University Nandamuk - Ten Pyithu Hlaing, I will not smile

A story from a book

"I met a samurai in Rakhine..."

"Samurai in Rakhine..."

"Yes"

“Are you serious, Comrade Tharjar?”

"Oh... I'm really talking."

"A samurai is..."

"A Tamurai is a Japanese swordsman."

"Yes, of course... a samurai is a Japanese warrior, and I know that too."

"Why are you asking me?"

"I met a samurai in Rakhine."

"Yes...I saw it"

"There are no samurai in Rakhine"

“There is... there is in the north.”

The writer was momentarily stunned by Comrade Baya's words. Then he came to his senses..

"Are you talking about Japanese samurai being appointed as members of the royal bodyguards during the Mrauk-U era?"

"Yes, during the reign of King Thirithudhamma."

Yebow Saya, an English woman, seems to know more about Rakhine than any Rakhine.

"Where did this come from?"

The writer asked, looking at the parked jet.

"The plane came from Sittwe and Kyaukphyu. I came from Mrauk-U."

"Ah...they're going on a study tour to North Korea."

"Yes"

"We come to Sittwe from Mrauk-U by sea, and from Sittwe here by plane."

"Yes"

"Now they call North Oo the old city."

"That's sad, sir. Bagan is known as Bagan, and it became the old city only after the northern part of the country fell."

The writer was thinking about how to respond. Comrade Saya continued...

"Japanese samurai who served as bodyguards under King Sirithudhamma during the Mrauk-U era were Christians."

"Roman Catholic or Protestant?"

"Roman Catholics"

"Comrade Saya is also a Christian, so I think he is interested in Japanese Christians."

"It's not because I'm a Christian. It's because I thought about coming from Japan to serve in such a distant place."

"Yes, it was very difficult to travel back and forth during this time, wasn't it?"

The place where Comrade Saya and the author are talking is Thandwe Mazin Airport.

The author met Comrade Saya last year in Tagu, Tabaung.

That same year, I accidentally met him at Mazin Airport.

The way Comrade Saya and the author meet is not like a movie. Not like a novel. Not like a play.

Readers are already familiar with how they meet in a movie-like, novel-like, or drama-like way.

Comrade Saya and the author met by chance while walking on Lintha Beach and became close friends.

Lintha Beach is only a mile and a half from Ngapali. It is not as crowded as Ngapali.

Comrade Saya was staying at a secluded beachside guesthouse.

"Where are you now?"

"The same place as before, the same place as last year"

"Well...come on, get ready, a friend is coming in a car."

The author helped Comrade Saya carry his bags and came to the car.

Introducing my friend and comrade Saya from the little Morris saloon.

"Why is the word 'comrade' in front of the name 'Saya'?"

The writer's friend asked the writer in a tone of voice.

"That's because they like it."

"There must be some meaning." "Do you think there would be?"

"Look...Saya means golden princess in English. The combination of golden princess and the word 'Kyummareik Yeob' ​​is very poetic."

The author and his friend were talking to each other. Comrade Sayar was staring at the little Morris saloon as if he had never seen it before.

"When I first met Kyat, I told him to call me Comrade Saya. I just called him Comrade Saya."

"Why did you put 'comrade' in front, you ask?"

The writer asked...

"I added the word 'comrade' because I had a friend in the police station."

Comrade Saya looked around the little Morris saloon as he dodged the elephant.

"Do you want to go...Comrade Saya, if you want to go, tell me."

"Let's wait until the plane leaves, it's really cool to see this big guy take off."

"So, were you able to study the old city, er...the north thoroughly?"

"It's all over the place. The inner city, the outer city, the place where the Portuguese lived, the samurai guard, the whole place."

"And eighty thousand gods?"

"I'll give you a break, I even went up to the Maha Myat Muni Pagoda Hill, about forty miles northwest of Mrauk-U, and studied it."

"He is called Srigupta in Rakhine chronicles."

"Yes, King Srisuthamma comes every year to visit the great sage on a golden raft. He has Portuguese and Japanese samurai as his bodyguards."

"How did these Japanese samurai get to the North?"

The writer's friend asked.

At this moment, the sound of the jet's engine began to roar, interrupting the conversation.

The jet plane ran along the runway, then gained speed and rose upward.

Comrade Saya stood there, staring at the large plane, then got into the car and sat down. "How did the Japanese samurai get to the North?"

The author's friend asked again, driving his small Morris sedan steadily.

“Christian missionaries have been coming to Japan since around 1600 AD.

"Thanks to the efforts of these missionaries, Japanese Christians became very strong. Later, the Japanese emperor became suspicious of both the missionaries and the Japanese who converted to Christianity, and...

“Because of the persecution and killing, they fled from their own country and came to the city of Mrauk-U Shwe, where there was clear water and lush grass.

"Among the Japanese who arrived, there were some skilled samurai swordsmen, and they took refuge with the King of Rakhine and served him."

"There are records of Japanese samurai coming to serve the king, not only in the north, but also in Yodhya, now called Thailand, and even in Bago."

"From that time on, it was as if the Japanese had their eyes on Thailand and Myanmar."

The author's friend gave his opinion.

The little Morris saloon had already turned at the Ngapali junction and was heading towards Lintha village.

"It's possible if you want to"

Comrade Saya spoke very kindly.

"In nineteen forty-two, when the Japanese fascists invaded Southeast Asia, Comrade Saya was in England?"

"I was in Malaysia at that time."

"When the Zingapur Fort fell, Comrade Sayar had to retreat with the British troops, right?"

The writer came as a listener.

"I will not retreat."

"Don't run away..."

"Yes"

"If you don't retreat, how can you survive?"

"The children of the remaining army are left behind."

"Ha...you're brave."

"I don't think it's bravery, but I think it would be more accurate to say it was because of the spirit of wanting to resist fascism."

"What do the children of the stragglers do when they are left behind?"

"We tried to unite the Malays and anti-Japanese by blowing up the communication lines of the advancing Japanese troops. We provided military training."

"Aren't the Japanese hunting Comrade Saya?"

"It's worse than hunting. There's almost no ammunition, food and medicine are scarce...it's a lot of trouble."

"Well... being in the jungle, we have to endure the harsh weather conditions."

"Yes, every soldier suffers from malaria and dysentery. Our comrade Lieutenant Arthur is still suffering from malaria...

"We were transferred to another camp in the same Morris saloon we were in...on the way, we encountered a Japanese military vehicle and were killed in a battle."

"Ah...

"So I saw Comrade Saya staring at my car."

“Yes, because I feel sad thinking back to the time we had to travel in this kind of car for the revolution.”