"Manchukuo Grand Hotel"

Someone asked me, "Is this another tourist guidebook for Manchuria?" This is likely because the image of the Yamato Hotels operated by the South Manchuria Railway in Dalian and Mukden is so strong. The title "Manchukuo Grand Hotel" is certainly misleading.

"Grand Hotel" refers to a film format where characters appear one after another, and there is no specific protagonist. Everyone appears and disappears like guests staying at a hotel. Manchukuo, established following the Manchurian Incident, collapsed in just thirteen and a half years due to Japan's defeat. I put the meaning into the title that all Japanese people who visited Manchuria—whether they intended to settle there permanently or were just travelers—were nothing more than "stayers."

I selected 36 people from among these "stayers" and depicted the weight of Manchuria in their lives, focusing on episodes to understand what "Manchuria" meant to Showa-era Japan and the Japanese people. For me, this is a book of strolling through and reconsidering Showa history.

Taking the opportunity of an invitation to write for "Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press)," I looked into the alma maters of these 36 people. I found that only one person was affiliated with Keio. That was Kenkichi Ishiyama, the founder of Diamond, Inc. Since there were many military personnel, bureaucrats, journalists, and filmmakers, it is natural that the University of Tokyo and the Imperial Japanese Army Academy were overwhelmingly common, but even so, one person was a surprising number.

Among the sub-protagonists, there was a Mita graduate who piqued my interest. That was Hidekichi Wada, who appears as the husband of actress Michiyo Kogure. He did spectacular investigative reporting at Jiji Shimpo, managed by Sanji Muto, and ended up in Manchuria due to his overzealousness. He was one of the "second chance, background laundering" group permitted by Manchukuo, and remained close until the end with their leader, Masahiko Amakasu (Chairman of the Manchuria Film Association).

The book "Record of the Founding of Great Manchukuo" by Tokuzo Komai, the first Director-General of the General Affairs State Council (the top Japanese bureaucrat), was a bestseller at the time, and Megumi Nakamura of Chuo Koron-sha, who was the editor and writer for that book, is also a Mita graduate. After the war, Mr. Nakamura became the Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Keio Tsushin (now Keio University Press).

Books I purchased for my previous work, "Jun Eto Resurrected," also proved unexpectedly useful. Rokuzo Takebe, the boss of Mr. Eto's father-in-law, was the last top Japanese bureaucrat, but he chose the path of becoming a "willing victim." There were such Japanese people in Manchuria as well.

"Manchukuo Grand Hotel"

Shukichi Hirayama

Geijutsu Shinbunsha

568 pages, 3,850 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.