KANAZAWA: The grandmother of 14-year-old Hanon Kiso, who went missing after flood waters washed away her house a week ago, is still haunted by the girl's voice pleading for help.
Etsuko, 64, (pic) received a call from the desperate junior high school student during the height of the floods in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. But just before she could answer, the line went dead.
On Sunday (Sept 29), Hanon’s school uniform was found covered in mud in a bamboo grove about 700m downstream from where her house used to be. Her last name was stitched onto the upper-left side of her short-sleeved shirt.
Hanon’s grandparents teared up as they hugged the uniform.
“It looked good on her, so I’ll wash it well and take good care of it,” said Etsuko.
Etsuko has worked hard to keep Hanon from feeling lonely, as her father, Takaya, 42, is often away on work.
She made lunches every day for Hanon when she went to nursery school. She also made lunches when there were school events such as sports meets or school trips at her elementary school.
Etsuko would cut seaweed into the shape of dinosaurs and lay the shapes over rice or cut sausages into the shape of flowers. She was happy to see her granddaughter’s smile when Hanon would bring home her empty lunch box and say how much she loved the meal.
Hanon’s grandfather, Satoshi, 63, is a Wajima lacquerware craftsman. The Noto Peninsula Earthquake burnt down the Wajima Morning Market, where his shop was located.
After the earthquake, the market was revived as the so-called Wajima Asaichi Caravan, which travelled in and outside the prefecture, and Hanon tended her grandparents’ stall on weekends.
“I’ll do anything I can to help,” she would tell Etsuko.
Hanon soon became a reliable salesgirl, and would say, “Did you give them change?” or “I’ll take care of these bowls.”
Etsuko said she did her best to instil great confidence in her granddaughter.
When the heavy rains started on Sept 21, Etsuko was in Toyama with the Asaichi Caravan. Hanon was at home alone. Estuko heard that conditions in Wajima were serious due to the heavy rain, and she was worried.
At 9:56am, Etsuko received a phone call from Hanon.
“Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!” The voice on the other end of the line sounded panicked. The call only lasted about a minute, but Etsuko was so shaken that she could not say anything back.
“I should have taken her to the market with me,” Etsuko lamented.
Etsuko described Hanon as a modest girl who would put others ahead of herself. When choosing sweets, she would say, “You can have the first pick, Grandma.”
“I wonder if she is letting others go first again, if she is telling us to find them first. But ... please come back soon,” Etsuko said and began to tear up.
Satoshi stared at the muddy river and said, “I hope she is still alive somewhere. I won’t give up until I see her face.”
Her father Takaya has dug through the mud that washed into the roads and onto the farms, searching for clues to his daughter’s whereabouts. He bowed to each of the leaders of the rescue team, gathered from around the country, and thanked them.
“She has not been found yet, but it is encouraging that they are continuing to search. I believe she will be found tomorrow,” Takaya said.
But sadly, the Fukui Coast Guard Station announced on Tuesday (Oct 1) that it had found and retrieved the body of a woman in the Sea of Japan about 40km off the coast of Sakai, Fukui Prefecture.
The name “Kiso” is written on her clothing, and police believe that she may be Hanon Kiso. The coast guard is working with Ishikawa prefectural authorities to confirm her identity.
According to the coast guard, a fisherman found the body at around 4.15pm on Monday. The body was approximately 150cm in height and was clothed in a blackish jersey bottom and a sweatshirt.
The age, cause of death and time of death are unknown. - Yomiuri Shimbun/The Japan News/ANN
