Japan's Interesting People:Masabumi Hosono

This is another edition of *Japan's Interesting People*. Where these pages talk about some of Japan's notable figures in history: past and present.

This page will talk about a man named *Masabumi Hosono*. Not exactly a household name, but he is known as the only Japanese passenger onboard the *RMS Titanic* when it infamously sank on the night of *April 14-15, 1912*. He would be also humiliated and branded a coward back in his home of Japan after he survived.

But what was his life about? This is what this page will try to explore.

## Early Life

Very little in the way of Hosono's early life is known. But what is known is that we was born on October 15, 1870 in the Niigata Prefecture of Japan. Not much is known about what he did as a child or even how his life was in school. Though what is known is that he graduated school in the 1890's and by 1896 he graduated from what was then known as the *Tokyo High Commercial School* and then worked in stock for the Japanese company *Mitsubishi,* then he quit the company to take on a job at Tokyo's *Shodome Frieght Terminal* a year later.

Hosono is also known to be a very smart man as he was fluent in speaking and even writing in many different languages (such as English and Russian). After taking on other jobs of a manager in Accounting in Japan's Imperial Railroad Office and railroad director, he took on a job for Japan's Ministry of Transport.

## Business Trip

By 1910, Hosono was sent by the Ministry of Transport to Russia to learn about the nations own railroad system (especially about the Trans-Siberian Railroad), after a successful time in Russia. Hosono would make his way back to Japan. But, he traveled west to *London*, Great Britain where he would stay for 2 years. By early April of 1912 he traveled to *Southampton*. This is where he would board the RMS Titanic and in a 2nd class cabin.

## Sailing on the Titanic

The Titanic grazed the iceberg which tore several holes into the ship. It then became apparent the ship will start sinking.

Hosono was sleeping in his cabin when the Titanic grazed the iceberg. He wasn't even aware that the ship was sinking until a stewardess knocked on his cabin door and told him of the Titanic's predicament and told him to put on a life jacket. Hosono like many others on the ship still didn't know what was going on, and when panic and chaos began to ensue, Hosono was a part of it as he began to frantically get to the upper deck of the ship, but he encountered problems as the crew mistakened him as a 3rd class passenger.

Somehow, Hosono was able to make it passed the crew and headed up to the main deck of the ship.

Hosono kept a travel journal on his business trip around the world. As he reached the upper deck, he wrote.....

*"All the while flares signaling emergency where being shot into the air ceaselessly, and hideous blue flashes and noises were simply terrifying. Somehow I could no way dispel the feeling of utter dread and desolation."*

While waiting to board a lifeboat Hosono then heard a crewman shout *"Room for 2 more."* Seizing the opportunity Hosono boarded Lifeboat 10. Thus Hosono was one of the 705 people that would survive the sinking of the Titanic. It wasn't until the morning hours where the *RMS Carpathia* would come to pick up the passengers, Hosono would sleep in the smoking room where he tried to avoid the other passengers. He would write in his journal again as he wrote...

*"After the ship sank there came back again frightful shrills and cries of those drowning in the water. Our lifeboat was too filled with sobbing, weeping children and women worried about the safties of their husbands and fathers, and I too was as much depressed and miserable as they were, not knowing what would become of myself in the long run."*

## Arrival in America

The Carpathia would arrive in New York. The news of Hosono surviving the Titanic got very little attention. He knew some friends in the city as they worked for the Japanese company of *Mitsui.* He stayed in New York for a few days until his friends were able to get him a flight to San Francisco.

He also stayed in San Francisco for a few days, but during that time the US Media would then say about Hosono about his time on the Titanic, because Hosono didn't heed to the *"Women and children first"* rule (which was a traditional rule when evacuating a sinking ship) rumors spread on how Hosono survived the Titanic, some say that he pushed his way onto the lifeboat, and because Hosono wrote in his journal about the crewmen on the Titanic not knowing to tell the difference from a man or a woman this led to rumors that he disguised himself as a woman. So, he wasn't well-liked because of it.

Eventually, Hosono found a boat which he took to head back to his native Japan.

But what Hosono would soon realize that he would receive a much colder reception than he did in the USA.

## Back Home

Hosono arrives in Japan after a 3-day voyage across the Pacific. At first, Hosono was known as the *"Lucky Japanese Boy"*, having survived the sinking of the Titanic.

The Japanese Media would soon interview Hosono as he casually told them about his time on the Titanic. To him, everything seemed okay.

But it wouldn't be long until the Japanese Media condemned Hosono as he survived the Titanic and not because he didn't heed to the *"Women and children first"* rule, and not choosing to commit suicide and accepting his fate. Though the rumors of him pushing and shoving his way onto the lifeboat and disguising himself as a woman never reached Japan. Despite this, he lost his job in the Ministry of Transport and was humiliated by the Japanese public, in fact the public would give him the title of *"Mura Hachibu"* (a Japanese term when somebody made a grievous error is purposely avoided by his/her peers, a Japanese term still used in Japan today).

## Redemption

Hosono would be considered a "dishonorable coward" by the Japanese public not just for the rest of his life, but even long after his death on March 14, 1939 as the story of Hosono would be known for a long time as a story of shame, dishonor and cowardice (especially for his family).

It wouldn't be until sometime after his death when one of his grandchildren would find his travel journal (which he kept even after losing his job). In one of his later entries, it stated that he never tried to disgrace anybody or anything as a Japanese citizen. Thus this restored honor and respect back into the Hosono family. Even better, the 1997 film (appropriately titled *Titanic*) even did some justice for the Hosono family as it also restored more honor into the family.

Well, that is it for this edition of Japan's Interesting people. Please check out my other pages on here and as well as my Games and Movies wikis. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.