Shurijo Castle A battlefield that sleeps underground Former Japanese Army 32nd Army Headquarters August 12 16:02

There is a place in the basement of Shuri Castle in Okinawa, which was hit by a big fire last year, and which tells the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa 75 years ago. Access has been severely restricted until now, but this time for the first time, a TV camera has entered deep inside. (Okinawa Broadcasting Press Atsushi Matsushita)

First shooting Go deep inside the bunker of Okinawa

"Giti, Giti". Every time I pull the iron door that is tightly closed, the iron frame that has been distorted over time and the sound of the ground rubbing around.

In the forest, 300 meters southwest of Shurijo Shrine, a symbol of Okinawa, there is a battlefield that has been sleeping for almost 75 years without being noticed.

"32nd Army Hunt".

It is an underground tank where the headquarters of the former Japanese army was placed during the Battle of Okinawa at the end of the Pacific War. Due to the high risk of collapse, Okinawa Prefecture strictly manages it, and now only a yearly contractor enters.

This time, NHK, as a joint research with Okinawa Prefecture, took a picture with special permission. This is the first time that a TV camera has entered the deepest part of the entrance called the 5th gallery.

When I opened the door and took a step forward, it was cool, but heavy, moist air passed by my neck.

Water flows continuously from the back of the deep black underground to the exit, like a stream.

The rain that has fallen on the hills of Shuri passes through the Ryukyu limestone strata and is welling up.

Humidity is almost 100%, and the temperature is 23 degrees Celsius all year round, so the inside temperature is always kept at the same level as Okinawa's average annual temperature.

After going through the straight path, you can see a small room of 6 tatami mats on your right. Old Japanese rifles, iron helmets, and machines that appear to be radios are randomly placed there.

Further about 100 meters from the entrance, the smell of moist soil like clay struck my nose. It appeared in the stratum of Shimajiri mud "Kucha".

In contrast to the hard Ryukyu limestone strata that existed until then, the ground was loose, and just in case, the boots for climbing were buried in the mud around the ankle. It's hard to go one step further.

After walking for a while, I realized that something was buried in the ground. It is a tree about 60 cm long. It is said that it was a trolley sleeper that was established at the time. The geological survey engineer, who manages it, told me that the burial in the wet mud makes it harder for corrosion to proceed. I'm surprised that the wood from 75 years ago still retains its texture.

After about 50 meters, I hit a dead end. When the passage had a structure that went up in a staircase, the earth and sand collapsed and it was impossible to proceed.

At the end of May 1945, the former Japanese army, which was surrounded by the U.S. forces around Shuri, abandoned the bunker and withdrew to the southern part of the main island of Okinawa. .. This decision to withdraw was the beginning of a month of tragedy in which the victims of the population grew.

"Just like one underground hotel" A fortress built under Shuri Castle

The 32nd Army Headquarters was constructed by a piercing construction in the basement of Shuri Castle from December 1945, four months before the US Army landed. The total length is more than 1 kilometer, and it is dug along the north and south of Shuri Castle approximately 30 meters underground.

There are two reasons why this location was chosen as the headquarters. One was that it had a solid formation of Ryukyu limestone that could withstand the US military's 1-ton bomb and gun fire, and the other was because it was located on a high ground and could see the surrounding battle situation.

There are only five entrances, and three on the north side of the front. Nowadays, there is an entrance on the slope to the north just tens of meters from the shrine gates and reception gates where tourists come and go, but none of them are buried and you cannot enter.

On the other hand, there are two locations on the south side, which is the back entrance, and the entrance that we entered this time is the only remaining entrance called the 5th tunnel.

In the “Okinawa decisive battle high-level staff member's memoir” written after the war, former colonel Hiromichi Yahara, who was the second-highest staff member in the 32nd Army after the chief of staff, was the third highest-ranking staff officer, he wrote as follows.

"I think of the cavern with a length of thirty meters, an extension of a thousand and several hundred meters, a large number of offices and living rooms, and a night shop in the former Ginza. It houses a myriad of electric lights that sparkle during the twenty-six hours and a thousand soldiers. And, just like that, I have a view of a big underground hotel."

"Medium-sized and below cannon bombs just bounce off like a myriad of beans dropped on an iron plate. Anyway, inside the cave is absolutely dangerous and absolutely safe."

Shuri, the beginning of a further tragedy

The war situation was getting worse day by day when the former Japanese army was building a command center in the basement of Shuri Castle in anticipation of the Okinawa Battle. The Allied Forces, centered on the US Army, continued to move northward by overcoming the Pacific islands such as Saipan and Iwojima one after another, breaking through Japan's absolute defense sphere.

On the other hand, the former Japanese army set up 32 forces to defend Okinawa, gathered about 100,000 troops, and was about to attack the US army.

Then, on March 26, 1945, the US Army began landing on the Kerama Islands, and on April 1, it also landed on the central part of the main island of Okinawa, and a full-scale ground battle began.

The U.S. forces siege Shuri, where the HQ is located, in mid-May, despite severe resistance from the 32nd army. The 32 troops had already lost half their strength at this time.

Within the command bunker, there was a disagreement among the executives whether to concentrate the force on Shuri and challenge the final battle, or to withdraw to the southern part of the main island and hide in a cave to develop a lasting battle.

At this time, senior staff officer Colonel Hachihara said, "In order to make the mainland decisive battle even more advantageous, we should continue to fight against it. With the barbaric sentimental theory that it will die at once, the military future strategy It should be avoided as much as possible when deciding on a policy," the above-mentioned memo states that he appealed for the endurance battle in the southern part of the main island.

On May 22, Commander General Mitsuru Ushijima decided to withdraw to the south. It was decided to relocate to the cave of Mabuni, Itoman City, at the southern end of the main island, and hold an enduring battle.

However, the decision resulted in involvement of the people on the battlefield. From urban areas such as Naha and Shuri, many inhabitants evacuated to the south as if chasing the army. In addition to being involved in the attack by the US Army, many lives were lost, such as being evacuated from a trench sheltered by Japanese soldiers and being hit by a cannon fire.

It continued until June 23, when it was said that Lieutenant General Ushijima had decided to end his systematic battle in Mabuni's cave.

About 120,000 prefectural people were killed in the Battle of Okinawa. Of these, 82,000 are residents who know the time and place of their death, excluding military personnel and military members. It is said that at least half of this number, 46,000, died in the month following the withdrawal of Shuri.

“Negative heritage” momentum for public disclosure

At present, attention is being paid to the historical value of the command bunker in Okinawa. There is an increasing momentum to carry out detailed investigations, save, and disclose the information as it is an important battlefield that symbolizes the Battle of Okinawa that caused the spread of damage to residents.

The trigger was the fire at Shuri Castle last year. As the Shuri Castle, which is a symbol of the Ryukyu Kingdom and one of the best sightseeing spots in the prefecture, is being reconstructed, the “negative heritage” command pit sleeping at the foot of the shrine has come into the spotlight again. It is.

In March, those who experienced the Battle of Okinawa will form a civic group that requests public disclosure, and will appeal the importance of preservation through SNS.

In June, Governor Tamaki of Okinawa Prefecture also set up an examination committee consisting of experts to show the idea of ​​how to save and disclose.

Vice-Chairman Takayama
"I would like to rebuild the Shurijo Castle, which is a symbol of Okinawa, as well as maintain and expose the command bunker, which has a negative history, so that people visiting Shurijo can learn more about the history of Okinawa. It should be possible"

Thought of former Governor Masahide Ota in the headquarters bunker as a student squad

The 32nd Army Headquarters has once had a full-scale debate about its release. Twenty-five years ago, in 1995, then Governor Masahide Ota launched a preservation/public project as a project 50 years after the war.

Mr. Ota has set up a study committee consisting of experts and others for public disclosure, and has compiled a basic plan for further development as a place for education and tourism. However, three years later, in 1998, Mr. Ota lost the prefectural governor's election, and the plan was frozen thereafter.

Mr. Ota was particular about his exhibition during the war. Mr. Ota was a student of the Okinawa Normal School at the time of the Battle of Okinawa and was a member of the student mobilized by the army. He belonged to the "Chihaya Corps", an information publicity unit, and was responsible for communicating the policies of the 32 military forces to local residents. He actually went in and out of the command bunker and watched closely the trends of the military.

In 2009, eleven years ago, I was a fledgling reporter, and I visited Mr. Ota, who had already retired from politics, to hear about this bunker. The interview with the TV camera was gently declined, but instead, three of my colleagues talked to me at the hotel bar. At that time, I still remember vividly his words as he shook his cocktail with high alcohol content.

Governor Ota
"I was a real young military boy. I loved troops and tanks, but I was wrong."

I was proud of working with an officer in the bunker. However, the tragedy of the inhabitants in the South that I witnessed one after another. Intense regret overflowed from his back sitting at the bar counter.

At that time, I was 83 years old, and at the time of the Governor, I felt that I saw the origin of Mr. Ota, who had a fierce confrontation with the government in appealing for the reduction and contraction of US military bases.

Challenges for advanced weathering

On the other hand, in this shooting, the situation has become more and more obsolete, and it seems that it is unlikely that the opening of the command bunker will be easy.

In the room closest to the entrance, the section that is considered to be the kitchen according to the records of the 32nd Army has a series of falling rocks, and large rocks with a diameter of about 2 meters lie. A crack of about 3 meters extends in a straight line on the ceiling. Even if it is seen by an amateur, it is in a state where it can be destroyed at any time.

In order to prevent the collapse, there are 189 steel pillars and beams called shorings installed in the passage in the trench, and the gaps between the shorings and the walls and ceiling are filled with Styrofoam to prevent them from falling.

Walking up the Ryukyu limestone layer passage up to 50 meters from the entrance, he repeatedly hits the helmet on the ceiling. I've been here once 11 years ago, but it's a feeling I didn't have at that time.

I heard that in the Ryukyu limestone area, rainwater causes calcium in the limestone to melt and flow out and accumulate on the ground, gradually raising the ground.

Certainly the ground is shaped like a terraced field, like the rimstone often seen in limestone caves.

The underground burrow made by humans is gradually returning to its natural state after 75 years.

It is said that there was a staff room and an operation room in the future, which could not proceed due to the bombing, but no one has been able to investigate so far.

Shinobu Yoshihama, a former professor at Okinawa International University who is familiar with the battlefield, stressed the need for accelerating the move to the public, saying:

Motohama Yoshihama
"The tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa is concentrated in the month after the withdrawal to the south. It is the most valuable place to know the Battle of Okinawa. Unless we look at both sides of the command bunker, we cannot lead to a correct understanding of history."

This time, I was fortunately allowed to take a second photo for the first time in 11 years after having talked with the prefecture for almost half a year. I have heard stories of many people who have experienced it, but many tragedy began in the basement of Shuri Castle. I strongly hope that this interview will help to make it public, and give me a chance to think again about the Battle of Okinawa.

Okinawa Broadcasting Press
Atsushi Matsushita