01 How to recognize spies?02 At first, it wasn't So Bad03 House on the hill04 Yukiko05 Fugitives06 Mister Radio07 A very Noisy morning08 Goodbye to Kaunas09 Counterfiets and Copies10 To the countryside11 Whose children12 How it all ended.

Noble Rogues

About the project

The 'Noble Rogues' is an interactive story about the feats of Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara and Dutch diplomat Jan Zwartendijk while rescuing Jews in pre-war Kaunas.

Young people often find such topics as war, the Holocaust and diplomacy complex and even boring. Together with the writer Agnė Žagrakalytė and illustrator Kohyoh Ikeshita, we created an exciting interactive story.

Readers will be able to choose and determine the fate of the characters, their luck or doom. Throughout the story, we will be accompanied by Akio the cat. Among the many heroes of the story, the most prominent are, of course, these two:

ab_akio

Chiune Sugihara

1900–1986

Diplomat who served as vice-consul of Japan in pre-war Lithuania. Helped to save 6,000 Jews by issuing transit visas he wasn't allowed to issue.

By choosing to do so, Sugihara risked his career and the lives of his family members.

In 1985, Israel issued Sugihara the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

Sugihara Visa

Jan Zwartendijk

1896–1976

Dutch businessman and diplomat. Helped to save more than 2,132 Jews by issuing counterfeit visas.

Zwartendijk managed Philips Electric factories in Lithuania. In 1940, the day before the Soviets occupied Lithuania, he was appointed honorary consul of the Netherlands. Polish refugee Jews applied to Zwartendijk for a visa to Dutch India. With De Decker’s permission, Zwartendijk agreed to help.

In 1997, Israel issued Zwartendijk (after his death) the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

Zwartendijk Visa

The story of the feats of Sugihara and Zwartendijk is widely known in the diplomatic and cultural sectors. It’s the brightest diplomatic bridge between Lithuania and Japan. In 2014, Sugihara’s only living son visited Lithuania for the first time, returning six more times afterwards. In 2015, the film 'Persona Non Grata' was released in Japan, and the opera 'Sempo Sugihara' premiered in Lithuania. Since 2017, Sugihara Week has been held in Lithuania. In 2018, the art installation to honor Zwartendijk was opened in Kaunas by the King of the Netherlands, the President of Lithuania, and the Mayor of Kaunas. In 2020, a sculpture in honor of Sugihara was unveiled in Kaunas. The heroic actions of Sugihara and Zwartendijk unite not only more than four countries but also the entire world, which is still fighting for human rights and freedom.

In the future, we plan to publish this story in other languages and add new chapters.

Writer: Agnė Žagrakalytė

Agnė Žagrakalytė

Illustrator: Kohyoh Ikeshita

Kohyoh Ikeshita

Creative Director: Sergej Grigorjev

Sergej Grigorjev

Designer: Laima Mažeikaitė

Laima Mažeikaitė

Initiator: VšĮ Kultūrinės ir organizacinės idėjos

VšĮ Kultūrinės ir organizacinės idėjos

Content Partner: Sugihara Museum

Sugiharos muziejus

Talent Partner: Oh! Musubi

Oh! Musubi

Technical Solution: Nuostabu.lt, Telesoftas

Nuostabu.lt, Telesoftas

Partially funded by: Lithuanian Council for Culture, EU-Japan Fest

Lietuvos kultūros taryba, EU-Japan Fest