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Cover of Returning the Sword: How a Japanese Sword of War Became a Symbol of Friendship and Peace

Returning the Sword: How a Japanese Sword of War Became a Symbol of Friendship and Peace

Caren Stelson

After World War II, Captain Orval Amdahl returned to Minnesota with a Japanese sword given to him as a military souvenir. He had witnessed the devastation in Nagasaki and continued to wonder about the sword and its owner. Decades later, a researcher helped identify the family of the Japanese soldier who had owned it. Letters led to a 2013 ceremony in which Amdahl returned the sword to the owner’s son, Tadahiro Motomura.

This book appears on 3 reading lists across 1 edition from 3 organizations.

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Book details

Themes
Cultural Heritage · Friendship · History · War And Conflict
Format
Hardcover
Publisher
Carolrhoda Books ®
Published
October 7, 2025
Pages
32
ISBN-13
9798765611531
Language
English
Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin–MadisonCCBC Choices
  • 2026Historical People, Places, and Events
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