Relation to Kamikaze

Visual Symbol of the Kamikaze

Cherry blossoms became the defining visual symbol of the kamikaze because they embodied the Japanese ideal of beauty in briefness, a life that ends suddenly. Sakura bloom intensely for only a few days before their petals fall, a metaphor that military leaders and pilots used to express the “perfect” kamikaze death. As shown in photographs referenced by Rebecca Reyna, pilots sometimes pinned cherry blossom branches to their flight suits during send-off ceremonies, visually marking themselves as blossoms ready to fall. Girls from Chiran High School waved blooming sakura branches as kamikaze aircraft left the ground, surrounding the pilots with the flower that had come to symbolize their fate. Additionally, the cherry blossom became a symbol of kamikaze on the aircraft, an example being the "cherry blossom" gliders (okha) (Schattschneider). Through this imagery, cherry blossoms became a symbol of kamikaze identity.

Support for the Kamikaze Cause

Long before WWII, cherry blossoms carried deep cultural meaning connected to purity and noble death, themes that are found in Japanese mythology and samurai traditions. This association between blossoms and youthful death persisted through centuries of poetry and militarized symbolism, particularly in the Meiji era and the Sino-Japanese War (Reyna). When Japan faced devastating losses in 1944, this cultural idea provided a logic that made the creation of kamikaze units seem culturally fitting, even before propaganda or individual motivation. The idea that a young man’s life, like a blossom’s, was meant to fall at its peak allowed suicide missions to be framed as noble and historically appropriate. Sakura trees, therefore, supplied a cultural framework that helped justify the kamikaze system itself.

Kamikaze Rituals and Ceremonies

When the kamikaze squadrons were formed in 1944, they were given names related to cherry blossoms, such as Hatsu-zakura tai (First Cherry Blossom Corps) or Waka-zakura tai (Young Cherry Blossom Corps) (Shillony). Cherry blossoms played a central role in the rituals surrounding kamikaze departures, also appearing alongside personal symbolic objects carried into the planes. These ceremonies framed the departure as natural and fulfilling. At the same time, pilots carried personal objects, most notably the “comfort dolls.” These dolls, sent by mothers, sisters, or schoolgirls, served as emotional talismans meant to accompany the pilot on his final flight or honor him after his death. One of the most famous ones, as described by Schattschneider, is the "cherry blossom" dolls, showing how the sakura is present all throughout the kamikaze cycle. Inside some aircraft, cherry blossom branches and dolls appeared together, showing how these symbols held great significance to the pilots and signified family, honor, and a peaceful passing (Schattschneider). These practices show that sakura shaped not just the symbol of the kamikaze, but the lived ceremonies marking their departure.

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