Statement Concerning Narazaki

NARAZAKI, MASAHIKO  [Marginal Note: Sugamo 29 Sep 47 ]

Statement of Narazaki (7 October 1947)

26, assigned to Tokyo Staff Headquarters in January 1945 as a PO, took a course in guerrilla warfare, assigned to WAH on 29-30 July, supposedly as a prospective officer for a guerrilla unit to be formed when the Americans invaded Kyushu. Narazaki was discharged about 10 September 1945. Guerrilla training included attacking a headquarters with a small group of men, sabo­taging of Railroads, gas dumps, airfields, roads and bridges, various guer­rilla tactics such as hiding in trees and dropping grenades on passing per­sons'. The course was 6 months. Narazaki did not continue guerrilla train­ing at WAH. Maj. Idezono was his immediate superior, was supposedly Narazaki's training officer. Col. Tomomori of the staff section was directly over Idezono.

About 10-15 POs came to WAH with Narazaki for the same purpose. There were about 10 other POs with a later date of rank but the fir s t group never trained with them. In Narazaki's group were Kunihiko Hirakawa, Miyamoto, Noda, Ezaki, Yamagani, Satano, Daikubara, Momota, Nishida, Fukushima, Matsunaga and Soejima there were 3-4 other POs. They were billeted in the first floor office at the right end of the main building in the center of the WAH compound. The office of Idezono was on the 2nd floor to the right of the central flight of stairs, (formerly Kusumoto's office ). Yamamoto was a guerrilla PO who had arrived earlier than Narazaki, there were 2-3 others.

On the date in the morning, which Narazaki thought was 9-10 August, he returned from Saga. Yamagami told him that Idezono and a ll the members of the guerrilla unit had gone to Aburayama so they decided to go, Narazaki think­ing that he could report to Idezono there. On the way Yamagami said that some flyers who had been captured some 2-3 months before had apparently been given the death sentence by LS, and he thought that they were to be executed at Aburayama. Narazaki then said that if they were to perform executions they should return, but Yamagami thought the executions would probably be over and that they might wait there (they were almost to Aburayama) for the truck when it returned. While waiting, a farmer explained that the others were at a spot not faraway, so they went there.

They went to the headquarters truck, saw 4-5 soldiers coming from "down towards the truck", thought the executions were over, so they approached the scene of the executions and saw Idezono and a group of soldiers. One of the POs proclaimed that Narazaki had arrived whereupon Idezono said to Tomomori that since Narazaki was good at kendo, let him perform the executions. Tomomori nodded at this, and Idezono told 2nd Lt. Ohno, who had already a drawn sword in his hands and was ready to execute a flyer kneel­ing beside the pit, to wait, that Narazaki would perform the execution; whereupon Idezono said, "Narazaki, you perform the execution. Use the

'Kesagiri' stroke".

Narazaki then said he had no experience in executions, and when he reached Ono, Tomomori approached him, told him to calm down, offered him a drink of liquor, which he took, then said to Ono, "Please, since you are a 2nd Lt. and I am only a PO, go ahead and perform the execution," Narazaki received no answer, said it again, then Ono replied that since Idezono had told him, he should perform the execution.

NARAZAKI -2-

Narazaki then looked about, saw a LS Capt., Capt. Nakamura, he thinks, and then decided to perform the execution. Narazaki first thought he would refuse Idezono's order, but when he saw Tomomori and the LS officer, he thot the executions were legal, drew his sword, stood directly behind the flyer, who was naked and blindfolded, kneeling, measured the stroke 2-3 times, heard someone tell him to hurry, whereupon he brought the sword straight down against the middle of the shoulder right behind the collar bone. The flyer fell partly into the pit; an army doctor inspected the body, told Narazaki to pierce the flyer through the heart. Idezono also told him to pierce the flyer though the heart, which he did. Narazaki did not notice who pushed the body into the pit, went to wash his sword.

When he returned, everyone was lined up in 2 rows facing Tomomori, who said that these persons who were first executed (??) were not PWs, but fighters who received the death sentence after a trial, that ordinary PWs are not executed in such a way.

Narazaki had heard someplace that these person had shot Japanese civilians just prior to their capture. The Prisoner was wearing shorts. When Nara­zaki performed the execution, he noticed some hands protruding from one end of the pit. On the way to the truck Narazaki heard that Otsuki had failed to kill a Prisoner using a bow and arrow. Narazaki thrust the sword to the Prisoners heart through the back; he was face down. The Prisoner had knelt straight and very quiet.

The kasagiri stroke cuts a large blood vessel in the back of the shoulder, which is supposed to end life immediately. Narazaki didn't hear of any karate used. Narazaki reached headquarters about noon. On 15 August, after the Emperor’s address, Narazaki heard someone say it would be well not to talk about the executions; Narazaki knows of no other executions than the one in which he performed, nor of the KIU incident.