Eerie Japanese island lost in history

Published Aug 21, 2015

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Tokyo - The stone retaining walls seen along the narrow path were covered with deep green moss and ferns. Evergreen trees had taken root inside a brick building. The chirping of birds echoed loudly as if to refuse the entry of unwanted guests.

It was as if the Sarushima battery, built by the Imperial Japanese Army as one of many fortresses to protect the Tokyo Bay area, had become an integral part of the thick woods after 70 years.

The use of Sarushima as a battery began at the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) to protect the city of Edo (now Tokyo). The Imperial Japanese Army constructed a modern fortress made of stone and brick in 1884, and six cannons were put in place. It was closed in 1925 as it was damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake, and its control was transferred from the army to the navy in 1927. It was designated as a historical site by the government in March 2015 as a Tokyo Bay fortress site.

Nearly 100 officers and soldiers were assigned to the island facing the naval port of Yokosuka during the Pacific War. Magojuro Kimura, 90, now a resident of Yokohama, was assigned to the island as a new conscript in August 1944, shortly after being trained by the local marine corps. He reflects, “Although they beat us on our backsides once in a while, it was a leisurely military life.”

The soldiers lived in three rooms with straw mats inside the barracks made of brick and plaster, built by the army during the Meiji period (1868-1912). There was a power plant for steam locomotives and a charcoal burner's lodge, and in between training sessions, the soldiers would grow vegetables out in the fields and gather seaweed on the seashore to make tokoroten jelly.

Lights-out was at 9pm. “We would go out to sea in boats after patrol and enjoy fishing using dynamite. The Yokosuka Naval District would call in and say: 'There was an explosion on Sarushima. Is everything okay?' We would answer, 'situation normal' and everything was fine.” They had plenty of food distribution and were allowed to sleep out.

On July 18, 1945, a fierce battle broke out on the once-peaceful Sarushima. Many US and British aircraft flew over toward their target battleship, the Nagato, tied up at the naval port of Yokosuka. That year, the Sarushima battery replaced their four 8-centimetre high-angle guns with two 12.7-centimetre high-angle guns to counter B-29 bombers, which flew at an altitude of 10 000 meters. However, the aircraft that carried out the attacks were carrier-based and approached from a low altitude.

Kimura was the second gunner of the high-angle guns. He set the blasting fuse so that the shells would burst at the altitude instructed through the megaphone.

There was a blackout and he was forced to manually swivel the canon. He launched 25 shots into the air as bombs and machine gun fire from enemy aircraft rained down on them.

The third gunner carrying a shell over his right shoulder looked pale and went motionless. Kimura saw a piece of shrapnel stuck in the left side of his neck.

“I wonder how many more seconds I'll be able to survive,” Kimura thought to himself. Just as he prepared himself for death, the air raid ended.

Kimura saw the windscreens of the fighter aircraft open up as they started heading homeward without being able to sink the Nagato. The face of a pilot who looked their way was flushed.

Prof. Takashi Genda of the National Defence Academy explains it was “a battle in which the Japanese forces defended Nagato to the end.” The fighters were unable to drop the bombs accurately, blocked by heavy antiaircraft artillery. “The high-angle guns missed their targets, but continued to fire on enemy aircraft, and the 25-millimetre cannons had one-on-one battles with the fighters. That was enough to destroy the motivation of the pilots.”

On Aug. 15, the day World War 2 ended, the role of the Sarushima battery also ended. And on Aug. 30, Lt. Eiichi Takagi and two others from the squad hoisted a white flag, raised their rifles, and greeted the 40 to 50 British soldiers who came ashore.

The sandy beach where the British soldiers landed is now bustling with families and groups of young people enjoying barbecues and splashing around in the water.

The number of people who visit the battery is gradually increasing. “A great sacrifice has brought us peace. Sarushima is a place where we can understand both war and peace,” said Toru Hashizume, 56, from Tachikawa, Tokyo, who came to visit the battery with his family.

On the afternoon of July 18, 1945, the third fleet of the US Navy led by Adm. William Halsey launched a massive air raid over Yokosuka with nearly 500 US and British aircraft. The battleship Nagato, which was their target, had special meaning for the US military since it was the flagship of the fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor. It was the last symbol of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which had lost the battleships Yamato and Musashi.

According to the “detailed report on the battles of the Yokosuka navy guard” (an archival document of the National Institute for Defence Studies), the first air raid was conducted at 3:30 in the afternoon. Carrier-based aircraft, such as the F6F Hellcat and SB2C Helldivers, flew from Sagami Harbor, passed by Zushi and Hayama to reach Yokosuka, and then bombed the Nagato, which was anchored at a dock.

At the same time, the leader of the antiaircraft artillery ordered 60 batteries, including those on Sarushima, that were protecting the naval harbor to commence “the attack with a severe blow.”

Each battery countered the carrier-based aircraft with heavy fire. The first sortie ended at 3:46pm, but the second wave of fighters entered from Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay at 4 p.m., and the combat finally ended 15 minutes later.

Bombs hit the bridge and the aft port side of the Nagato. Dozens died aboard the ship, including its captain, Maj. Gen. Miki Otsuka, as well as personnel from other battleships and batteries. There are records of two deaths and four injured on Sarushima.

According to the history of Yokosuka, over 20 people died in urban areas. According to US and British combat reports, 14 carrier-based aircraft were shot down, two crashed, and 21 pilots and other people died in the battle.

 

Guide to Sarushima

Take a 15-minute walk from Yokosuka-chuo Station on the Keikyu main line to Mikasa Wharf. From the pier, take a 10-minute ride on a ferry to Sarushima off the coast of Yokosuka. The fare is 1 300 yen (about R100) and 650 yen for primary school children. Admission to the island is 200 yen (100 yen for primary school children).

Sarushima is the only natural island in Tokyo Bay. It got its name from the legend that the Buddhist monk Nichiren, who was caught in a storm, was guided to the island by a white monkey. The island is popular among animation fans because of the rich natural environment remaining on the island and because the brick-lined tunnels and gun mounts covered with vegetation are reminiscent of “Castle in the Sky.” The municipality of Yokosuka shows the interior of the fortress to the public in guided tours.

Washington Post-Bloomberg

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