After 72 years since the end of World War Two, the flag that once flew on the flagship of the Combined Fleet the IJN Nagato has been retruned home to Japan. This was once the flag of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto that was taken from the ship after Japan's unconditional surrender in 1945. The Nagato itself was later used as part of the fleet of ships at Bikini Atol after the war. The once proud ship was built so tough, it withstood two atomic bomb blasts before having to be sunk by torpeedo as seen in the photo below.
Going back to Nagato's ensign, the flag had been in storage and was presented by the president and chief executive officer of the USS Missouri Memorial Association in Hawaii Machael Carr to the musuem dedicated to Admiral Yamamoto in his home city of Nagaoka Japan. NHK reported that the musuem cheif Satoshi Maruyama was moved by touching the flag. We at American Mishima appreciate this gesture of good will on the part of the USS Missouri Memorial Association. It is in our opinion, this is another long overdue another jesture of peace and closure to the Showa Era. May her spirit and the memory of the Nagato that carried her live on!
There have been many cases since the end of the Second World War where the children of Veterans discover old war treasures and choose to return such items to history. For the Hartman family of Robert Hartman who served in the US Navy during WWII, such a treasure had been kept in their possession. It had been taken by Robert Hartman when the US took possession of the Nagato. What they had was the Admiral's flag of the IJN Battleship Nagato which served as Admiral Isoroku's Flagship during the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was said the flag was used by the family as a blanket years ago but after Mr. Hartman passed away, his daughter Dianne Hall having realized the historical significance of this flag choose to donate the flag to the US Park Service (which oversees the care of the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center) so that it will honor the veterans who fought on that day. The Park Service says it will seek to preserve the flag for future generations. No word on when it will be on display but know that it is in safe keeping.
Every now and then we come across some gems on the internet that give us a look how such great films are made. For this edition we have a small collection of photos of the full scale mockups of the Imperial Japanese Navy that were constructed for the 1970 film TORA TORA TORA. As history recalls, the film was a joint American-Japanese production with famed master film maker Akira Kurosawa initially leading the Japanese side of the production. But just after two weeks of filming Kurosawa backed (or more accurately fired by 20th Century Fox) out of the film citing it just wasn't his style of film he was used to making with American producers making him accountable for his every move. While Kurosawa worked the first two years of pre-production and oversaw the filming of the dramatic "picture shots"m of the Japanese fleet, his mark on the film's opening scenes are unmistakable with his use of the natural elements such as big sky shots and the genius to build his full scale mockups of the Flagship Nagato and the Aircraft Carrier Akagi on a beach facing the ocean. Considering there was no CGI back then, this was a brilliant move on the part of the master director. That being said, here's are some of the photos of the set under construction. As with the later 2005 production of Otoko no Tachi no Yamato (Men of the Yamato) attention to detail was done with great precision to ensure the believability of the film.
They made the Nagato look so real, this wooden mockup looks like she could take to the seas!
Carrier Akagi mockup under construction.
Seen here is the Carrier Akagi brought back to life!
Here's a rare photo taken at some distance of the set where the full scale mockup of the Nagato and Akagi sit at the waters edge for filming. It's a shame we couldn't find a clearer photo in color.
On the American Side, Director Richard Fleischer built only one mockup of the USS Arizona for principal photography. The rest was done using model miniatures.
Seen here are the Nagato and Akagi miniatures in the water for the later Japanese scenes.
Here's the same model out of the water.
Considering the technology of 1970, it's fair to say they did an amazing job for their day. If you haven't seen this war classic, it's worth it. But don't take our word for it, see it yourself!
Enjoy!
To learn more of Director Kurosawa's role please watch the second video
detailing the behind the scenes controversy surrounding the Japanese
side of the production.
“American Mishima” is the work of Louis Rosas, the son of Mexican Immigrants, whose father served in Vietnam for the US Army and who grew up on glamorized war films and military aviation in the sleepy seaside plains of Oxnard, Calif. With an early fascination of the Second World War embedded in his young mind during the post-Vietnam era, it was his exposure to Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic Ran (Toho, 1985) that changed his views of war while creating a lasting impression of Japanese culture and history. Further inspired by the works of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Rosas would go on to study Japanese language and swordsmanship, which led him to the practice of Shingon Buddhism and Shinto. Rosas is also a former student of Shinkendo, the ideal and practice of the samurai code of Bushido in the modern world, which helped shape the creative force that is “American Mishima.”
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