Evening star., 1945-06-27
japanese Commander
On 0kinawa Found
After Hara-Kiri Death
Captured Cook Tells How
Generals Chief of Stoff
Also Took Own Life

os tit ASSOCldle0 fEeSS.
10th ARMY HEADQUARTERS,
OkinaWa, June 27.-The bodies
of the japanese commanding
general on Okinawa and his
chief of staff, who had slit their
Stomachs in hara -kiri cere-
monies. have been found in shall
low rock graves at the southeast :
ern tip of the American-won is
land.
Col. Cecil w. Mist of Salem. Greg
oath Army Corps staff officer. said
the bodies, in full field uniforms
with medals and insignia. have been
identified positively as those of 1t.
Gen. Mitsuru Ushijima, command
ing general of the 32d japanese
Army. and 1t. Gen. Isamu Cho, his
chief of staff.
The hara kari ceremony was held
at the entrance to huge headouar-
tiers cave on Hill 80 while 10th Army
soldiers were in foxholes 100 yards
away. The 250-foot hill is between
Mabuni Town and the ocean.
Wrote Own Epitaph.
The bodies of the generals were
found at the base of cliff IS yards
from the cave entrance, which
opened onto a narrow ledge feet
vice and 20 feet long.
Their stomachs had been slit
crosswise and their heads virtually
severed.
Buried with Gen. Cho was a heavy
comforter and white silk mattress
cover. On it he had written his
own epitaph:
"Twenty-second day. sixth month,
10th year of Showa era. l depart
without regret, fear. shame or obli-
CATION. Army Chief of Staff Cho
Isamu. Age of departure, 81 years"
Gen. Cho's epitaph indicated he
and Gen. Ushijima fulfilled the
Samurai code on June 22-four days
after 1t. Gen. Simon Bolivar Buck
ner, jr., commanding the American
10th Army, was killed by an enemy
artillery shell.
Story Told by Generals Cook.
Several days before Gen. Ushi-
lima had rejected Gen. Buckner's
appeal to accept honorable surren-
der. BY the thousands, however,
other japanese officers and men
have been giving up.
The story of the hara-kiri cere-
mony was told by Japanese pris-
oner, who said he had been a cook
for Gen. Ushijima.
His story:
On the night of June 81, the cook
was given instructions to prepare a
dinner for an important occasion.
In his kitchen, near the seaward
entrance to the cave, he prepared
rice, canned meats, potatoes, fried
fish cakes, salmon, bean soup, fried
cabbage, pineapples and tea. There
was saki for an appetizer.
At 3 am. on June % the cook was
busy preparing breakfast when an
orderly came and whispered that
Gen. Ushijima and Gen. Cho were
going to commit "seppuku," Japa-
nese term for honorable suicide.
Wore Their Medals.
Forty minutes later, both generals
appeared in full field uniform with
their medals pinned to their blouses
their boots highly polished. They
were accompanied by aides and
followed by members of the staff to
the narrow ledge at the seaward en-
trance.
The two generals conversed In
low tones. A heavy comforter was
placed on the ledge. Over it was
laid a white sheet, symbolic of death.
Gen. Ushijima knelt with his
knees on the sheet, his head bent
slightly forward. Gen. Cho knelt
on his left. Both faced the Pacific
Ocean. The narrowness Of the
ledge prevented them from facing
north toward the Imperial Palace.
An aide held two knives, each
half wrapped in white cloth. An
adjutant, with drawn saber, stood
on Gen. Ushijimas S right. Both gen.
erals barred their aodomens. AS Gen.
Ushijima plunged a knife into his
stomach, the adjutant swung his
saber downwards, severing the gen.