Requiem for Battleship Yamato (Bluejacket Books) (Paperback)

~ Yoshida Mitsuru (Author), Richard H. Minear (Author), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In April 1945 the Yamato , largest bat tleship in the world, w a s sent with nin e other ships to attack American forces at Okinawa. It was a futile effortrepeat ed air attacks sank almost all of the Jap anese vessels, including the Yamato. Yoshida was one of Yamato's radar of ficers, and one of the few survivors. His vivid account of the horrors and heroism of the suicidal mission, long recognized in Japan as an important work of war literature, is equally effec tive in this first complete translation. Minear has provided a brief but infor mative introduction to the Yamato , its last voyage, the life of the author, and the publication history of the book. There is much of value in this concise Japanese view of the Pacific War. High ly recommended for most libraries. Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Requiem for Battleship Yamato is Yoshida Mitsuru's story of his own experience as a junior naval officer aboard the fabled Japanese battleship as it set out on a last, desperate sortie in April 1945. Yoshida was on the bridge during Yamato's fatal encounter with American airplanes, and his eloquent, moving account of that battle makes a singular contribution to the literature of the Pacific war.

The book has long been considered a classic in both Japan and the United States. As with most great battle stories, its ultimate concern is less bombs and bullets than human nature, less death than life. This sensitive translation by Richard Minear is totally faithful to Yoshida's original prose, its language vigorous and idiomatic yet poetic in nature. An informative introduction puts the work in historical and political context and discusses Yoshida's postwar search for the meaning of peace.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557505446
• ISBN-13: 978-1557505446
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #220,253 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true classic, March 14, 2004

By	birchden "birchden" (Eastbourne, East Sussex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Requiem for Battleship Yamato (Hardcover)

Although perhaps unsurprising given the scale of Japan's losses and the bitterness of defeat, the fact remains that there are relatively few accounts of the war by those who fought with the Imperial Forces, and even fewer available in English.

For this reason alone `Requiem for Battleship Yamato' would command attention even if it were only an average work. But it is not an average work; it is a classic in the truest sense of this much abused word, which must be placed alongside books such as `The Last Enemy' by Richard Hillary.

Written in a spare, almost poetic style, `Requiem' tells the story of the Yamato's last doomed sortie from the viewpoint of one of her junior officers. Alongside glimpses of life on board the great battleship, we gain an insight into the thoughts and personal lives of her crew as they prepare for what most realise will be a mission from which there will be no return.

As the tension mounts and enemy forces close in for the inevitable kill, Yoshida provides a moving commentary on the Yamato's last days and hours, with poignant vignettes of such figures as the force commander Vice Admiral Ito, who had correctly appreciated the futility of the mission yet carried out his task with calm resolution.

With the Yamato entering her final death agony, Yoshida gives us harrowing descriptions of the effects of explosives and steel on human flesh - a timely reminder in this age of glossy propaganda of the true face of battle. Then there is the homecoming, with Yoshida's personal struggle to come to terms with the meaning of his survival while so many of his comrades are dead.

No review of this book would be complete without acknowledging the outstanding work of its translator, Richard Minear, who has also provided an excellent introduction. Thanks to his efforts, this work will not only be read with profit by the military historian, but anyone who seeks to broaden his understanding of the human condition.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true requiem as well as history!, August 5, 2001

By	Paul Sayles (Japan) - See all my reviews

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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.

this is a fine book for all students of naval history. It is also an excellent piece of literature. I recommend it to all.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The title should be requiem for the sailors of the Yamato, February 1, 2006

By	Meyer D. Sculimbrene (Fort Valley, Va.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is not for readers searching for details of battle, or apologies for participating in the miltary adventure against the US. Yoshida Mitsuru was an unlikely survivor of a suicide mission.

Some of the reviewers have found this book morbid, and focused on death. Mitsuru attempts to describe his feelings and unaswered question that haunted him for the rest of his life. Why was he saved, when so many other died? Was there a purpose to his life, and the life of his dead shipmates. These are questions that all men ask to some extent, but for those caught in a war, life and death are close and constant companions.

The normal thoughts of young men towards life and the future are put aside as their ship plows forward on a suicide mission.

Do not buy or read this book if you are not prepared to think about the personal cost of war. Some have described this as an anti-war book. I do not believe that is a correct description. This book is written by someone whose education and social standing required him to enter the Navy, and go to war. I view this work as a refection of an eyewitness and wounded survivor. Such an experience at such a young age makes one an expert on the war experience, not the root causes of war or their justifications.

Most men who shared Mitsuru's experience do not write, or even disuss their experiences. For some, just the thoughts of their experience is unbearable and the reason some end their days in mental hospitals.

When Mitsuru wrote the first draft of this book, it fell under the authority and censorship of the American Occupation, which did not approve of the text.

Which brings up the question not posed directly by this book. What "truths" were censored during the official investigations surrounding Pearl Harbor, the Bataan Death March, and other matters that impacted on the ledgends and careers of Americans of that time?