Hugging a Box Depth Charge and Training for a Suicide Mission
"Hugging a Box Depth Charge and Training for a Suicide Mission"
Name: Kensho Kanna (06漢那憲昌)
Date of birth: June 21, 1929
Place of birth: Arakawa, Ishigaki City
Status at the time: Male Student Corps * Yaeyama Norin High School
[Becoming a Volunteer Naval Serviceman in 1944]
I passed the entrance examination to join the Navy in 1944 at the age of 16. Volunteers from elementary schools were not accepted, as they could not be used in war. My predecessors from the Youth School, one or two years my senior, all volunteered to serve in the Navy, they were therefore conscripted and taken by the military.
Of these students, the ones who applied for the flight school examination were to go to Kagoshima for the second stage of examinations. However, while they were heading to Kagoshima they were attacked by United States submarines off Amami-Oshima Island and they all died.
I was in assigned to the Signal Squad. Since there was no proper training equipment, I made training equipment for myself and practiced Morse code on a daily basis, saying "Tut-too, tut-too..."
When we went to Mount Omotodake in June, we were not allowed to take part in signal operations. Instead, we were made to perform the task of turning the handle of the manual generator. The manual generator had a turning handle – like a bicycle pedal - installed in the middle of the generator. There was a volt gauge on it, and when the voltage dropped below five volts, the squad leader of the Signal Squad would throw a tool, like a wrench or whatever happened to be around, at me. I imagine they could not communicate when the voltage fell below five volts. It was very hard turning that handle to make sure that the voltage did not drop below five volts.
If you are wondering why we were using a manual generator, the Japanese military did not own an engine operated one. Even if they had one with an engine, they had no gasoline to run it at any rate. Therefore, almost all of the generators were manually cranked. The manually cranked generators were operated by two people, who stared at the volt gauge while turning the handle, which made a "whoa...whoa...whoa..." sound. We were made to do that for about 40 minutes each, so it was hard work.
[Carrying a Box Depth Charge and Training for a Suicide Mission]
I received training using depth chargers. This actually ended as training only, since the US forces did not land in our area. A box depth charge is a depth charge in the shape of a box, the size of a school bag carried by elementary school students. We would carry these on our backs and wait in an octopus trap (in a trench just large enough for one soldier to fit in), which were dug here and there along the roads, with grass covering our heads. When the instructor came by, we were to pull the fuse and rush screaming "Charge!" This was considered a suicide mission.
The education of the time was that of a militaristic nation. We were taught to "Make sure you die for your country." We were taught that killing as many enemies as possible is what we should do for our country.
I was committed to go through with it, no matter what.
Education can be an awful thing. My only thought was of serving the country and the Emperor, and I was ready to die on the command to "go." I never even thought of how precious my own being was.
[Society under militaristic rules]
Everyone believed that there was no way that Japan could lose. It was considered a given that Japan would win wars, so it was like a great festival. Everyone volunteered to join the military forces because of this belief. In one house, a family member volunteered to join the Navy and took part in a large troop. There was a placard in front of his house that read, "The House of Honor." A placard is installed in front of a grave of Captain Omasu in Yonaguni. I went to his grave ten years ago, and the placard was still there. He was considered a god of soldiers, a war god precious to the people. Therefore, whenever a member of a family joined the military that household was considered "The House of Honor" and every such house had a placard in front of it.
Joining the military and dying meant you are doing your bit for the country. Therefore it was not a scary prospective and a natural thing to do, as a matter of fact.
[Then came the end of the war]
August 15 was the end of the war. Everyone went home, carrying their gaiters and backpacks on August 13. The Tekketsu Kin-notai ("steel blooded corps of service to the Emperor," a youth corps comprised of children between the ages of 14 and 16 in Okinawa), was disbanded. The military troops still remained. Firearms had to be disposed of; the US military collected all the firearms and burned them.
The people next door shouted, "Japan has lost, we lost!" Then in a matter of four to five days, the LST (landing ship, tank) of the US forces arrived at the port together with cargo transport vessels.
There is a bridge over at Yakena. It was chaotic when the US forces landed on the western side of that bridge, with their amphibious vehicles. The US forces carried tanks on their amphibious vehicles and they landed with guns trained on us.
That was the very first time I saw Americans.
"Americans really have blue eyes and red hair, red!"
Everyone found them quite curious. We ran after the tanks as we were curious and the US troops threw some chewing gum to us. I picked some up and filled my pockets with it.
[Message]
It has been 65 to 66 years since the war ended, and I have been taking care of my body and making sure that I never overexert myself. I have to keep it that way. No matter what, "Where there is life, there is hope."
One definitely must look after one's self. This is the message I want to give to the younger generations.
Name: Kensho Kanna (06漢那憲昌)
Date of birth: June 21, 1929
Place of birth: Arakawa, Ishigaki City
Status at the time: Male Student Corps * Yaeyama Norin High School
[Becoming a Volunteer Naval Serviceman in 1944]
I passed the entrance examination to join the Navy in 1944 at the age of 16. Volunteers from elementary schools were not accepted, as they could not be used in war. My predecessors from the Youth School, one or two years my senior, all volunteered to serve in the Navy, they were therefore conscripted and taken by the military.
Of these students, the ones who applied for the flight school examination were to go to Kagoshima for the second stage of examinations. However, while they were heading to Kagoshima they were attacked by United States submarines off Amami-Oshima Island and they all died.
I was in assigned to the Signal Squad. Since there was no proper training equipment, I made training equipment for myself and practiced Morse code on a daily basis, saying "Tut-too, tut-too..."
When we went to Mount Omotodake in June, we were not allowed to take part in signal operations. Instead, we were made to perform the task of turning the handle of the manual generator. The manual generator had a turning handle – like a bicycle pedal - installed in the middle of the generator. There was a volt gauge on it, and when the voltage dropped below five volts, the squad leader of the Signal Squad would throw a tool, like a wrench or whatever happened to be around, at me. I imagine they could not communicate when the voltage fell below five volts. It was very hard turning that handle to make sure that the voltage did not drop below five volts.
If you are wondering why we were using a manual generator, the Japanese military did not own an engine operated one. Even if they had one with an engine, they had no gasoline to run it at any rate. Therefore, almost all of the generators were manually cranked. The manually cranked generators were operated by two people, who stared at the volt gauge while turning the handle, which made a "whoa...whoa...whoa..." sound. We were made to do that for about 40 minutes each, so it was hard work.
[Carrying a Box Depth Charge and Training for a Suicide Mission]
I received training using depth chargers. This actually ended as training only, since the US forces did not land in our area. A box depth charge is a depth charge in the shape of a box, the size of a school bag carried by elementary school students. We would carry these on our backs and wait in an octopus trap (in a trench just large enough for one soldier to fit in), which were dug here and there along the roads, with grass covering our heads. When the instructor came by, we were to pull the fuse and rush screaming "Charge!" This was considered a suicide mission.
The education of the time was that of a militaristic nation. We were taught to "Make sure you die for your country." We were taught that killing as many enemies as possible is what we should do for our country.
I was committed to go through with it, no matter what.
Education can be an awful thing. My only thought was of serving the country and the Emperor, and I was ready to die on the command to "go." I never even thought of how precious my own being was.
[Society under militaristic rules]
Everyone believed that there was no way that Japan could lose. It was considered a given that Japan would win wars, so it was like a great festival. Everyone volunteered to join the military forces because of this belief. In one house, a family member volunteered to join the Navy and took part in a large troop. There was a placard in front of his house that read, "The House of Honor." A placard is installed in front of a grave of Captain Omasu in Yonaguni. I went to his grave ten years ago, and the placard was still there. He was considered a god of soldiers, a war god precious to the people. Therefore, whenever a member of a family joined the military that household was considered "The House of Honor" and every such house had a placard in front of it.
Joining the military and dying meant you are doing your bit for the country. Therefore it was not a scary prospective and a natural thing to do, as a matter of fact.
[Then came the end of the war]
August 15 was the end of the war. Everyone went home, carrying their gaiters and backpacks on August 13. The Tekketsu Kin-notai ("steel blooded corps of service to the Emperor," a youth corps comprised of children between the ages of 14 and 16 in Okinawa), was disbanded. The military troops still remained. Firearms had to be disposed of; the US military collected all the firearms and burned them.
The people next door shouted, "Japan has lost, we lost!" Then in a matter of four to five days, the LST (landing ship, tank) of the US forces arrived at the port together with cargo transport vessels.
There is a bridge over at Yakena. It was chaotic when the US forces landed on the western side of that bridge, with their amphibious vehicles. The US forces carried tanks on their amphibious vehicles and they landed with guns trained on us.
That was the very first time I saw Americans.
"Americans really have blue eyes and red hair, red!"
Everyone found them quite curious. We ran after the tanks as we were curious and the US troops threw some chewing gum to us. I picked some up and filled my pockets with it.
[Message]
It has been 65 to 66 years since the war ended, and I have been taking care of my body and making sure that I never overexert myself. I have to keep it that way. No matter what, "Where there is life, there is hope."
One definitely must look after one's self. This is the message I want to give to the younger generations.
