Submarine Crewmen Who Gave Lives for Country Monument
Shibuya Ward, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture
A monument to remember Japanese submarine crewmen who died during the Pacific
War was erected in Harajuku District in Tokyo in 1958. The monument stands at
Togo Shrine, which is dedicated to Admiral Heihachiro Togo and was built in 1940. Admiral Togo
was the renowned naval leader who in 1905 destroyed the Russian fleet at the
Battle of Tsushima.
The monument's inscription specifically mentions two types of Navy special
(suicide) attack units deployed during WWII: kaiten human torpedoes and midget
submarines. There were 106 kaiten human torpedo pilots who lost their lives,
including 15 killed in training accidents [1]. There
were 436 special (midget) submarine crewmen, including nine men who attacked
Pearl Harbor in five midget submarines, who lost their lives in the Pacific War
[2].
The plaque on the monument's face reads as follows (translated from
Japanese):
Dedicated to Brave Heroes of Submarines
During the Pacific War, there were over 10,000 submarine crewmen who lost
their lives in battle together with over 120 submarines. There were special
(midget) submarines and kaiten suicide squadrons. Also, there were some men who died
during training. There was no way to collect your remains as you sank deeply to
the bottom of the sea. However, the devotion of you men who went to battle during
the national crisis remained the same on the battlefield. Your spirit of
sacrifice to fight in order to save the country's people from danger will live
here forever.
We who were connected to submarines that remained, several thousand
individuals and organizations in total, gaze at the bottom of the sea where your
spirits rest forever. We, along with all Japanese people, hope that this
monument may offer spiritual sustenance for the country's recovery as it extends
the mournful realization of the reality of your brave figures,
scenes of fierce fighting, and battle sites that became filled with corpses in defense of
our country.
Your former war comrades, persons involved with submarine construction, and
other interested volunteers together dedicate this small monument erected in the
cemetery of Togo Jinja (Shrine) in order to remember your enduring loyalty.
May 25, 1958
Model torpedo in front of monument
Notes
1. Mediasion 2006, 40.
2. Information on plaque next to
Kamikaze Pilot Statue at Yasukuni Jinja Yushukan.
Source Cited
The Mediasion Co. 2006. Ningen gyorai kaiten (Kaiten
human torpedo). Hiroshima: The Mediasion Co.
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