Initially, our second interview in Japan was scheduled with a woman in Hamamatsu, but she had to cancel. Her husband had died recently and she was not up to being interviewed. She kindly sent to Takayuki a rare book about the Special Attack Unit that we are researching. She said that we can keep the book until we are finished with the documentary. The generosity and trust of the Japanese people repeatedly amazes me. Of course, it helps to be working with an experienced filmmaker/researcher who is well-known in Japan.
Our second interview (originally scheduled as the the third) was moved up by one day to Saturday because the subject had a death in the family and the funeral was Sunday (the originally-scheduled day of the interview). So even though we left Shizuoka and drove to Hamamatsu to stay at a hotel there for the night as planned, we left earlier than planned the next morning to travel to Matsuzaka in the Mie Prefecture. To get there, we crossed multiple large bridges over Nagoya Harbor, and passed a large amusement park called Nagashima Spa Land.
Outside of Matsuzaka, we went to the small farming village of Suka to meet with Mr. Nishiguchi Hayao and his wife Takayo. (She has the same name as Mr. Ueda’s daughter.) They welcomed us into their home and Mrs. Nishiguchi brought us tea and sweets. We gave them gifts of Honolulu cookies and honey from New England. It’s probably not going to be obvious from these photos and the story, but Mr. Nishiguchi is a fun person to be around and has a good sense of humor. We all decided we would like to hang out with him over a beer. His wife seemed to be a fun person as well, although a little quieter than her husband, and she joined in with some of his jokes and stories.
Hayao is named after Nishiguchi Hayao, a young man who grew up on a farm in Suka. Hayao-the-namesake was in the kamikaze squadron that attacked the task force fleet, and Hayao died on March 19, 1945. His parents had no other sons, and they adopted a young man who was the second of seven brothers in an unrelated family. That son, not being first in his birth family, would not inherit his family’s home. So the adopted man took the Nishiguchi name and went to live with his new parents, eventually inheriting their farm after they passed away. He had a son of his own and named him Hayao after his deceased adoptive brother. The younger Hayao inherited the Nishiguchi farm from his father and still lives there with his wife.
Mr. Nishiguchi had a newer house built on the property, but we conducted the interview in old house, which is of the traditional Japanese style. It contains the family altar and personal mementos of Mr. Nishiguchi’s ancestors. He showed us photographs of his family and belongings of his namesake uncle, including his medals and other military-related items.
After the main interview, we followed Mr. Nishiguchi to the village temple and cemetery where he took us to the family grave. He pointed out the names on the grave stone, including that of his namesake Hayao who died March 19, 1945.
Mr. Nishiguchi told us that he was the only one left in his family to look after their family grave at the cemetery. He said that even though it’s been a burden to live up to his uncle’s name, at least he is there to keep his memory alive, which he said is a good thing.
When we asked him what he wants people to know who watch this film, he asked if Americans really understand the kamikaze, and we said no, probably not. There is a characterization in the U.S. about the kamikaze, what they believed and why they were willing to sacrifice their lives as they did, that seems to be inaccurate from what I learned in Japan. Mr. Nishiguchi said that he wanted people to know that these were not “crazy guys” – they were men, many of them very young, who were defending their families the best way they knew how.
All photos by Anderson Clark unless otherwise specified.