Japón-Hasekura Supporting Association Stands by the Association of Saving the San Juan Bautista!

In July, 2019, volunteers in Ishinomaki formed “the Association of Saving the San Juan Bautista” to override the Miyagi prefecture’s decision to demolish the replica ship.

Now, we, Japón-Hasekura Supporting Association, would like to declare our full support for the campaign by the above association in Ishinomaki along with our friends and colleagues in the world, including Japón-sans in Coria del Rio, Spain with whom we have spent some wonderful time together through sharing music, sports, movies, haiku-reading, tea ceremony, Ikebana flower arrangement, etc.

We have run our own campaign to save the boat with Mr. Modesto Gonzalez, Mayor of Coria del Rio, and Mr. Juan Francisco Japón, President of Hasekura Association in Coria del Rio. In November, 2017, Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Japón visited Mayor of Ishinomaki, Mr. Kameyama.  Mr. Gonzalez made a solicitation to save the boat during the meeting. They did the same in the meetings with Mr. Kawabata, Miyagi prefecture’s Deputy Governor, as well as Ms. Kori, Mayor of Sendai. In August, 2019, a group of over 20 Japón-sans visited Miyagi from Coria del Rio as the first Raiwa delegation. Mr. Juan Francisco Japón did ask Ishinomaki Mayor again to override their decision.

We believe that the existing replica of the San Juan Bautista boat must be preserved to transmit more than 400 year history between Spain and Japan over the years and to remember the disaster as its recovery symbol with the pride of our home country.

Please give us your vote.