Etajima Museum of Naval History

With donations from Naval Academy graduates, who wanted to preserve the history of the Imperial Japanese Navy,  in 1936 it was possible to open the "Etajima Museum of Naval History"

In two large rooms the museum covers Japan´s Naval history chronologically from the late 19th century to the end of the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1945.

While the first room is dedicated to the Navy´s special attack forces including a long bronze table with the names of "2,633 names of members of the kamikaze special attack corps and the kaiten 'human torpedo' force who died a heroic death" and several exhibits of last letters, photos, and newspaper articles about the pilots of kaiten torpedoes and midget submarines, the second one presents the leaders of the kamikaze operations and about 150 last letters and wills written by kamikaze pilots. 

 

The exhibits focus on Japan's naval accomplishments and victories, such as Admiral Togo's defeat of the Russian fleet in 1905 in the Russo-Japanese War. The museum in general does not attempt to tell the overall history of the kamikaze special attack corps, and the descriptions of the kamikaze leaders indicate that the museum's purpose is not to critically evaluate their actions but rather to honor them. 

It is recommended to take part in one of the free 90-minute guided tours of the campus of the former Naval Academy which includes a 30-minute visit to the museum, especially as the location is an operating Self-Defense Force facility.

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