A tale of friendship: How history brought Japan and Turkey together
It is often said that the strongest of friendships are forged during the hardest of times. Sometimes strength can come from tragedy as it did with Japan and Turkey in September 1890. Through a unique set of circumstances, Japan and Turkey forged a friendship that has lasted over 125 years and yet despite being Turkish myself, I was unware of this connection until recent years. Allow me to explain.
While planning for my second trip to Japan, I had discovered that there was a Turkish memorial and museum on the most southern tip of Japan’s main Honshu island in the coastal town of Kushimoto. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement and I felt that I needed to travel to Kushimoto to learn more.
In September 1890, the Ottoman navy ship “Ertuğrul” was sent from Turkey to Japan on a goodwill voyage to improve relations between the two countries. Upon its return, the ship was caught in the midst of a typhoon and tragically collided with rocks on the coast of Oshima (a small island connected to Kushimoto by bridge). The tragedy resulted in the loss of 533 sailors and officers with only 69 survivors who lived to tell the tale.
The people of Oshima tried to save as many of the Turkish survivors as possible and even shared the towns very limited food supplies with them. There was a strong feeling of empathy towards the survivors, not only from the people of Oshima but from the Japanese public which would lay the foundation for the friendship between Japan and Turkey which continues to this day.
In June 2017, the day finally came for me to visit Oshima in Kushimoto. The trip was a 3-hour 30-minute journey from Osaka to Kushimoto in Wakayama prefecture but luckily the trip was very comfortable thanks to Japan’s reliable rail network.
When I first arrived at Kushimoto train station, I noticed that there was Turkish writing all over the ticket machines and around the station. As I left the station, I also noticed a large permanent banner that translated to “Turkey Friendship City” and a replica of the Turkish ship “Ertuğrul”. It turned out that Kushimoto had since become a sister city of both Yakakent and Mersin in Turkey. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends and family and they were just as surprised as I was.
Next to the station there was a tourist information centre where I was greeted by a friendly team wearing polo tops with both the Japanese and Turkish flags side by side. I felt a real sense of pride when I saw the two flags together and for the first time, I started to appreciate how serious the bond between these two countries actually was.
Outside the tourist information centre there was a shuttle bus service that took me straight to the Turkish memorial and museum which was approximately 45 minutes away from Kushimoto’s train station. When I arrived, I was surprised to see that even the roads had Turkish street names.
Alongside the museum was a memorial to those that had lost their lives aboard Ertuğrul and a Mustafa Kemal Atatürk statue who was the founder and first president of the republic of Turkey. There was also a Turkish giftshop that sold many popular souvenirs that you would expect to find in Turkey.
When I finally entered the Turkish museum, I was greeted in Turkish by a very friendly Japanese lady who worked there. I was surprised to say the least and in that moment, I felt even more affinity towards Japan.
The lady then gave me a booklet with English descriptions of each of the articles inside the museum. As I walked around, I noticed that there was a viewpoint where I could see the very rocks that caused the wreckage on that fateful night.
The museum was very well put together and I believe it did all those aboard the Ertuğrul justice, but the museum also told another chapter in Japan and Turkey’s story. 90 years after the Ertuğrul tragedy, Turkey would have an opportunity to help out a friend in need.
In 1985, Japan had 215 nationals living in Tehran, the capital of Iran. In the midst of the Iran-Iraq war during this time, the Iraqi government announced that "All aircraft that fly above Iran will be the objects of Iraqi attacks” within 48 hours. This led to all countries that had citizens in Iran to use their own airlines to rescue their citizens before the 48-hour deadline.
Japan Airlines required a confirmation of safe flight passage from Iran and Iraq before they could send a plane which unfortunately, they did not receive and as a result were not able to send a plane to rescue their citizens.
The Japanese embassy in Tehran would reach out to many countries for help however only Turkey would answer their call and sent a plane to Iran to rescue the stranded Japanese citizens. Following the rescue, there was some confusion as to why Turkey would be the one to help Japan. The Turkish government would then release the following statement “We have not forgotten the rescue of the sailors aboard Ertuğrul. Thus, once we heard there were Japanese citizens in need of help, we went to their rescue.”
You’re probably thinking this all sounds like a movie, right? Well in 2015 a movie was made with both a Turkish and Japanese director called “Ertuğrul 1890” in Turkey and “Kainan 1890” in Japan (both available with English subtitles). The movie starts by telling the story of Ertuğrul and concludes by depicting the events that occurred in Tehran. It was truly fascinating for me to see the portrayal of both Turkish and Japanese cultural on screen and I would highly recommend anyone who finds this story fascinating to give the movie a watch.
To this day, the friendship between Japan and Turkey is still strong. The tale of Ertuğrul is even taught in junior high school history textbooks across Japan. Tourism from Japan to Turkey has increased significantly in recent years with Cappadocia being one of the most popular destinations. Both countries have worked together on mega projects such as the Marmaray which is rail transportation project which connects links Istanbul’s European side to the Asian side by going underneath the Bosporus (a narrow strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara).
There have been moments during my time in Japan where someone has asked me where I am from and when I tell them that I am Turkish, they proceed to tell me the very story about friendship that I have told you today. In a world of uncertainty, one thing stands true – an act of kindness inspires kindness. I hope that this story can serve as a reminder to us all.