上原良司の遺書

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栄光ある祖国日本の代表的攻撃隊とも謂うべき陸軍特別攻撃隊に選ばれ、身の光栄之に過ぐるものなきを痛感致して居ります。

思えば長き学生時代を通じて得た信念とも申すべき理論万能の道理から考えた場合これは或は自由主義者と謂われるかも知れませんが自由の勝利は明白な事だと思います。人間の本性たる自由を滅す事は絶対に出来なく例えそれが抑えられて居る如く見えても、底に於ては常に闘いつつ、最後には勝つと云う事は、彼のイタリヤのクローチェも云って居る如く真理であると思います。権力主義全体主義の国家は一時的に隆盛であろうとも必ずや最後には敗れる事は明白な事実です。我々はその真理を今次世界大戦の枢軸国家に於て見る事が出来ると思います。ファシズムのイタリヤは如何、ナチズムのドイツ亦、既に敗れ、今や権力主義国家は土台石の壊れた建築物の如く、次から次へと滅亡しつつあります。真理の普遍さは今、現実に依って証明されつつ過去に於て歴史が示した如く未来永久に自由の偉大さを証明して行くと思われます。自己の信念の正しかった事この事は或は祖国にとって恐るべき事であるかも知れませんが吾人にとっては嬉しい限りです。現在の如何なる闘争もその根底を為すものは必ず思想なりと思う次第です。既に思想に依って、その闘争の結果を明白に見る事が出来ると信じます。

愛する祖国日本をして嘗ての大英帝国の如き大帝国たらしめんとする私の野望は遂に空しくなりました。真に日本を愛する者をして立たしめたなら日本は現在の如き状態には或は追い込まれなかったと思います。世界何処に於ても肩で風を切って歩く日本人これが私の夢見た理想でした。

空の特攻隊のパイロットは一器械に過ぎぬと一友人が云った事も確かです。操縦桿を採る器械、人格もなく感情もなく勿論理性もなく、只敵の航空母艦に向って吸いつく磁石の中の鉄の一分子に過ぎぬのです。理性を以て考えたなら実に考えられぬ事で強いて考うれば彼等が云う如く自殺者とでも云いましょうか、精神の国、日本に於てのみ見られる事だと思います。一器械である吾人は何も云う権利もありませんが唯、願わくば愛する日本を偉大ならしめられん事を、国民の方々にお願いするのみです。

こんな精神状態で征ったなら勿論死んでも何にもならないかも知れません。故に最初に述べた如く特別攻撃隊に選ばれた事を光栄に思って居る次第です。

飛行機に乗れば器械に過ぎぬのですけれど、一旦下りればやはり人間ですから、そこには感情もあり、熱情も動きます。愛する恋人に死なれた時自分も一緒に精神的には死んで居りました。

天国に待ちある人、天国に於て彼女と会えると思うと死は天国に行く途中でしかありませんから何でもありません。明日は出撃です。過激に亘り、勿論発表すべき事ではありませんでしたが、偽らぬ心境は以上述べた如くです。何も系統立てず、思った儘を雑然と並べた事を許して下さい。明日は自由主義者が一人この世から去って行きます。彼の後姿は淋しいですが、心中満足で一杯です。

云いたい事を云いたいだけ云いました無礼を御許し下さい。ではこの辺で

出撃の前夜記す。

Wikiwand - Ryōji Uehara

Ryōji Uehara was a flight captain of the Imperial Japanese Army and was killed in action as a kamikaze pilot.

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ryōji_Uehara#The_Last_Letter

The Last Letter

I feel deeply honoured and privileged to have been chosen to become a member of the Army’s “Special Assault Unit,” which embodies the glory of Japan. Having read logic and philosophy through my somewhat extended student life, I am sure that, based upon the idea of reason, triumph of liberty is inevitable to me, although I might sound like a liberalist. As stated by Croce in Italy, it is a universal truth that it is absolutely impossible to exterminate freedom, which is a fundamental human nature, and it will eventually win even though it seems to be temporarily oppressed.

It is a clear fact that authoritarian and totalitarian regimes may sporadically prosper, but they ultimately will perish. We can see the truth of that in the Axis governments. As manifested by the defeat of Italy under Fascism, not to mention Germany under Nazism, authoritarian governments are disappearing one after the other, crumbling like buildings without a foundation.

I believe that the universality of truth will eternally and permanently prove the greatness of liberty as is now being verified by reality and just as history has shown in the past. I will be more than delighted to find that my belief has been proven right even though that turns out to be a disaster for our nation. The current struggle, whatever it is, stems from ideology; and the result of a struggle can readily be predicted by the belief systems upon which the struggle is fought.

The ambition of making my beloved Japan become as mighty an empire as Great Britain has faded away. If the leading positions in Japan had been held by those who truly love Japan, my country would not have been driven into the situation it faces today. I have been dreaming of the Japanese people proud of themselves no matter where one may be in the world.

What a friend of mine once said is true: a pilot of the Special Assault Unit is merely a machine. He just steers the apparatus. He is only a molecule within a magnet that sticks fast to an enemy aircraft carrier, possessing neither personality nor emotions.

If one thinks about it rationally, this act is incomprehensible and, to try to put it in a plain expression, these pilots are, as they say, simply suicidal. Since I am nothing more than a machine, I have no right to put my case forward. However, I only wish that the Japan that I dearly love will someday be made truly great by my fellow citizens.

In such an emotional state, my death may probably lead to nothing. Nonetheless, as I stated at the outset, I feel very honoured to have been chosen to be a member of the Special Assault Unit. It is true that, once inside an aircraft, I am mere hardware, but once disembarked, I do have emotions and passion as I am also a human. When the woman for whom I cared so dearly passed away, I emotionally died with her. The idea that she waits for me in Heaven, where we will be reunited, makes death not particularly frightening for me, since it happens only on my way to Heaven.

Tomorrow is the day of the assault. My idea is too highly extreme to be made public, but I just wanted to express the true feelings inside me, so please forgive me for my disoriented thoughts. Another liberalist will depart from this earth tomorrow. Although he may appear forlorn, he is in fact very content.

Once again, please forgive my selfish ranting.