51吃瓜网

MINAMIKYUSHU, KAGOSHIMA PREF. – A great-grandson of Tome Torihama, who was a beloved motherly figure to Japanese kamikaze suicide attack pilots in World War II, is dedicated to preserving the stories of the pilots, whom he calls “human beings, not heroes.”

Kenta Torihama, 33, has taken on his father’s life work of speaking about the kamikaze pilots who took off from the Chiran air base in Kagoshima Prefecture, late in the war. Their planes, loaded with 250 kilograms of bombs, deliberately crashed into enemy ships.

Tome Torihama ran the Tomiya Shokudo military-designated canteen near the former Imperial Japanese Army air base in what is now the city of Minamikyushu. She was adored as a mother-like presence, taking care of young pilots’ final letters to their families and preparing dishes the pilots wanted to eat at her own expense.

Kenta Torihama’s father, Akihisa Torhihama, who died at the age of 60 in 2021, opened a museum in 2001 that restored the canteen, aiming to pass on her stories. He had heard tales about the pilots from Tome Torihama, whom he lived with for about three decades, and served as director of the museum.

Kenta Torihama grew up near the former air base but went to a university in Okayama Prefecture. There, he was shocked that his classmates did not know about kamikaze pilots from Chiran, thinking that the pilots’ stories may disappear and strengthening his resolve to head his father’s museum some day.

Akihisa Torihama fell ill around 2016, making it difficult for him to continue as director. Amid discussions on possibly closing the museum, Kenta Torihama, who was then working at an automobile-related company in Hiroshima Prefecture, returned to his hometown. He became the museum’s director in July 2021.

He had rarely met his great-grandmother, but grew up listening to his father telling the stories of kamikaze pilots and witnessing the emotional impact on visitors. He started to listen directly to his father’s stories on a regular basis from when he was in the upper grades of elementary school, and memorized the anecdotes of each pilot.

After his father became ill, Kenta Torihama took his place sharing the pilots’ stories, giving over 1,000 lectures.

He often describes the kamikaze pilots as “human beings like us.”

“Over time, the pilots have become heroes in history,” he said. “But they had people they wanted to protect, and they departed (on their suicide missions) after much agony and anguish.”

“I want to pass on Tome’s memories to future generations.”