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Kamikaze Pilot Statue
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Statue of a Mother
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Kamikaze Pilot Statue (Chiran)
Minamikyūshū City, Kagoshima Prefecture
This bronze statue of a kamikaze pilot stands in the Peace Park near Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots. On May 3, 1974, the Chiran Tokkō Irei Kensho Kai (Chiran Tokkō
Memorial Association) unveiled this statue based on the design of Ioki Itō, a
judge for the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition.
The inscription on the base of the statue says "tokoshie
ni" (forever). A plaque next to the statue gives the
following information:
Origin of Kamikaze Pilot Statue Named "Forever"
In the end, special attack planes never returned. These brave men must
have gone while thinking of their country and parents and hoping for eternal
peace.
The kamikaze pilot "Forever" was erected through kind people from around
the country.
A brave man who disappeared south of Kaimon [1],
We pray that his spirit rests in peace forever,
With the desire to immortalize his brave figure.
Statue of a Mother [2]
Another bronze statue (shown at right) depicts a loving mother who is looking at the Kamikaze
Pilot Statue standing nearby in Chiran Peace Park near the Peace Museum
for Kamikaze Pilots.
Inscribed on the back of the Statue of a Mother are the words, "Mother
and son will be together forever in peace." The inscription on a small stone to the left of
this statue says "yasuraka
ni" (in peace). She is wearing a monpe, the national wartime attire for women.
The plaque to the right of the statue gives the following explanation:
The young lives of kamikaze [3] pilots will not return again. Their mothers
surely sought for their lives until the
moment they took off.
The pilots at least were able to give their thanks as they said their final farewell while
glimpsing their mother as she appears in this public place. Their mother
also surely had the same heartrending feeling.
With the figure of a mother now standing here, may they forever be
peacefully together with their mother. We pray that their spirits may rest
in peace at the breast of their kindhearted mother and that there may be
world peace.
March 30, 1986
The statue was erected by Magoshichi Ishiguro (Takaoka City, Toyama
Prefecture) in March 1986. A generous donation by Masaru Maeda (Ashikita Town,
Kumamoto Prefecture) allowed erection of the statue.
Notes
1. Kaimon is a mountain at the
southern tip of Kyūshū. Kamikaze pilots from Chiran and other kamikaze air bases flew
over Mt. Kaimon on their way south to Okinawa.
2. Some information regarding the Statue of a Mother comes from the picture booklet published by the
Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots.
3. Rather than kamikaze, the sign uses the
word tokkōtai (Special Attack Corps) to refer to the pilots. The Army
Special Attack Corps carried out suicide attacks from Chiran Air Base from late
March to June 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa.
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