Returning the Sword

In 1945, just after the end of World War II, Captain Orval Amdahl brought home a Japanese sword as a souvenir of war. Sixty-eight years later, he gave it back.

Orval Amdahl grew up in rural Minnesota and enlisted in the Marines during World War II. In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war. Soon after, Orval’s division was sent to keep the peace in Nagasaki, and the devastation he witnessed there haunted him. When he returned home, he tried to move on, but he couldn’t forget the war―or the sword. And many years later, at the age of ninety-three, he got a chance to do something incredible. He met with the family of the soldier who had owned the sword and returned it to them.

A powerful story of war, peace, and reconciliation.

RESOURCES

Discussion guide for younger readers
Discussion guide for older readers
“Returning the Sword: New Book Chronicles Local Man’s Gift to Japanese Family,” John Gaddo, Root River Current, 27 October 2025

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Mushroom Cloud (Wikipedia)
Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, August 12, 1945, Courtesy of Tom Trow’s collection
Marine Captain Orval Amdahl, WWII First Marine Amphibious Corp, assigned to protect airstrips and harbors in the Pacific. Orval’s ship was one of the first to enter Nagasaki Harbor after Japan’s surrender on Sept 2, 1945. Orval’s Nagasaki journey begins.
Marie and Orval Amdahl with baby Ann, Minnesota History Center.
Permission by the U.S. Government to enter any “off limits” area – courtesy of Orval Amdahl.
Authorization by the U.S. Government to take a sword as a “war trophy” – courtesy of Orval Amdahl.
Orval Amdahl in American Legion uniform with sword, date unknown.
Caren in Nagasaki with Nagasaki-St. Paul Sister City members, who helped Caren in writing her book, Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story. Caren’s Nagasaki journey begins.
Lanesboro, Minnesota, taken from Orval and Marie’s property overlooking the small town where Orval grew up. Caren took this photo on her first trip to meet Orval.
Sachiko Yasui, Fumiko Yamaguchi, and Caren, while Caren was interviewing Sachiko about her surviving the Nagasaki atomic bombing. At the time, Fumiko served as Caren’s cultural guide while in Nagasaki.
Orval showing Caren his sword during her first visit, 2012. “I want to return this sword in peace with honor.”
Orval and Marie Amdahl with Caren in the Amdahl home, 2012.
Orval with Clifton Truman Daniel, eldest son of President Harry Truman, in the Amdahl home. Clifton wished to interview Orval about his experience in Nagasaki, 2013.
The Motomuras, the original Nagasaki owners of Orval’s sword, arrive in Minnesota to thank Orval for caring for the sword and honoring their wish to bring the sword home, 2013.
Tadahiro Motomura and Orval Amdahl sit for the iconic photo, September 20, 2013.
The sword and scabbard on display at the “Return of the Sword” ceremony at Como Park Auditorium in St. Paul, MN, September 21, 2013, the U.N. International Day of Peace. Photo by Kyle Whitney.
Orval Amdahl officially returns the sword to Tadahiro Motomura, “in peace with honor,” as he had wished, September 21, 2013, the U.N. International Day of Peace. Photo by Kyle Whitney.
“Miss Ohayo,” a ceramic clay figure, a gift from the Motomuras to the Amdahls, 2023
Orval Amdahl’s funeral at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lanesboro, 2015. Orval was 95 years old.
Funeral flowers and message from the Motomura family, 2015.
Orval’s gravesite in Lanesboro, 2015.
The Motomuras enjoying the published picture book story, Returning the Sword, Nagasaki, October 2025
Fumiko Yamaguchi reading her copy of Returning the Sword, Nagasaki, October 2025.
May Nagasaki be the last place on earth to experience the horrors of nuclear war.
The commemorative book from the Return of the Sword ceremony, 2015

“Returning the Sword: An AmazeWorks Interview with Author Caren Stelson and Illustrator Amanda Yoshida,” facilitated by Sophie Harrington, AmazeWorks, recorded 6 November 2025

How a Japanese Sword of War Became a Symbol of Friendship and Peace

written by Caren Stelson

illustrated by Amanda Yoshida

Carolrhoda Books, 7 Oct 2025

ISBN 979–8765611531, ages 7 to adult

Bookshop.org (local booksellers)

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-Million