Okinawan bone digger searches caves for the remains of WWII dead

Описание: (6 Mar 2025)
JAPAN BONE DIGGER

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 6:03

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture - 15 February 2025

1. Takamatsu Gushiken searching for remains of victims from the Battle of Okinawa inside a cave
2. Gushiken using tool to scrape surface, UPSOUND (Japanese): “There are at least two people (who died) here.”
3. Various of Gushiken showing bones he found during his previous searches, UPSOUND (Japanese): “I’m not so sure about this one, but this one definitely belongs to a child, quite a young one.”
4. Gushiken climbing out of cave
5. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takamatsu Gushiken, volunteer bone searcher:
“When I was a child, I would come across skeletons with iron helmets when I went to the mountains to catch insects or play -- it was that kind of a place around here. But when you are a kid, you are too scared to go near it.”
6. Various of Gushiken trekking
7. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takamatsu Gushiken, volunteer bone searcher:
“When I first volunteered, I felt like I was doing something inconceivable, digging up other people's remains.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Japan – 16 February 2025

8. Various of Gushiken trekking
9. Gushiken putting his hands together to pay respects in front of the bones he had collected on his previous searches
10. Gushiken turning on his head torch after paying respects

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Japan – 15 February 2025

11. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takamatsu Gushiken, volunteer bone searcher:
"I imagine myself in a situation where the attacks are intense, and think to myself, where would I go to hide? You’d crawl under a big rock or something like that, somewhere you can take shelter from fragments. When I search those kind of places, they (referring to bones) just keep appearing.”

12. Gushiken descends into a narrow cave
13. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takamatsu Gushiken, volunteer bone searcher:
“I talk to the bones -- even if you wait for your family to come and search for you, they probably wouldn't know that you died here, and I don't think they can come here. So, instead, I thought I would take you to the National War Dead Cemetery. Is that Okay? If you are placed there, maybe one day someone from your family or someone related will come to pray for you. I think that would be better than staying here."

14. Gushiken examining bones he found previously
15. Various of Gushiken holding a piece of bone; UPSOUND (Japanese): “This is a child’s. It’s this part of the body. Estimated age 10 to 12 years old.”
16. Gushiken inside cave
17. Tilt up from Gushiken holding bones to his face
18. Gushiken picking up an artefact explaining it’s a filter used for a mask worn by a soldier at the time of the battle
19. Artifacts collected by Gushiken during his search
20. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takamatsu Gushiken, volunteer bone searcher:
"Before I knew about DNA testing, I used to put more effort searching for items that could potentially help to identify the names of the victims. But now, I’m putting my energy in spreading the word about DNA testing.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Japan – 16 February 2025

21. Various of Gushiken examining his medical notebook to identify a tooth

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Japan – 14 February 2025

22. Person praying at the Cornerstone of Peace, a monument commemorating the Battle of Okinawa

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Itoman, Japan – 19 February 2025

23. Various of names on the memorial stones at the Cornerstone of Peace

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Naha, Japan – 16 February 2025

24. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Tomoyuki Kobashigawa, relative of a victim of Battle of Okinawa:


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