Ehime man, 95, continues to memorialize deceased “Kaiten” crews on Ozushima Island, even after death of fellow soldier 4 years ago
Apr. 9, 2024
by Ryutaro Inoue, Staff Writer
When cherry blossom season arrives, a 95-year-old man pays another visit to Ozushima Island, which was the location of a former training base for a special attack unit with “Kaiten,” torpedoes employed in suicide missions, in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The man’s name is Kunshiro Kiyozumi, a resident of the town of Masaki-cho in Ehime Prefecture who was a crew member of an I-58 submarine used to carry the Kaiten at the end of World War II. His late best friend and fellow solder, together with whom he had held memorial services every spring since 2002, died four years ago in 2020. He is now the only former crew member who attends the ceremony. Summoning all of his energy, he made the trip to the island across the inland sea once again this year.
At the end of March, Mr. Kiyozumi boarded a passenger ship from Tokuyama Port in Shunan City to visit Ozushima Island, where the cherry trees were in bloom. He walked intently about 700 meters from the island’s port to the Kaiten Memorial Museum situated on a hill, coming into contact with memorial photographs, personal items, and a stone memorial monument. He then made his way to a shrine near the port and recalled the Kaiten crew members who had lost their lives in action.
I-58 submarines, which were based in Kure City, carried Kaiten pilots. Mr. Kiyozumi, the youngest submarine crew member at the time, handled a number of miscellaneous jobs for the officer’s quarters, such as preparing farewell cups for Kaiten pilots before their departure.
In July 1945, an I-58 torpedoed and sank the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered parts for the atomic bomb used in the Hiroshima bombing to Tinian Island, in the Philippine Sea.
According to Mr. Kiyozumi, two Kaiten had been launched from the submarine the previous day. “They laid down their lives for us,” he said as he mourned the crews. The reality was that the submarine also had to get as close to the enemy as possible. “Anyone on the submarine could have died at any time. Without any special thoughts given to Kaiten crew, we considered the anniversary of our deaths to be the same day,” he said.
Mr. Kiyozumi and Matsuya Nakamura, a former crew member who was three years older than Mr. Kiyozumi, continued the memorial service with the help of the late submarine captain’s family and a local shrine in Kyoto, Mr. Nakamura’s hometown. Mr. Kiyozumi recalled that when Mr. Nakamura passed away in 2020, “I felt sadder than when my brother died.” They had talked to each other about halting the memorial service if one or the other was to die but, with the help of Mr. Nakamura’s family and supporters, Mr. Kiyozumi decided to continue.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the introduction of the Kaiten, a manned torpedo designed to attack enemy ships with large amounts of explosives and piloted by one young man in the cockpit of around 20 years of age. Of the 1,375 trained pilots, 106, or 145 if maintenance personnel are also included in the numbers, died in the war. “It would be unthinkable in this day and age. I want many people to learn about Kaiten.” Mr. Kiyozumi added, forcing words from his lips, “Wars are nothing but a tragedy. They should never be waged.” Next year in the spring, he is determined to once again make it to the island.
(Originally published on April 9, 2024)
When cherry blossom season arrives, a 95-year-old man pays another visit to Ozushima Island, which was the location of a former training base for a special attack unit with “Kaiten,” torpedoes employed in suicide missions, in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The man’s name is Kunshiro Kiyozumi, a resident of the town of Masaki-cho in Ehime Prefecture who was a crew member of an I-58 submarine used to carry the Kaiten at the end of World War II. His late best friend and fellow solder, together with whom he had held memorial services every spring since 2002, died four years ago in 2020. He is now the only former crew member who attends the ceremony. Summoning all of his energy, he made the trip to the island across the inland sea once again this year.
At the end of March, Mr. Kiyozumi boarded a passenger ship from Tokuyama Port in Shunan City to visit Ozushima Island, where the cherry trees were in bloom. He walked intently about 700 meters from the island’s port to the Kaiten Memorial Museum situated on a hill, coming into contact with memorial photographs, personal items, and a stone memorial monument. He then made his way to a shrine near the port and recalled the Kaiten crew members who had lost their lives in action.
I-58 submarines, which were based in Kure City, carried Kaiten pilots. Mr. Kiyozumi, the youngest submarine crew member at the time, handled a number of miscellaneous jobs for the officer’s quarters, such as preparing farewell cups for Kaiten pilots before their departure.
In July 1945, an I-58 torpedoed and sank the USS Indianapolis, which had just delivered parts for the atomic bomb used in the Hiroshima bombing to Tinian Island, in the Philippine Sea.
According to Mr. Kiyozumi, two Kaiten had been launched from the submarine the previous day. “They laid down their lives for us,” he said as he mourned the crews. The reality was that the submarine also had to get as close to the enemy as possible. “Anyone on the submarine could have died at any time. Without any special thoughts given to Kaiten crew, we considered the anniversary of our deaths to be the same day,” he said.
Mr. Kiyozumi and Matsuya Nakamura, a former crew member who was three years older than Mr. Kiyozumi, continued the memorial service with the help of the late submarine captain’s family and a local shrine in Kyoto, Mr. Nakamura’s hometown. Mr. Kiyozumi recalled that when Mr. Nakamura passed away in 2020, “I felt sadder than when my brother died.” They had talked to each other about halting the memorial service if one or the other was to die but, with the help of Mr. Nakamura’s family and supporters, Mr. Kiyozumi decided to continue.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the introduction of the Kaiten, a manned torpedo designed to attack enemy ships with large amounts of explosives and piloted by one young man in the cockpit of around 20 years of age. Of the 1,375 trained pilots, 106, or 145 if maintenance personnel are also included in the numbers, died in the war. “It would be unthinkable in this day and age. I want many people to learn about Kaiten.” Mr. Kiyozumi added, forcing words from his lips, “Wars are nothing but a tragedy. They should never be waged.” Next year in the spring, he is determined to once again make it to the island.
(Originally published on April 9, 2024)
