Tadamichi Kuribayashi
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| Tadamichi Kuribayashi | |
|---|---|
| July 7, 1891 – c. 23 March 1945 | |
 Lt. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi |
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| Place of birth | Nagano prefecture, Japan |
| Place of death | Iwo Jima, Japan |
| Allegiance | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1945 |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | 109th Division, Ogasawara Army Group |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II(Battle of Iwo Jima) |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun with Gold and Silver Star (2nd class), Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (3rd class), Order of the Precious Crown, Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure |
Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Japanese: 栗林忠道 Kuribayashi Tadamichi) (July 7, 1891 in Nagano prefecture, Japan - March 23, 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan) was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army and was mostly known as the commander of the Empire of Japan's garrison on the island during most of what is known as the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
Assigned by Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to defend the island of Iwo Jima, Kuribayashi led the Japanese force there without air or naval support, and with around 20,000 soldiers against the 100,000 man invasion force of the United States. In the ensuing battle many Japanese soldiers fought to the end, with only 296 surrendering. The general died near the end of the Battle of Iwo Jima, and has since been recognized by the Japanese government for his dedication and staunch military defense along with his forces against overwhelming odds with the certain knowledge that he and others would die in the inevitable defeat.
Tadamichi sent many letters to his family about his fate on the island before the battle, helping to form the basis for historical perspectives.
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[edit] Life before the war
Kuribayashi was of samurai descent and an aristocrat. He was a dedicated family man and spent as much time with his family as he could, maintaining an extensive correspondence with both his wife, son and daughter during his travels.
He received part of his education in Canada, and starting in 1928 he spent two years as a deputy military attaché in Washington DC. During this time he traveled extensively by himself across the United States. In his travels he grew to know America quite well and to gain a respect for the American people. The extent of his respect and knowledge is largely known through letters he wrote home to his family. He opposed war with America, as did Isoroku Yamamoto, a naval commander who had also traveled extensively in the United States. Kuribayashi was ignored and also sidelined for this opposition, but spoke extensively to colleagues of the futility of a war against a nation he knew to have overwhelming industrial capacity. In spite of his controversial views, however, he was one of the few soldiers ever granted an audience with Emperor Hirohito.
[edit] Battle of Iwo Jima
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There were two things of which Kuribayashi was certain: that Iwo Jima would eventually fall to the United States and that he and his garrison would all perish. Nevertheless he was determined to make the fall of Iwo Jima as costly as possible to the United States. General Kuribayashi had studied carefully other US assaults and had determined that he would not seriously contest the beach landings. Instead, the defense of Iwo Jima was fought almost entirely underground. However, to appease those in the Japanese High Command, he committed a battalion of troops to defensive positions just off the beaches. Naval gunfire and intense naval air support had wiped out nearly all of these defenders before the first LVTs touched the volcanic ash of the Iwo shore.
The Japanese honeycombed the island with more than 30 km (18 miles) of tunnels, 5,000 caves, and pillboxes. He also instructed his troops that each man should kill 10 of the enemy before they were killed. Kuribayashi strictly forbade the banzai charge. He viewed that attack as an ineffective method, especially because the loud scream before the suicidal charge gave the enemy early warning. His men proceeded with the "silent" charge, which confused many of the Americans, who were used to the loud charge in the Battle of Saipan.
The cause of General Kuribayashi’s death remains a mystery. His men provided contradictory reports and his remains could not be traced. He was most likely killed in action upon leading the final assault. His body could not be identified because he had taken off his rank badge to fight as a regular. Less credible theories of his death include suicide (seppuku) or murder by a fellow soldier.
The US declared Iwo Jima secure on March 26, 1945, after 6,800 U.S. Marines were killed in the battle and more than 17,000 were wounded. Only 283 of the 22,000 Japanese defenders survived to be captured.
[edit] Portrayal in film
Kuribayashi is portrayed by actor Ken Watanabe in Letters from Iwo Jima a film directed by Clint Eastwood about the Battle of Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective. The film was released in December 2006. Eastwood also directed another film, Flags of Our Fathers, which told the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the American perspective. It was released in October 2006. A tentative title for Letters from Iwo Jima was "Lamps Before the Wind," taken from a line in a letter from Kuribayashi to his son, Taro: "The life of your father is just like a lamp before the wind." [1]
[edit] References
- ^ James Bradley, Flags of Our Fathers, page 148
[edit] External links
