The secret behind the Samurai Spirit

At the end of the Pacific War, the Kamikaze unit went on their mission. Some made a miraculous return home. I remember once watching their interview on TV. The front part of the plane was made the smallest in size. The American warships were firing like a heavy hail to shoot down the planes. In order to succeed in hitting the warship, the Kamikaze planes had to fly down in the exact same angle as the bullets coming from the warship, otherwise they were shot down. In other words, they had to fly straight towards the bullets. If they tried to run away from the bullets, they had more chances to be shot down before hitting the warship.

On the TV interview, the man said, “what I shouted when I was flying down straight towards the bullet and the warship, was ‘Mother~!!!.’” He said he is sure that all the Kamikaze soldiers said the same thing.

Just like, when God Susanoo went to see his mother who had gone to Yomi-no-Kuni (the Land of the Dead), cried for his mother aloud as if it would reach both heaven and earth, human has a nature to call for one’s mother when they are at the time facing death. The TV show was showing the film where the Kamikaze unit was celebrating their last sake together before getting on the plane. Their faces did not look so serious or sad, instead, they had a silent and calm smile. This was truly a face of a samurai. The soldiers and the samurais did not kill people because they wanted to. In those days, they had no choice but to surrender to the way of living the era had compelled them to do.

It is a tragedy that in this modern society, in spite of the freedom and wealth, there are more people committing suicide than the number of Kamikaze soldiers who died for their country. The power of almost insane courage a Kamikaze soldier had came purely from the desire to protect his family that he loved and appreciated. Today, I feel that the image of samurai is often misunderstood. They are not just warriors who killed people with swords toyed by fate.

My understanding of a true Samurai Spirit is about always seeing things through matter of life and death. When you see things through matter of life and death, most of the problems in modern society disappear. You will no longer have any attachment to things or other people. Instead you will be appreciative to the small things that happen in your daily life.

Ikashite-Itadaite Arigato-gozaimasu

Thank you for letting us live