80 Years On: Man Passing On Stories of Kamikaze Pilots

   Minamikyushu, Kagoshima Pref., Aug. 14 (Jiji Press)--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, southwestern Japan, in the late phase of the war. Their planes, loaded with 250 kilograms of bombs, deliberately crashed into enemy ships.
   Tome 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's father, Akihisa, who died at the age of 60 in 2021, opened a museum in 2001 that restored Tome's canteen, aiming to pass on her stories. Akihisa heard tales about the pilots from Tome, whom he lived with for about three decades, and served as director of the museum.
   Kenta grew up near the former air base but went to a university in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. 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.

(2025/08/14-09:30)

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