English Version
In a previous article, we introduced Richard Sorge, the legendary Soviet spy who operated in Japan during World War II. Sorge gathered intelligence indicating that the Japanese military would not invade the Soviet Union, and he sent that information back to Moscow. In that sense, his work helped the Soviet Union become one of the war’s great winners.
After his espionage activities were uncovered, Sorge was arrested in Japan. On November 7, 1944—the anniversary of the Russian Revolution—he was executed at Sugamo Detention House.
Read that way, Sorge can seem like a frightening figure: a man whose secret reports could change the course of history. But there was another side to his life in Japan. Richard Sorge had a Japanese lover.
Because Sorge was a spy, it is possible that becoming close to a Japanese woman was also connected to his intelligence work. Even so, the story of Hanako Ishii, often described as “Richard Sorge’s wife” or “the Japanese woman Richard Sorge loved,” gives us a glimpse of the man behind the legend.
Who Was Hanako Ishii?
Hanako Ishii was born in 1911 in Okayama Prefecture. Her family is said to have been landowners. At the age of 22, she moved to Tokyo, where she later worked as a waitress in a restaurant. That was where she met Richard Sorge.
Sorge was eventually arrested and executed for espionage, but although Hanako was questioned by investigators, she was not punished. She never married, and remained single until her death in 2000.
After Sorge’s execution, his body was buried for a time within the detention facility. Although he had been working as a Soviet spy in Japan, the Soviet Union suspected him of being a double agent. Because of that suspicion, his homeland refused to accept his remains after his death.
With no one to claim him, Sorge’s body was later buried at Zoshigaya Cemetery. Hanako Ishii learned this only after the war ended. With help from others, she began searching for Sorge’s remains. Eventually, bones were found that matched details associated with him, including the glasses he had used and a scar on the leg.
Today, Hanako Ishii is said to rest in the same grave as Sorge, as his wife. Considering that she remained unmarried for the rest of her life and searched for his body after the war, it seems clear that to Hanako, Richard Sorge was not merely a legendary spy. He was her beloved partner, and in her heart, her husband.
It is also said that Sorge had close relationships with many women besides Hanako. Even so, she never remarried and remained devoted to him until her death at the age of 89.
Did Sorge Protect Hanako?
When Richard Sorge was arrested on suspicion of espionage, it was only natural that people close to him would also come under suspicion. Hanako Ishii was reportedly interrogated, but she was not charged or punished.
Why was that?
Living close to a spy could easily have led to accusations such as hiding or protecting a criminal. However, in Hanako’s case, the matter ended with questioning.
One account says that after Sorge was arrested—after sending intelligence that Japan would not invade the Soviet Union—he made something close to a judicial bargain in order to protect the Japanese people connected to him.
Sorge was reportedly active, sociable, and surrounded by many friends and acquaintances. After his arrest, he is said to have pleaded that he alone would accept punishment and that the others should be spared. Among all the people he wished to protect, the person he most wanted to save was Hanako Ishii.
This detail cannot be treated as absolute fact, but it is one of the stories that has shaped the image of Sorge not only as a spy, but as a man who tried to shield those around him.
Sorge’s Reputation Restored
In Japan, Sorge was a criminal convicted of espionage. For the Soviet Union, however, he had been an exceptionally valuable intelligence agent.
Even so, because he was suspected of being a double agent, the Soviet Union did not claim his body for many years. The Soviet state had also kept intelligence work and the existence of spies hidden from public view.
After Stalin’s death, that changed. In 1964, Richard Sorge was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. His existence and achievements were finally officially recognized.
Sorge is known in Russia and the former Soviet sphere as a hero who worked to prevent war between the Soviet Union and Japan and Germany. From Japan’s perspective, he was a spy who caused enormous trouble. From his homeland’s perspective, he was a hero.
Visiting With Respect
Sorge and Hanako are associated with cemetery sites in Tokyo, including Zoshigaya Cemetery and Tama Cemetery. If you visit any cemetery connected with this history, go during public hours, stay on marked paths, keep your voice low, and do not enter restricted areas or disturb graves. These are real memorial spaces, not abandoned ruins.
Conclusion
Hanako Ishii, the woman Richard Sorge loved, remained single after his death and passed away in 2000 at the age of 89. Today, she is remembered as resting with him as his wife.
Richard Sorge is known as a legendary spy, but the story surrounding Hanako suggests another side of him: a man who, after his arrest, may have tried to protect the Japanese people close to him—especially the woman who loved him.
The Soviet Union did not acknowledge him for many years and would not accept his remains. Although the Soviet Union benefited greatly from the intelligence he provided, his achievements remained hidden until after Stalin’s death. Behind the legend of the spy lies a quieter, more human story: a woman who searched for him, mourned him, and never let him go.
Japanese Language
リヒャルトゾルゲ というスパイが第二次世界大戦に時に日本で活動していたことは、 大東亜戦争の真実~リヒャルト・ゾルゲ 第二次大戦の伝説のスパイ~ でご紹介しました。リヒャルトゾルゲというスパイが日本国内で活動し、日本軍がソ連に侵攻しないことを突き止めて本国に情報を送ったこと、そして、その結果、旧ソ連はある意味において、大東亜戦争の勝者となったこと…。国を救う諜報活動を成功させたリヒャルトゾルゲは、その後、日本で逮捕され1944年のロシア革命記念日、11月7日に巣鴨拘置所で死刑が執行されました。
こうやって読んて行くと、なんというかとても恐ろしい人間のようにも思えますが、実は、リヒャルトゾルゲには日本人の恋人がいたのです。伝説のスパイと呼ばれるリヒャルトゾルゲのことですから、日本人女性とお付き合いすることも、諜報活動のひとつだったのかもしれません。リヒャルトゾルゲの彼女「石井花子」とはどんな人物だったのか、そして、そこから垣間見ることができるゾルゲの人となりを少し覗いてみましょう。石井花子とはどんな女性だった?。。画像: Pixaboy 。
「リヒャルトゾルゲの妻」とか「リヒャルトゾルゲが愛した日本人女性」といわれることが多い、石井花子さんは、明治44年に岡山県に生を受けました。実家は地主だったそうで、22歳で上京します。そして、レストランでウェートレスをしているときに、ゾルゲと知り合うことになりました。リヒャルトゾルゲは、諜報活動の末、逮捕され死刑になりますが、石井花子さんは取調をうけたものの罰せられることはなく、2000年に亡くなるまで生涯独身を貫いきました。リヒャルトゾルゲの遺体は、死刑執行後しばらくの間、拘置所内に埋葬されていました。
実は、リヒャルトゾルゲは日本では諜報活動をしたスパイですが、旧ソ連からのは二重スパイの疑いをかけられていたたのです。そのため、死刑執行後も本国は遺体の受け取りを拒否していました。引き取り手がなかったゾルゲの遺体は、雑司ヶ谷霊園に土葬されるのですが、石井花子さんがこの事実を知ったのは戦争が終わった後でした。そして、石井花子さんは様々な方の協力を得て、ゾルゲの遺骨を探すことに…。そして、ゾルゲが使用してたメガネや足にキズ跡がある遺骨を発見するにいたりました。
石井花子さんは、今、ゾルゲの妻として同じお墓で眠っています。生涯独身を貫いたこと、そして、戦後、ゾルゲの遺体を捜索したことなどから見ても、石井花子さんにとってリヒャルトゾルゲは伝説のスパイではなく、愛しい恋人であり、自分の夫だったのでしょう。ちなみに、ゾルゲに石井花子さん以外にもたくさんの女性を親しくしていたことが明るみに出たそうですが、それでも石井花子さんは89歳で亡くなるまで再婚することなくゾルゲに添い遂げたのです。。参考資料: 歴史が眠る多磨霊園 石井花子 。
みすず書房編集部編『ゾルゲの見た日本』みすず書房 。リヒャルトゾルゲは司法取引をしていた?。。画像: Pixaboy 。スパイ容疑でリヒャルトゾルゲが逮捕されたとなると、当然、親しい人間にも疑いがかかります。石井花子さんも当時、取り調べは受けたそうですが、罪に問われることはありませんでした。それはなぜなのでしょうか…。スパイとともに生活をしていたとなれば、 蔵匿や隠避などの容疑がかかっても顔しくないのですが、取り調べだけで処罰はされません でした。
実は、ゾルゲは「日本はソ連に侵攻しない」という内容の情報を送った後に逮捕された際に、 自分に関わった日本人を守るために司法取引をした と言われています。ゾルゲは、スパイですが実に活動的で社交的な人物だったそうで友人や知人も多かったんだとか。そして、自分の逮捕後に関係者に迷惑がからないように「自分は刑を受けるので他の人は助けて欲しい」と懇願したとされています。そして、その中でもリヒャルトゾゲが最も守りたかった人物が石井花子さんだったのです。
参考資料: ゾルゲが恋人と眠る多磨霊園：伝説のスパイの足跡を訪ねて 。歴史が眠る多磨霊園 石井花子 。ゾルゲの名誉回復。日本では犯罪者のゾルゲですが、旧ソ連にとっては優秀なスパイでした。ですが、二重スパイの疑いをかけられたゾルゲは遺体も本国に引き取られないままだったわけです。ですが、スターリンの死後1964年、 ゾルゲは「ソ連邦英雄勲章」を贈られて います。そもそも旧ソ連は諜報活動やスパイの存在を隠していたのですが、ようやくその存在が認められたのです。
ちなみに、 ゾルゲは「ソ連と日独の戦争を防ぐために尽くした英雄」 として知られています。日本にとっては、とんでもないことをしてくれたスパイともいえるわけですが本国では英雄です。。参考資料: Wikipedia 。まとめ。リヒャルトゾルゲが愛した女性…石井花子さんはゾルゲの死後も生涯独身を貫いて2000年に89歳でこの世を去りました。今は、ゾルゲの妻として同じお墓で眠っています。リヒャルトゾルゲは、伝説のスパイとして知られる人物ですが、自らの逮捕後に周囲にいた日本人…とくに石井花子さんを守るために司法取引に近いことをした人物でもあります。
そして、旧ソ連はスパイの存在をいばらく認めず、遺体の受け取りもしませんでした。大東亜戦争の勝者ともいえる旧ソ連ですが、その勝利に貢献した人物の功績はスターリンが亡くなった後まで、隠されていたのです
