“My War” by Yoshikuni Masuyama as retold by his daughter, Miyuki Hegg

Editor’s Introduction

Toward the end of WWII, the Pine Grove Furnace POW Interrogation Camp was used to house Japanese prisoners.  One of those prisoners, Yoshikuni Masuyama, wrote a memoir of of his war time experiences after the war.  This was later transcribed by his wife, Fumie Masuyama.  Subsequently, the memoir was retold in English by his daughter Miyuki Hegg.  That retelling of his story, including his time at Pine Grove Furance, follows.  It provides one more piece of evidence to bring the events of WWII to life through the experiences of one Japanese soldier.

Introduction

Yoshikuni Masuyama wrote a memoir about his wartime experience and his months as a POW after he returned to Japan which he had planned to publish for his family and friends. Due to his heavy work schedule and early death, his plan was never fulfilled. However, on the tenth anniversary of his death, his wife Fumie Masuyama edited and produced a printed copy of his memoir on his behalf, which has been translated into English by his daughter and grandchildren for his American family members. It was used as the basis for a book published in Japan by Masuyama’s youngest son some years ago.

Outline produced by Miyuki and Warren Hegg

May 2016, in California

Summary of his memoir

Yoshikuni Masuyama was born in 1906 in Mito City, Japan, the son of teacher who was a descendent of samurai. In 1935, he married Fumie Kodama who bore him three sons. A graduate of the prestigious Hokkaido Imperial University, Masuyama had a successful career as a civil engineer at one of Japan’s major construction companies by the time the Pacific War began.

Given his level of education and his valuable technical skills, Masuyama believed that he was better able to contribute to the war effort as an engineer on the home front, rather than as a solider fighting on the battlefield. Initially, he was rejected for military service due to medical reasons, but in 1944, he was drafted into the Japanese Imperial Army, which was by that time enlisting virtually any able-bodied men, regardless of age. Ironically, while he was on board a ship bound for Iwo Jima, he learned that he had been mistakenly drafted in place of his younger brother, but by then his destiny had been decided.

Three days after landing on Iwo Jima in June 1944, he experienced the first air raid by the Americans. In July, the news that Saipan had fallen to American forces left the Japanese soldiers shaken, and tensions intensified at the prospect of the inevitable attack on Iwo Jima. Their orders were to fight to the death to prevent the island being used by the enemy to launch air attacks against the homeland. The entire garrison was commanded to begin building caves deep in the volcanic soil of the island and Masuyama’s civil engineering skills were highly appreciated. He also developed techniques for converting volcanic steam into water for which he was rewarded with two large bottles of sake.

From September 1944 till March 1945, Iwo Jima was steadily bombarded by air attacks, and Masuyama recalled how on several occasions he and his fellow soldiers watched as the boats carrying desperately needed food and supplies from Japan were sunk before they reached the island. Everyone hoped that military reinforcements would be sent from the homeland. Instead, in February 1945, they learned that hundreds of enemy war ships were steaming toward Iwo Jima, and that an attack was imminent.

The horrific events of the Battle of Iwo Jima are well documented, but in Masuyama’s personal memoir written after the war, he describes his personal experience with the horror of war in chilling and heart breaking detail. He remembers March 1945 as “the cruelest and most miserable time in my life.”

The battle that had raged since the U.S. Marines landed on February 19, had reached its peak and the Japanese high command ordered a final all out counterassault. By this time, Masuyama’s physical condition had severely deteriorated. Suffering from amoebic dysentery and malnutrition, he could barely move. Under heavy fire and bombing attacks, it took his unit more than one and a half hours to get to their assigned gathering area only a quarter of a mile away, only to discover that everyone had already left the area to fight. A few ventured out on their own to face almost certain death. Masuyama and others, who were seriously ill and considered unable to fight, were told to return to their caves, where many of their comrades were lying dead or wounded.

After the major battle was over, the Americans began scouring the island, using satchel charges and flamethrowers to force the Japanese soldiers hiding underground to the mouths of their caves where machine guns awaited them. Masuyama spent his days crawling through caves, without water or food, choking on the fumes of smoke, whispering with other hiding Japanese soldiers who were trying to decide on what to do. “We were just like foxes in a hole.”

Exhausted from sickness and desperation, and fearing that he would be burned alive, Masuyama finally decided to come out of hiding, “using my final strength in the hope that I would die in the sunshine.” Carrying one hand grenade provided by the Japanese army that was to be used to commit “Hara-kiri” suicide rather than be captured and a small bottle of moldy green water, he crawled slowly toward the light streaming in from the mouth of his cave. To his astonishment, he was met not with machine guns but by the cheers and whistles of American soldiers who were throwing candies and cigarettes at him and other Japanese soldiers who emerged from hiding. “I was surprised and felt a thrill of relief but also an overwhelming sense of humiliation at my decision to surrender.” On that day - April 8, 1945 – Masuyama’s life as a prisoner of war began.

He was 5 ft 8 inches tall and weighed about 85 pounds at the time of his capture. He was embarrassed at having been taken prisoner and for even simply being alive, when thousands of his fellow Japanese soldiers had died bravely defending their country. These feelings of shame were especially acute since he was a descendent of samurai from Mito where the traditional values of “bushido” were strictly adhered to as a matter of honor. Gradually he came to terms with his fate by focusing on getting physically stronger and waiting to see how he would be treated by his American captors. His first encounter had been reassuring; immediately following his surrender, he was driven to the medical tent and given some clean drinking water. Nevertheless, despite being treated well by his captors, he remembers lying naked on a bed on the beach, his first night as a prisoner, unable to sleep, “feeling an overwhelming sense of defeat and shame”.

From Iwo Jima, Masuyama was transferred to Hawaii, probably via Guam. Upon arrival in Hawaii, he was lining up to be assigned to a tent in the camp when an American soldier guarding the prisoners rushed up to him saying it would be shameful if a person who was so obviously physically weak did not receive proper care, and saw to it that he was immediately sent to a hospital where he recuperated for three weeks, apparently under Navy custody, before being sent to a prisoner of war camp.

After his arrival, he noticed there was a special tent for a group of Japanese who appeared to be helping Americans develop propaganda that was to be distributed to the Japanese on the battlefield. Masuyama was ordered to join them, but he noted in his memoir that he did not do much work and that the best part of being assigned to the group was that their meals were the same as those prepared for the Americans, and included a bowl of rice. He was also allowed to use an English-Japanese dictionary and to read English language books in his free time.

On June 25, 1945, Masuyama was transferred to the custody of the U.S. Army and assigned a POW ID number. A personal record sheet was created for him that traveled with him until he was repatriated to Japan. (About 25 years later, his children found this document in the Japanese government war records office). By this time, Masuyama had recovered physically, and weighed 130 pounds, thanks to the care and food provided to him by his American captors. At the Army POW camp, he was interrogated and his fingerprints were taken, which he recalls “made me feel like a real criminal.” The atmosphere in this Army POW camp was tense, due largely to the unmerciful treatment meted out by a group of former Japanese officers or NCOs who were abusive to fellow Japanese and constantly harassed them with wooden sticks. In one incident the American guards had to use guns to restore order and calm the Japanese prisoners. Masuyama later wrote that he witnessed “the ugly aspects of frustrated humans living in restrictive conditions.” He had rejected suggestions that he apply to become an officer when he was drafted into the Japanese army, a reflection of his distaste for the military and his awareness of how officers tended to mistreat their subordinates.

When he was put on board the ship for the U.S. mainland, Masuyama was excited about the prospect of seeing more of America, rather than being fearful of the future, despite constantly worrying about his family at home. Although he was not talkative, he liked to find various ways to communicate with Americans. For example, when he noticed that some American soldiers were interested in learning more about Japan and Japanese culture, he explained in his limited English the meaning of the flags, Japanese good luck charms, and other souvenirs that the Americans had picked up on the battlefields. He also assisted by recruiting fellow prisoners who were good at drawing  to produce images of Mt. Fuji, Geisha, cherry blossoms, and other Japanese images using the colored pencils supplied to him by the Americans who in turn gave them cigarettes.

On the day he looked up from the ship and saw the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge in San Francisco, he remembered the images of them from his university textbooks. He had never dreamed that he would be seeing these famous manmade structures under such constricted circumstances, but felt they symbolized a welcoming gateway to the unknown life in the bigger world that he was about to enter.

As he landed in San Francisco and was taken to a camp at Angel Island, he began to use his limited English ability more frequently. He had learned English at university and although he was not very fluent, he felt that it was useful to communicate with Americans and to be helpful to others. He picked up newspapers from wastebaskets, which he translated and shared with his fellow prisoners at night. As in Hawaii, some Japanese navy officers were often violent and brutally abused and harassed other prisoners. There were also gangs who threatened Masuyama for sharing information and being friendly with the American guards. The Japanese POW’s who were temporarily kept at Angel Island Camp, were later shipped in the hundreds to camps in Wisconsin, Texas and Iowa. Masuyama was eager to see more of America. After spending a few weeks in Angel Island, he and about 200 prisoners of war were sent across the country by train. Masuyama was able to use his English language skills to successfully request more food for himself and his fellow prisoners, which helped him gain their confidence. He was fascinated by all he saw from the windows as the train traveled eastward, eager to see the vast natural and peaceful land, some of which reminded him of the scenery of Hokkaido. When passing through the large cities, the prisoners were ordered to close the blinds, but Masuyama peeked out and saw the night-lights of Chicago, which were dazzling to him. He quickly realized that America was far bigger and richer than he had thought or had gathered from his reading about this huge country, and was convinced that America would win the war.

While he continually thought of his family, imagining that they had been told about what had happened on Iwo Jima, he tried to put the thoughts about them away in the back of his mind for the time being.

After six days of traveling on the train, the POW’s were unloaded somewhere near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and transported to a secluded mountain camp called Pine Grove Furnace POW camp. At this camp his group enjoyed “a regular life, getting up at 7 a.m. and going to bed at 9 p.m.” The prisoners’ work consisted primarily of merely cutting wood or mowing lawns.

The Pine Grove Furnace camp had a separate barrack for about twenty Japanese officers and four barracks for Japanese soldiers, a dining hall, and about ten bathroom/shower stalls. Masuyama used “Yama” as his nickname and became an informal interpreter here as well. He and twelve other Japanese who were in charge of cooking did not have to go out for daily work details. This relatively easy life allowed him to “build up his physical strength”.

There were some German POW’s at the camp and Masuyama became friendly with one of them who was quite helpful to the Japanese prisoners. One day he and other Japanese were taken to the PX and told they could spend their savings to purchase items for their daily needs. Matsuyama had $5.30 in credits with which he bought a notebook, a pencil, soap and candies. It made him happy, and he remembered feeling like a free man for the first time since his capture.

There were about twenty Japanese officers at Pine Grove Furnace Camp and they began to gang up on Masuyama again, becoming emotional and threatening him with physical violence. He was made to sit on the lawn in the middle of a circle of officers who accused him of being complicit in the Americans mistreatment of them. Masuyama was saddened and angered by the officers’ behavior and felt that this type of attitude was one of the reasons for Japan’s defeat. Despite having had 17 years of education and being much older than many of those who he had served with, he had chosen not to be an officer. When threatened by them, he reminded them of his background and the fact that they were now all fellow prisoners and “in the same boat” and that military rank no longer had any meaning, saying that he and the other 150 Japanese POW’s would no longer tolerate their arrogance. He stressed that it was now time for all Japanese to come together and think of the future of Japan, not to harass one another. The next day, the officers came to him and apologized.

He was at Pine Grove Furnace camp from August 8 to September 10, 1945, when two buses with 15 or 16 Japanese were driven about three hours to Fort Meade, MD. All the roads were well paved with highways connecting the major big cities. Cars seemed to be everywhere and impressed upon him how much they contributed to American life. (He mentions in his memoir seeing some “happy looking older ladies with bright scarves” who drove at high speed. “In Japan such ladies would be expected to stay home quietly and look after the home.”

In contrast to the relatively relaxed conditions they had experienced at Pine Grove Furnace camp, they were surprised at the strict security of their new camp[at Fort Meade in Maryland]. Fort Meade was where interrogations were conducted. Freedom of action was highly restricted and POWs were not allowed to talk to each other. Prisoners had to ask permission from a MP to use the bathroom and were forced to exercise by walking twice a day in a guarded yard. Interrogations were scheduled daily, sometimes twice a day, and questions were asked in Japanese. Since the war had ended the previous month, no questions were asked about Japanese military matters. Instead the interrogation sessions were more discussions focused on how to introduce democracy in postwar Japan.

Masuyama seems to have been selected to participate in a re-education program that included his writing an essay about his views regarding the future of democracy in Japan, and preparing lists of individuals who in his opinion might be favorably inclined to support the democratic reforms the Americans planned to introduce during the Occupation. His essay, which was found in his interrogation records in the National Archive, indicates he understood how democracy would change Japan and her future, and his belief that many of his friends and acquaintances would welcome these changes. During the ensuring weeks, the interrogation sessions became increasingly relaxed.

It is assumed that Masuyama had knowledge of Japan’s surrender by this time. However, according to his memoir, it was during his time at Fort Meade that he was taken to a movie theater by an American officer where he watched a newsreel showing Japanese government officials signing surrender documents on the Battleship USS Missouri. He remembered staring at the images of the destruction of Tokyo and familiar places like the Ginza where he had helped build subways about ten years earlier. The news continued with the scene of American prisoners in Japan throwing bowls of rice in delight at the news of Japan’s surrender. The Americans around Masuyama in the theater were cheering at the scenes. He wondered if he would ever return to Tokyo and if so how people[there would] regard him as a former prisoner of war. This was deeply depressing to him and he  wept as he felt helpless at being so far from his homeland. As they left the theater, the officer asked if Masuyama had enjoyed the outing. He said that he answered that it was not a pleasant experience, but felt apologetic for having been so blunt to someone whose intentions were meant to be kind.

In late September 1945, after completing a two-week series of interrogation sessions, Masuyama was transferred to Fort Eustis in Virginia. As his bus passed by the city of Richmond, the images of the devastation of Tokyo were still vivid in his mind, in stark contrast to the quiet scenery around him. Fort Eustis had been a camp for housing German and Italian POW’s. Life at Camp Eustis was very interesting and educational for him.

By the time Masuyama arrived at the camp, he had become more eager to use his English speaking skills to make friends with any non-Japanese. He quickly learned the difference in attitudes toward being captured held by German, Italian and Japanese POW’s. European prisoners did not seem to feel the shame of surrender that weighed so heavily on most of their Japanese counterparts. He felt the Americans treated him in a very friendly manner and he openly  shared pleasant experiences in Fort Eustis. He was also able to read local newspapers, and made scrapbooks of clippings and translated what went on in Japan for his information. (The scrapbooks were successfully smuggled into Japan at repatriation and were kept by his family) Although he never forgot that he was a prisoner, his experiences in Pine Grove Furnace, Fort Meade and Fort Eustis helped to open his eyes to the bigger world and build a positive attitude and confidence to deal with difficulties and unfamiliar situations in life. The life he rebuilt after repatriation to Japan definitely reflected these qualities.

After the decision to repatriate Japanese POWs was made by the American government in the fall of 1945, ships carrying former Japanese prisoners of war departed for Japan from San Francisco, Hawaii and Seattle. Masuyama’s ship left Seattle on December 18. Many Japanese were apprehensive and did not believe they were returning home until they saw the Japanese mainland. They were also nervous about homeland people’s reaction to those who came back without giving their lives “in service to the Emperor.” Some American guards on the ship tried to comfort them, telling them “you fought hard and have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Masuyama put his foot on his homeland on January 7, 1946 - his 40th birthday.

During his repatriation process, he learned that he had been reported as having died on Iwo Jima in March 1945, and that his family was unaware of his having been captured and having survived the battle. The American government had given this information to the Japanese authorities through the Red Cross but it was ignored by the Japanese government. Later he learned that funeral and memorial services for him had been performed by the government and his family, requiring him to go through a time consuming process of restoring his family records in Mito. He sent a telegram to his family, who were living in the southern part of Japan, then took one week to visit relatives and friends in various cities before finally reuniting with his wife and children. It was a time of great happiness for all, despite the fact that it took his wife two weeks before she was convinced that he was not a ghost!

After one month of recuperation, he reported to his former company to resume his position. He was assigned to Nagoya where he took charge of construction works that had been halted during the war and also led various new projects to help rebuild the country’s devastated infrastructure. He developed and applied a new method for constructing waterways in one project that generated a huge profit to the company, for which he was rewarded with a three-month overseas trip to Europe and the US in 1956 to observe various construction projects. After visiting various locations in Europe, he toured the East Coast of the U.S., stopping in Washington, DC and New York, and then traveled to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hawaii. He stopped to see the Golden Gate Bridge again, this time as a free man to learn more about how the bridge was constructed. On his way home to Japan he flew over Pearl Harbor, remembering the hardships he experienced as well as the kind care he received during the time he spent at the hospital there. As he looked down from the sky, he felt pleased with his “second life”, which began on April 8, 1945 amidst the horrors of the battle of Iwo Jima.

Unfortunately, the impact of his wartime experience, compounded by his self-induced demanding schedule, took a toll on his physical condition. He suffered a stroke in 1962 at the age of 56 and passed away in the middle of his dream to make Japan a stronger and more prosperous nation. Two of his children later on found their lives in America and his wife was able to visit the Golden Gate Bridge many times. Thirty years after his death all of Masuyama’s immediate family from Japan and America gathered at Angel Island to remember his stay in one of the barracks that are still there. The fact that half of his children, grand children and great grand children now live in the US is a direct consequence of that fateful moment on a far away island more than seventy years ago.