Iran animation brings martyr's Japanese mother to life

Iran is set to produce an animation featuring a Japanese mother whose son was martyred during the 1980s Iraq-Iran war.  

'Mother Koniko' is themed on the life of Koniko Yamamura, the mother of an Iranian martyr named Mohammad Babaei.

She changed her name to Saba Babaei after converting to Islam and became well-known in Iran as the only Japanese mother of an Iranian martyr who fell during the Iraq-Iran war. 

The script for the animation, directed by Yadollah Tanavar, is based on a book titled 'Immigrant from the Land of the Sun' that narrates the Japanese mother's memories of living in Iran.

Written by Hamid Hesam based on extensive interviews with Yamamura, the book was published by Sureh-Mehr in 2020.

In 2022, a commendation from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for the book was unveiled.

Yamamura passed away last year and was laid to rest in Iran.

'Mother Koniko' comprises 26 episodes of four minutes each.

AG/AG