KITA-HIROSHIMA, Hiroshima Prefecture—A picture of a student in a baseball uniform was set up here to show that the “war god” of the community was once an ordinary boy filled with hopes and dreams.

As one of the first Japanese fatalities in the war with the United States, Sadamu Kamita was looked upon as a “god,” an honor that ended up causing more misery for his bereaved family members.

A member of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Kamita and nine other young sailors were tasked with navigating midget submarines during the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

Nine of them were killed in the mission, including Kamita, who was just 25 years old.

But the Pearl Harbor attack was lauded around Japan as a great victory. And higher-ranking officers visited the Kamita home to offered congratulations to the family for the successful operation.

However, those who were there said Kamita’s mother only said, “It may have been a success for you, but he was my precious eldest son. Please leave.”

Kamita’s remains were never found, and the family only received a trunk containing his uniform, other clothing as well as a letter dated Dec. 7, 1941.

Kamita wrote that he was departing on a mission to “overcome an unprecedented test facing the nation,” and that he was prepared to give up his life for Japan. He also wished for his parents to lead long lives.

The letter is on display at a small facility here along with other belongings of Kamita.

The facility is managed by Kenji Kamita, 66, a nephew.

Kenji said that eight decades after his uncle’s death, many in the community are not aware that the neighborhood was once home to one of the nine “war gods.”

USED AS SYMBOL FOR WAR EFFORT

Kamita was born in 1916 as the eldest son of a farmer. After a friend’s family immigrated to the mainland United States and Hawaii, Kamita developed a deep fascination for life abroad.
He joined the Imperial Japanese Navy after graduating from junior high school.

For the mainly aerial attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese navy also planned to launch five mini submarines carrying two torpedoes each.

Kamita and the nine others chosen for the mission left Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, on Nov. 18, 1941, and headed to Hawaii.

In March 1942, the Navy announced the deaths in combat of the nine sailors, and they were all posthumously promoted by two ranks.

Even after their deaths, they played a role for the military.

Fumiko Kamita, 91, the wife of Kamita’s younger brother, recalled that her dead brother-in-law was used as a symbol for the war effort.

All villagers attended Kamita’s funeral. Another ceremony in his honor was hosted by the Imperial Japanese Navy in Tokyo.

A sign was installed in front of the Kamita home to mark the birthplace of one of the war gods.

Buses would often stop in front of the home so passengers could pay their respects.

But the tide of the war turned against Japan. And the country surrendered after atomic bombs devastated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Kamita’s younger sister was exposed to radiation in the Aug. 6 bombing of Hiroshima when she was searching for family members there.

FROM WAR GOD TO WAR CRIMINAL

After World War II ended, the Kamita family experienced a drastic change in how they were viewed.

About 3.1 million Japanese, including civilians, died in the war, and some people began complaining about why only Kamita was being treated differently.

Others began viewing Kamita as a war criminal, and a rumor spread that one of the first people Allied Occupation officers would search for was the mother of a “war god.”

That forced Kamita’s mother to go into hiding for about a week. In the end, it was neighbors who helped the family.

With tears in her eyes, Fumiko recalled, “They lent us rice so we would not go hungry and told us to be very careful as we went along with our lives.”

The community had lost other members in the war.

“We always felt there was no difference between them” and Kamita, Kenji said,

FEW VISITORS THESE DAYS

Donations were gathered from those in the community, and a monument was erected on Dec. 8, 1970, on a plot owned by the Kamita family to memorialize not only Kamita but all those in the community who died in the war.

A small structure was built to display Kamita’s belongings, which include not only military-related items but also the photo of him as a junior high school student in the baseball uniform.

“I heard that my uncle was told by his parents to study hard,” Kenji said. “The (Dec. 7) letter contained his feelings of gratitude toward them.”

Among the items on display at the Kamita family altar is sand that Kenji’s father brought back from Hawaii after a 1995 visit as a testament to his older brother’s life.

Soon after the facility containing Kamita’s belongings was opened, former Navy officials visited two to three times a week. But now, there are very few visitors.

Kenji feels it is his duty to protect the belongings and to pass on their history.

“My uncle likely had many things that he wanted to do,” Kenji said. “But he felt there was nothing he could do, placed in a position where two nations faced off against each other.”