{"product_id":"memoirs-of-a-kamikaze-a-world-war-ii-pilots-inspiring-story-of-survival-honor-and-reconciliation-9784805315750","title":"Memoirs of a Kamikaze: A World War II Pilot's Inspiring Story of Survival, Honor and Reconciliation","description":"\u003cb\u003e**Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Winner**\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn incredible, untold story of survival and acceptance that sheds light on one of the darkest chapters in Japanese history.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book tells the story of Kazuo Odachi who--in 1943, when he was just 16 years-old--joined the Imperial Japanese Navy to become a pilot. A year later, he was unknowingly assigned to the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps--a group of airmen whose mission was to sacrifice their lives by crashing planes into enemy ships. Their callsign was \"ten dead, zero alive.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBy picking up \u003ci\u003eMemoirs of a Kamikaze\u003c\/i\u003e, readers will experience the hardships of fighter pilot training--dipping and diving and watching as other trainees crash into nearby mountainsides. They'll witness the psychological trauma of coming to terms with death before each mission, and breathe a sigh of relief with Odachi when his last mission is cut short by Japan's eventual surrender. They'll feel the anger at a government and society that swept so much of the sacrifice under the rug in its desperation to rebuild. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOdachi's innate \"samurai spirit\" carried him through childhood, WWII and his eventual life as a kendo instructor, police officer and detective. His attention to detail, unwavering self-discipline and impenetrably strong mind were often the difference between life and death. Odachi, who is now well into his nineties, kept his Kamikaze past a secret for most of his life. Seven decades later, he agreed to sit for nearly seventy hours of interviews with the authors of this book--who know Odachi personally. He felt it was his responsibility to finally reveal the truth about the Kamikaze pilots: that they were unsuspecting teenagers and young men asked to do the bidding of superior officers who were never held to account. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book offers a new perspective on these infamous suicide pilots. It is not a chronicle of war, nor is it a collection of research papers compiled by scholars. It is a transcript of Odachi's words.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKazuo Odachi\u003c\/b\u003e joined the Japanese navy during World War II at the age of 16, becoming a pilot in the Kamikaze Special Attack force. He completed 8 suicide missions without spotting a target. After surviving the war, he returned to Japan and became a police officer in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and then a detective retiring as a Director in the 3rd Investigation Division of the Criminal Affairs Bureau. Having possessed a passion for Kendo since he was a youth, he has taught the art to children for the last 33 years. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAuthor and Translator \u003cb\u003eShigeru Ohta, \u003c\/b\u003e is a former prosecutor, having worked for 34 years at the Ministry of Justice in Tokyo, Osaka, and other cities. He taught law at Waseda University for 5 years and is currently a professor in the Department of Crisis Management at Nihon University. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eHiroyoshi Nishijima\u003c\/b\u003e worked for the \u003ci\u003eYomiuri\u003c\/i\u003e newspaper in Tokyo, retiring as Chief of the Editorial Bureau. He is currently a member of the Japan National Press Club and the Editorial Committee of the Shibat Ryotaro Memorial Foundation magazine \u003ci\u003eRyo\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlexander Bennett\u003c\/b\u003e is a professor of Japanese history, martial arts and Budo theory at Kansai University. He co-founded and publishes \u003ci\u003eKendo World\u003c\/i\u003e, the first English-language journal dedicated to Kendo. He holds black belts in several martial arts. His published works include \u003ci\u003eJapan: The Ultimate Samurai Guide\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Complete Musashi\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Tuttle Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50641747607826,"sku":"9784805315750","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_d3d5ff16-3769-45e4-be00-ab27dd69a13c.jpg?v=1733033891","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/memoirs-of-a-kamikaze-a-world-war-ii-pilots-inspiring-story-of-survival-honor-and-reconciliation-9784805315750","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}