Misunderstanding of war １１： growing fight and perverted sense

 

 ＜　Lieutenant Colonel Hirose in Drama“Saka no Ue no Kumo” ＞

In general, a war of a nation-state is performed, after people agree.

Why do people approve the war?

We look at some of the situation.

国民国家の戦争は概ね国民の同意の上に行われます。

なぜ国民は戦争に賛同するのでしょうか？

その様子をいくつか見ていきます。

  
Birth of a war god

From 100 years ago, Lieutenant Colonel Hirose was worshipped in Japan during the war.

In the Russo-Japanese War, a navy lieutenant colonel was kind to his subordinate tragically was killed in war.

In those days, all newspapers were overflowing with various battle casualty reports every day.

In the newspaper, the lieutenant colonel's portrait that was surrounded by the flower of the cherry tree appeared with a phrase "Lieutenant Colonel war god Hirose”.

The article that the fleet director generals praise him was attached to it further.

His coffin was sent from Kyushu to Tokyo, many people went to every station on the way to meet it and wailed.

In Tokyo, it was protected by about 400 honors guards, and marched.

The campaign of bronze statue erection was performed briskly and three statues were made.

After that, the Hirose shrine was also founded.

The song "Lieutenant Colonel Hirose" for school children is made, and it  has being printed in their textbooks　until the end of the Pacific War .

軍神の誕生

今から約100年前、戦争中の日本で、広瀬中佐は崇拝された。

日露戦争の中、部下思いの一人の海軍中佐は悲愴な戦死を遂げた。

新聞は連日様々な戦死報道で溢れていた。

「軍神広瀬中佐」と書かれた、桜の花に囲まれた中佐の肖像が新聞に載った。

それには艦隊長官らの讃える文章がさらに添えられていた。

彼の棺は九州から東京まで送られたが、その途中の駅では、多くの人々が出迎え感涙にむせた。

東京では約400名の儀仗兵に護られ行進した。

銅像建立のキャンペーンが盛んに行われ、三つの像が作られた。

後に広瀬神社が創建された。

「広瀬中佐」の小学唱歌が出来、太平洋戦争の敗戦まで掲載され続けた。

＜　the attack on Pearl Harbor　＞

Respected death of the young soldier 

Although the war god of an army or air force was born also after that, the war gods of the beginning of the Pacific War were the soldiers of the special purpose submarine of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The newspaper at those days praised them. ”In spite of the command to return, all the members　of them devoted their death entirely for attack.”

In fact, one of these ten soldiers had become a prisoner of war, but the navy had kept this secret to the last.

Navy secretary Yamamoto extolled them, and said "Don't despise the present young person."

The former war god was a veteran officer.

But with intensely consumed war situation, the youngest soldiers had become the war god.

This was connected with birth of special attack ”kamikaze” that was feared by overseas.

In other words, young soldiers who don’t regret their life became very valuable.

Although these were most commonly due to guidance of the military authorities、 people also instigated them in synchronization with the newspaper.

尊ばれる若者の死

その後も陸軍や空軍の軍神は誕生したが、太平洋戦争の最初の軍神は真珠湾攻撃の特殊潜航艇の将兵だった。

当時の新聞が彼らを讃えている。「帰還命令にも関わらず、全員、攻撃の為に死を選んだ」

実は、この将兵１０名の内１名が捕虜になっていたのですが、海軍は秘匿し続けた。

海軍の山本長官は、「今の若い者を侮るな」と絶賛した。

以前の軍神は実績と人徳ある士官であったが、消耗激しい戦局にあって,最年少の兵士達が軍神に祀り上がられるようになった。

これが海外から恐れられた神風特別攻撃隊の誕生へと繋がった。

つまり若者の命を惜しまぬ行為こそが価値あるものとなっていった。

これらは軍部や国の先導ではあるが、国民が新聞と共鳴しながら煽ったのです。

 

＜　Banzai charge　＞

prisoner of war and Banzai charge　

"Never live to experience shame as a prisoner."  A quote from Instructions for the Battle of Japan.

For fear of becoming a prisoner of war, the Japanese soldier often performed the banzai charge with a bayonet at the last.

This meant useless death, because that all the soldiers jumped into a bullet

In those days, it was natural to sacrifice a soldier's life for an Emperor.

Although they had to rush shouting "Emperor banzai”, in practice they muttered "mother..." all most.

The reason for fearing a prisoner of war was mostly in the education.

But, when he became a prisoner of war, his domestic family received persecution from the circumference.

Until Russo-Japanese War, the correspondence to enemy's prisoner by Japanese army was good.

In proportion as the aforementioned conscious against the prisoner, the abuses of enemy’s prisoner become to occur frequently.

In this way, people will be gradually soaked in ravages of war completely, and became to distort soul.

捕虜と万歳突撃

「生きて虜囚の辱めを受けず」これは戦陣訓の一節です。

日本兵は、捕虜になることを恐れて、最後に銃剣による万歳突撃をよく行った。

これは全兵士が銃弾の中に飛び込む為、無駄死を意味した。

兵士の命は国と天皇の為に捨てることが当然になっていた。

「天皇万歳」と言って突撃するとされていたが、実際は「お母さん・・」がほとんどだった。

捕虜を恐れる理由は教育にもあったのだが、捕虜になると国内の家族は周囲から迫害を受けたのです。

日露戦争までは日本軍の捕虜への対応は良かったのだが、先ほどの捕虜の観念が蔓延してくると、敵国の捕虜虐待が頻発することになった。

こうして国民は徐々に戦禍にどっぷりと浸かり、精神を歪めていくことになる。