Letters From Iwo Jima Analysis

On the surface one may connect Bushido to Japanese tactics and strategy in World War II, but this relationship is only on the surface. Suicide charges and kamikaze pilots may look like and very well be ritual suicide, but the meaning is far too different. In Bushido killing oneself is the ultimate clearing of honor and debt. However the Japanese military coopted this premise and heavily altered the idea that shaming your master was reason enough to enact seppuku into essentially not winning being reason enough to do so. Continuing, the other tenants about honor, respect, and learning were countered by the poor treatment of prisoners, the numerous atrocities committed upon those in occupied lands, and blatant racial attacks on everyone that

There were 26,000 casualties and 6,800 dead Americans at Iwo Jima, with 20,000 casualties and 1083 dead Japanese. (1. "Battle for Iwo Jima, 1945." The Navy Department Library) At Okinawa there were 65,000 American casualties and 14,000 dead, while the Japanese lost 70,000 soldiers out of the 130,000 stationed on Okinawa. (2. "Battle of Okinawa." History.com) The bloodshed from these two battles gave the Americans a taste of the militaristic Japanese, and that a battle for the homeland of Japan would be astronomically worse. The Japanese were prepared to use any means necessary to stop the Americans because of “Yamato Damashii”, which was a virtue of the samurai that went hand in hand with the Bushido code, and it made the Japanese value the country and the emperor above all else, and that fighting to the death was greater than surrender. and it came in the form of Kamikaze attacks, suicide troops, and guerilla warfare. At Okinawa, 193 kamikaze attacks were launched at the Americans damaging 368 ships and destroying 36. (3. "The Battle of Okinawa." History Learning Site) The Japanese were prepared to sacrifice everything they had to destroy American ships and troops. The Japanese also used their own people to fight against the Americans.

Beating had long been an acceptable and routine method of discipline within the Japanese Army. Soldiers could strike subordinates with no questions asked and no explanation warranted. The slightest distinction between ranks was of critical importance because it meant the difference between who could inflict blows, and who could expect to receive them. This sort of institutionalized brutality had a tendency to work its way down the ranks to the lowliest private. One can imagine what would happen when an enlisted man, hardened by this psychology of top-down violence, found himself suddenly thrown into a foreign and not altogether distasteful situation in which he was the superior, in charge of a group of helpless prisoners. For some, the temptation to beat proved irresistible. For others, beating was only the beginning." (Hampton 91-92)

In The Tale of Heike, the way in which the Japanese viewed defeat and dying is revealed to the reader through various incidents covered during the time of the novel. To be defeated was shameful but to prevail was a way to gain respect and honor. The accounts in Heike tell us that one could defeat an opponent by exiling him, insulting him, or even taking revenge upon him. Because being defeated was shameful, warriors would kill themselves before being killed by the opponent. If a warrior failed in his duty, suicide would be the necessary measure taken to regain honor. Not only could suicide be a way to gain honor, it could also be a way to shame someone. If you prohibit your enemy

Patriotism can be defined as devoted love, support, and defense against one’s country. John F. Kennedy, in his inaugural address stated, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The soldiers at Iwo Jima were patriots that fought wars and lost men for our country. They were devoted to America and this is evident because the remaining soldiers raised the Flag in awareness. The citizens that died on September 11, 2001 were not soldiers, however, they did lose their lives for our country. That is why the firemen raised the flag in the wake of this horrible tragedy. Patriotism takes on many aspects and this is evident within the photographs for these two events. The raising of the flag at Iwo Jima and at Ground Zero have striking similarities such as valor, fearlessness, and unwavering loyalty for our country.

In Tokugawa Japan, “the way of the samurai”, also known as bushido, is defined by William De Bary, author of Sources of Japanese Tradition, as a samurai code of ethics in which one “reflects on his own station in life, gives loyal service to his master if has one, strengthens his fidelity in associations with friends, and with due considerations of his own position, devotes himself to duty above all” (206). The general purpose of bushido is a total sacrifice of self-autonomy and a samurai’s “willingness to die rather than dishonor their lord” (Lu 262).

In the period of the shogunate, the different ranks of warriors held political power. Under the rank of the emperor and the shogunate were the daimyo, who were lords that constructed castles and ruled vast rural estates. The daimyo had hired warriors to protect the land and the farmers of that land. Theses warriors we're known as samurai. A person may have been born a samurai, but one had to experience a huge deal of training and practicing. Not many people were samurai. About one in twenty people were samurai, and only they could have swords or be part of the administrative office. By carrying the instruments of death, a long sword and a short sword, always allowed the samurai to constantly think of his task. This task was to obey his lord while being loyal to his master and do his duty with bravery. Samurai were expected to be a role model to others. If a samurai is to ever cause dishonor, the samurai would commit seppuku, which is a ritual suicide, with his short sword. Seppuku displays his selflessness and loyalty to the samurai’s lord. Many

In the text of Bushido: Samurai Ethics and the Soul of Japan by Imazo Nitobe, various precepts of samurai conduct are outlined. Many stories of the samurai exploits and battles are highlighted in the texts of: Hogen Monogatari: Tale of the Disorder in Hogen by, William R. Wilson, and the Tales of the Heike by, Burton Watson. These warrior tales passed down by many generations throughout all of Japan contain insight into the actions and character of the samurai warriors. According to Bushido, when compared to the texts of Hogen Monogatari and the Tales of the Heike there are many instances in which the samurai abide by moral codes, and other times when they stray in the precepts of loyalty, politeness, and suicide, in which they allow their

In this text, the Yamamoto Tsunetomo describes various attributes that a samurai must have in order to serve their lord fully. These skills range from having wisdom, to having courage for every task that must be done. The reason that these virtues are important is because they exemplify the samurai of old, who were decreasing in number. Each virtue Yamamoto describes is important to a samurai, since it would form the keystone of his values. As such, Yamamoto starts out with why a samurai should value death, even in when they have a fifty percent chance to live.

Japan in at the end of the nineteenth century was going through a change in government. The old system, the shogunate, had been toppled by a group of intellectual, Saigo included, and the power returned to the Emperor. Japan’s new government was becoming starting to go through a process of westernization, and the samurais were paying the price. In 1877 samurai stipends were eliminated and the carrying of weapons prohibited. Saigo believed that the samurai class represented the epitome of honor and self-valor, so he decided to confront the government over their actions and on September 24, 1887 he died in battle. Honor and courage were very important for Saigo, because of this he believed that a true warrior

Unlike our soldiers today, samurai were old warriors that looked, fought, and achieved goals differently. Samurai went by the ways of Bushido, Way of the Warrior, and either worked for their daimyo and the shogun, or worked for themselves, called Ronin. Samurai were mostly honorable, and Ronin were lost samurai or crooked criminals that worked only for their benefits and no one elses. Also, samurai went by a code of conduct, which specified how they would do their job. A samurai's life was one of honor, battle, and death. In honor and death, a samurai is most known for their ritualistic suicides called Seppuku. A samurai would perform this ritual if they saw no win in a battle, were cowards in battle, did something dishonest, or if they lost sponsorship from their daimyo.

There are deep traditional beliefs about death, which are greatly instilled within the Japanese military culture. This tradition is actually somewhat similar to those in the samurai life and the Bushido Code which says “loyalty and honour until death”. It is said that these Japanese kamikaze pilots actually prefer death more than to be captured or caught by the enemy as it was thought that the latter meant shame. They believed that their death could show and prove their love for their country, emporer, as well as their families. Emporer Hirohito was well loked by the people at that time as he was often called the son of heaven.

It was after Pearl Harbor and multiple allies began attacking Japan. They were running out of resources fast and knew that all was not going to go as plan. Now most people are under the impression that each attacker had an option and you were either in it for the thrill or you were in it to serve your country. However, this was not the case. Most of the men were forced to participate due to what role they played in the military and overall majority of men did not want to go down in the books as a coward. So no, not all of these men were thrilled to take upon this task, knowing their valued lives wouldn’t be

When a war came about the Japanese would go into battle to die. Some Japanese soldiers, called Bushi which meant Samurai in Japanese, would commit suicide by riding fearlessly into battle to kill themselves for what they called honorable. If the soldier returned home after war it would be a disgrace,for it shows weakness. To them it says that you did not fight to the death. Japan has no history so suicide was seen as a way of redemption in Samurai belief.

He also learns when their honor is at stake, they will take their own life. This shows their unwavering dedication to their beliefs within their culture. There was dialogue between the Algren and Katsumoto regarding the cultural differences regarding the decapitation of the solider that Algren felt like was a good man and did not deserve to die. Katsumoto pointed out the difference in point of view when he explained that he honored him by chopping off his head rather than punishing him. Japanese culture is explained that the dishonor of failure requires you to fall on your sword to regain honor.