The Kamikaze, Special Tokko Unit.There are a number of theories and justifications for the Japanese Military (
IJN /
IJA) use of Kamikaze pilots at the end of WWII. There are also a number of theories as to why an individual Japanese pilot would fly his aircraft into a boat with only himself at the controls.
I am not going to attempt to answer the first question, as it is full of controversy and argument. If you would like insight, please read the books I am referencing at the end of the post.
The second question is more important to me. Many missions ended with the pilots returning to their bases without pilots making the ultimate sacrifice. Some pilots even watched their friends die at their own hands and returned to base. With this in mind I don't think (Nor have I read any documentation) that there was a threat of punishment if the pilots didn't perform their task. Therefore, the answer lies completely in the heart of the pilot.
The answer is convoluted in the history of the matter; the propaganda machine of the Japanese Military, Guilt, Duty (to family and country), fear of invasion, misinformation, etc etc. Much of the answer is tied to the fear of what would happen to themselves and their families should
Americans land on their homeland.
For me, I think much of it falls on the pilot's duty to his country and the knowledge that they are part of something greater than themselves and they are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The Poetry of the KamikazeMuch of the pilot's communication with their families was edited for content. Yet, I haven't seen anything suggesting that their final poems or personal poetry have been edited. Here are a select few poems from the pilots who gave themselves for their country.
IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) five points of reflection. (adopted by the US Naval Academy Following the war.)
Hast though not gone against sincerity?
Hast thou not felt ashamed of thy words and deeds?
Hast thou not lacked vigor?
Hast thou not exerted all possible efforts?
Hast thou not become slothful?
(1, pg 92.)
Admiral
Onishi, who formed the first
Tokko group, after asking the pilots to volunteer for the special unit, wrote this poem of his pilots.
In blossom today,
Then scattered:
Life is so like
A delicate Flower.
How can one expect
The Fragrance to last forever?
(1, pg124)
Yukio Seki, before his fateful flight wrote,
It is not for the Emperor,
Nor for Japan that I undertake this suicide attack,
but solely for my beloved.
(1, pg 124)
Asahi Iwama wrote of his friend and fellow
Tokko pilot,
Kiyoshi Ogawa, who flew into the USN Bunker Hill, CV-17
What an open-hearted man you are from
Joushu!
I've been respecting you for that
Now I am left behind.
Gazing upwards the dream is emptied
Violence boils in your stomach;
You are filled with flaming emotions but
You still smile with an innocent face
Though you are down-hearted.
(1, pg 217)
Akira Saraumi in his own poem wrote:
For the sake of the country,
I am going as if Blossoms are falling,
The scent of cherry blossoms
in Naha, Okinawa, please reach Japan.(1, pg 438)
Admiral
Ugaki on the day of an attack wrote:
Flowers of the Special Attack are falling,
When the spring is leaving,
Gone with the spring
Are young boys like cherry blossoms.
Gone are the blossoms,
Leaving cherry trees only with leaves.
(1, Pg 442)
One
Tokko Unit's name was, "
Seiki Unit" meaning
Subduer of Demons, evoking the tale of
Momo Taro
A long, long time ago, and even longer ago than that,
Momotarou the Peach Boy
Made quick work of the nasty demons.
But now he is back, oh, yes, he is back
To make quick work of the Yankees!
We'll do it,
hussah!
Seiki Unit!
(2, 224)
Kenzo Ishijima wrote before he left on a
sorti;
Since my body is a shell
I am going to take it off
and put on a glory that will never wear out
(1, pg 441)
The most famous memorial to the
tokkoutai sits at Kagoshima campus where Kamikaze pilots trained and lived. Next to the granite memorial is the inscription of the song "
Doki no
Sakura," which celebrates the, "comradeship of two naval aviators who are parted in death."
You and I, blossoms of the same cherry tree
That bloomed in the naval academy's garden
Blossoms know they must blow in the wind someday
Blossoms in the wind, fallen for their country
You and I, blossoms of the same cherry tree
That blossomed in the flight school garden
I wanted us to fall together, just as we had sworn to do
Oh, why did you have to die, and fall before me?
You and I, blossoms of the same cherry tree
Though we fall far away from one another
We will bloom again together in
Yasukuni Shrine
Spring will find us again, blossoms of the same cherry tree.
(2, pg 383)
This post and the Pool of ZenJapanese Death Poems are some some of the most poignant pieces of literature I have ever been exposed to. The author's awareness of approaching death combined with the authors ability to reflect and write their feelings are very powerful. Of all writings, these final words are reminders of our own mortality and the fleeting brevity of life.
This post is by no means anything beyond a memorial to that moment when a man sat with a pen and wrote his final thoughts so we can all benefit.
It is interesting to consider; Many of these men had been spared conscription during the earlier years of the war because they were students enrolled in college. The military wanted to foster free thinking individuals who would remain innovative throughout the war. The college students were sheltered from inculcation by the military machine. Because of this they were what remained of the Japanese male population at the end of the war. These forward thinking college educated men flew planes into boats for their beliefs. (1)
The References Two books on the Kamikaze have caught my attention from cover to cover. They are both well researched as well as well written. I strongly recommend anyone interested in history read these books.
1) Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, "Danger's Hour" Simon and
Schuster; 2008.
-"The story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot who crippled her."
2) M. G.
Sheftall, "Blossoms in the Wind," New American Library; 2005.
-"Human legacies of the Kamikaze."
The Photographs
The first picture is a fuselage of a Zero Fighter. This plane was setting on a runway on the
Aleutian Chain in Alaska when it was bombed by American air power. Its remains are awaiting renovation at the
Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville OR.
The second photo is of a Ki-43 Oscar (
Hayabusa) now stationed in
Tillamook Naval Air Station Museum in Tillamook OR.
Hayabusa means "falcon". This plane is the ONLY flight-worthy Ki-43 known to be in existence.
For more information and links to museums in Japan
For more death poems, click here.View Tachiarai Airfield Museum, -A video tour of the museum by Japanese Castle Explorer
All photo's, original works, and comments are my personal property. Please be respectful of the effort I've taken.
Your comments are welcome, be polite:
No throwing pebbles in my pool of zen.
-This is pretty self explanatory.... Read the signs!
-Niomon; Reconstructed in 1665 it is the main gate to Engyoji. Everything inside the gate is considered sacred ground.
-A cross-section of Daikodo emphasizing the roof line.
-Shoro; This bell tower is believed have been built in 1332, making it one of the oldest in Japan. The determination is based its style of construction. I haven't seen any bell towers similar in Kansai.
-Zuikoin, (Of which I have no information.) This photo is the roof-line of a wall that extends up to the entrance to the mysterious building.
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