Reenactor ～002～

Hello. 
Today, we received reenactment photos from Mr. Z.W. in the UK, which we are pleased to share. 

These photos were taken at an event held recently at Military Odyssey in Maidstone, Kent, UK.  

Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Corps Pilot

This scarf is inspired by the Fuyou Unit.

芙蓉の花  Cotton rose hibiscus

The “ Fuyou Unit ” was the common name for a unit formed in January 1945 when the 901st Fighter Squadron, 812th Fighter Squadron, and 804th Fighter Squadron—night fighter units belonging to the Combined Fleet—were reassembled at Fujieda Naval Air Base (present-day JASDF Shizuhama Air Base). Its official designation was the 131st Air Group

Crew members assigned to the Fuyou Unit wore light pink scarves, the color of the Cotton rose hibiscus flower.

芙蓉部隊 指揮官　美濃部 正 少佐

Fuyou Unit Commander  Major Tadashi Minobe

Major Minobe named it thus because Mount Fuji was clearly visible from Fujieda Base (now Japan Air Self-Defense Force Shizuhama Base) in Shizuhama Village, Shida District, Shizuoka Prefecture (present-day Yaizu City), which served as the unit's base.

He is often portrayed as having resisted the military high command's policy of all-out special attacks and refused to carry them out. However, there are differing accounts regarding the reality of his actions. He devised various special attack operations, instructed units under his command in their training even before the formation of the Kamikaze Special Attack Corps, and actually ordered sorties for special attacks.

Minobe, then 29 years old, commanded approximately 1,000 personnel.

At a Navy meeting in late February 1945 at Kisarazu Base, where the decision for special attacks in the Okinawa campaign was finalized, he argued before the assembled senior officers that sending inexperienced pilots on successive suicide missions offered no chance of victory. He contended that rigorous training followed by night attacks would be more effective.

"None of our young pilots fear death. But mere empty slogans about mental fortitude alone cannot inspire them to stand up with true courage. If we must die, I ask that you provide us with a method that offers a reasonable chance of success."
(Minobe Tadashi, “A Taisho Child's Account of the Pacific War”)
 

According to Major Minobe's memoirs, their training was three times as rigorous as that of the special attack units.
Military officers inspected this demanding training regimen.
Furthermore, their reconnaissance efforts in gathering information on American forces were recognized. Consequently, an unusual change was made: the unit was excluded from the special attack squadron formation.

Fuyou Unit officers just before advancing to Kanoya Air Base. Center front is Minobe; to Minobe's left is Captain Masashi Tokura, flight leader of Combat Squadron 812; to his right is Captain Eiichi Kawabata, flight leader of Combat Squadron 804. Photographed at Fujieda Air Base on March 30, 1945.

The first contingent of the Fuyo Unit assembled at Kanoya Air Base to serve in the Battle of Okinawa. The person in the center of the second row from the front, wearing no hat and an American flight jacket, is Minobe. The photograph was taken on either April 1 or 4, 1945. The leather flight jacket he wears was given to him by an American POW in the Solomon Islands.

The exhibition booth displays equipment he collected and fighter aircraft outer panels.

The writing on the blackboard was completed after being rewritten many times.

Flight computer

Also on display are felt receivers, flight helmets, and Aerial Battle Models (wooden).

Aerial Battle Model（wooden）
●A6M

●Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Fighter aircraft outer panels

Window sock

Memo board and comfort doll

Japanese Army and Navy reenactors operating in the UK 

He is currently the only IJAN pilot reenactor in the UK.
We talked about many things, so I know the effort he puts into his reenactments. That made me feel like I was building the base alongside him, which was really enjoyable.
His passion for reenactment, driven by a desire to convey something, truly warms my heart.

Thank you for sharing these great photos.

That's all for today.

See you soon.

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

Comfort dolls (good-luck charm dolls)

Hello.
How are you all?

Today, I would like to write about “Comfort dolls” that were sent (or given) to soldiers going to war.

Although they are not military equipment, I believe that they are indispensable and must not be forgotten when reenacting.

Soldiers smiling at the comfort dolls

I have been studying various kinds of military equipment, but I had not paid much attention to these dolls. However, when I look at soldiers, I see many photos of them wearing dolls from that time.

It is said that schoolgirls and women made them with their hearts and sent them in comfort bags（慰問袋 imon-bukuro) to soldiers fighting in the war.
Thus, each handmade doll seems to have a soul. These dolls have various names such as “comfort dolls（慰問人形 imon-ningyo),” “good-luck charm dolls（お守り人形 omamori-ningyo),” “mascot dolls（マスコット人形 masukotto-ningyo),” and “ special attack dolls（特攻人形 tokko-ningyo),” but one cannot help but feel the wish that “the soldiers will be safe” and "good luck will continue to flow to them.

There are still news videos about the comfort dolls of those days.

①

愛国女子団の慰問人形製作＜銃後から戦線へ＞｜ニュース｜NHKアーカイブス

②

慰問人形に喜ぶ中支陸鷲勇士＜戦線通信＞｜ニュース｜NHKアーカイブス

③

勇士に捧ぐ　銃後の赤誠｜ニュース｜NHKアーカイブス

When you think of Japanese good luck charms（御守り omamori), you may easily imagine a small bag-shaped object, but I feel deeply touched by the idea of daring to give something in the shape of a person, just like the origins of the kanji（漢字) for “doll（人形）”.

These comfort bags were started by women who learned that soldiers in war zones were fighting for their lives under harsh conditions and wanted to heal and encourage them (activities spread mainly through women's groups such as the National Defense Women's Association　国防婦人会).
The bags were sent with not only dolls, but also letters, daily necessities such as soap, caramels, belly wraps, and gloves, foodstuffs, medicine, and other items.

Let's take a look at some photos from those days.

I could only show you the photos of the airmen here, but of course, they were actually comfort dolls for all soldiers.

A scene from the TV drama series “The Pacific”

After the special attack teams began their special attack missions, female students and their relatives would give them directly to the troops to take with them before they went out on their missions.

There are many photos of the soldiers with their dolls in the triangular barracks（三角兵舎) where they slept in the days leading up to the sortie.

A special attack soldier holding a comfort doll sent by female students from all over the country at the Triangle Barracks（三角兵舎).

Troops sleeping in the triangular barracks on the eve of a sortie.
The mascot doll will be hung in the plane tomorrow and fly out together.

In the memoirs of a female student who became a caretaker of the special attack team, the doll is often mentioned.

In the journal of a female student who was a caretaker of a special attack unit, she often wrote: "Among the dignified brothers' beloved planes, various dolls are swaying in the wind as if waiting for today's sortie.

One of the squadron members told me that of the two dolls, one was hung on his beloved plane and the other on his flight watch."

Dolls of the time

I think these dolls are a direct reflection of the personality of the person who made them. If I had a doll from those days right in front of me, there is no way I, or anyone else of course, could recreate it. That is why the recipients could not help but feel something.

I want to believe that their hearts were saved, even if only a little.

This is one of the dolls my wife handmade for Reenactor.
It contains a wish that the recipient's good health and peace of mind will be protected for a long time.

That's all for today.

See you soon.

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

IJN Late Type Flight Helmet（Curled fur）

How are you all doing?

Today we would like to introduce you to IJN's late model winter flight helmets with curled fur.

Squadron Officer, 1st Squadron  Lieutenant‐JG Noriyasu Sato and J2M

He participated in the decisive Battle of the Philippines and was wounded while flying his Mitsubishi 2JM, as part of the 302nd.

If you look at his flight helmet you can see the long, curly fur. Most of the IJN winter flight helmets would have the shorter fur, from rabbit or nutria pelts. The longer, curly fur is said to have come from Angola Goats.

～Reproduction～

Ensign Michihiko Senge

Hyakurihara Naval Air Force（百里原海軍航空隊）in 1945

The white scarf fluffy around his neck was a gift from his father, who was the priest of Izumo Taisha Shrine（出雲大社). It was made by unraveling the white robe worn by his father.

His flight helmet can also be seen with its fur curled.

～Reproduction～

original

original

original

～Hinomaru Hachimaki～

～Scarf as a mask～

Well, that's all for today!

See you then.

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

Reenactor ～001～

Hello.
Today, we would like to share with you some photos we received from Mr. P.M. from Texas, U.S.A !

This is a rear view with a Type 97 parachute (Type 2).

It is very rare to see such a reenactment with this much equipment installed.

In his hand, a Type 14 pistol can be seen.

The parachute was separated from the harness and placed like a cushion on the pilot's seat. Perhaps for this reason, there are very few photographs of the parachute hanging from the waist.

The canopy of the parachute was made of special silk habutae, and after the war was converted into fabric for use as handkerchiefs, etc., so there are very few of these in existence.

A Grumman F6F Hellcat can be seen in the background.

A a6m3 was supposed to come to this event, but due to problems with the aircraft, it was not able to come.

The flight helmet fits perfectly and the bounce-up habit looks great!

Hanging from the life vest is a comfort doll. At the time, female students and women made these dolls for soldiers in the war zone, expressing their feelings of fighting together.

In his hand is an Imperial Japan Navy Sword (海軍刀 Kaiguntō).

In principle, swords, which are made of iron, were prohibited from being carried on board naval fighters because of their effect on the compass.

Let's take a look at the equipment here for a moment.

●Early Type1 Winter Flight Helmet

●Early type life vest

●Receiver with felt

●Memo board

●White silk scarf

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com

IJN Aviation Life vests

How are you all?
Today, we would like to introduce our reproduction of the IJN Aviation Life vests.

～Aviation Life vests～

Life Vests were a necessity for Imperial Japanese Naval personnel flying over vast expanses of water. In 1923 a pneumatic British vest was purchased and tested. It used a compressed air bottle to fill a bladder, which created buoyancy. However, in 1924 the Yokosuka Retired Military Personnel Receiving Association invented a more traditional life vest that utilized kapok filling stuffed inside gabardine cloth. This vest was well received. Kapok is a silk/cotton-like fiber that comes from Kapok Trees that are prevalent in the Philippines and Java. The seed fiber is extremely bouyant. The vest was made by creating individual chambers within the cloth. Four sections on each breast were sewn into long chambers that were stuffed with the kapok fiber. The back of the vest was also stuffed with kapok fiber in the same manner. The design did have it's drawbacks. It limited the wearers mobility.

In 1936, an improved design was introduced that allowed for greater movement. Portions of the chambers were sectioned-off, allowing the vest to fold and bend with the natural movement of the human body. A crotch suspension was added, and waterproof Burberry fabric was adopted.

This type went into production using pin-cotton with kapok filling, between the years of 1937 - 1942. This type featured a small pocket on the wearers right breast that had a flap closure with a metal snap. On the back was a large green tag, on which to write the wearer's name and unit designation. The vest was secured by a cotton twill waist belt that tied in the front. The crotch ties went through 2 cotton twill loops (found on the bottom of the vest) before being tied.

The late-war version of this vest was nearly the same. However, the small pocket on the front was eliminated completely, and the large green name tag on the back was made smaller. The rest of the construction remained the same.

This is an aviation life vest (early type) enacted in April 1942, with a small pocket on the lower right. In the later type, the pocket is gone.

～Changes in IJN Aviation Life vests～

(Left)1941

(Center)1931

(Right) 1927

Early type（Reproduction）

Later type（Reproduction）



This is the kapok inside.

Kapok
A natural fiber made from tree nuts.
It is said to be the lightest natural fiber in the world.
It is surprisingly soft and supple to the touch.



Original

Reproduction

This is an example of the Early Type Life Vest, with a small pocket on the right breast. In the late-war type, this pocket is gone. In order to make it as close to the real thing as possible, we sewed it precisely and stuffed it with kapok fiber.
 

The curve of the sides allows it to fit along the body.

The position of the fastening part of the girth cord is also well thought out.

In these small pockets, they carried, for example, a pencil or a good luck charm doll.

Charm dolls (comfort dolls)

Some are called “Kamikaze dolls,” but these are called comfort dolls ( good luck charm dolls). These dolls were sent to soldiers in the war zone as one of the contents of comfort bags or personally made years before the Kamikaze attacks began, with the intention of healing them and fighting alongside them.

Aircrews wearing the early type

Aircrews wearing the later type

The crotch suspension in this photo is said to be red.

That's all for today.

See you again!

※About ordering※

We manufacture the flight helmets, oxygen masks, receivers, etc. shown in the blog. Please contact us for production orders, film-related orders, etc. 

ry.oide@nifty.com