DISCOVER FUKUI

The sea off Kono usually presents a calm and tranquil face. Yet long ago, a fierce storm struck these peaceful waters. Amid blinding snow and raging waves where visibility was zero, there were those who fought desperately to save lives. On December 12, 1924, the special service ship "Kanto," en route to Maizuru Port, was caught in a fierce blizzard. It struck the rocky reefs off the coast of Nuka, ran aground, and was wrecked. The crew members were tossed about by the raging waves and reached the shore with life-threatening injuries. During winter, many men in Nuka worked as master brewers at sake breweries elsewhere, leaving rescue and food distribution efforts primarily to the elderly and women. In the bitter cold of the blizzard, these women bravely carried out rescue operations, using their own bodies to warm the soldiers and officers who had fallen into a state of hypothermic shock. It is said the soldiers, their bodies frozen stiff, came back to life through their embrace. Despite these desperate rescue efforts, 97 lives were lost in this accident. Their selfless actions, known as "human-skin rescue," deeply moved many and earned widespread praise. To pass this story down to future generations, a relief sculpture was installed in the memorial park near the site of the disaster, conveying the tense situation of that time to the present day.