Reflections on Visiting Tokyo's National Sanatorium Tama Zenshō-en in 2024/ Lai,Tse-chun,Sawa

 

Reflections on Visiting Tokyo's National Sanatorium Tama Zenshō-en in 2024

By 賴澤君

In late September 2024, after six months in Tokyo, I finally had the chance to visit Tama Zenshō-en (the hometown of Miyazaki Hayao's Totoro) on the outskirts of the city. I was reunited with Mr. Morimoto Miyoharu, the President of IDEA Japan, whom I had not seen in years. His eyesight has deteriorated in recent years, and when I arrived, a caregiver was attentively helping him get up, dress, and settle into his wheelchair so he could comfortably chat with us.

Upon hearing my voice, Mr. Morimoto immediately recognized me and warmly inquired about my husband and child. He did not forget to ask after Mr. Li Tianpei, the President of IDEA Taiwan at the Lo-Sheng Sanatorium. Although I had prepared a video greeting from Mr. Li, I was unable to show it due to lack of internet access. I conveyed Mr. Li’s encouragement to Mr. Morimoto to take care of his health and our shared hope to continue working towards World Heritage status for Tama Zenshō-en and Lo-Sheng. Mr. Morimoto had thoughtfully prepared a newly published memoir photography book to give to me. Although we had not met in years due to the pandemic, we share a profound connection, a mutual concern for our allies worldwide, and a dedication to an unfinished mission. Achieving World Heritage status for Tama Zenshō-en and Lo-Sheng has become a lifelong mission for both of these presidents. Seeing him and reading his book moved me to tears.

Ms. Ayako Murakami, a historian of leprosy, invited me to lunch with Mrs. Morimoto, and we enjoyed a memorable gathering of the women of IDEA International. Ms. Ayako introduced me to IDEA Japan's new photography book released earlier this year. As I turned the pages, I was shocked to see several photos from 2023 showing historical buildings that had just been demolished. In disbelief, I asked why they had been removed. Ms. Ayako explained that termites and disrepair were cited as reasons for demolition. I couldn’t understand this reasoning. Mrs. Morimoto added that many of the residents were saddened but, as only 89 of them remain, they are now too old to resist the demolitions. At that moment, I felt a deep sadness, reminiscent of the apologies we heard from Japanese friends during the Lo-Sheng crisis: "We’re sorry; we came too late."

This shock brought to mind IDEA International members’ relentless efforts over the past 20 years. Together, we participated in various international conferences on leprosy in Belgium, Beijing, the Philippines, and South Korea, constantly urging the world to protect leprosariums and settlements like Lo-Sheng from demolition.

While attending the UN conference in New York in 2010, I studied the ILA’s Global Leprosaria History Archive and found that over 80 countries once had hundreds, even thousands, of leprosy settlements, islands of exile, and colonies. Patients and their families there endured intense discrimination, isolation, and even abuse, forced labor, human experimentation, sterilization, and other human rights violations. Behind this lies the scars of imperialism from the World Wars, making these people some of the last victims of that era. They are also witnesses to this painful history.

For the past 30 years, a group of Japanese human rights lawyers has fought tirelessly on their behalf, winning the well-known Kumamoto case in Kyushu, which secured state compensation and restored their honor. This year, they again achieved victory with a ruling against Japan’s Eugenic Protection Law. Meanwhile, however, leprosariums around the world continue to face urgent demolition, erasing this painful history. This century of solitude and struggle cannot simply be resolved with compensation alone.

Over the years, I have repeatedly heard from Mr. Morimoto and his wife about their lost youth and the forced sterilization that deprived them of the chance to have children. This is also what has driven us to attend each world conference for the past 20 years, aiming to promote a multinational World Heritage project that transcends race and borders. We hope to preserve not only great architecture and designs but, through our continued advocacy, to highlight a century of suffering from exclusion, isolation, and sacrifice. We hope the world will see the solitude and helplessness they have endured.

On October 25, 2005, Mr. Morimoto personally took us to the Tokyo District Court to hear the historic victory of the “pre-war residents of Korea’s Sorok Island & Taiwan’s Lo-Sheng Sanatorium” in their lawsuit against the Japanese government’s segregation policies. I was there in the courtroom, and from that moment, I transformed from a mere observer to an active participant.

Mr. Morimoto has always supported my vision. In 2010, I traveled to the birthplace of the women’s rights movement in New York to discuss with IDEA International’s Anwei Law the importance of pushing for World Heritage designation for leprosy sites worldwide. She strongly agreed, and she had led efforts to preserve Hawaii’s Kalaupapa leprosy site as a U.S. National Park. I never imagined that 15 years later, I would witness the destruction of precious historical buildings at Tama Zenshō-en in Tokyo.

The Lo-Sheng Sanatorium has faced legislative struggles, World Heritage candidate recognition, and gradually gained social recognition. Following the Lo-Sheng crisis, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan also amended the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act to protect more cultural assets, stipulating that public buildings over 50 years old cannot be demolished without preservation and restoration plans.

In 2024, as I stand in Tama Zenshō-en, one of Japan’s most iconic leprosariums in its capital, I believe it deserves full preservation, even restoring the demolished historical buildings if possible. I hope there’s still time, that it’s not too late, and that these elderly residents will no longer have to fight alone. I hope we can save more of their memories and dreams.

After learning about my interest in Tama Zenshō-en, the owner of a restaurant in the sanatorium invited me to share Taiwan’s experiences with their local association if I ever have the opportunity. Tama Zenshō-en is not alone; there are people worldwide who will always stand with them.

My deepest thanks go to Mr. and Mrs. Yaegashi, photographers who have spent their lives documenting Mr. Morimoto’s story, allowing the world to witness the brilliant fight of those who have lived through these struggles.