1. Shuppatsu no Asa: Nyūtai ni saishite / Departure Morning: Upon Enlistment

     Text by Navy Lieutenant Commander Masataka Kogawa (1921-1945)

Navy Lieutenant Masataka Kogawa (1921-1945), who would later, at the age of twenty-four, perish in the waters near Okinawa as a Kamikaze Special Attack Corps pilot. Kogawa graduated from Osaka University of Foreign Studies in 1943 and volunteered to join the aviation corps as a flight reserve of the Navy in September 1943. This poem titled "Departure Morning: Upon Enlistment," is presumed to have been written at his home on the morning of departure: September 1943.

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2. Aiji eno Tayori / A letter to My Dear Child

     Text by Navy Lieutenant Masahisa Uemura (1919-1944)

Navy Captain Masahisa Uemura (1919-1944), addressed this letter to his three-month-old daughter, Motoko. While studying at Rikkyo University, Uemura graduated early due to conscription in 1943, then enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the Cebu base the following year. He was granted leave in September 1944 to return home, where he met his three-month-old Motoko, then left this letter before returning to the battlefield.

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3. Okā-sama! / Dear Mother!

     Text by Army Nurse Corps Mie Ōmine (1928-1945)

Mie Ōmine (1928-1945) was a student nurse in Okinawa who died in battle in 1945. The letter is addressed to her mother; The exact date of this letter is unknown, but it can be inferred from the mention of “finally being able to deploy” that it was written after the women in the nursing corps received their official assignments.

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4. Boku wa Shōka ga heta deshita / I Was Not Good at Singing

     Text by Sergeant Major Genji Satō (1916-1948)

Sergeant Genji Satō (1916-1948) survived the end of the war on the island of Java, but was later sentenced to death and executed by a Dutch military tribunal. Satō enlisted in 1937 and was initially assigned to Manchuria, then spent time overseas as a military police officer. Sentenced in May 1948, Satō wrote this poem on June 23 with the knowledge that he was soon to be executed. Satō was executed on September 22 in Jakarta, on the island of Java.

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5. Chieko-sama / Dear Chieko

     Text by Flight Lieutenant Toshio Anazawa (1922-1945)

Lieutenant Toshio Anazawa (1922-1945) addressed this letter to his fiancée, Chieko. Although undated, it may be inferred that the letter was written sometime in April 1945 before his final sortie. Anazawa met Chieko Date (1923-2013) at a librarian training institute in 1941. He then pursued a medical degree at Chuo University, volunteered to join the Army Air Corps in 1944, and ultimately sacrificed his life for his country as a Kamikaze pilot.

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Notes by Sachie Ueshima