After 80 years, 22 artifacts from Okinawa returned to their country of origin after a Massachusetts family found them inside their home.
The family found the artifacts in their attic when searching the belongings of their deceased father, a World War II veteran who had never fought in the Pacific Theater, according to an FBI press release.
They thought they looked valuable and called the FBI, which verified they were looted.
The family came into contact with FBI agent Geoffrey Kelly, a member of the FBI’s Art Crime team, in 2023 when the investigation started.
“They came across some what appeared to be very valuable Asian art,” Mr. Kelly said. “There were some scrolls, there were some pottery pieces, there was an ancient map. They looked old and valuable. And because of this, they did a little research and they determined that at least the scrolls had been entered about 20 years ago in the FBI’s National Stolen Art File.”
Important documents and treasures of the Ryukyu Kingdom were taken during the World War II Battle of Okinawa. In 2001, the Prefectural Board of Education in Japan registered many of these missing articles in the National Stolen Art File.
The FBI recovered 22 artifacts in total: six painted scrolls from the 18th to 19th centuries, a hand-drawn map of Okinawa dating back to the 19th century, and various pieces of pottery and ceramics. A typewritten letter was also found with the artifacts, helping confirm they were looted during the last days of World War II.
“When taken together, they really represent a substantial piece of Okinawan history,” Mr. Kelly said.
The artifacts were then given to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, where the scrolls were unfurled, revealing paintings of Okinawan officials dressed in red.
“It’s an exciting moment when you when you watch the scroll unfurl in front of you,” Mr. Kelly said. “You witness history, and you witness something that hasn’t been seen by many people in a very long time.”
“A nation’s cultural identity is really summed up in the artifacts and the history,” Mr. Kelly said. “This is what makes a culture. And without it, you’re taking away their history. And the surest way to eliminate a culture is to eliminate their past. And so, it’s really important for us as stewards of artifacts and cultural patrimony to make every effort that we can to see that these go back to the civilizations and the cultures in the countries where they belong,” he added.
The Army then transported the artifacts to the Okinawa Prefecture in Japan, where they were received on March 15 by the Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki.
Okinawa is an island belonging to Japan, more than 450 miles southern than Japan’s main island complex.
“This case highlights the important role the public plays in recognizing and reporting possible stolen art,” said Jodi Cohen, another Boston FBI agent.
“We’d like to thank the family from Massachusetts who did the right thing in reaching out to us and relinquishing these treasures so we could return them to the people of Japan.”
FBI’s Art Crime Program has helped to recover more than 20,000 artifacts valued at $900 million.
Several other Okinawan artifacts are still missing and are listed in FBI’s National Stolen Art File.
