- 22 stolen artifacts have been returned to Japan after being looted in World War II
- The items include scrolls depicting Okinawa’s royalty and ancient maps
- A Massachusetts family found the artifacts while cleaning out their father’s attic
Nearly two dozen artifacts that were looted after the Battle of Okinawa in WWII have returned Japan after a family out Massachusetts discovered them in their late father’s personal belongings.
Many of the recovered artifacts depict Okinawan royalty, suggesting the pieces were stolen in the final days of World War II, according to the FBI.
In January 2023, the family contacted the FBI Boston Field Office when they discovered the antique in the attic of their late father, who was a World War II veteran but never served in the Pacific Theater.
‘They came across what seemed to be very valuable Asian art. There were some scrolls, there were some pieces of pottery, there was an old map,” said Special Agent Geoffrey J. Kelly.
‘They looked old and valuable. And so they did a little research and determined that the scrolls had been included in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File at least 20 years ago.”
More than two dozen artifacts looted after the Battle of Okinawa in World War II have been returned to Japan, including this tapestry depicting the Okinawan royal family
A hand-drawn map of Okinawa from the 19th century was among the items recovered
In January 2023, a Massachusetts family contacted the FBI Boston Field Office when they discovered the antiques in their late father’s attic.
The National Stolen Art File is a database of stolen art in the U.S. and abroad that is available to the public to help identify stolen artifacts, antiques and other items.
Important documents and treasures from the Ryukyu Kingdom were taken during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II, and in 2001 Japan’s Prefectural Board of Education registered many of these missing items with the National Stolen Art File, the FBI said.
The 22 artifacts found in Massachusetts include six painted scrolls from the 18th and 19th centuries — three of which were one-piece and appear to have been divided into three pieces — and a hand-drawn map of Okinawa from the 19th century.
Several pieces of pottery and ceramics were also recovered, including elaborate plates and bowls and a tortoise statue.
A typewritten letter was also found among the artifacts in Massachusetts, showing that they had been looted during the final days of World War II.
The scrolls were unfurled for the first time in many years after the FBI transported the artifacts from Massachusetts to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC, revealing portraits of Okinawan royalty in vibrant red, gold and blue accents.
Several pieces of pottery and ceramics were also recovered, including elaborate plates and bowls and a tortoise statue
The 22 objects found in Massachusetts included this vase and six painted scrolls from the 18th to 19th centuries, three of which were in one piece and appear to have been divided into three pieces.
A typewritten letter was also found among the artifacts in Massachusetts that helped confirm that they had been looted during the final days of World War II.
“Taken together, they really represent a substantial piece of Okinawa history,” Kelly said.
‘It is an exciting moment when you see the scroll unfolding before you. You’re witnessing history, and you’re witnessing something that hasn’t been seen by many people in a very long time.”
Denny Tamaki, the governor of Okinawa Prefecture, announced the return of the artifacts on March 15.
“This case highlights the important role the public plays in identifying and reporting potentially stolen art,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Boston.
“We would like to thank the Massachusetts family who did the right thing by contacting us and donating these treasures so we could return them to the people of Japan.”