We arrived into Kagoshima, Japan on Friday, March 22 and left immediately for an excursion to Chiran. Chiran was an out-lying castle town during Japan’s feudal period and home base for the feared kamikaze pilots during World War II. Departing the port, we took a scenic drive to Chiran and visited the memorable Tokko Heiwa Kaikan, or Peace Museum, dedicated to the young kamikaze pilots who trained near Chiran before embarking on suicide missions against Allied sea vessels in WWII. The museum commemorates the bravery and sad sacrifice of these young Japanese men and makes a plea for world peace. Photos were allowed outside of the museum and of a single plane inside.
Inside the museum, there were very few things that you could take pictures of, but even if you could it wouldn’t have been able to truly demonstrate the emotional nature of the exhibits. Kamikaze means “divine wind” and we were told this was the chosen term for the pilots because in the 1200s the Mongols attacked Japan and the sheer numbers of them would have meant immediate defeat but then some typhoons came in and saved the day. The Japanese believed that the winds were from the gods and that if attacked again then such divine winds would save the day again. So, essentially, these kamikaze pilots and their suicide missions were seen as saving the day in the war.
Within the museum there were lots of photos of kamikaze pilots along with their final letters to family members (so many to their moms!), sample uniforms, and many descriptions of their lives in Kagoshima as they awaited their missions. It was hard not to get teary eyed as you read about some of their stories. For example, there was one guy who was a teacher and as he left for his final mission he flew over the school where he taught so he could ‘see’ his kids one last time. Another story told of a family that arrived to visit their son only to learn he had died in his mission hours earlier and the mom broke down in tears hearing the news. Another pilot flew right over his family home as he left for his mission so he could drop a miniature parachute with his will on it for his family.
These truly were suicide missions as they only carried enough fuel to get them to their target destination. Suicide wasn’t seen as bad though, and in fact it was an honor that would bring pride to their family. Their missions were seen in much the same way as Samurai warriors who would commit harakiri in order to die with honor by their own hands rather than with dishonor by the hand of the enemy. So you could hear the pride in some letters as they left for their trips on behalf of their country and family. That said, I think you could also hear the fear and sorrow in other letters. Very moving and extremely well-done museum for sure.
After the museum, we went to see the well-preserved residences and gardens of the samurai. Within the town there was a preserved samurai district with houses and gardens that date back about 250 years. Chiran’s isolated location at the southern end of Kyushu has allowed the district to keep much of its historical character intact. Surrounded by moss-covered stonewalls and sporting black tile roofs, the 250-year-old houses recapture the traditional flavor of the Edo Period. The preserved samurai district consists of a roughly half -mile-long street that runs parallel to the main thoroughfare. The street itself is very attractive, with the rock walls and hedges of residences and the forested hillsides in the distance. It is also free of telephone poles and parked cars that would detract from the historic atmosphere.
Today, Samurai descendants live in some of the old estates, but many of the gardens are open to the public (with a ticket), so those are the ones we visited. Though small, each garden is an excellent example of “borrowed landscaping,” where the surrounding mountains and scenery are an integral part of the garden design. The shrubs were trimmed in such a way that they mimicked the rolling waves of the sea. It was very interesting to see.
We were able to see some nice examples of the inside of homes where Samurai warriors would stay as well as the traditional thatched roof of a home. The thatched rooves are created using ‘kayabuki’, a grass roofing technique that has been widely used in Japan since ancient times to create various types of structures. The skills, techniques and knowledge of kayabuki were recently registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage along with other traditional architectural skills in Japan.
After visiting the samurai gardens, we walked back to the shuttle and found a visitor’s center along the way that allowed us a fun Samurai photo. 😊
As the final ‘fun’ thing we saw here – and possibly Ryan’s favorite thing – was that along the street were little waterways that held koi. So, just walking along the street, you had a wonderful experience with beautiful (and huge) fish. Even better was that they must be used to being fed by humans because if you bent over to take a closer look at them, they would all come over and start to poke their noses above the water. They were like puppies coming to be petted! Definitely a fun thing to see before heading back to the ship.
