he mentions that he has no nostalgic sentiments. In his will addressed to his brother, he

mentions that he would like him to consider the mission as piety. In a postcard sent on

the day of his mission, he calls the mission, "an honorable mission," and that he is

looking forward to see them again at Yasukuni Shrine.[45] It was in the end of March

1945, that Corporal Araki's unit's mission was ordered to take place.[46] From just

before then, Corporal Araki had not written in his diary. After an entry on March 16,

there were no entries for two months. He wrote, because he was busy, there was no

time to write.[47] Could that be true? Indeed, his squadron was on a tight schedule for

March. From the 25th, they returned from P'yongyang to Gifu prefecture.[48]

However, Sergeant Kazuo Arai had been able to keep a diary at the time.[49] It may

be because of strong personal emotions he just could not keep the diary. Or, it may be

that he could care no longer about keeping a diary. In either case the fact that he had

not written an entry on the day that the mission was officially ordered, when he had

written every other special event down, reveals that he was no longer in the state of

mind that he had been.

The planned date of the mission of the 72nd Shinbu squadron (which was the squadron

to which Corporal Araki belonged) was initially, May 21, 1945. However, because of

rainy weather, it was postponed to May 27, 1945. In his last diary entry on May 20,

1945, he wrote:[50]

...at ** o'clock I received the thankful command to depart tomorrow. I

am deeply emotional, and just hope to sink one (American battleship).

Already, hundreds of visitors had visited us. Cheerfully singing the last

season of farewell.[51]

and is cut off there. His handwriting however was very stable, and was not as if he was

losing control. If for some reason he had to leave the diary for a while, why did he not

go back to it? Was it that he had become extremely emotional that he could no longer

write? In any case, he never returned to his diary.

Part Five

In reading the last letters of the Kamikaze pilots, there are generally two types. One,

the "Typical" letters and the other, the "Unique" letters. Most of the typical letters were

written by graduates of military schools such as the Youth Pilot Training School. The

"Unique" ones were written by the Special Flight Officer Probationary Cadets--the

graduates from college. The first two of the following five pilots have written a typical

letter, and the other three have written unique letters.

Corporal Masato Hisanaga of the 72nd Shinbu Squadron was twenty years old. In his

letter, he thanked his parents for the years that he was alive, and reported to them how

he had been doing, and informed them of the kindness of the people where he had

been. After asking his parents to say "Hi" to various people, he says that he will take

revenge for his older brother (who, as it appears, must have been killed in the war) by

sinking the enemy's battleship and killing its soldiers. He too asks that his younger

brothers follow their brother (himself). "All of the (Japanese) population is the

tokkotai." He too mentioned, "I have no nostalgic sentiments."[52]

Corporal Shinji Ozeki, 19 years old wrote a will to his mother saying:[53]

As a man I will courageously go. Now, I have no special nostalgic

sentiments. However, I will go regretting that although being born a man, I

have not had filial piety.

To give this young self for the protection of the imperial nation, I believe is

piety.

I hope that you will forgive my sin of being undutiful and that you will live

in happiness.[54]

This is similar to what Corporal Araki and Hisanaga had mentioned. All reveal their

thoughts towards their parents. They believed their dying was piety, which shows that

they were doing it for their family. All had mentioned having no nostalgic sentiments

possibly to make their parents feel easier. Because these are "Typical" letters, many

others had written just as they had.

The unique ones written by the college graduates included more personal feelings. For

example, Second Lieutenant Shigeyuki Suzuki wrote:[55]

People say that our feeling is of resignation, but that does not know at all

how we feel, and think of us as a fish about to be cooked.

Young blood does flow in us.

There are persons we love, we think of, and many unforgettable

memories. However, with those, we cannot win the war.

To let this beautiful Japan keep growing, to be released from the wicked

hands of the Americans and British, and to build a 'freed Asia' was our

goal from the Gakuto Shutsujin year before last; yet nothing has changed.

The great day that we can directly be in contact with the battle is our day

of happiness and at the same time, the memorial of our death...[56]

Second Lieutenant Ryoji Uehara, a graduate of Keio University was 22 years old. His

ideas were "radical" for the time, and if known by the Kenpeitai, he would not have

been left alone.[57] In a note, he wrote to a journalist just before his mission that he

was greatly honored to be chosen as a Kamikaze pilot.[58 ]Yet he also wrote, thinking

logically with the skills he had gained in college. He believed in democracy. He believed

that the victory of democracy was obvious, and although fascism would make the

country appear to be prosperous temporarily, only decline would wait for it. He

mentioned the fact that Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany had been defeated, and that the

power of "Freedom" will appear in history. He says that if his ideas were correct, it

would be a tragedy for the nation but that he would be happy. In the end of the note he

wrote:

Tomorrow, one believer in democracy will leave this world. He may look

lonely, but his heart is filled with satisfaction.

Second Lieutenant Uehara believed that he would not go to Yasukuni Shrine, but go to

heaven where he would be able to meet his brother and the girl he loved, who died

earlier.[59]

Second Lieutenant Toshio Anazawa was engaged. Yet being chosen for such a mission

that [engagement] was to be canceled. He wrote in his last letter to her all the

thankfulness he felt for her and her family. He tells her that he does not want her to

reflect on the time they had spent together.[60] He wrote:

As an engaged man, as a man to go, I would like to say a little to you, a

lady before I go.

I only wish your happiness.

Do not mind the past. You are not to live in the past.

Have the courage and forget the past. You are to create a new future.

You are to live from moment to moment in the reality. Anazawa no longer

exists in the reality.[61]

Unlike the first two letters, which contained the words, "I have no nostalgic emotions,"

he wrote: "It's too late now, but I would like to say some of my wishes."

He then listed the books he wanted to read, what he wanted to see, what he wanted to

listen to, and that he was eager to see her, and to talk to her.[62]

The last three writings probably spoke for themselves and require no further

explanation. They just made clearer the different ways of thought the college students

had from the others who attended military school.

Not only in writing had the thoughts of the pilots appeared. In actions, and in speeches

too were the emotions visible. Corporal Mineyoshi Takahashi, according to Mr. Yasuo

Takahashi, his older brother, had changed since entering military school, and his

attitude in talking with Mr. Takahashi was not as it used to be.[63] (The way Mr. Y.

Takahashi explained the differences before and after Mineyoshi joined the military was

similar to the way Mr. S. Araki had explained Yukio's changes.) He remembers that

the last time they met, he took Corporal Takahashi into the ship he was working in.

Suddenly, Corporal Takahashi had asked his brother: "Which part of the ship is the

weakest?" Mr. Takahashi remembers that he was extremely surprised, but pointed to

the place which he knew was the weakest.[64]

This reveals that Corporal Takahashi was thinking of his mission rather calmly. He had

asked the question, probably thinking of which part of the ship he should drive his plane

into.[65]

Corporal Takamasa Senda before his departure had been singing many songs with

children, and at times, sat quietly alone, burning old letters in an expression of deep

thought. The last night, he looked up at the stars and said, "You are lucky, this will be

the last time I see the stars...I wonder how my mother is doing...."[66] His singing with

the children was probably to forget the coming mission, and his burning the letters was

to forget the past. Saying that he wanted to be able to see the stars again is an

indication that he wanted to live.

Whether patriotism was the answer to the way they felt can be doubted in the case of

Second Lieutenant Fumihiro Mitsuyama. His real name was Tak Kyong-Hyong.[67]

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