Re: Rempang Island war-prisoner camp Part Ⅲ

From the 8th December, 1945, we were gradually recovered from malnutrition since we had ration from the British army, one pack for three-days, 6 ounces of rice a day, and vegetables which we had planted on cultivated field.
When the new year of 1946 came, our eating habits had become stabilized and we came to hear the common talks about homes and the members'laughing voices.

Start of Haiku gatherings and naming of Haiku-poet-names.
At the beginning of February, the leader of the first platoon, ENU KATO, who was a student of a haiku-poet-school of AROU USUDA, took leadership to have Haiku-poet gathering and Captain TAKIMOTO approve of it.　

KATO platoon leader said "anybody can make Haiku-poem.
let's start to have so called 'Haiku gathering' to get a close feeling to Japanese elegance and a thought of homeland.
In the Haiku-world, participants use a Haiku-poet name.
My Haiku-poet name is EN-U(which means swallow rain.)"
And, he ordered "So, name yourself some favorite Haiku-poet name."
Led by Captain TAKIMOTO, each one of us named oneself Haiku-poet name to become an instant Haiku-poet.

{Omitted some sentences.}I'm sorry.

Haiku gathering: Counted were 361 Haiku-poems from the 1st to 10th gathering.
On Feb 11, 1946, fomer Emperor Day, the first haiku gathering was held at the officers' billet.
We, members of Takimoto party, landed on Rempang island on October 26, 1945, and departed the island on Jun 14th, the next year, returning to Kagoshima Port on July 2, the same year, for homecoming.
Until the departure, our haiku gatherings were held ten times.

Being tied and helped by fellowship of soldiers, who shared life and death, and lived through the 20th century of turbulence till the 21st century, I am so thankful and meditate on my happiness.
Thank you very much.