Who finally was the captain of the Japanese cargo ship "Tokei Maru", the ship that at the time of the destruction of Smyrna happened to be in the port of the city and become a lifeline for 825 people, Greeks and Armenians of any age.
There are many who are looking to find evidence of the identity of that man who made the decision to throw into the sea a load of several million current euros in order to board the ship as many refugees as possible.
Among those who are looking is the Thessaloniki director, Zachos Samoladas, who talks about this story in the issue of the APE-MPE magazine PRAKTOREO which is published in Athens and Thessaloniki.
He emphasizes, among other things, that his goal is not only to find the name of the "mythical captain ” but also to turn this story into a film. He even wants the film to be ready in 2022, the year that marks the 100th anniversary of the destruction of Smyrna.
Read the text below, as published in the magazine PRAKTOREO of APE-BE:
"A legend in the shadow of Time"
By BABBI GIANNAKIDIS
The telegram, dated September 18, 1922, reads:“A Japanese ship has taken some refugees, and I heard that she dumped her cargo for that purpose. Passengers on the ship speak of the Japanese crew's touchingly polite behavior ".
Its sender is the then American consul in Smyrna, George Horton. The recipient is the US Department of State. The ship referred to is the Japanese freighter "Tokei Maru". (s.s. in Japanese Tokei means:clock and Maru:sea)
The cargo he carried and by order of the captain... threw into the waters of the port of Smyrna wasexpensive silks , fabrics and porcelains . (p.s. A Piraeus newspaper publication of that period mentions a cargo worth 200,000 British pounds , today approximately 48-50 million euros ).The refugees who boarded were not "a few" but 825 Greeks and Armenians, men, women and children who escaped at the last moment and were taken to Piraeus.
The Unknown Protagonist
The story of the "Tokei Maru" is not widely known, but what remains completely unknown is the name of the captain, the man who with his choices saved 825 souls.
" We have all the information about the ship, the tonnage, the ports it passed, that it was insured, everything, except the name of the captain ”, says Zachos Samoladas of Thessaloniki, one of the people worldwide investigating to identify the identity of the captain, to “AGENCY”.
After all, how easy it is to find evidence of events that took place in a particularly stormy era, when the Second World War followed, during which buildings and services were bombed and precious archives were lost with them. Zachos is a director. He works at the Municipal Television of Thessaloniki.
The stimulus for research was given in 2016, when a commemorative plaque was hung as a monument on a wall of the Second Chance School, in Triandria. Today, one can hardly locate the plaque in the area. If he "discovers" her, he will read on her:"WE DEDICATE THIS MONUMENT TO THE JAPANESE CAPTAIN WHO SAVED GREEK REFUGEES FROM THE DESTRUCTION OF SMYRNA IN 1922 ”
The investigations
At the same time, other people on the planet are searching for clues about the master of the Tokei Maru. " So far in Greece and abroad we have identified 15 people. Two live in Thessaloniki, one in Kavala, one in Patras, two in Athens and the rest abroad. One that I recently contacted is Greek-American activist and author Dan Georgakas ”, says Zachos and adds:“Georgakas' mother, aged 12 at the time, was on this ship. She is the one who, according to testimonies, said referring to the Japanese captain:“this must be the image that the Angels have in Heaven ".
Among those who are currently looking for information on the master's identity is the Japanese Nanako Murata. He had heard the story of the ship in 2007 from a Kavaliotis, son of one of the women who were saved from this ship. Mrs. Nanako was then studying Modern Greek History at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Today she is a professor at Toyo University in Tokyo. It is expected in Thessaloniki next Spring.
Screenplay for a movie
[…] As the Japanese cargo ship enters the port of Smyrna, the Turkish army occupies the city. The Japanese master is ordered to quarantine and await instructions. [...]In Smyrna the destruction began. The Turkish army slaughters and kills men, women and children indiscriminately. […]And the first refugees arrive, begging for help.[…]
The Captain looks at his men, closes his eyes and listens to the funeral distant hum of the people, the fire, the sea. And then he gives the order. "Throw all the merchandise overboard and put as many on board as you can."
The Turks react. They ask him to throw the refugees into the sea. The master's answer was firm. "This is Japanese territory. Any attempt to harm the ship or its occupants will be a threat to the Emperor and will result in retaliation.” [...]The ship is moving away. Only the thin black smoke remained on the horizon, a remnant of the once mighty Smyrna. [...]
You have just read an excerpt from the script that Zachos keeps in his drawer, aspiring to soon "evolve" into a feature film. In this way he wants to pay tribute to that special person. After all, he himself is a descendant of members of a family that experienced uprooting.
From animated film to documentary
The feature film may be the big goal, but Zachos has already created a 15-minute animation film, (inc. it has been distinguished in some festivals while it has been... excluded from others) and is in the last stage for the completion of a documentary. "We have enough material for the documentary" he says and reveals that his goal is to have it ready in 2022, the year that marks 100 years since the destruction of Smyrna.
AME-ME