The human side of one of Japan's super battleships?

Question

The remarkable story of Tsukada Yoshiaki.

Answer 1

Tink that is breath-taking and heart-rending.

Comments

Indeed it is, Virginia.

"But since I was in the dead center of the bridge, it felt as if all the enemy's attacks were heading towards me. It was utterly terrifying."

Answer 2

I have company this morning so I can't listen to the video but I will get to it. Musashi and Yamato, the two biggest battlewagons made. If memory serves me right, Musashi was a sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Sibuyan Sea of the southern flank of the failed pincer attack on the American supply fleet.

Finally got to watch the video. He's lucky to have survived! 1,376 survived Musashi,s sinking but only 276 survived her sister ship Yamato,s sinking.

The whole Japanese plan for that battle was faulty and it cost many their lives.

Comments

What strikes me most about the way Yoshiaki tells his story is his calm, resigned matter-of-factness, and indeed the kindly expression on his face.

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That's the Japanese way.

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At least for some of them, if we can believe their movies.

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You should read up a bit on how the Japanese were brutally trained and I think you would understand a bit better.

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Yes, but in this depiction, it was only the master swordsman that was disciplined and calm; the hothead was not.

And you are right; I haven't read a whole lot about the Samurai tradition, but I wonder... is some (or a lot) of it romanticized, much like Western knighthood and chivalry?

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Somewhat but not near as much. Being Shinto-Bushido, I know quite a bit about this.