Professional athletes as ambassadors of "Peace Seeds"
Sports heroes pray for world peace
There are two professional sports teams in Hiroshima. One is the "Hiroshima Toyo Carp," a baseball team, and "Sanfrecce Hiroshima," a football team.
For this issue, we asked three athletes to be ambassadors of Peace Seeds and appeal for peace from Hiroshima. These Hiroshima-born athletes kindly accepted our request.
The athletes are Takahiro Arai (30) of the Carp and twin brothers Kazuyuki Morisaki (25) and Koji Morisaki (25) of Sanfrecce.
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Kazuyuki (on the right) and Koji Morisaki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima |
Takahiro Arai of the Hiroshima Carp |
We hope these three athletes can bring the peace of Hiroshima to other athletes in the world and that this passion for peace can touch sports fans everywhere.
Passing on the experience of our grandmothers, survivors of the atomic bomb
"We want to express a spirit of peace through sports." This mission was inspired by their grandmothers, who were survivors of the bombing.
We asked them to write the word "peace" on one of the belongings they use in games in order to keep this mission in mind. And we asked them to write a message about peace on a small poster board.
After our conversations, we felt confident that these great athletes also qualified as excellent ambassadors for peace. We believe you'll think so, too, as you read on. (Haruna Tanabe, 17)
Peace Memorial Museum always makes me sad
-Takahiro Arai of the Hiroshima Carp
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Mr. Arai (on the right) remarks, "I want to inspire people through baseball." photo by Chinatsu Kawamoto,14 |
We interviewed Takahiro Arai after an exhibition game at the baseball stadium. Both of his grandmothers are survivors of the bombing and we could feel his passion for peace.
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Mr. Arai responds to our questions. |
One of his grandmothers told him that the day of the explosion was "like hell and yet I had no idea what had happened." He has visited many cities in Japan for away games and he has found that "there are many people who don't even know what occurred on the date of the bombing, August 6th. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though, A-bomb survivors have a strong impact on people's feelings about peace."
When Mr. Arai was a child, he made a chain of 1000 cranes at school. And he clearly recalls trying to put 200,000 stickers on a large piece of paper, to get a sense of the actual number of victims of the bombing. He remembers being "shocked by the enormous number."
Mr. Arai has visited Peace Memorial Museum a number of times. "It always makes me very sad," he says. "And yet the museum reminds me how important it is to appreciate the things we often take for granted as part of the generation that hasn't known war-things like playing baseball, going to school, or eating good food."
Last year, he played in the World Baseball Classic where Japan became world champions. He says, "I was happy to see the country so excited. I'm really glad I can inspire people through baseball. I believe sports have the power to foster joy and peace. In sports, there are no borders. Sports can serve as bridges between people and reduce the violence in this world." (Hayato Yoshioka, 15, and Shiori Kosaka, 11)
Praying on August 6th for a happier world
-Kazuyuki and Koji Morisaki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima
We interviewed Kazuyuki and Koji Morisaki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima. They were born in Hiroshima and have strong thoughts on peace. (Shoko Tagaya,16)
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Kazuyuki (left) and Koji (right) sharing their grandmother's story about the atomic bomb. (photo by Hayato Yoshioka, 15) |
-As ambassadors, what are your aspirations?
Kazuyuki I want to share the sad history of what happened in Hiroshima so that people will think more deeply about peace.
Koji I want to promote peace in the world through football.
-Do you often think about peace?
Kazuyuki The name my parents gave me includes the kanji character for "peace" in Japanese, so I'm always aware of it. My grandmother, who I grew up with, was an A-bomb survivor and she shared her experiences with me. Now, every year on August 6th, I say a silent prayer.
-What do you remember about your grandmother's stories?
Kazuyuki On the day the bomb was dropped, my grandmother happened to run an errand that took her away from the city. As a result, she survived but all of her siblings died. If she hadn't gone on that errand, we wouldn't have been born.
Koji We were fortunate that we could hear these stories from our grandparents, but I'm afraid young people today don't have the same opportunities.
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Kazuyuki (left) and Koji were like kind elder brothers. |
-Have you ever participated in any peace activities or volunteer work?
Kazuyuki I sent some of my clothes to Cambodia through an acquaintance, as I wanted to help people in need.
-Would you say these are peaceful times?
Koji No, I don't think so. Crime is now a problem in Japan and wars continue to be fought around the world. In sports, we still have discrimination against African-Americans. There are many things we need to do to make a more peaceful world.
-You both have played football internationally, including at the Athens Olympics. What are the positive points to football?
Kazuyuki You can play football with people whose language you don't know. And you can make friends with people from other countries. Football is competitive, but we follow the same rules so it's a fair contest.
Koji I feel happy playing together, and having fun, with people of different nationalities.
-What sort of world do you hope for in the future?
Kazuyuki I hope terrible crimes and bullying will end.
Koji I hope everyone can live in a safe world and enjoy a happy life.
Click to see the interview with Takahiro Arai, Kazuyuki Morisaki, and Koji Morisaki
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Messages and autographs from the athletes We asked the three sports ambassadors to share their thoughts about peace on a small poster board. These boards will be presented to three readers chosen in a drawing. (Entry for the drawing has already closed.)
The messages read: "Sports can cross national borders and be a bridge between people" by Takahiro Arai; "Make the flowers of our hearts bloom, flowers of peace" by Kazuyuki Morisaki; and "Promote peaceful nations through football" by Koji Morisaki. |
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