The Emperor
Would you readily exchange souls for gold
Would you urge hot-blooded pilots to die for dear oil
and perhaps to prevent the unthinkable defeat
that your supporters, masterminds never dare to mention
You look on and nod in approval and confidence
You see the fire in their eyes, gives you more assurance
don't start to forget the ghastly looks on their beautiful faces
as they prepare for what's painfully unjust for lives so innocent
Waving, grinning in spite of waves of cold sweat,as they go on
their very last death march, with utterly intolerable sad grace
to what they hope never fading honor and glory
but what would they think of the eternal silence
waiting for them when it's all over, even what they fought and died for
It is unendurable to watch...their arduous walk down the runway
while some who love and hurt deeply weep and murmur "please"
some in grief, they pray secretly, broken-hearted for a miracle,
others in unspeakable joy and pride, they ask not for protection
but what they believe is more paramount, it's the recognition
All the young boys afraid of not only endings, loses and departs
more than anything it's being forgotten, by anyone
The too predictable history one day won't know their names
Never-mind their fears, their emotions, their bodies and minds
You suffocate when thoughts crop up and try to bring you shame
only when your beloved followers are not burying you with praises
You resurface and attempt to find some relief
So you too begin to admire your own power and brilliance
How easily and flawlessly you convince so many to die for you
in the name of "our" country, and "our" beliefs, and "our" enemies
Leave them no doubts in your faith and ability
You are our only savior, only wisdom, only truth of the war
... ...
but not peace, no not beauty, grace, or love, no not life.
Our souls are unbreakable
Would you urge hot-blooded pilots to die for dear oil
and perhaps to prevent the unthinkable defeat
that your supporters, masterminds never dare to mention
You look on and nod in approval and confidence
You see the fire in their eyes, gives you more assurance
don't start to forget the ghastly looks on their beautiful faces
as they prepare for what's painfully unjust for lives so innocent
Waving, grinning in spite of waves of cold sweat,as they go on
their very last death march, with utterly intolerable sad grace
to what they hope never fading honor and glory
but what would they think of the eternal silence
waiting for them when it's all over, even what they fought and died for
It is unendurable to watch...their arduous walk down the runway
while some who love and hurt deeply weep and murmur "please"
some in grief, they pray secretly, broken-hearted for a miracle,
others in unspeakable joy and pride, they ask not for protection
but what they believe is more paramount, it's the recognition
All the young boys afraid of not only endings, loses and departs
more than anything it's being forgotten, by anyone
The too predictable history one day won't know their names
Never-mind their fears, their emotions, their bodies and minds
You suffocate when thoughts crop up and try to bring you shame
only when your beloved followers are not burying you with praises
You resurface and attempt to find some relief
So you too begin to admire your own power and brilliance
How easily and flawlessly you convince so many to die for you
in the name of "our" country, and "our" beliefs, and "our" enemies
Leave them no doubts in your faith and ability
You are our only savior, only wisdom, only truth of the war
... ...
but not peace, no not beauty, grace, or love, no not life.
Our souls are unbreakable
Ella Evans© 2008
Toward the end of World War II, when an American invasion of Japan’s homeland seemed imminent, Ōnishi Takijirō, a navy vice admiral, invented the tokkōtai (“Special Attack Force”) operation, which included airplanes, gliders, and submarine torpedoes... Any soldier who refused would become persona non grata or be sent to the southern battlefield, where death was guaranteed. Some soldiers actually managed to say no, but their refusal was disregarded. The tokkōtai pilots were supposed to die. From the time they received their assignment, they no longer belonged to this world. They could not return if they were unable to locate the enemy... As Hayashi Ichizō put it: “There must be some peace of mind for dedicating my life to the emperor... To be honest, I cannot say that the wish to die for the emperor is genuine, coming from my heart. However, it is decided for me that I die for the emperor.”... The diaries of these young men offer eloquent testimony that contradicts both the stereotype held outside of Japan and the propaganda circulated by the Japanese military: that tokkōtai pilots died happily for the emperor.
---An excerpt from Kamikaze Diaries, Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers---Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney
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