Requiem for Battleship Yamato (Bluejacket Books)

Requeim fo Battleship Yamato is an exceptional book describing not just the last battle of the ship, but the feelings and emotions of the crew who manned her in this battle.This book was written and published in Japan and then suppressed by US occupation censurship policies. I, for one, can't see what the rationale for suppression was, having read the book several times.What I find must interesting is the author's description of the men he served with and the men he led. He was reproved by a superior officer for NOT striking a Sailor for an infraction of discipline. His description of the role of the executive officer is also enlightening - he was a "designated" survivor to report back about the mission. The description of a Nisei who was in the same stateroom as the author is quite moving. I for one, had never known or considered that there were Nisei in Japan at the time the war started and how they were treated by their fellow countrymen. If for no other reason than this last, I am glad I read the book.I first wrote this review in 2001. In 2006 I was able to visit the Battleship Yamato Museum in Kure. Having read the book several times before it was amazing to see the film of the minisub examining the remains of YAMATO. There are artifacts from the debris field on display. It would be nice if the book were available in English and Japanese at the museum. All visitors would find it useful. After visiting the muuseum, I did some further research on the US aspect of the YAMATO engagement. I learned that my mother`s second husband was in the crew of one of the submarines that detected YAMATO as she headed towards Okinawa. It was by the submarine reports that the carriers could get aircraft into the air and engage YAMATO. I thus have another reason for finding this book so engrossing and valuable.this is a fine book for all students of naval history. It is also an excellent piece of literature. I recommend it to all.

This book is a personal remembrance of the time, the place and the people this young Japanese navel officer experienced in those few days toward the end of the second world war. Some reviewers mentioned that this book lacked details of the battle. Of course, being such a junior office, he would have no details as to the actual battle. And if he did, it would be out of place in this relating of his deeply personal experience. I would guess that in the original language, it would almost be a poem. The translation hints to the lyricism, but something is lost in the translation. Still this is a moving recount of the last great Japanese battleship, on a doomed mission to stop the US from advancing to the Japanese homeland. There are other shorter accounts of this event, but none so introspective as this. The author asks himself the questions that all who have been in combat and who are responsible for others lives ask themselves. And as many before and after him, he can only come up with his own deeply personal answers, that others may fully identify with, question or not fully understand. It is a book to be read slowly and contemplatively; not one read and done.

Good book...enjoyed the perspective from the other side.

Though a relatively short book, I have not finished reading it yet (it is very thick in detail and concepts that challenge pre-thought notions). Not exactly an historical text/novel, it's more of a human experience in an inhumane war, the war without mercy in the Pacific theater of WWII. There is also an excellent introduction by the translator. As a novice scale modeler, I became fascinated with the ship Yamato, the biggest, baddest battleship ever built. But, this led to something more interesting - the Japanese people themselves and their nation, The Yamato. Knowing the fate of the battleship Yamato, I wanted to know more about the Japanese culture that led to the end game of the war, including the "divine wind" Kamikaze attempts to change the fortunes of war. Fanaticism or heroism? Both? Requiem means "an act or token or remembrance". In that regard, this book may help develop Japanese and American narratives clouded in the fog of war.I finished reading this, and I am left with ambiguous feelings. First, as a son of an American Marine, the War was merciless and we kicked butt. Second, pathetic or sad. How did it come to that? Rhetorical of course, but let's consider other current "enemies". Japan is a valued partner today, and they are looking to change their pacifist constitution - I welcome their participation in global peace keeping.