Tadamichi Kuribayashi
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| Tadamichi Kuribayashi | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Unit | Defense of Iwo Jima |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | World War II (Battle of Iwo Jima) |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star (2nd class), Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (3rd class), Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure |
Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Japanese: 栗林忠道 Kuribayashi Tadamichi) (1891 in Nagano prefecture, Japan - March 23, 1945 on Iwo Jima, Japan) was a Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army and 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 Hideki Tojo to defend Iwo Jima, Tadamichi 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 is reported to have committed seppuku (suicide) 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 (see below).
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 was opposed to war with America (much as did Isoroku Yamamoto, a naval commander who had also traveled extensively in the USA). 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
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 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 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.
On March 23, 1945, held up in an underground cave, the last radio transmission to Tokyo from Kuribayashi went out: "All officers of Chichi Jima, goodbye from Iwo". General Kuribayashi reportedly committed seppuku. His body was never found.
The US declared Iwo Jima secure on March 26, 1945. 6,800 U.S. Marines were killed at the battle and more than 17,000 were wounded. Only 283 of the 22,000 Japanese defenders survived to be captured.
[edit] Movies
He will be portrayed by actor Ken Watanabe in the Clint Eastwood-directed film Letters from Iwo Jima or Red Sun, Black Sand, a film directed by Clint Eastwood, one from the Japanese perspective. This film is slated for release in December 2006, with another film shot from the American perspective, Flags of Our Fathers released before it, in October 2006. (A tentative title for Red Sun, Black Sand was "Lamps Before the Wind," taken from a line in a letter from Tadamichi Kuribayashi to his son, Taro: "The life of your father is just like a lamp before the wind." (James Bradley, Flags of Our Fathers, page 148))
[edit] Quotes
- "The life of your father is just like a lamp before the wind." - to his son Taro Kuribayashi
- "All officers of Chichi Jima, goodbye from Iwo" - his last radio transmission to the Japanese military headquarters.
- "We are sorry indeed we could not have defended the island successfully. Now I, Kuribayashi, believe that the enemy will invade Japan proper from this island. ... I am very sorry, because I can imagine the scenes of disaster in our empire. However, I comfort myself a little, seeing my officers and men die without regret after struggling in this inch-by-inch battle against an overwhelming enemy with many tanks and being exposed to indescribable bombardments. ... I would like now to apologize to my senior and fellow officers for not being strong enough to stop the enemy invasion"
- "We are still fighting", Kuribayashi radioed on March 22. "The strength under my command is now about four hundred. Tanks are attacking us. The enemy suggested we surrender through loudspeaker, but our officers and men just laughed and paid no attention." - (James Bradley, Flags of Our Fathers, 245).
- "Do not plan for my return..." - to his wife [1]
- "You must not expect my survival..." - letter to his wife [2]
- "The US is the last country in the world we should fight." [3]
- "The enemy may land on this island soon. Once they do, we must follow the fate of those on Attu and Saipan. Our officers and men know about “Death” very well. I am sorry to end my life here, fighting the United States of America, but I want to defend this island as long as possible and to delay the enemy air raids on Tokyo. Ah! You have worked well for a long time as my wife and the mother of my three children. Your life will become harder and more precarious. Watch out for your health and live long. The future of our children will not be easy either. Please take care of them after my death." - to wife Yoshie Kuribayashi shortly before the Battle of Iwo Jima
- "The battle is approaching its end. Since the enemy’s landing, even the gods would weep at the bravery of the officers and men under my command. ... [My] men died one by one, and I regret very much that I have allowed the enemy to occupy a piece of Japanese territory." - radio message to Imperial Japanese Army's vice chief of staff.
[edit] Quotes about Kuribayashi
- "Of all of our adversaries in the Pacific, Kuribayashi was the most redoubtable." - Holland Smith, commander of American forces in Battle of Iwo Jima. [4]
