The Kamikazes Essay Research Paper Kamikaze was — страница 2

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the young men involved were eager to give their lives. From the beginning Admiral Onishi had the presence of mind to create decorative and symbolic trappings for the sacrificial fliers. They were said to be already gods and should have no further interest in human affairs. On completion of their missions, their spirits would fly to the Yasukuni shrine near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, and there would be enshrined forever. As time went on more trappings were added. The admiral handed over special bottles of water, from which the Kamikaze pilots were to take a final drink as they prepared to go to their deaths. The hachimaki became another symbol of the suicide corps. In the days of the samurai a warrior who tied a white towel around his head signified that he was preparing to

fight to death. Most of the high officers truly believed the propaganda line they had developed over twenty years: that twentieth-century Japan sailor and soldier were reincarnations of the old samurai; that the holy spirit of bushido could conquer materialism. Ryuji Nagasuka, a young and ingenuous schoolboy trained in the dreadful art of crashing an airplane on the decks of an American warship, tells us why he became a kamikaze pilot in I Was A Kamikaze. He did it because he thought his families were in danger. He said that the Japanese did not go voluntarily to their deaths because of any fanatical devotion to the emperor of to atone for any disgrace or defeat. Rather, they sought to protect their loved ones. Because they loved their parents with that deep, shy, reverent,

filial love which is now unhappily vanishing from the Japanese character, they chose to die for. For love they were willing to die. To protect the innocent and blameless. I agree with Nagasuka because he is a primary source. He lived in the environment and the surroundings. He knew the pressure and what was going on through his mind and through his other squadron members. Of course his accounts would be more accurate than any other would. I also believe in this reasoning because the majority of people think of their parents and loved ones when they die. What better cause is there to die for then for those you love (not saying committing suicide is good)? I do not agree with the first reason about the Japanese willing to die deliberately for the emperor. The Emperor didn?t care

about his soldiers or people. This was the guy who sent young boys fresh out from high school to go on suicide missions. These na?ve children, who couldn?t experience their whole entire life and have fun died. Now why would any soldier die for this cruel guy? I somewhat agree with the second reasoning. I believe that the leaders and society brainwashed and told trappings to the Japanese when they were little children. I believe when they become adults that they should distinguish the thin line between fact and fiction. The bushido code seems like those childish games where you pretend to be someone. Like little kids pretending to be Superman and invincible. Bibliography Hoyt, Edwin P. The Kamikazes. New York: Arbor House, 1983. Nagatsuka, Ryuji. I Was A Kamikaze. New York:

Macmillan Publishing Co., 1973. O?Neill, Richard. Suicide Squads: W.W.II. New York: St. Martin?s Press,1981.