Embattled Myanmar leader Suu Kyi's sword restored by Japanese craftsmen
Nov 14, 2021
Tokyo [Japan], November 14 : The katana-style sword of the ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has been restored by craftsmen in Japan hoping to return it to her one day.
Before Suu Kyi was cast out during a coup in February this year, she had approached Japan's ambassador to Myanmar Ichiro Maruyama, regarding the refurbishment of the katana-style sword, reported Kyodo News.
The ambassador later approached Yuji Mori, executive director of Nippon Foundation who further aided in getting the sword repaired.
The sword was then restored and repaired in a workshop in the city of Setouchi in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan.
Nippon Foundation revealed that the sword was in the possession of Asahi Shimbun, President of a Japanese newspaper who then gifted it to army lieutenant general Shojiro Iida during World War II, according to the Japan-based news agency.
The whereabouts of the sword were not known for quite some time which later in the custody of General Aung Sang. He played a pivotal role in Myanmar's independence movement. He was also the ousted leader's father.
When General Aung Sang was assassinated in 1947 he mentioned to his daughter Suu Kyi that the sword was "a gift from a Japanese soldier", Kyodo reported.
The badly rusted sword was brought back to Japan and sent to a workshop in the Bizen Osafune Sword Museum in Setouchi, a place known for its sword craftsmanship, for restoration.
Swordsmith Tomonobu Yokoyama with his team started the restoration work in October last year, stated Kyodo News. On November 6, 2021, the sword was returned to the Nippon Foundation during a ceremony in Setouchi.
"I'm astonished. The sword has regained its brilliance as though it was just made. This sword is an important record that shows the history between Japan and Myanmar," Kyodo News quoted Mori as saying.
Mori mentioned that the foundation will safeguard the sword for now, till the situation in Myanmar is peaceful.
