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The Battle of Okinawa in Memory

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The Battle of Okinawa in Memory Chapman University Chapman University Digital Commons War and Society (MA) Theses Dissertations and Theses Spring 5-3-2019 In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory Blake Altenberg Chapman University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/war_and_society_theses Part of the Asian History Commons, Japanese Studies Commons, Military History Commons, and the Other History Commons Recommended Citation Altenberg, Blake. In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory. 2019. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons, https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000057 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at Chapman University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in War and Society (MA) Theses by an authorized administrator of Chapman University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory A Thesis by Blake Altenberg Chapman University Orange, California Wilkinson College Submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts-War and Society May 2019 Committee in Charge: Robert Slayton, Ph.D., Chair John Emery, Ph.D. Alexander Bay, Ph.D. In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory Copyright © 2019 by Blake Altenberg iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This paper would have been impossible without help from many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Robert Slayton of Chapman University. Without his helpful guidance and pointers, the thesis would have been disjointed. Dr. Slayton’s knowledge, criticism, and expertise helped bring this paper to new heights. I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. A special thank you goes out to my father, John Altenberg. His editing and comments have proven most helpful. I would also like to thank the Yasuda family, Kojiro, Masako, and Keiichi. Their graciousness and kindness to host me while I studied abroad in Japan was extraordinary by any measure. They assisted me to better understand the complex relationship Japanese population have with the Second World War and with some translation. A special thanks to the Yasuda family patriarch and main inspiration for this paper, Lt. Jiro Yasuda, one of the few survivors of the 24th Imperial Japanese “Mountain” division of the 32nd Imperial Army. His unusual willingness to speak openly about his experiences in China and on Okinawa were life changing. I shall never forget our conversations together. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my mentor and grandfather, Col. Robert Rauch, USMC, (Ret.). Thank you for teaching me that it is everyone’s responsibility to fight against romanticizing war. This one’s for you. iv ABSTRACT In the Shadow of Shuri Castle: The Battle of Okinawa in Memory by Blake Altenberg The memory of the battle of Okinawa was shaped by politics. The memory of the battle for Okinawans emphasizes war crimes committed against them and the devastating impact that was inflicted upon their peaceful island. Their emphasis on sole victimization led to other Okinawan narratives being either downplayed or outright denied. To remove American bases off their island, gain recognition for Japanese atrocities plus reparations, the Okinawans portrayed themselves as a peaceful people that were the sole victims of the battle of Okinawa. The United States glossed over the crimes committed by the Japanese on Okinawa and Asia to use Japan as a bulwark against what they perceived as communist aggression in Asia. To solidify this new alliance, the United States promoted reconciliation instead of punishment. In doing so, they willingly forget atrocities committed by the Japanese against Asian nationals. Americans also remember the battle in conjunction with the dropping of two atomic bombs and to justify their morally superior position to the Soviet Union, promote a more complex picture of the decision to use the bombs. This included discussing how Okinawa changed the American leader’s perspectives on a mainland Japan invasion. As a result, has become increasingly difficult to separate Okinawa and the bombs because of their temporal closeness. The Japanese tend to remember the battle as a heroic last stand and emphasize sacrifice to inspire future generations partly out of fear that Japanese youth have gone soft, ultimately demonstrating that Japan has not fully come to terms with her memory of the Second World War. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Historiography ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Race and Reconciliation: The State of Post-War Japan and the Birth of Memory of the Battle of Okinawa................................................................................................................................................. 8 American Occupation and the Beginning of Reconciliation ........................................................... 11 At Least They Aren’t Red: The Beginning of the Whitewashing of Japanese War Crimes ......... 13 Okinawan Memory ............................................................................................................................. 16 The Continual Suffering of the Okinawan People in Post-War Japan ............................................ 16 Victims of the ‘Typhoon of Steel’: War Crimes Against the Okinawans in Native Memory ....... 17 A History of Oppression: The Pre-War Japanese Suppression of Okinawan Culture and its Impact on Okinawan Memory .......................................................................................................... 24 Blood, Iron, Gender, and Patriotism: Child Soldiers and Student Nurses in Okinawan Memory. 26 The Discrimination Continues: Okinawa, Textbooks, and the Fight for Reparations, Remembrance, and Recognition ....................................................................................................... 33 The Light of the World: Okinawan Tourism, Revisionism, History, and “Peace Tours” ............ 39 In Summary: Okinawans and Memory ............................................................................................. 43 American Memory .............................................................................................................................. 44 Mud, Beasts, and Blood: The American Memory of the Ground War on Okinawa ...................... 44 vi A Utilitarian Response: The Atomic Bombs, Planning for the Invasion of the main Japanese islands, and the threat of Communism .............................................................................................. 55 Targets of the Divine Wind: Kamikazes, The American Navy, and American Memory of the War at Sea ................................................................................................................................................... 60 The Sinking of the Leviathan: The Destruction of the Japanese Battleship Yamato and American Memory ............................................................................................................................................... 66 American Memory in Summary ........................................................................................................ 72 Japanese Memory ............................................................................................................................... 73 The Slaughter of an Army: The Japanese Memory of the Battle of Okinawa on Land ................ 73 Not True Yamato: Japanese Memory, Textbook Controversy, and War Crimes Committed against the Okinawan Peoples ........................................................................................................... 80 The Human Face of the Divine Wind: Kamikaze Pilots in Japanese Memory ............................... 90 The Spirit and Pride of the Japanese People: The Yamato in Japanese Memory ........................... 95 In Summary: Japanese Memory ...................................................................................................... 103 Conclusion: The Politics of the Ghosts of Okinawa....................................................................... 105 Appendix ........................................................................................................................................... 110 Bibliography...................................................................................................................................... 119 vii List of Abbreviations and Terms IJA- Imperial Japanese Army IJN- Imperial Japanese Navy USMC-United States Marine Corps USN- United States Navy USA-United States Army Showa Emperor- The posthumous name for Hirohito (1901-1989). In Japan, reigning emperors are referred to simply as “the Emperor.” In some East Asian cultures, the posthumous names are given to royalty or highly accomplished officials. Not to be confused with the Showa era. Showa Period- Lasted from 1926-1989. Roughly translates to “period of enlightened peace/harmony.” The Japanese era naming is still used to this day. For example, Showa 19 means
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