Itamu Hito: An Oral History of Former Soldiers and Their Families

2024/03/11

Originally, I had no interest in war at all, but before I knew it, I have been conducting interviews about battlefield experiences for over 20 years since 2002. It all started when I happened to meet a former pilot from the Battle of Ramu on a flight during my time as a flight attendant for Japan Airlines.

After leaving Japan Airlines, I entered the Graduate School of Economics at the Juku and, after several decades, became a researcher of the Battle of Ramu. Initially, I majored in modern British history, but one day, I received a cardboard box at my home filled with field diaries and a letter from that former pilot, the gist of which was, "I want you to pass on the historical facts of the horrific 'gyokusai' (honorable death) battle to future generations." As a layperson, I was at a loss and consulted my supervising professor, who encouraged me, saying, "Since you have this connection, Ms. Endo, you should be the one to research the Battle of Ramu."

The Battle of Ramu (June–September 1944), devised as the "last stronghold" of the Burma defense, is less well-known than the famous "Imphal Campaign (March–July 1944)," which is known as the worst operation in history. To cut off the Burma Road (the Allied supply route), approximately 1,300 Japanese troops faced off against about 40,000 Chinese troops on a mountain in Yunnan Province, China, and were annihilated. To clarify the reality of the Ramu battlefield, I utilized primary sources from both the former Japanese military and the Allied side, as well as interviews with former soldiers, eventually compiling them into "Inheriting the 'Battlefield Experience'" (Koken).

The book "Itamu Hito," published nine years later, is a historical practice of oral history that scoops up the various emotions of former soldiers and their families met at veterans' associations and memorial services over many years. In the process of researching the Battle of Ramu, I acted more as a non-party "caretaker" than a researcher. In fact, it includes other theaters of war such as the Chinese front outside of Burma and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. A former company commander who frequently visits Yasukuni Shrine speaks out at veterans' meetings, saying, "We don't need the military or the Self-Defense Forces!" The unexpected narratives of former student soldiers from Keio are truly refreshing. There are also bereaved family members who still suffer mentally from the violence (verbal and physical) they received from their fathers. I listened to the silences and continued to listen intently by their side without denying narratives filled with lies or contradictions. What were the former soldiers thinking as they lived through the postwar period? The thoughts of the former soldiers and families (bereaved) who gather at veterans' associations and memorial services are not monolithic. War is not a thing of the past. You will realize that we are living in an "unending war."

Itamu Hito: An Oral History of Former Soldiers and Their Families

Miyuki Endo

Ikinobiru Books

248 pages, 2,530 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time of publication.