The landscape around the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp

Many of the places visited by prisoners were identified by studying the surviving photographs. This shows that they visited many places surrounding the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp. The most distant place from the camp was Ichijoji Temple, about 10 kilometers away as the crow flies. Prisoners appear to have visited this place on a one-day excursion.

A map of the area around the Aonogahara Prisoner of War Camp

 

One hundred years ago and the present

This section mainly introduces photographs for which the locations have been identified. It is fascinating to compare the landscape of one hundred years ago with that of the present.

Left: The three-storied pagoda of the Ichijoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current three-storied pagoda of the Ichijoji Temple (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Left: A commemorative photograph taken at the entrance to the Ichijoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current entrance to the Ichijoji Temple (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Left: Stone steps at the Ichijoji Temple (beneath the main temple) (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current stone steps at the Ichijoji Temple (beneath the main temple) (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Left: Ichijoji Temple Seiryo Park and prisoners (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: Ichijoji Temple Seiryo Park (picture postcard) *The left side of the photo (courtesy of an unnamed individual)

 

Left: Within the grounds of the Jizoin of the Ichijoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: Within the grounds of the current Jizoin of the Ichijoji Temple (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Left: Dainichiji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Dainichiji Temple

 

Left: A group photograph at Dainichiji Temple *A discovered photograph was inverted (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Dainichiji Temple

 

Left: The two-storied pagoda of the Okusanji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current two-storied pagoda of the Okusanji Temple

 

Left: A commemorative photograph at the Sagamiji Temple Military Service Cenotaph (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Sagamiji Temple Military Service Cenotaph

 

Left: Ogihara Shrine (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Ogihara Shrine

 

Left: Tsuneyoshitenman Shrine (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Tsuneyoshitenman Shrine

 

Left: Hiyoshi Shrine (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Hiyoshi Shrine

 

Left: Fukoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: Fukoji Temple around the first year of the Showa period (1926–1989) (from The Collection of Photographs in Memory of Hometown: Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Kasai, Kokushokankokai Inc.)

 

Left: The tower gate of the Saho Shrine (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current tower gate of Saho Shrine (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Yashiro Kindergarten (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)

 

Left: Toryunada (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Toryunada (taken by Ono City Kokokan)

 

Left: The Jogyodo of the Komyoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current Jogyodo of the Komyoji Temple

 

Left: The main building of the Daijiin, Komyoji Temple (courtesy of Mr. Dieter Linke)
Right: The current main building of the Daijiin, Komyoji Temple

 

Prisoners watching judo at Ono Junior High School (courtesy of Mr. Hans Joachim Schmidt)

 

Image: Left: A boarding house that was completed in 1903
Right: A bird’s-eye view of Ono Junior High School (drawn up in September 1921)
(from The Journal in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Hyogo Prefectural Ono Senior High School, compiled by the Compilation Committee of The Journal in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Hyogo Prefectural Ono Senior High School, published by the Steering Committee of the Project in Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of Hyogo Prefectural Ono Senior High School, November 2002)