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Group honors WWII fallen in lantern ceremony
A lantern floats at sea in last Saturday’s Tõrõ Nagashi ceremony by the members of the Japanese Sanpoen group. (Jon Perez)
The Sanpoen Japanese group lit up about 300 lanterns last Saturday evening at the Hopwood Middle School beach to pay homage to Japanese soldiers who perished during World War II.
Before lighting the candles, Japanese priest and coordinator Kamsho Kayaki performed a 30-minute prayer alongside Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang.
Afterwards, the mayor’s staff members and the around 30 Sanpoen Japanese students formed a human chain starting from Hopwood’s beachside gate to the shallow level of the beach. Each one then carefully passed down a lantern to the person next to him or her for the Tōrō Nnagashi ceremony. This is based on the Japanese belief that the lanterns will help guide the spirits of the dead to the other world.
A minor issue occurred when the wind pushed the lanterns to the right side of the sea, making them float back to the shore. A second attempt a few minutes later succeeded.
The mayor staff served dinner to everybody that attended the occasion.
According to Apatang, the mayor’s office staff and Sanpoen group toured historic Japanese sites from 10am to 1pm before the ceremony. These included visits to Suicide Cliff, Banzai Cliff, and the Last Command Post.
Mayor’s office special assistant Henry Hofschneider said the lantern ceremony is intended to promote peace.
The Sanpoen Group has been visiting Saipan for 40 years. Kayaki said they keep coming back to Saipan to honor their countrymen who sacrificed themselves during the war. He hopes to return to Saipan next summer.
