Blackened canteen
A LEGACY OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
SHIZUOKA · JAPAN · JUNE 1945
THE STORY
“A humain story like no other”.
On the night of June 19–20, 1945, Shizuoka was devastated by an American air raid. Fires swept through the city, destroying nearly two-thirds of it and claiming approximately 2,000 civilian lives. During the mission, two B-29 Superfortresses collided above the city, and all 23 American airmen aboard the aircraft lost their lives.
CARRYING THE MESSAGE FORWARD
DR. HIROYA SUGANO
Dr. Hiroya Sugano was just 12 years old when the air raid devastated Shizuoka in June 1945 and destroyed his family home. The memories of that night stayed with him throughout his life.
Years later, when he met Fukumatsu Itoh, Dr. Hiroya Sugano was deeply moved by Itoh’s belief that “We cannot honor only the spirits of the people of Shizuoka. We must also comfort the souls of those who died on the enemy side.” Those words stayed with him. Sugano came to see Itoh’s act of compassion not simply as a memorial to the past, but as a message that needed to be carried forward.
For decades, he has devoted himself to keeping that message alive — bringing Japanese and Americans together in remembrance, honoring those who died on both sides, and transforming the memory of war into friendship, understanding, and reconciliation.
Through the Blackened Canteen, Dr. Sugano has helped build a bridge between former enemies and ensure that its message of peace continues to pass from one generation to the next.
SHIZUOKA · JAPAN
MEMORIAL SERVICE
Since 1972 Dr. Sugano has conducted a memorial service on the top of Mt. Shizuhata on the Saturday closest to June 20.
Each year, people from Japan, the United States and guest from all over the world come together in Shizuoka to honor those who lost their lives and to carry forward an extraordinary human story of compassion and reconciliation.
During the ceremony, bourbon from the Blackened Canteen is poured over the B-29 memorial. Buddhist monks and a chaplain offer prayers for the Japanese and Americans who lost their lives. Bringing different cultures and faiths together in remembrance, the ceremony carries a lasting message of peace. This tradition began by Fukumatsu Itoh and has been carried forward by Dr. Hiroya Sugano.
What began with one man’s gesture of humanity continues today as a living message of understanding and peace.
Jerry Yellin
Former captain and WWII Army Air Force P-51 pilot
“I was invited to participate in the service conducted in June 2006. I was overwhelmed by what I saw, what I felt, and consumed by the fact that this service, this place was not known to many”.
PEACE BEGINS WITH US
THE BLACKENED CANTEEN
From the wreckage of the American bombers that fell over Shizuoka, a charred and blackened canteen was recovered — its surface still bearing the imprint of the hand that once held it.
Over time, The Blackened Canteen became a symbol of remembrance and reconciliation.
Today it is at the heart of ceremonies in both Japan and Hawaii. In Shizuoka, bourbon from the canteen is poured over the B-29 memorial honoring the American airmen who lost their lives there.
At Pearl Harbor, bourbon is poured into the waters above the USS Arizona — a quiet tribute to the sailors and Marines who still rest below.
The story of the Blackened Canteen shows that even after the deepest wounds of war, people can choose to move forward together. The past should not be forgotten but faced with honsty, remembrance and respect. It’s up to us to honor those who were lost, to forgive and to build friendship so that the tragedies of war are never repeated.
Pearl Harbor · Hawaii.
Remember Pearl Harbor
“Remember Pearl Harbor” is a phrase that Japanese people, even more than Americans, must never forget — and I believe that remembering it is the road toward world peace.
— Dr. Hiroya Sugano
In the early 1990s, the message born from Fukumatsu Itoh’s act of compassion crossed the Pacific. At the USS Arizona Memorial, the Blackened Canteen Ceremony is a living reminder that peace between nations must also be remembered, renewed and passed on.
From Shizuoka to Hawaii.
It all began in December 1991, when Dr. Hiroya Sugano traveled to Hawaii for the 50th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. During that visit, he met Richard Fiske, a Marine bugler who had survived the attack aboard the USS West Virginia—an encounter that marked the beginning of the Blackened Canteen tradition at Pearl Harbor.
In an emotional moment at the USS Arizona- Shiro Wakita, former WWII Imperial Japanese Navy pilot, Dr. Hiroya Sugano, Jack Detour, former colonel and World War II Army Air Force B-25 pilot and Jerry Yellin, former captain and WWII Army Air Force P-51 pilot came together to pour bourbon whiskey at the 6th annual Blackened Canteen Ceremony during the 75th commemoration of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 6, 2016.
Remembering Together
The Blackened Canteen Ceremony is not about choosing one side of the story but about honoring all those who suffered and showing that former enemies can stand together in peace.
A Moment of Reconciliation
Jerry Yellin, former captain and WWII Army Air Force P-51 pilot embraces Dr. Hiroya Sugano during the annual Blackened Canteen ceremony at the USS Arizona Memorial during the 75th Commemoration of the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller.
“Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me… With God as our father, brothers all are we…”
DR. HIROYA SUGANO
“The enemies of yesterday are the friends of today.”
WHY IT MATTERS
Peace is not something we inherit. It is something each generation must choose to protect. By sharing stories like the Blackened Canteen, we keep alive the memory of those who suffered, honor those who chose compassion over hatred, and remind ourselves that reconciliation is always possible.