean artist, put two straws up his nose, while Dong Le and Zhou Yi, two Chinese students, pasted wet paper over his eyebrows.
Then, they proceeded to smother his face in a thick layer of wet plaster. They were making a life mask with a purpose.
Yamanao was the latest young person from the region to have a plaster cast made of his face as part of the Peace Mask East Asia project. An endeavor to create paper copies of 1,000 Japanese, Chinese and Korean faces, the project aims to show young people what they have in common by giving the Facebook generation some face time with each other — literally.
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Putting a face to the movement
Peace Mask East Asia aims to show young people what they have in common by giving them face time with each other.
The artists at the Peace Mask East Asia project prepare to make a cast of the face of Dai Zhi Dong, 25, a Chinese student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. The facial impressions are made from traditional Japanese handmade paper. Noriko Hayashi/for The Washington Post
After the plaster had set on Yamanao’s face, Kim, Dong and Zhou slowly lifted it off and gently wiped away the excess from his hairline.
“It was like being separated from the world, like being blind, or like being in a meditation,” Yamanao said, once he was freed.
Kim would use the mold to make a mask of Yamanao’s face using traditional washi paper, before adding it to her wall of masks, which show each person’s idiosyncracies at the same time as reducing all her subjects to their commonalities. Looking at the masks, it is impossible to tell who is Korean and who is Chinese and who is Japanese.
The project stands out at a time when it is politically advantageous in the region to pick fights rather than try to resolve them.
“This is a face-to-face project,” says Kim, a Korean who has lived in Kyoto for almost four decades. She began making masks in 2002, when Korea and Japan co-hosted the soccer World Cup.
Last month, she started a new project, including China, to try to bring together people from the region between the ages of 15 and 35. She hopes to make 333 masks from each country by June, with the final mask from a bicultural person — “the generation of the future.”
After Yamanao, Kim made masks of a Chinese university student, Dai Zhi Dong, and Kim Hyung-jin, a scientific researcher from South Korea.
Kim Myong-hee, a Korean artist who has been living in Kyoto for almost four decades, puts plaster on Ryoma Yamanao, a young Japanese businessman, during a workshop for the Peace Mask East Asia project. (Noriko Hayashi/for The Washington Post)
“With small groups, we can connect so much better,” said Kim, standing in her apron in an atmospheric wooden room in an old Kyoto house, now a collaborative art space, that opened out onto a courtyard thick with bamboo trees.
South Korea is embroiled in an ugly battle with Japan centered around the “comfort women” forced into sexual slavery during World War II, while Chinese newspapers have been running a relentless drumbeat of anti-Japanese propaganda.
In Japan, nationalist rhetoric abounds. Several members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s new cabinet are said to have links to an ultra-right group that spouts hate speech against Koreans in particular. There is also a small but noisy clutch of people inciting hatred on the Internet; a woman called Yoko has made a YouTube song about comfort women that includes lines such as, “they were nothing more than prostitutes.”
Although Abe is extending a hand to China, hoping for a meeting with President Xi Jinping when Beijing hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month, no one is expecting regional harmony any time soon.
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So, some young people are looking for ways to build bridges.
A group of university students in Kyoto made an uplifting “Japan, China, Korea Happy” video of the Pharrell Williams song. Others are getting onboard the Peace Mask project, run by Kim, her husband, American Robert Kowalczyk, and their daughter Kya, a social activist.
With designated youth leaders such as Dong and Zhou, both Chinese students at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, they are hopeful that they can make a difference, one person at a time.
“We feel there is a lack of spaces where youth can express their vision for their region,” said Kya Kim, 34. “So, we really want this to be a vehicle for them to express their vision for peace, for their ideals, but also to help them become the leaders of a better future.”
Once the artistic process was done, all the participants sat around a table for tea and cookies and a discussion that felt like geopolitical group therapy, injected with the endearing earnestness of youth.
“When I first came to this program, I also invited some of my friends to come with me, but they were doubtful about it, because it’s new and they’ve never heard of it, but also they doubted whether it could be effective,” said Zhou, who’s 23 and comes from outside Shanghai.
“But today, I’m introducing my friend Eric,” she said, referring to Dai by his English name, “and so I’m contributing in my own tiny way, expanding the message.”
For his part, Dai, who hails from the restive Xinjiang region in China’s northwest, said he had experience with prejudice. “In China, people ask us if we go to school on horses or camels. I want to say to them: I’m Chinese!”
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This has parallels in the broader region, he said. “Chinese don’t know Japanese; Japanese don’t know Koreans,” he said. “We need to be more open and get to know each other. We’re all kind of alike.”
The young people involved in the project are all driven, multilingual high-achievers who chat among themselves in Japanese and English. Still, several said they usually avoided talking about politics with their friends.
“When I discuss things like Abe’s policies with my Japanese friends, our opinions usually differ, so I generally just stop talking about it,” said Kim Hyung-jin, the South Korean researcher, who’s 32 and has been in Japan for 10 years. “It puts a chill in the air if we talk about such things.”
Indeed, Dong, a 27-year-old from Hubei province in China, said the project was giving him the opportunity to raise topics that are usually undiscussed. He posts about the project on Facebook, saying it helps spark dialogue among Chinese who are not exposed to Japan on a daily basis the way he is, as well as discussing it with his friends.
“We usually just talk about food and culture and life, but history is not something we talk about in our daily lives,” Dong said. “If young people can’t talk about our painful history, how can we hope to achieve a better future?”
Anna Fifield is The Post’s bureau chief in Tokyo, focusing on Japan and the Koreas. She previously reported for the Financial Times from Washington DC, Seoul, Sydney, London and from across the Middle East.
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[jamawns' comment]
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[Comfort Women Issues related with Japan.]
June 25 2014, U.S. Chairperson still mentioned his biased wrong recognition.
Please bare in mind that "Past must be recognized honestly and fairly and be accounted clearly."
Based on the fact, searching for the truth.
[0] Introduction
Comfort women are not sex slaves as the same as soldiers are not bloodthirsty killers.
The word ‘sex slaves’ humiliates comfort women’s pride as the same as the word ‘bloodthirsty killers’ does solders’ honor. Such wording obviously mislead real features.
Comfort women dedicated to raise soldiers’ morale and spirits, and to prevent rape crimes in countries. Comfort woman earned monthly income as much as soldier’s annual income. Dedication of comfort woman was priceless as same as dedication of soldier was precious. Duty of comfort women was horrible such as extraordinary repeating prostitution, while duty of soldier was cruel such as murder.
I tell comfort women are not sex slave case.
Comfort women earned as much as soldiers’ lifetime income only for 3.5 years.
If a large poor family had a member who became comfort woman, her family could live on without worrying money any more.
On the other hand, there are 100,000 Korean prostitutes world wide today. They usually have bad loans whose interest rate is 40-300%. It is obvious that such super-high interest rate loan can’t be repay forever.
I tell another case.
White people hunted black African people as non-human animals and took them to the new world as slaves.
Black women were often treated as sex slaves for masters.
On the other hand, Imperial Japan did not systematically implement forced recruitment and management. Imperial Japan outsourced the leisure house called comfort house and Korean merchants recruited women by advertisement in newspaper.
[1] Kono statement has already been called Kono DANGO.
Cabinet of PM Abe has implemented re-examining a landmark apology to comfort women across Asia offered in 1993 known as 'Kono statement'. http://goo.gl/0DYZrd
The re-examining revealed that
(1)Kono statement was secretly made by Kono's arbitrary decision based on political compromise with South Korea not on historical fact, so-called DANGO style.
(2)There have been no evidences that Japanese government/military organization had ordered/command illegal coercing/kidnapping/violent comfort women recruitment or comfort station management.
(3)Korea has not kept confidential promise to settle the issues to go forward holding better future.
[2]Basic 13 questions about comfort women issue related with Japan.
(1)What Korean men were doing if their wives or daughters were abducted for sex slaves? Why did NOT those men defend women and protest against criminals?
(2)Mayors of ALL villages in Korea were ALL Korean, NO EXCEPTION.
What were mayors doing if so many women in their towns were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(3)The military police in Korea who clamp down military soldier’s misconduct were ALL Korean, NO EXCEPTION because Korean language was necessary for duty.
What Korean military police were doing if Japanese military in Korea came to a village and took women?
(4)About 40% of governors of prefectures (equivalent to state in the U.S.) were Korean.
What were Korean governors doing if so many women in their prefectures were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(5)There was a Korean lawmaker of the House of Representatives in Tokyo.
What was he doing and why didn’t he complain if so many women in Korea were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(6)There were many Korean members of the House of Loads. Their power was so strong and cannot be compared to current member of the House of Council (Similar to the U.S. Senators).
Why didn’t they say anything if so many women in Korea were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(7)There were so many Korean dukes and counts as Nobleman.
What were they doing if so many women in Korea were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(8)Furthermore, there were so many Korean in the Japan’s imperial family. They were Yi imperial family whose rank was higher than Japan’s crown prince. The rank was (1) Japanese emperor, (2) Yi imperial family, (3)Japan’s crown prince.
Why didn’t they complain if so many women in Korea were abducted, raped and to be forced sex slaves?
(9)Just after the Asia-Pacific war, Syngman Ree came back from the U.S. He started anti-Japan campaign in the fierce manner. He started to demand money for Korean People who fought for Japan. Notwithstanding, Syngman Ree did not mention comfort women at all, even a word. Why?
(10)Toward the Japan-Korea Basic Relation Treaty in 1965, both Japan and Korea had negotiated for 14 years. During 14 years, Korean government did not mention comfort women at all, even a word. Why?
(Here, a disclosed confidential document mentioned that South Korea had explained Comfort Women issues to Japan and settled it on the treaty.)
pic1(whole) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BvyRk6lCYAAy_lO.jpg
pic2(large) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BqvugVMCMAAUIXG.jpg
(11)From 1965 to 1991 for 26 years, Korean government and Korean mass media did not mention comfort women at all, even a word. Why?
(12)The person started abduction story was Japanese. The abduction story was fabricated by a Japanese, Seiji Yoshida. Later he admitted his fabrication. Also, Cheju Newspaper in Korea, August 14, 1989 had revealed“Coerced comfort women by Japan is fiction” U.N. Coomaraswamy report E/CN.4/1996/53 in 1996 and United States House of Representatives proposed House Resolution 121 in 2007 were based on such Seiji Yoshida’s perjury. Revised U.S. resolution 121 report removed Yoshida’s perjury on April 3 2007 but its public hearing on Feb 25 2007 was based on the Yoshida’s perjury.
Why does Korea still want to stick the Yoshida’s perjury?
(13)Korea accepted the apology of Kono DANGO but still require further apology. Therefore, Japan tried to review Kono DANGO due to insufficient. However Korea criticized Japan in order not to review the Kono DANGO.
Why does Korea criticize making the past to be recognized honestly and fairly and to be accounted clearly?
Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and people in Sakhalin were considered as people evenly protected/embraced by Japanese Emperor. If Korean women and children were taken forcibly to be sex slaves, Emperor Showa would never have allowed that.
[3] Who did illegal recruitment?
According to Park Yu-ha, professor of Sejong University in Seoul, Most of such crimes had been mainly implemented by Korean merchants, and Koreans seem to have attempted to blind such crimes by transferring into anti-Japan racism.
For example,
Four headed by Korean are arrested due to kidnapping 18 girls from whole Korea, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, March 1 1938.
http://goo.gl/eM9E5X
General investigation against kidnapping are implemented in Seoul, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, March 30 1938
http://goo.gl/VcD6kH
Korean fake police kidnapped wealthy housewife, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, May 21 1940.
http://goo.gl/ugkmuQ
77 Korean dishonest business agencies kidnapping girls are arrested, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, November 21 1939.
http://goo.gl/1OqQSH
11 Korean dishonest business agencies kidnapping 14 girls under the hardships of life are arrested, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, June 28 1940.
http://goo.gl/PmLvoq
Korean dishonest business agency kidnap girls searching for job in spring season (graduate season), The Dong-a Ilbo (Korean newspaper), March 15 1936
http://goo.gl/kvxmyu
Police agency comes to grips with improvement of labor conditions for Korean comfort women, Osaka Asahi Newspaper, June 25 1940.
http://goo.gl/KJCGil
Korean dishonest business agency human-trafficking under 16 girls is arrested, The Dong-a Ilbo (Korean newspaper), May 5 1933.
http://goo.gl/SxMhPi
[4] Dedication of Comfort women and disguise possibly without perception
Comfort women dedicated to raise soldiers’ morale and spirits, and to prevent rape crimes in countries. Comfort woman earned monthly income as much as soldier's annual income. Dedication of comfort woman was priceless as same as dedication of soldier was precious. Duty of comfort women was horrible such as extraordinary repeating prostitution, while duty of soldier was cruel such as murder.
Kim Bok-dong said raped by Japanese soldiers during Korean War, Huh?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ2AfVtCcAArvHa.jpg:large
Comfort woman Kim Sun-ok was sold 2 times by her father, not abducted by Japan.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ14QfyCAAAeOC1.jpg:large
Comfort Woman Hwan KumJu was raped on Christmas Holiday that Japan never held.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZuxobfCUAAQVpB.png:large
Lee Yong-Soo was delighted when deceived by sex Broker.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ1_slbCEAACvTq.jpg:large
Yang Soon-im was busted by South Korean police for fraud.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ18Cy6CQAAsmhe.jpg:large
Jung Soh-Un worked in Holland's colony for Japanese soldiers, Huh?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ17lslCEAARYYm.jpg:large
Kil Won-Ok is pretending Comfort Women of WW2 to get money from Japan.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BirVDrCCYAACh0b.jpg:large
Kil Won-Ok said when freed from Japanese slavery, her county was divided into 2, Huh?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ144MPCcAAyupP.jpg:large
Comfort Women photo of Korean war was used to accuse Japan by ROK, shading off the English signs.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BeFe4tNCQAAq7wJ.jpg:large
Mun Ok-ju made bank deposit of JPY26,145 (4 times army general’s annual income, 145 times private’s annual income, 48 times police officer’s annual income or 29 times starting annual income for a college graduate) for 2.5 years equivalent to today’s USD600,000.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Be1d_IfCYAA23kC.jpg:large
Comfort women admitted that they sold themselves Later said abducted
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZ16tMaCYAEQ0cU.jpg:large
Comfort women were recruited by private sex brokers NOT coerced by Japanese government.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BaFe9bdCMAAim-y.jpg:large
Bless you, Bless U.S.A, Bless Korea, Bless people we concern, Bless Japan.
