I too attended St. Joseph’s. I was there in the 60’s. Brother Kraft (1st Grade) was a kind man and I liked him very much. I remember Brother Germain, but had no classes or dealings with him. Brother Imhof should never have been allowed around children. Same with Brother Charles and Mrs. Sakai. What a nightmare, and I finally found out why in 4th Grade. It was because my family was nonreligious and they did not like having a heretic in their midst.
The impact of those years of their Catholic abuse changed my life, eventually leading me to study the Bible for myself to understand these people and find where God said that me and my whole family were going to hell for not being Catholic. I soon discovered that Christ’s Message had nothing whatsoever to do with one’s religiosity, but absolutely everything to do with one’s character aligned with His Father’s Spirit of Selfless Love.
All that Catholic separatism, fearmongering, superstition, idolatry and mystery – nothing but lies and child abuse, totally denying The Way of Christ. I don’t remember the timeline, but I think a year or so before we left Japan the principle was replaced, having been accused of sexual contact with one the boys.
I am glad to have come across your article and that you have wonderful memories of St. Joseph’s. I survived it. Still, it was a great blessing upon my life, as it led me to study scripture, which led to writing books proving how institutionalized Christianity and Christ’s Message are 2 different things entirely.
I would love to go back to Japan and miss it terribly, but those days are gone and never to return. We lived on Yamate-cho near the Ferris Girl’s School. I used to sit on the bluff next to the school and look at an unobstructed view of Fuji for hours on end. I sit on that bluff in my mind sometimes.
God bless, my friend. Wishing you and your family love and happiness.
I wish I had somehow saved the many other comments I received when this article, “Growing Up International” appeared in The Washington Post Education Review before the closing of St. Joseph’s International School (formerly St. Joseph College). Maybe one of your former classmates wrote in.
Last spring I climbed up the steep steps from Motomachi to Ferris Girl’s School and on to Sacred Heart Church. I expected some student to be practicing on the piano or singing as I climbed up. As a commuter (from Zushi to St. Joseph College in my senior year) I stopped along the way to catch my breath. I vaguely recall catching a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. At that time, I was more interested in looking at girls — from St. Maur’s, Futaba, Ferris, etc.
Your comments startled me. But, in my mature years, I can understand the impact the school’s religious rigor had on you. Since this is a public forum, I cannot reveal too much of what I know about the abuses at the school during my 12 years there.
I do remember one incident in my religion class when I responded to Bro. John Sullivan that the more you know about the world, the more difficult it is to keep one’s faith. His response was, in retrospect, ironic. He quoted an aphorism: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deep . . .” (Alexander Pope?)
Thank you for your comments. If you wish to get in touch with your former classmates, let me know.
Kunio Francis Tanabe (St. Joseph College, Yokohama, Japan, Class of 1961)
I , too, loved Brother Leo Kraft. Such a kind, decent man. He was my first grade teacher but I learned very little about his background during my 12 years at the school except that he was Swiss. I remember Mrs. Sakai hitting my finger tips with a ruler in 2nd grade. As to the Alsatian brothers, Bro. Albert, Bro. Imhoff, they did not leave a lasting impression. Except for Brother Germain, a very colorful man, indeed. He was a former French foreign legionnaire, something I mentioned in the article.
Francis, (since my name is also Kunio, let me address you with your Baptism name–we were baptized on the same day, on December 3, 1955 if my memory service me right, at the SJC Chapel.
Anyway, today I just want to thank you for estblishing the blog site. I think about my SJC days quite often and now I have a depository whenever I want to record a) memories and b) thoughts about my 12 years there.
Kunio Dominic KIKUCHI (SJC Class of 60) from Washington DC
I miss working with you on illustrations for Book World! Earlier today I was emailing with Lisa and talking to Kelly so I thought I should look for you as well, and now, here you are. What a delight. If you have a chance, please keep in touch! I would love to hear about your goings on.
Jen!
Good to hear from you. I do miss working with you and printing your beautiful artwork. I don’t know if you read Book World on paper, but the whole section looks very different from the days when I was art director. The art budget has shrunk considerably and they use mostly stock photos. Hope you are thriving — getting work from other sections of the Post. I see Lisa occasionally but haven’t talked to Kelly in over a year. I am enjoying my retirement with occasional writing assignments. I travel and read a lot. I must continue with my work in progress but there are so many distractions including this beautiful spring flora and mild weather. Let me know when you’re in town. We’ll have lots to talk about.
I was recently searching for any information regarding SJC and was fortunate enough to come across your article “Growing Up International”. I attended St. Joseph from 1972 to 1977, and 31 years later, and I still count my years there as some of my happiest.
I was really touched by your stories of Brother Leo and Brother Germain, as I knew them both very well. I recall Bro. Leo as a disciplinarian, with his pointer/switch, that he used to smack your desk with if your weren’t paying attention. Despite his strictness, I recall that he was a fair and kind man, and never actually hurt anyone. I still count him as one of my better teachers.
Brother Germain was one of my favorites, and I loved the times when he would substitute for a sick teacher. He would tell us all about his bees and the garden, and he would bring out a little jar of honey from his hives and let us taste the fruits of his labor on little crackers.
Your account of sharing lunches brought back fond memories as well, as I recall our lunches being veritable international food bazaars. Your memories of Motomachi, the park, the bluff all brought back fond memories.
I currently live in Chicago, and I was fortunate enough to visit the area twice. Once in 1983, just as my former classmates were graduating. Fr. Gerber, who gave me my First Communion, and was the Principal briefly while I was there, was then semi-retired, and actually took me to the faculty area and personally served me a Coke. I was so touched by his hospitality even though he barely remembered who I was. I visited again in 2004. I had know that the school had closed, but I did not expect to see a condo complex where it used to be. I could barely make out the former outline of the school, so I had to satisfy myself by going down the hill where the back of the school used to be, and going back up to Motomachi Park and walking down the steps to the shopping district.
I was a little shocked at Mr. Cord’s words about Bro. Charles. He was my first grade homeroom teacher, and while he spanked us with his stick when we forgot our homework, he never really did anything that would be considered truly abusive in light of the revelations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
Perhaps I was just lucky and managed to avoid all that. I could go on and on, but I just wanted to express my thanks to you for writing about your memories.
Interestingly enough, my “internationalist” lifestyle lives on – I was born in the Philippines, but I am now an American, but I am currently doing business in Ethiopia. I guess the environment at St. Joe’s prepared me for this kind of a life.
Manuel:
Just returned from lunch and saw your new posting. Yes, we graduates of SJC/SJIS are an international bunch. Just had lunch with a few graduates, upperclassmen from St. Joe’s. It was a fabulous lunch at the World Bank where one of the participants, Mr. Kunio Kikuchi (class of 60) worked for several decades. The others were Albert Yamada and Larry Okuda, both from my brother’s class (1957). We all like to travel to exotic places. Mr. Okuda just returned from Buenos Aires where he took tango lessons and visited vineyards. Mr. Yamada returned from the Burgundy region in France. Let me see: I visited Dublin and several cities in France and Spain along the Atlantic Coast. There was a proposal years ago from Shun Kanda (class of 1960) who teaches architecture at MIT that perhaps we should create an international community for our retirement years, say, in Italy. Just a dream, but it may work since we all have a very open, international background. I know about the condo that replaced the SJC campus. I was chased away when I took photographs while they were building the place. I was very fortunate for being able to attend the last graduation back in 2000. There was a graduation party in the cafeteria and a dinner dance at YCAC a few days later. NHK filmed the event and turned it into a lovely documentary that was aired throughout Japan. You may know that the yearbook (“Forward”) has been digitized from the earliest years until 2000 and is available for sale. All the best in your current endeavors.
Francis
P.S.: Rejoice! An international-minded politician is about to become president of the United States. Go, Obama!
Rejoice, indeed. I am an ardent supporter of Obama for this very reason. I was tickled by story I recently read, regarding Obama’s conversation with President Yudoyono of Indonesia. He greeted President Yudoyono in fluent Indonesian, saying, “Apa kabar, Bapak Presiden.” You can probably imaging the jaw dropping at the other end of the line. And forgive me for being a bit shallow, but I am absolutely thrilled to have a President who has relatives that look like all of us – African, Asian, Caucasian, and everything else in between.
Another bit about the condo – perhaps a bit of schadefreude. When I was there in 2004, there was some kind of a protest going on, as the pressure of the building’s foundation was causing boulders from the retaining wall on the downhill side to literally shoot out into the street like cannonballs.
I love the idea of an international retiremetn community in Italy – perhaps I will join you there someday. In the meantime, be well.
Oh, It has been forever! I hope you are still checking in on this lovely spot of yours. I see the last post was nearly 2 years ago. Are you writing your lovely stories elsewhere?
On Thursday I received the most incredible article to illustrate for the magazine (WP). For some reason each page made me think of you. Perhaps I just enjoyed it so much that it reminded me of your knack for sending life-altering articles. Those reviews so often sent me in search of something… in the direction of some subject or another, that I still think of jobs with you as a road map to the interesting moments in life!
I hope all is well with you and yours! I miss working with you, even all these years later. If you have a space moment sometime I’d love to hear from you..
Hi, Jen!
Good to hear from you. I do miss the Book World tabloid and the wonderful illustrations that you and others provided. We had the creme de la creme of art. The entire Post has changed so much and they are no longer spending as much money for illustrations. I remember your summer reading illustrations vividly, with conch shells and the sea that evoked so much of my favorite season. I’m happy to hear of your latest assignment. I will certainly look out for it. Besides this blog, you can write to me directly: kftanabe at yahoo dot com.
11 responses so far ↓
John Cord // January 27, 2008 at 8:16 am |
Dear Mr. Tanabe:
I too attended St. Joseph’s. I was there in the 60’s. Brother Kraft (1st Grade) was a kind man and I liked him very much. I remember Brother Germain, but had no classes or dealings with him. Brother Imhof should never have been allowed around children. Same with Brother Charles and Mrs. Sakai. What a nightmare, and I finally found out why in 4th Grade. It was because my family was nonreligious and they did not like having a heretic in their midst.
The impact of those years of their Catholic abuse changed my life, eventually leading me to study the Bible for myself to understand these people and find where God said that me and my whole family were going to hell for not being Catholic. I soon discovered that Christ’s Message had nothing whatsoever to do with one’s religiosity, but absolutely everything to do with one’s character aligned with His Father’s Spirit of Selfless Love.
All that Catholic separatism, fearmongering, superstition, idolatry and mystery – nothing but lies and child abuse, totally denying The Way of Christ. I don’t remember the timeline, but I think a year or so before we left Japan the principle was replaced, having been accused of sexual contact with one the boys.
I am glad to have come across your article and that you have wonderful memories of St. Joseph’s. I survived it. Still, it was a great blessing upon my life, as it led me to study scripture, which led to writing books proving how institutionalized Christianity and Christ’s Message are 2 different things entirely.
I would love to go back to Japan and miss it terribly, but those days are gone and never to return. We lived on Yamate-cho near the Ferris Girl’s School. I used to sit on the bluff next to the school and look at an unobstructed view of Fuji for hours on end. I sit on that bluff in my mind sometimes.
God bless, my friend. Wishing you and your family love and happiness.
francistanabe // January 27, 2008 at 4:19 pm |
I wish I had somehow saved the many other comments I received when this article, “Growing Up International” appeared in The Washington Post Education Review before the closing of St. Joseph’s International School (formerly St. Joseph College). Maybe one of your former classmates wrote in.
Last spring I climbed up the steep steps from Motomachi to Ferris Girl’s School and on to Sacred Heart Church. I expected some student to be practicing on the piano or singing as I climbed up. As a commuter (from Zushi to St. Joseph College in my senior year) I stopped along the way to catch my breath. I vaguely recall catching a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. At that time, I was more interested in looking at girls — from St. Maur’s, Futaba, Ferris, etc.
Your comments startled me. But, in my mature years, I can understand the impact the school’s religious rigor had on you. Since this is a public forum, I cannot reveal too much of what I know about the abuses at the school during my 12 years there.
I do remember one incident in my religion class when I responded to Bro. John Sullivan that the more you know about the world, the more difficult it is to keep one’s faith. His response was, in retrospect, ironic. He quoted an aphorism: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Drink deep . . .” (Alexander Pope?)
Thank you for your comments. If you wish to get in touch with your former classmates, let me know.
Kunio Francis Tanabe (St. Joseph College, Yokohama, Japan, Class of 1961)
francistanabe // January 27, 2008 at 4:30 pm |
I , too, loved Brother Leo Kraft. Such a kind, decent man. He was my first grade teacher but I learned very little about his background during my 12 years at the school except that he was Swiss. I remember Mrs. Sakai hitting my finger tips with a ruler in 2nd grade. As to the Alsatian brothers, Bro. Albert, Bro. Imhoff, they did not leave a lasting impression. Except for Brother Germain, a very colorful man, indeed. He was a former French foreign legionnaire, something I mentioned in the article.
(Mr.) Kunio D. KIKUCHI // January 28, 2008 at 3:41 am |
Francis, (since my name is also Kunio, let me address you with your Baptism name–we were baptized on the same day, on December 3, 1955 if my memory service me right, at the SJC Chapel.
Anyway, today I just want to thank you for estblishing the blog site. I think about my SJC days quite often and now I have a depository whenever I want to record a) memories and b) thoughts about my 12 years there.
Kunio Dominic KIKUCHI (SJC Class of 60) from Washington DC
Jen Renninger // May 6, 2008 at 9:34 pm |
Dear Francis,
I’m so glad to have found you and your blog!
I miss working with you on illustrations for Book World! Earlier today I was emailing with Lisa and talking to Kelly so I thought I should look for you as well, and now, here you are. What a delight. If you have a chance, please keep in touch! I would love to hear about your goings on.
All the best,
Jen
francistanabe // May 6, 2008 at 10:33 pm |
Jen!
Good to hear from you. I do miss working with you and printing your beautiful artwork. I don’t know if you read Book World on paper, but the whole section looks very different from the days when I was art director. The art budget has shrunk considerably and they use mostly stock photos. Hope you are thriving — getting work from other sections of the Post. I see Lisa occasionally but haven’t talked to Kelly in over a year. I am enjoying my retirement with occasional writing assignments. I travel and read a lot. I must continue with my work in progress but there are so many distractions including this beautiful spring flora and mild weather. Let me know when you’re in town. We’ll have lots to talk about.
Manuel de Joya // December 11, 2008 at 7:40 pm |
Dear Mr. Tanabe,
I was recently searching for any information regarding SJC and was fortunate enough to come across your article “Growing Up International”. I attended St. Joseph from 1972 to 1977, and 31 years later, and I still count my years there as some of my happiest.
I was really touched by your stories of Brother Leo and Brother Germain, as I knew them both very well. I recall Bro. Leo as a disciplinarian, with his pointer/switch, that he used to smack your desk with if your weren’t paying attention. Despite his strictness, I recall that he was a fair and kind man, and never actually hurt anyone. I still count him as one of my better teachers.
Brother Germain was one of my favorites, and I loved the times when he would substitute for a sick teacher. He would tell us all about his bees and the garden, and he would bring out a little jar of honey from his hives and let us taste the fruits of his labor on little crackers.
Your account of sharing lunches brought back fond memories as well, as I recall our lunches being veritable international food bazaars. Your memories of Motomachi, the park, the bluff all brought back fond memories.
I currently live in Chicago, and I was fortunate enough to visit the area twice. Once in 1983, just as my former classmates were graduating. Fr. Gerber, who gave me my First Communion, and was the Principal briefly while I was there, was then semi-retired, and actually took me to the faculty area and personally served me a Coke. I was so touched by his hospitality even though he barely remembered who I was. I visited again in 2004. I had know that the school had closed, but I did not expect to see a condo complex where it used to be. I could barely make out the former outline of the school, so I had to satisfy myself by going down the hill where the back of the school used to be, and going back up to Motomachi Park and walking down the steps to the shopping district.
I was a little shocked at Mr. Cord’s words about Bro. Charles. He was my first grade homeroom teacher, and while he spanked us with his stick when we forgot our homework, he never really did anything that would be considered truly abusive in light of the revelations of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
Perhaps I was just lucky and managed to avoid all that. I could go on and on, but I just wanted to express my thanks to you for writing about your memories.
Interestingly enough, my “internationalist” lifestyle lives on – I was born in the Philippines, but I am now an American, but I am currently doing business in Ethiopia. I guess the environment at St. Joe’s prepared me for this kind of a life.
Thanks again!
Manuel
francistanabe // December 11, 2008 at 9:35 pm |
Manuel:
Just returned from lunch and saw your new posting. Yes, we graduates of SJC/SJIS are an international bunch. Just had lunch with a few graduates, upperclassmen from St. Joe’s. It was a fabulous lunch at the World Bank where one of the participants, Mr. Kunio Kikuchi (class of 60) worked for several decades. The others were Albert Yamada and Larry Okuda, both from my brother’s class (1957). We all like to travel to exotic places. Mr. Okuda just returned from Buenos Aires where he took tango lessons and visited vineyards. Mr. Yamada returned from the Burgundy region in France. Let me see: I visited Dublin and several cities in France and Spain along the Atlantic Coast. There was a proposal years ago from Shun Kanda (class of 1960) who teaches architecture at MIT that perhaps we should create an international community for our retirement years, say, in Italy. Just a dream, but it may work since we all have a very open, international background. I know about the condo that replaced the SJC campus. I was chased away when I took photographs while they were building the place. I was very fortunate for being able to attend the last graduation back in 2000. There was a graduation party in the cafeteria and a dinner dance at YCAC a few days later. NHK filmed the event and turned it into a lovely documentary that was aired throughout Japan. You may know that the yearbook (“Forward”) has been digitized from the earliest years until 2000 and is available for sale. All the best in your current endeavors.
Francis
P.S.: Rejoice! An international-minded politician is about to become president of the United States. Go, Obama!
Manuel de Joya // December 11, 2008 at 10:41 pm |
Rejoice, indeed. I am an ardent supporter of Obama for this very reason. I was tickled by story I recently read, regarding Obama’s conversation with President Yudoyono of Indonesia. He greeted President Yudoyono in fluent Indonesian, saying, “Apa kabar, Bapak Presiden.” You can probably imaging the jaw dropping at the other end of the line. And forgive me for being a bit shallow, but I am absolutely thrilled to have a President who has relatives that look like all of us – African, Asian, Caucasian, and everything else in between.
Another bit about the condo – perhaps a bit of schadefreude. When I was there in 2004, there was some kind of a protest going on, as the pressure of the building’s foundation was causing boulders from the retaining wall on the downhill side to literally shoot out into the street like cannonballs.
I love the idea of an international retiremetn community in Italy – perhaps I will join you there someday. In the meantime, be well.
Manuel
Jen Renninger // October 10, 2009 at 2:10 am |
Dear Francis,
Oh, It has been forever! I hope you are still checking in on this lovely spot of yours. I see the last post was nearly 2 years ago. Are you writing your lovely stories elsewhere?
On Thursday I received the most incredible article to illustrate for the magazine (WP). For some reason each page made me think of you. Perhaps I just enjoyed it so much that it reminded me of your knack for sending life-altering articles. Those reviews so often sent me in search of something… in the direction of some subject or another, that I still think of jobs with you as a road map to the interesting moments in life!
I hope all is well with you and yours! I miss working with you, even all these years later. If you have a space moment sometime I’d love to hear from you..
All the best,
Jen
francistanabe // October 10, 2009 at 3:20 am |
Hi, Jen!
Good to hear from you. I do miss the Book World tabloid and the wonderful illustrations that you and others provided. We had the creme de la creme of art. The entire Post has changed so much and they are no longer spending as much money for illustrations. I remember your summer reading illustrations vividly, with conch shells and the sea that evoked so much of my favorite season. I’m happy to hear of your latest assignment. I will certainly look out for it. Besides this blog, you can write to me directly: kftanabe at yahoo dot com.