Dialogues in Chimugurisa
Dialogues in Chimugurisa
Message
Dialogues in Chimugurisa: From Silence to Voice, From Memory to the Future
Dialogues in Chimugurisa is a 20-year record of survivors of the Battle of Okinawa who, after decades of silence, began to weave their experiences into words.
This is more than just a historical archive. It is a record of feelings and thoughts that—through the passage of time, the finding of a safe space, and the presence of trusted companions—found their way into words for the very first time.
This website was born from the dialogues held within our Katariai-no-ba—a dedicated space where survivors have gathered since 2005 to speak, to listen, and to bear witness to one another. Through these exchanges, the memory of war is not merely preserved; it is woven into the hearts of those living today and carried forward into the future.
About Chimugurisa In the Okinawan language, this word signifies a profound sense of empathy and resonance—the feeling that arises when one takes another person’s pain into their own heart as their own sorrow.
Memories that lived in decades of silence are now finding their breath as a “narrative” through dialogue. To listen deeply to each of these voices is to stand beside the sorrow of others, to confront the sanctity of life, and to nurture the strength to live together.
“I never want anyone else to go through what we did, or to feel the way we felt.”
This is the quiet vow that flows beneath these conversations. The name of this site—Dialogues in Chimugurisa—was chosen by four survivors who, even now in 2025, continue to gather, to share, and to keep the dialogue alive.
Maiko YOSHIKAWA ――Curator & Facilitator of Dialogues in Chimugurisa