A Tomb Called Iwo Jima: Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors (Firsthand Accounts and True Stories from Japanese WWII Combat Veterans)

Dan King’s new book, “A Tomb Called Iwo Jima: Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors” is a wonderful and much needed addition to books written about World War II, and specifically, about the battle for Iwo Jima. As I was flipping the pages gingerly, gently, I couldn’t help but feel the occasional shiver down my spine at the most moving of the passages.

The book features firsthand accounts from Japanese soldiers, sailors and pilots who fought in the battle for Iwo Jima and survived to tell their stories. Some were evacuated before the U.S. Marines landed and others were taken as Prisoners-of-War. The Japanese army and navy combatants are given a voice to share their experiences in the battle that coined the phrase, "Uncommon valor was a common virtue."

I was so moved not just because the work portrays the unbearable tense and grueling conditions of the war zone that was the island of Iwo Jima, but that it almost emerged in front of you, the stories so real that you can see the action and feel the hopes and fears of these young men. It also demonstrates the miraculous human spirit, and forces the reader to reexamine the value of life, comrades, family, nation, loyalty, tradition, philosophy and, above all…peace.

I believe that war is anything but glorifying to the human condition. It’s beyond my imagination the horror and the disheartening reality that these soldiers and sailors confronted. This work, written from the perspective of the defeated army and navy, makes it clear that we shouldn’t repeat the same tragic mistakes of war over and over again.

For me, the battle of Iwo Jima became something personal that I could no longer ignore when I was cast to play Admiral Ichimaru in the Clint Eastwood film “Letters from Iwo Jima.” It was an honorable role but at the same time it was an immense responsibility because the film was based on a crucial historical event that played a significant part in determining the fate of both nations and that ended up costing an enormous number of human lives.

One of my most vivid memories on the set that stays with me to this day was the casual conversation among my fellow Japanese actors. “Can you believe it?” we said. “This war was happened about a half century ago, really only one generation back…and now we are making an American film together with a mostly American crew and Clint Eastwood.”

As I prepared for my scenes, I felt the presence of the desperate souls of those soldiers and sailors who had perished, and I felt the pain of the ultimate sacrifice they made defending their country. Sometimes, it felt as though I could hear their footsteps, approaching from the sky. In my mind, they became our guardians. Thinking of those guardians, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were feeling in their final moments. Does it ever make sense to wage war in the name of peace? And all these years later, should we rejoice in this rare collaborative filmmaking that we were all working together to make a success? It was absolutely mind-boggling, and I have to admit that on a few occasions I was overwhelmed by so many conflicting thoughts running through my mind.

I had always thought that peace is a given, the natural state of humanity, but historically speaking, I was dead wrong. And given our collective history, it seems like quite a daunting task for humans to overcome their differences, fears, hates, prejudices, preconceptions and misunderstandings in order to live in true peace and to realize the preciousness that such a state provides.

I have the greatest respect for Dan’s dedicated efforts, his detailed research, and his interviewing skills, all put to such good use in order to preserve the Japanese point of view of Iwo Jima to history. His proficiency with the Japanese language and his deep understanding and knowledge of Japanese culture and tradition, especially in the military field, are a key element to the intensity and the emotion of the story he tells.

My hope is that by telling this story to future generations it may one day lead to a greater chance of peace between nation states. This is an excruciating war story but is simply too important to not tell both sides of the story. I believe this book is invaluable and a true testament of friendship. It is a worthy bridge to the long-lasting peace between the United States and Japan, and perhaps it will provide some solace for the spirits of those soldiers and sailors who reside forever on the island of Iwo Jima.

When it comes to researching and writing about the Japanese side of World War II, no one surpasses Dan King. Dan is diligent in his research, compiling events as they happened, putting his un-bias view into perspective and recording actual incidents and stories as seen by both sides of the combatants.

I've known Dan for years. Dan and I have travelled the Pacific from Rabaul, PNG to Guadalcanal. I've seen him in action on the battlefield. To illustrate Dan's desire to know the real details, I was with him when he literally crawled upside down through a snake-infested cave in Rabaul to dig under a rusted-out Japanese troop barge to see if he could get a sample of the actual color the Japanese painted them. That's what is literally called, "Digging for the truth." I don't know another historian who would go to such lengths for details.

Dan either does it, "Full Speed Ahead" or doesn't do it at all. Another project WELL DONE by Dan King.

This is a excellent book filled with interesting first hand accounts and anecdotes.
The book reads well and was quite captivating.
Read it in one sitting and there was not a dull moment.

JP

This is a great book, and I highly recommend it. I have read many books of combat in the pacific during world war two, but never one like this from the Japanese side. This was a fascinating book, and I felt sorry for the Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima. Many of them were poorly trained, under equipped and short of rations. A great view of the war from the other side of the trenches

My Husband cant put it down. Definite must read for the history and story

Another good book from the Japanese perspective. There are dozens of books out on this battle from the American side. This book tells what the Japanese soldiers went through before, during, and after the battle. How the philosophy of no surrender caused the Japanese soldiers to have to endure much more suffering than was needed.

Another good book from the Japanese perspective. There are dozens of books out on this battle from the American side. This book tells what the Japanese soldiers went through before, during, and after the battle. How the philosophy of no surrender caused the Japanese soldiers to have to endure much more suffering than was needed.

There are many books written by American veterans on the Battle of Iwo Jima but few from the Japanese viewpoint, which is not surprising since so few Japanese combatants survived. This book is therefore an important reference for what a Japanese soldier experienced both in his training and during this epic battle.

I thought there too much detail about people who were not central to the story of Iwo Jima. Other than that, it was a good read.

Overall, a good, interesting read with good writing style. Many of the black and white photos in the photo section were low resolution, making it difficult to make out features described in captions and I had the feeling that about a quarter of the photos could have been left out because they had little relevance to the text (e.g. some class pictures) or were redundant (e.g. some air photography).