Blossoms in the Wind The Human Legacy of the Kamikaze

520 Pages·2005·60.957 MB·English

by  Mordecai G. Sheftall

3 1111 02520 8040
fj-f<^];.'-:'Xi?::^:;:;:::^>::,
.^, ,r^- jCV-^'^^^
=>iA
^.1t>r; v'-<:v,'
r^^ V^"""^
BLOSSOMS THE WIND
IN
"A must-have bookfor anyone interested in World War II...the clearest, most definitive exposition
ofthe brave, sad kamikaze culture."—COL. WALTER J. BOYNE, USAF (RET.)
HUMAN
LEGACIES
"^
of the
KAMIKAZE
• • • • •
M. G. SHEFTALL
.
C'-r ''^36.00
A COMPELLING STUDY OF FIGHTING iv._.N WHOSE
GREATEST DESIRE WAS TO DIE AS WARRIORS—AND
THE LEGACY THAT STILL HAUNTS THOSE WHOSE
DESTINIES WERE NEVER FULFILLED...
By October 1944, Japan was fighting for her life.
Herfuel reserves and food supply were running out. Most of
herfleet lay at the bottom ofthe Pacific. What remained of
heronce vaunted air powerwas hunted quarry in skies ruled
byAmericanfighterplanes.
NowtheunstoppableAlliedjuggernautwas rapidlyclos-
inga noosearoundtheneckoftheJapanese nation itself...
In a last-ditch, desperate attempt to stave off the
inevitable, the Japanese high command unleashed a new
breed ofwarriorunique in the historyof human conflict. They
were the kamikaze—living incarnations of the legendary
"DivineWind"thathad savedthe home islandsfrom invasion
centuries before—idealisticyoung men believingtherecould
be no greater glory than to sacrifice their lives in suicide
attacks to defend the sacred soil of their homeland as a
proud nation prepared to choose "the honorable death ofthe
100 million" overthe ignominyofsurrenderandoccupation.
Butwhatofthose menwhotookthesacredoathtodie in
battle—and lived?
Soon afterthe 9/11 attacks that shattered the peace of
his own homeland, ethnographer M. G. Sheftall was given
unprecedented, intimate access tothe cloistered community
of Japan's last remaining kamikaze corps survivors. The
result is a poignant and unforgettable glimpse intothe lives
and mind-sets of former kamikaze pilots, who, through
chance or fate, were prevented from completing theirfinal
missions. For some, the war ende^ before theyfinished the
dangerously haphazard trai; others were forced by
uedon bach flap)

WIND
BLOSSOMS IN THE

BLOSSOMS THE WIND
IN
HUMAN
LEGACIES
of the
KAMIKAZE
M.G. SHEFTALL
NAL
CALIBER
NALCaliber
PublishedbyNewAmericanLibrary,adivisionof
PenguinGroup(USA)Inc.,375HudsonStreet,
NewYork,NewYork 10014, USA
PenguinGroup(Canada), 10AlcornAvenue,Toronto,
OntarioIVI4V3B2,Canada(adivisionofPearsonPenguinCanadaInc.)
PenguinBooksLtd.,80Strand,LondonWC2RORL,England
PenguinIreland,25St.Stephen'sGreen,Dublin2,
Ireland(adivisionofPenguinBooksLtd.)
PenguinGroup(Australia),250CamberwellRoad,Camberwell,Victoria.3124,
Australia(adivisionofPearsonAustraliaGroupPty.Ltd.)
PenguinBooksIndiaPvt. Ltd., 11 CommunityCentre,PanchsheelPark,
NewDelhi- 110017,India
PenguinGroup(NZ),cnrAirborneandRosedaleRoads,Albany,
Auckland 1310,NewZealand(adivisionofPearsonNewZealandLtd.)
PenguinBooks(SouthAfrica)(Pty.)Ltd.,24SturdeeAvenue,
Rosebank,Johannesburg2196,SouthAfrica
PenguinBooksLtd.,RegisteredOffices:
80Strand,LondonWC2RORL,England
FirstpublishedbyNALCaliber,animprintofNewAmericanLibrary,
adivisionofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
9Fir8stP7rin6tin5g,Julv2003521
10 4
Copyright©MordecaiG.Sheftall,2005
Allrightsresers'ed
NALCALIBERandthe"C"logoaretrademarksofPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA:
Sheftall,MordecaiG.
Blossomsinwind:humanlegaciesofthekamikaze/MordecaiSheftall.
p. cm.
ISBN0-451-21487-0(trad—ehardcover:alk.paper)
4. 1S.uiWcoirdled—WJaarp,an1—93P9s-y1c9ho4l5ogicAaelriaaslpoepctesr.atio5n.s,WJoarpladneWsaer.—, 129.39K-a1m9ik4a5z—eCaiarmpplaaniegsn.s—3.PaKciafmiickOaczeeanpi.lots6..
Japan. Kaigun. KamikazeTokubetsuKogekitai. 7. Japan History,Military. I. Title.
D792.J3S432005
940.54'26—dc22 2004027356
SetinFairfield
DesignedbyGingerLegato
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Without limitingtherightsundercopyrightreservedabove,nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored
inorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyform,orbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,pho-
tocopying,recording,orotherwise),withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofboththecopyrightownerandtheabove
publisherofthisbook.
PUBLISHERSNOTE:Thepublisherdoesnothaveanycontroloveranddoesnotassumeanyresponsibilityforauthor
orthird-partyWebsitesortheircontent.
Thescanning,uploading,anddistributionofthisbookviatheInternetorviaanyothermeanswithoutthepermis-
sionofthepublisherisillegalandpunishablebylaw. Pleasepurchaseonlyauthorizedelectroniceditions,anddo
notparticipateinorencourageelectronicpiracyofcopyrightedmaterials.Yoursupportoftheauthor'srightsisap-
preciated.
For my sons,
that they may know a world without war