Hachimanyama Jinja Special Submarine Monument
Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture
Hachimanyama Jinja in Ondo-chō, which became part of Kure City in 2005, has a
monument dedicated to men who died as part of Japanese special submarine operations
during WWII. This Shintō shrine overlooks the Inland Sea off Ōurasaki, the
wartime location of a special submarine factory and a special submarine base
(code name of Base P) where crews trained.
The term "special submarine" (tokushu senkōtei in Japanese)
refers to midget submarines used by the Japanese Navy starting with the attack
on Pearl Harbor. Two-man Kōhyōteki midget submarines were used
throughout WWII. The Navy
also developed a three-man Kōhyōteki model, a five-man Kōryū, and
a two-man Kairyū, but these midget submarines never saw battle action.
The Special Submarine Monument, erected on the left side of the stairs up
the small hill from the torii (entrance gate) to the shrine's main
building, has the following inscription: Ah, Special Submarines (Aa tokushu
senkōtei). The back of the monument has an embedded plaque with the
following explanation:
In December 1941, fighting began in the Pacific. Kōhyōteki
special submarines, which made up the first special attack squadron, were a
highlight of the early part of the war when they travelled a long distance,
infiltrated the Hawaiian harbor, and attacked the U.S. main fleet. Next they
invaded Madagascar in the west and Sydney in the south. They shocked the English
and Australian fleets and shook greatly the morale of all their men. In
addition, they supported the war effort by fighting in one place after another
such as Kiska and the Solomons. The pilots risked their lives to use special
submarines as special carrying tubes and to supply the front lines. At times
squadrons trained here at the base established at Ōurasaki and also faced
life-or-death situations. Finally, as chances for victory in the war became
slim, the enemy frequently invaded Japan's coastal waters. Our squadrons planned
to meet these assaults in various places, and Koryu were expected to have battle successes in Mindanao and Okinawa. Kaiten also went quickly to
these places, and together with Kairyū were prepared for the decisive
battle for the homeland. In August 1945, hostilities finally ceased.
Over 300 men had died in battle or in performance of their duties. Their comrades
came together here to honor these brave souls and to extol and hand down to
posterity the distinguished services of these special submarines.
August 1970
Special Submarine Association
Near the bottom of the steps up to the monument, there is a map to show
the places where special submarines were deployed during WWII. The map indicates
the number of war dead related to special submarine operations to be over 440
men, in contrast to the "over 300 men" indicated on the plaque on the
back of the monument. There is also a bronze plaque, near the bottom of steps to
the monument, that shows different types of special submarines and their
specifications.
View of Seto Inland Sea from Hachimanyama Jinja
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