Last Letter of Second Lieutenant Shiori Harada
On June 22, 1945, Second Lieutenant Shiori Harada took off from Miyakonojō
East Airfield as a member of the 27th Shinbu Special Attack Squadron and died in
a special (suicide) attack west of Okinawa at the age of 26. He piloted an Army
Hayate Type 4 Fighter (Allied code name of Frank). After his death in a special
attack, he received a promotion to Captain. He was from Kumamoto Prefecture,
attended Waseda University in Tōkyō, and was a member of the 1st Class of the
Army Special Cadet Officer Pilot Training (Tokubetsu Sōjū Minarai Shikan)
Program.
He wrote the following final letter:
Someone said when you leave and when you withdraw are most important.
I was born in the Empire and live in hell for the Emperor. It is like
paradise.
My body of a mere five feet will rest in a 50,000-ton coffin [1]. Why
will it get something not eternal? With my little strength, if I become one
piece of Jintan candy mint that will be used in the best way forever for the
Emperor and country, I wonder if there is anything that will surpass this
drugstore glory. The persons who go are relaxed like the wind. However, as
for the emotions of those who remain behind, there are lamentations for the
dead birds.
The emotions are tears, and love is painful. However, loyalty is even
more supreme.
Long live His Majesty the Emperor.
My country. All the best forever. All the best. All the best.
Hayate Unit
Second Lieutenant Harada
He also wrote the following poem:
Resolutely depart hometown to go for national crisis
Flight of 1,100-mile distance
In my mind neither life nor death
Hayate battle to destroy enemy carrier
Hayate Unit
Second Lieutenant Harada
Harada also wrote the following two haiku (17-syllable poem with lines
of 5-7-5 syllables):
Nowadays
Sea rather than mountain
Cherry blossoms
Hayate Unit
Second Lieutenant Harada
Grass on field ridges
Calls forth
Cherry blossoms
Hayate Unit
Second Lieutenant Harada
The above haiku poem as written by Harada is shown below:
Letter and poems translated by Bill Gordon
June 2018
The letter and poems come from Muranaga (1989, 72-3). The
biographical information in the first paragraph comes from Muranaga (1989, 72), Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai (2005,
213), and Osuo (2005,
196). The image of the above poem comes from Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai (2005,
150).
Note
1. The weight of a fully-loaded Essex-class
aircraft carrier in WWII was nearly 40,000 tons.
Sources Cited
Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai (Chiran Special Attack
Memorial Society), ed. 2005. Konpaku no kiroku: Kyū rikugun tokubetsu
kōgekitai chiran kichi (Record of departed spirits: Former Army Special
Attack Corps Chiran Base). Revised edition, originally published in 2004. Chiran Town, Kagoshima
Prefecture: Chiran Tokkō Irei Kenshō Kai.
Muranaga, Kaoru, ed. 1989. Chiran tokubetsu kōgekitai
(Chiran special attack forces). Kagoshima City: Japlan.
Osuo, Kazuhiko. 2005. Tokubetsu kōgekitai no kiroku (rikugun hen)
(Record of special attack corps (Army)). Tōkyō: Kōjinsha.
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