[Walter Abelmann撮影写真] / [Walter Abelmann's Photos]

Dr. Walter H. Abelmann (1921-2011)
Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1921 and educated in Switzerland, Dr. Walter H. Abelmann immigrated to the U.S. in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II and received his M.D. degree from the University of Rochester in 1946.
Dr. Abelmann was a German of Jewish descent who remained a Swiss citizen because of the country's permanent neutrality. As the war intensified, he and his family moved to the United States with the help of relatives and settled in New York. It is unclear how he became an Army doctor, but he was stationed in Yokohama for six months before being assigned to Okinawa where he worked as a military physician, mainly in internal medicine and cardiac surgery. However, because of his knowledge in radiology, he also served as the only radiologist in the Army at the time. Dr. Abelmann recalls working at the Army headquarters located on the high grounds of Chinen Village when he first arrived on Okinawa. He was then transferred to a hospital near Rycom in Kitanakagusuku.
During his days off on the weekend, Dr. Abelmann would ride in the car of his colleague, psychiatrist Dr. Stanley Steinberg, and drive around Okinawa. These are slides taken on his excursions.
In the summer of 1946, Dr. Abelmann and Dr. Steinberg were driving through Shuri when they came across a sign that read “Art Colony.” This piqued their interest, which led them to “Nishimui Art Village” where about ten wooden art studios stood on the grounds of Shuri that had been obliterated into a wilderness by the war. Here, artists painted portraits of American soldiers and landscapes of Okinawa. After several visits and having already an interest in painting, Dr. Abelmann and Dr. Steinberg began to study how to paint at Masayoshi Tamanaha’s art studio. The photograph of the Tamanaha family at the entrance of his studio during this time is rare, as not many exist of the Nishimui art studios.
The photograph of Masayoshi Tamanaha, Kanemasa Ashimine, and Dr. Steinberg sketching outdoors is extremely rare as well. According to Dr. Abelmann, this was taken around the same time either on the high grounds near the headquarters, or Naha port. When the artists finished their commissioned work and wanted a change in scenery, or received a commission for a landscape painting, they would ride in Dr. Steinberg’s car and sketch here and there. Clearly, there was time when Nishimui artists and American soldiers interacted through art.
Among the few soldiers who owned cameras during this time, Dr. Abelmann captured images of locals in Koza, rice harvesting, and the war-torn landscape of Naha. Far from themes of a so-called “tropical paradise,” these slides give us a sense of Dr. Abelmann’s doubts about war. “I understand how it feels to be robbed of your land by war,” he had said several times. We can presume that the fact that he never gave up his Swiss citizenship or obtained American citizenship, and his own regard towards Okinawa was based on his personal experiences with war.
After the war, Dr. Abelmann taught at Harvard University for many years, and researched the manifestations of disease and mechanisms of treatment. He was passionate about his research and the education of his junior colleagues and took pride in training exceptional medical doctors. He also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a long-time editor and active reporter of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Newsletter “The Connection.”
I repeatedly encouraged Dr. Abelmann to visit Okinawa again, but unfortunately, he passed away in January 2011. These slides were given to me as a gift by Dr. Abelmann himself in 2009. I asked if I could donate them to a public organization, as I thought it would be impossible for many people to view them in my possession. Based on his idea to donate to an institution which anyone could have access to, I decided that the University of the Ryukyus—where Masayoshi Tamanaha and Kanemasa Ashimine had also been professors—would be an appropriate choice. With permission from Dr. Abelmann’s wife, Rena, the University of the Ryukyus accepted the donation of his slides.
Dr. Abelmann, who was stationed in Okinawa for two years from 1946 and 1947, is said to have owned many other slides and photographs of Okinawa during his lifetime. They were not included in the donation because at the time of 2008 their whereabouts were unknown. I continue to wonder what other scenery Dr. Abelmann photographed. In addition, the specific locations in many of the slides are unknown, and it is my hope that many people will have the opportunity to view and share information about them, such as where they were taken, and be able to use them in a variety of ways.
Makiko Tsuchie (Journalist)