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Monument with words of Chiran Air Base Special Attack
Corps Song
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Monuments have been erected throughout Japan to honor the men who died in
battle during World War II. The Japanese web site Junkoku
no Ishibumi (War Monuments) contains a tremendous amount of information on
these monuments, including those specifically dedicated to the Special Attack
Corps.
Individual web pages on this site generally contain multiple photos, relevant
historical
background, and monument inscriptions. The web site has separate sections for
monuments related to different types of special attack forces, such as the
Navy's Kamikaze Special Attack Corps, the Army's Special Attack Corps, kaiten (human
torpedoes), fukuryū (frogmen), shin'yō explosive boats, and others. The site has
over 100 web pages related to special attack forces, which makes it an
invaluable reference source for anyone interested in researching information on
special attack forces or in visiting sites in Japan.
The webmaster for this huge site is Kazuo Mine, whose father was a graduate of the
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy and a member of the Kaiten Special Attack Corps.
The father of Mine's wife was a graduate of the Yokaren (Navy's Preparatory Flight
Training Program). Mine, who lives in Chiba Prefecture, explains on a
self-introduction page that he has for many years had an interest in visiting
Japanese historical sites. His web site not only includes sections on war
monuments but also nostalgic railways and underground sites such as ancient
tombs. The web site leans toward Navy-related monuments, but it also contains much
information and many photos about Army-related monuments. The section on kaiten
has an immense amount of detailed information, probably springing from his father's wartime experiences in the
Kaiten Special Attack Corps.
This easy-to-navigate web site has a logical organization, which proceeds from
topics to specific geographical locations. The bibliography lists numerous sources from which
the webmaster has obtained permission to publish information on the Internet.
The site continues to grow with the addition of several pages per month. The web
site unfortunately has no information in English. One
irritating design feature of the site is the use of full-page background photos
on the contents web pages with links to detail pages, which many times makes reading
very difficult.
This web site has much interesting information not contained elsewhere on the
Internet. One section gives a listing of annual memorial ceremonies, many which
relate to special attack forces, that are held at various monuments around
Japan. Other pages show photos and provide information on tombs of individual
Special Attack Corps members who died during the war.
The unique focus, comprehensive contents, and numerous historical photos of
this web site make it an extremely valuable resource for anyone interested in
Japan's special attack forces.
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