Kazuhisa Matsuda (70)

Hisao Hisamoto (Associate professor at the Faculty of Business AdminIstration)
There are 3 themes that Mr. Matsuda had been thinking about through his life. They are measurement of labor productivity, significance of profit rate and economics of dental treatment. Until that earthquake, he was studying economics of dental treatment. And the day before the earthquake, he had finished a new essay. After the earthquake, Mr. Tokutsu (professor at the Faculty of Business Administration) and staffs telephoned his house to make sure that he was OK. But there was no one to answer that call.
Mr.Tokutsu and I thought that he had already taken refuge to Himeji, where his family lived. But on January 19, I heared that Mr. and Mrs. Matsuda had died.
10 days after the earthquake, I visited Mr. Matsuda's place at Kamisawa-dori Hyogo Ward. All the houses in southwest of his house were completely destroyed. The roof of his house had completely fallen and was like one board. His neighbors told that they did not see Mr.and Mrs. Matsuda on 17 and 18, and their dead body were found by police research on 19. I could see from the condition of the roof that they died on the spot.
If he were alive, I suppose he would say as the following: "Why must as many as 6000 people die and such a great number of people spend terrible refuge life in Japan, the most developed country?"

Photo: Emeritus professor, Mr. Matsuda and his wife.

Junko Asakura (46)

Noboru Nakamura (professor at the Faculty of Science)
When the earthquake happend, Junko Asakura had lived with her father in a condminium in Sakuragaoka Nada Ward. Her oldest son Hiroshi was studying at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (sophomore). She liked to read books, many books were arranged in a bookshelf beside her bed. Condminium was destroyed by the sudden earthquake, and she was crushed under the bookshelf and books. It was not fatal on the spot, but it was not so long since she was hospitalised in Rokko-Hospital that she passed away.
She graduated from Nara Women's University in 1971, and after that she worked at Sumitomo Science Industry. In 1975, she started for the Department of Earth and Planetary Science at the Faculty of Science in Kobe University as a staff member. In 1993, she was promoted to an assistant.
In those days, the Department of Earth and Planetary Science was just etablished. So the class was friendly but very active, and the students there were eager to study. She took charge of 3rd grade experiment on the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, then she shared the office work. In study, she did chemical analysis on metorites. She had taught many students experiment.
These days, many of her students take on active part especially in earth chemistry. She was expected as scholar, because her reserch had accuracy and logic. It is a pity that we have lost a researcher with such potential.
God have mercy on her.

Seiko Chujo (29)

Tetsuko Chujo (Her elder sister, doctor, living in Osaka Prefecture)
Seiko, a female doctor of the 3rd intenal section in Kobe University, was by the Great Hanshin Earthquake, buried under her favorite books, and did not open her eyes. Seiko who had always kept smiling was loved many people around her. Many people felt deep regret, saying "she had saved many people's lives and mind" or "she did her best to help her patients with no discrimination".
We had many letters and telephone calls from her patients and their family. One of them was "My husband, who suffered terminal cancer, had been getting courage from your visit in the morning and evening, he could hang on because of your help".
On the other hand, she never forgot her dream she had since her childhood. She kept writing chirdren's stories, poems, essays, illustrations and so on in the intervals of her busy work. About 10 years ago, she saw a puppet show of Sangokushi(Chinese historical stories) produced by Kihachiro Kawamoto. Then she was deeply impressed to see a puppet of Shokatsu Komei expressing his sofisticated humanity. Since then, she became an eager fan of Mr. Kawamoto. After another puppet show of Heike-monogatari(Japanese historical stories) started on NHK-TV (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), she wrote to him on every TV broadcast. Her earnest messages lead him to make a puppet of Shokatsu Komei for her. I was deeply moved at his kindness. I want to make her works meaningful as a proof that she lived and brighten her days she lived forever, and I think it our mission.

Shiho Okuda (Friend, a student at the Graduate School of Medicine, living in Kobe)
Ms.Chujo graduated from Shimane Medical University in 1990, and passed the State Examination to work at the Kobe University Hospital. She was a beautiful lady with big eyes and straight long hair. She was sincere and straight forward, and relied on by many people including her bosses, collegues and patients. She had been studying very hard in details on each cases, and often showed her opinions in their meetings in the intervals of her work. She was a good friend who consulted about anything with all her heart and cannot be replaced by anyone.

Kazuhiko Shimizu (Her colleague physician at Kobe University Hospital, living in Kobe)
We studied together since we were interns. When I was writing a clinical record next to her late at night. she leaned to her desk, her eyes could not read the words of the clinical record, and at last she lay down. When I tried to wake her up saying "Chu-san, Chu-san", she used to say "Don't bother me". She was called "sleeping princess" though I don't know who named her so.
Later, we got used to our work. Whenever I asked conditions of her patients, she said "It's OK". Even when her patient's condition was serious, she said so since it was her favorite phrase. Everytime she say so, she showed V-sign and smiled. I can still remember her smile.

Kiyoko Chamoto (55)

Teiko Okada (a part-time worker, Kobe University Co-op Cafeteria )
When I entered Co-op as a part-time worker, I saw a tall beautiful woman. She was Ms.Chamoto. She was a very good worker at the Cafeteria and she took good care of us. She was the draw at the Cafeteria. We used to be so excited in talking that we entirely forgot about time passing. While I am writing this memoir, her face often comes to mind and I cannot go on writing.
5:45a.m. January 17, that terrible occurrence like a nightmare, the Great Hanshin Earthquake, I'll never able to forgot.
Her daughter had gotten pregnant and had come to her home in Kobe until 15 January. She saw her daugeter at her home in Sanda City on 16. She came back to Kobe and came across the earthquake.
If she had stayed at her daughter's house, she might be safe....An twist of fate, it's a pity. I have sincere sympathy for her family's grief bereavement.
She enjoyed working at the Cafeteria. We feel sorrow but we will work eagerly at the Cafeteria for Ms. Chamoto's soul. Her smile comes to mind saying that I should bear to lose my house. Please be brave to work with your family for her. We will never forget that disgusting earthquake.

Miwa Kunisawa (32)

Shinsuke Nishimura (a worker at Kobe University Co-op, living in Kobe City)
I think she began working at LANS BOX in 1985 when it was just opend. Her main charge was seeing customers at registers which dealed with stationaries and textbooks of science and engineering. She was loved by teachers and students. I heard she had been proposed an acquaintance by a student.
On the day when earthquake attacked her, I was worried and came to the store before 9 a.m.. Students came up to Rokkodai Campus one after another. Then I heard that the el of Rokkomichi Station fell down. I thought it was dangerous because Ms. Kunisawa lived nearby. I felt something happend because she didn't come. Being a punctual person, she was expected to come if something happend.
I went to her house in the afternoon. The ground froor where she lived was completely destroyed and crushed within 50cm or 60cm. I thought if she was in it, she must be killed. I called her name, but there was no answer.
From the next day, about 20 staffs and students of the Co-op spent 3 days to dig her house. We eliminated tatami and motar, and at last, one of us found the \ body. We called a rescue team. We told them she was buried alive because if it turned out death they would leave her later. The body was Ms. Kunisawa, which we did not hope it was. Her death was confirmed at 1 p.m., Jan. 30.
From late February, the Co-op stores opened at last. Then some of the teachers came and said that they wanted to go and see her family in her hometown, Shimane Prefecture. I contacted her family. I felt she was loved beyond the relation of customer and staff.

Photo: With Mr. Eguchi who came back from the trip to Arab(the chief of Kobe University Student Relief Party) The center is Ms. Kunisawa