The Emperor's Flower Petals

On June 14, 1944, Taruo Kawacuchi, one of the defenders of Saipan, wrote in his diary: "The enemy has landed and the time has come at last. An impressive ceremony for our country was carried out at the Saipan Shrine."

Thereafter, as the merciless U.S. advance continued, Kawacuchi, a corpsman in a division hospital, made daily entries in his diary. He recorded, as well as it has been done anywhere, the strange mixture of animal courage and fatalism which motivates the U.S. enemy in the Pacific. This week, as a still greater Jap garrison on Okinawa felt the weight of U.S. arms, the Office of Censorship released Kawacuchi's diary [which had been found by a U.S. Naval officer]. Excerpts:

June 25--During the night moved the patients to the vicinity of Tara Hoke. It is regrettable but we had to abandon some supplies.

June 26--Some of the patients were committing suicide with hand grenades.

June 27--Slept well because of the sake we took last night. Was ordered by hospital commander to be prepared to attack the enemy with rifles, hand grenades, or bayonets attached to sticks.

June 28--I received a slight wound across the forehead. When the barrage subsided there were cries of pain and help.

July 2--At dawn visited the place where my friend lay dead with a bayonet wound in his head. Covered him with grass and leaves. Upon returning ate a meal of hard tack and pickled prunes. . . .

July 3--The situation cannot be comprehended. . . .

July 5--Lieut. Matsumai came to our dugout saying, "As long as I'm going to die, I want to die with the pharmacist's section." Also: "If this is going to be our grave let us make it clean." We attended to cleaning up the area. The furious assault of the enemy commenced. . . . Two men pathetically committed suicide due to severe wounds. The lieutenant and the pharmacist section bade farewell and promised to meet at the Yasukumi Shrine after death. I, with Lieut. Yamaguchi, was absorbed into the command section and was very happy.

July 6--Received artillery barrage during the morning and took cover in the rocks. As each round approached nearer and nearer, I closed my eyes and waited. Soon the voices of the enemy--and machine-gun bullets--could be heard over our heads. I thought this was the end. When I looked from the side rock, I could see the hateful bearded face of the enemy shining in the sunlight. With a terrific report, the rock in front of my eyes exploded and the sergeant that joined us last night was killed. . . . A report was heard and as I looked back I saw my friend Corporal Ito lying on his back with a rifle in TIME, APRIL 9, 1945 his hand. After fierce counterfire, the enemy was repulsed so I approached the body of Ito who had a bullet hole through his left temple with his eyes half open and his lips tightly clenched. Corporal Yasuhiro also had wounds in both of his legs. Pathetically he was saying, "Please kill me." He pleaded, "Please cut skillfully." So Lieut. Matsumai with sweat pouring down his head, took one stroke, two strokes, and on the third stroke, he beautifully cut his head off. I picked up the scroll written by Corporal Ito as a farewell gift and bade farewell to his spirit. I grabbed Corporal Ono's hand and he stated pathetically that he will commit suicide tomorrow morning. Soon a terrific squall started and everybody was drenched.

While shivering from wetness, orders to move were issued. Facing the dawn of the North, bowing reverently to the Imperial Palace and bidding farewell to parents, aunt and wife, I solemnly pledged to do my utmost. . . . I am only 26 years old. Thanks to the Emperor and both my parents and my aunt, I have lived to this day and I am deeply gratified. At the same time it is with deep regret that I have nothing to report at this time when my life is fluttering away like a flower petal, to become part of the soil. I am very happy. I, with my sacrificed body, will become the white caps of the Pacific. . . .

Somehow or other, Kawacuchi managed to live through that terrible day. But on the following day he wrote: "I am happy that I can die on the seventh anniversary of the Sino-Jap Incident." Presumably he got his wish.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.