A lost trove of nearly two dozen historic Japanese artifacts, missing for close to 80 years since World War II, has found its way back home, thanks to the FBI in Boston and a conscientious Massachusetts family, according to Boston 25 News. The items, unearthed among a late World War II veteran's belongings, never served in the Pacific Theater, includes six portraits, a 19th-century hand-drawn map of Okinawa, and a variety of pottery and ceramic pieces, indicating the cultural richness pilfered in wartime looting.
The investigations led by the FBI Boston Division culminated successfully when the family, unknowing inheritors of the artifacts, cross-referenced their finds with the National Stolen Art File, and recognized at least four portraits as cultural treasures reported missing from Okinawa. “It’s incredibly gratifying when the FBI is able to recover precious cultural property that has been missing for almost 80 years,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement obtained by Boston 25 News.
The artifacts' journey back to their rightful place began in 2001, when the Okinawa Prefectural Board of Education registered some of the artifacts with the FBI's National Stolen Art File, a crucial tool in their recovery. The formal process of their repatriation involves a ceremonial return in Japan, which will take place at a future undetermined date to honor the cultural significance and historic value of these pieces.
Their return is a gesture of goodwill and collaboration, as Governor Denny Tamaki of Okinawa Prefecture expressed gratitude for the efforts, “This case highlights the important role the public plays in recognizing and reporting possible stolen art. 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 Okinawa,” he told WHDH News.
