Death March on Mount Hakkoda

by Jirō Nitta

The fictionalized account of a military training mission gone tragically wrong as a result of poor planning, bureaucratic interference, and bad luck. In the winter of 1902, 210 soldiers are ordered to cross the snowbound slopes of Mount Hakkoda to test their military strength in anticipation of a Russian invasion. The author's precise descriptions of the terror of the snow and the cold epitomize the detached lyricism so highly admired in Japan.

Genres: Japan, History, Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. My best faction read of 2012!

In real life Nitta had a horrible WW2, and then his wife and children had to walk home from Manchuria.

So he's angry at the army and his book shows it.

Some bits don't work .... Tokushima seems like a nice guy and then suddenly he's really nasty to the guides. And why is a chap called Kuramochi griping at him over twenty pages in the middle? Where did he come from and why is he so pissed off? The brothers were cute, but it became a bit hysterical.


C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre*:
"Outside the circle of NCOs that had formed around the circle of officers, a strapping corporal stepped forward and saluted Yamada.
'With respect, Sir, Lieutenant Nagano has just said that it is impossible to continue, but is it not in the nature of the Japanese Army to make the impossible possible? All of us NCOs wish to continue toward Tashiro as planned.'
These words created a general stir among the NCOs. There were shouts of agreement. Two or three others showed signs of wanting to step forward.
Yamada realized that the situation threatened to get out of hand. All at once he drew his sword and pointed it toward the blizzard:
'Advance!'"

I think we could all do with an orderly from the Japanese Army in our lives:
"Suddenly, Lieutenant Ono of the 3rd Platoon collapsed. His orderly tried to raise him, but he did not get up.
'Lieutenant! Lieutenant!' the orderly shouted, but only the storm answered.
'Lieutenant, please! Get up, Sir!' The orderly was close to tears.
Zenjiro Hasebe heard him and fixed his eyes on Kanda, who was walking in front of him. As Kanda's orderly, he had to remain by Kanda. He must not fall behind. He imagined Lieutenant Ono's orderly would probably sit by his master until he died. Then the orderly would fall asleep, by the lieutenant's side. This seemed natural to Hasebe,'"

Nuts:
"for every day of his military life it had been hammered into him that a soldier's rifle is more important than a soldier's life."


* My favourite quote ever is from a French person seeing St. Pancras railway station in London: "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la gare". Clever, huh?

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about events that occurred end of January 1902, when 200 soldiers of a Japanese Imperial Army unit (out of 210) froze to death during a blizzard in a mountain range that only barely surpasses 1500 m. It is a fictionalized account that is very well readable. Luckily, the translator, obviously very familiar with the historic facts himself, adds an afterword in which he outlines the important changes made by the original author compared to the actual incident. He also very conclusively points out what the original authors intentions were. Definitely a worthwhile read if you are interested in Japanese culture (and if you can find a copy, since it is out of print).

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old, old favorite. Reading the note by the translator, I finally realized why it stays with me so much: it's like a greek tragedy. You feel such pity for the hero(es), and know that there, but for the grace of god, go I.

[Corbin Routier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be included in military academies as a book on leadership. The author takes a historical event and molds mostly accurate events into a dichotomy. The dichotomy juxtaposes two structures in which military officers are allowed to lead the same dangerous mission, where one succeeds and one fails.

The mission is for two Japanese officers to navigate a dangerous mountain route during the winter. They start at opposite ends and end where the other started. Each of them is competent, but the structure provides success for one (and his men) and the death of the other (and his men).

The successful officer is given the order to accomplish the mission. Trust is imparted through the command structure and no interference is made from higher headquarters. The officer is allowed to make preparations in his own way and execute in his own way. The officer is given time to prepare, is given the opportunity to select his team, and is allowed to use the equipment deemed necessary.

The unsuccessful officer is given the order to accomplish the mission. Trust is not imparted through the command structure and higher headquarters is present, and throughout the preparation and execution phase, becomes more involved subverting the command structure (what many today would label "micromanaging"). Higher headquarters allows a Major and his staff to take part in preparations and to partake in the actual navigation of the mountain itself. The two officers' experience explain how structure can destroy the ability of equally qualified officers in two major ways.

First, the failed officer was hierarchically emasculated. It is imperative that responsibility and authority is clear. Adding a senior officer subverts the junior officer. The higher ranking officer should be in charge, or checks and balances need to be present to avoid a "coup" from the senior officer, whether through social pressure or the de facto rank structure making his word usurp the junior officer.

Second, the failed officer was bureaucratically impeded. It is imperative that the mission come first. Instead, higher headquarters emphasized the perception of the mission rather than the outcome. This resulted in not using local guides to navigate, as this implied the military being incapable, which it obviously was, but this is why you ask a professional to fix your car if you can't do it yourself. This also resulted in using improper clothing, as this implied the military clothing was not sufficient. Another result was that soldiers were selected on the higher headquarters "fair and impartial" metrics, rather than who was fittest for the mission. All of these emphases were to achieve military bureaucratic goals, rather than giving the best chance to achieve a new feat. Bureaucracy is good for maintaining what works. It is not good for venturing into the unknown.

Pg. 40 "Even if the battalion staff would not actually be part of the company, it still meant that he, as officer in command of the company, would be outranked. His position had become truly difficult."

Pg. 103 "The moment they heard the Major give the order, they sensed something was wrong. They were participating in the exercise as a company, and companies were commanded by captains... On hearing the Major give this order... most of them concluded that for some reason or other the command had shifted to the Major. And as far as the lower ranks were concerned, it really made no difference who was in charge."

Pg. 107 "Standing in the snow, they deliberated what they should do: go on or turn back. The fact that this question was being discussed at all was strange. If [the captain] was in charge.. all he had to do was report it to the Major. If the Major... considered that he himself was in command, he should state his opinion and decide... But to call all the officers together and hold a strategy meeting in a snowstorm was tantamount to admitting before the assembled lower ranks that there was a lack of unity in the command of the company."

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1902, war with Russia seemed imminent in Japan. In order to prepare and gain necessary data for a winter campaign in Siberia, the Japanese military in Aomori Prefecture conducted a training mission in late January: 210 Japanese soldiers were sent across snowbound Mt. Hakkoda. En route of what was planned to be a short excursion of no more than three days, insufficient preparations and an unclear chain of command met with the worst blizzard of the century, leading to the death of 199 of the men involved.

This “documentary novel” presents a fictionalized account of this tragic incident, which, once word gout out, caused a public outcry that was nonetheless forgotten once the war with Russia started two years later. Equally forgotten was the fact that a much smaller group of soldiers crossed the mountain from the other direction at the same time; however, their planning proved sufficient, so they did not suffer any losses.

This book describes both campaigns in great detail, from the planning stages to the soldier’s provisions and outfits, and the aftermath. It also uses survivor’s accounts and military documents (as far as they were available in 1971) that add veracity to the fiction. Yet, the author takes some liberties as well. The biggest is certainly the rivalry between the two groups, ostensibly set up by their commanders, but entirely fictional. However, even for the surviving group, the march was harrowing, and Nitta does a great job documenting this.

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

20200405

‪#八甲田山死の彷徨 #新田次郎 さん #読了 #再読‬

‪一気に読んでしまった。遭難者含め雪山の描写の恐ろしさは圧巻。と、同時に極限の中の人間の心の動きがリアルに描かれてる。今の日本にも通づる、組織のあり方への問いかけも強く感じる。読み応えのある一冊。‬

[Tanner Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the story. Tragic tall though.

[kg · Rating 5 out of 5]

暑い時に読むべき🥶

[Serdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A grim if meticulously-explored footnote to Japanese history, sans nostalgia or sentimentalism.
http://www.genjipress.com/2011/02/dea...

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly compelling.... a grueling and tragic journey.

[Naohiko Nakamura · Rating 4 out of 5]

無理は良くない。