Star is my grave tablet
　　

   　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　            MORI, Sachiko 

I am one of the generations "who do not know war." But, the time in 1955 when my 
memory starts is told as common experience, and war does it. There was also a house 
which has stuck the plate written to be "a bereaved family's house" on the door.

However, the man of the large majority of the present time feels like an old tale 
that Japan warred etc.

It was an occurrence of several years ago.
"that war is mistake. Even if reasonable which is said for a country, it was 
homicide after all" I said.
"die in battle of a younger brother was useless?" A mother shouts so and began 
to wail.

The one young man died 50 years ago. He loved the country and loved the family. 
Therefore, it disappeared so that the flower of a cherry tree might break up.
The young man is my uncle and is a mother's younger brother. And he still grieves 
an elder sister and is making tears shed.

I am not going to argue about the right or wrong of war.
It is a young man's [ 17-year-old ] action that I want to make it a problem. 
A pure young man's action leaves a surrounding man big sadness and big 
disappointment, and it still continues.

He was born in the small town of the Kumamoto northern part in 1927. His house
was rich and ran the store. Although it was the 5th child, since it died when 
three elder brothers were young, substantially, it grew up as the second son.

He settles down for his age and is thoughtful, and often takes care also to a 
surrounding person, and is serious and meticulous character, and was trusted by 
everybody as a clever child.

When 1937 came, war started. And the elder brother went to the battlefield. 
Moreover, an elder sister's husband also went to the battlefield and does not 
understand a whereabouts anymore. The elder sister was taking pains to bring up 
a young child.

Thus, surrounding young men disappeared one after another, and went. Which he who 
was a child had also sent every day while considering the future variously.
Under such circumstances, he joined the navy basic flight trainee. It is 16 years 
old. It was, before graduating from a junior high school.

It seems that the letter was frequently sent to mothers, elder sisters, or younger
brothers after joining the army. Since a letter is inspected, its he is doubtful 
in whether truth was written. The death register left behind to his parents' home 
also has the following publications.
  
Memory of the mother of a letter who arrived on November 10, 1945.                               

The letter which was written in the no vacancy train under movement and which is 
considered was sent through Mr. Oomura. 
It thinks of a mother, in memory of a hometown, a family hangs down and it thinks 
of him, the feeling rendered to a country was written, by the time it is young, 
the Shozi pure heart will be known, and if you have no tear, it is not. And 100 yen 
was enclosed as money for cigarettes to a father.                                         

He is not exact in about what time it volunteered for kamikaze. However, the text 
written to the unfilled space of a diary under the date on January 27 is a will 
rightly. The upper and lower sides spread when writing in darkness were upside-down.

★This letter is original.
母上へ          
十八年間色々厄介ばかりかけました　
元気で御国の為に何思ひ残りなく征きます　母上も元気で

姉さんへ
男として国家の危難に　喜んで死ねる私にしてくださった姉様へ　
何と御礼申して良いかわかりません　此処に私の私有全財産を送ります             
此の前トランクは送ったですがあれは着きましたですか　
明人叔父さんも戦死されたけど　そちらもがっかりせずにいて下さい      
此の戦争で私達一族の男が皆死んでも　姉さんは落胆する事なく
雅州の養育に勉められる事と確く信じています
私の頼りはたとへ他所に行ったとはいえ　今迄通り父母の面倒をみて呉れる
姉さんのみです　私が居なくなっても決して嘆かないで下さい
此の国難に海軍雷撃隊の一員として　私は死んで行く事を無上の光栄と  
思っています　父母上の事は呉々も宜しくお願いします　
私が死んだら夜空の星を私の遺牌と思って　せめて幼い頃の思い出を偲んで
姉さんのお陰で　男らしく死ねた弟を思ひ出して下さい　
雅州を強くそだてゝ下さい　　　　　　　    　　　　　　　左様なら 
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　１、27　香基地にて

Part of letter minced by the plate of a monument.

In this way, he left for the flight of only one way which held the bomb. 
The notice of a positive type with which he on March 21, 1945 was killed in war 
reached parents' hand.

The memorial service of people who passed away as kamikaze from the time of when 
came to be performed. 
It carried out near the Kanoya air base in it in spring every year. This was 
a place in which important information is brought together for the bereaved family 
who participates.

Because, they are only people who are "bereaved families" suddenly, without 
telling not they are detailed. They were wishing that I have the member who knows 
that time provide for any small information.

From organization of kamikaze, or the air base of what did his parents also sortie? 
It must have been regretful for it having made the young son die in not knowing.
It seems that they investigated various information. Investigated the place of 
dispatch of the letter by which it came from him, and it was made to result in 
"00, was, and was guessed as ".
or "-- Mr. 00 must have been in the party together -- therefore, it may know some 
about that child -- the talk of the classmate who survived as " hearing it better.

Moreover, the letter of an inquiry was also written. Each information was accumulated 
repeating such a thing with sufficient perseverance repeatedly. It seems that 
consequently, it knew on his feeling object target under survival while the sortie 
base was pinpointed saying "whether the last flew away from 00 somehow."

The left-behind family is collecting such small information at least, and solved 
having rendered the sincerity "for a country" as survival of a one young man and 
a respectable fighter. It is believing, "His death having been by no means useless! 
It was a splendid died in battle!", and possibly sadness was reduced.

The reply appeared in the request that I want you to investigate the sortie air base 
where the "Kikusui Ginga Kamikaze party ". It was it. After war ended, 35 years were 
already passed. At this time, the whole aspect of the kamikaze to which he belonged 
for the first time was exhibited.

His elder sister built the cenotaph next year for him. This was the will of 
the parents who passed away. Part of letter used as his a will rightly are carved it 
is by the plate of the monument.

By a classmate's list of names which are at hand, I do not think that there are so 
much those with the character and date of a "died in battle."
That is, when seeing from the whole, it over kamikaze only to the part.

He determined kamikaze in the limited society. Neither a family nor a friend can 
also be consulted with. Therefore, it is a question about whether the decision was 
recognized correctly. However, there is no method of now confirming in what feeling 
he determined kamikaze.


Picture of the late Mr. Yamaguchi.

Even so, this is a sad tale. The social situation of those days of having lead the 
17-year-old young man into such a feeling is not normal. No, its body would be 
thrown away just because it was society, since it was not normal, and it would 
presuppose at everybody "let's teach" a young man's pure feeling.

His picture of the late him is decorated. at the Kanoya air base historical-records 
hall.

It is heard that the scarf of the silk currently wound around his neck was made from 
the sleeve of a mother's Zuban. It is said that a grandmother weaves it personally.
It was the time for which goods were extremely insufficient. Therefore, pains were 
taken to get at least one white scarf. For him, it was the treasure which it can boast 
of. What does he who rolls a white scarf and is in a photograph consider now?

Mrs. Sachiko Mori which had this account of a hand contributed is the third daughter 
of the elder sister Mrs. Sinko Shimada of the "The heroic dead."

Mrs. Shimada built Mr. Shoji Yamaguchi's cenotaph in 1980. This was parents' will 
which passed away. Part of his letter used and the following career are minced by 
the monument. 

 
The monument which sacrificed itself to the country. One piece of a testament is minced.

★The plate of a monument is original.
Mr. Shoji Yamaguchi's history.                                 
　　　甲飛第十二期生
 　　　　　　　　　　山口昭二の霊に捧ぐ
　　　海　軍　少　尉
　弟昭二は父山口喜格、母ソノの五男として小天村三八四〇
番地に出生　長じて熊本県立玉名中学校へと進んだ。  　　
　当時　大東亜戦争は激烈を極め　愛国至情に燃える昭二は  
安閑と学業を続けるに偲びず　在学四年にして自ら意を決し
予科練習生を志願　昭和十八年八月一日鹿児島海軍航空隊に
入隊　日夜寝食を忘れ　海軍雷撃隊の一員として訓練又訓練  
の日を送った。
　然し戦況は不利となり愈々決戦の重大局面を迎え九州東南
方海上の敵機動部隊撃滅の命下り勇躍暁闇をついて鹿屋基地
を発進　敵船団を捕捉し　之に壊滅的大損害を与え　自らも  
魚雷を抱き愛機諸共玉砕し御国の華と散った時に昭和二十年
三月二十一日　弱冠十九歳であった。                           
父母は四階級特進の勲功を讚え　その顕彰慰霊の碑の建立を  
念じつつも果たさず　後事を私に託して此の世を去り　爾来
幾星霜　今茲に宿願のこの碑を建つ　切々の思い　感慨無量    
碑成る今はただ　昭二の霊安らかなれと祈るのみ。
　  　靖国の宮にみ魂は鎮まるも
　　　　　折り折りかへれ故郷の山
　昭和五十五年十二月吉日
　　　　　　　　　　 　　長 姉　　島　田　新　子　建立