Nestled in view of the verdant, southwestern slopes of Mt. Fuji where the mountains descend to the sea lies the bustling city of Shizuoka, the tea capital of Japan. Overlooking the city near its center is Mt. Shizuhata. A well-worn trail winds upward from its base within the Sengen Shinto shrine complex through a sylvan wilderness to its 561-foot summit. In a clearing at the summit stand two imposing monuments each with large kanji characters incised deeply into their faces. Anchored in the shadows of these monuments rests a large bronze plaque inscribed with the names of 23 American airmen. It is a placid scene that greets hikers today.

Blackened canteen encircled by a lei. Photo courtesy of Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum

But there is a tragic “rest of the story” here, a wartime story that gains added impact with each re-telling. It is a story of one Japanese man’s courage and compassion when caught up in the hellish aftermath of fiery death and destruction from above. It is also the story of another Japanese man, then a young boy trapped with his family in the same Dantesque inferno. This boy survived the night and the war to eventually become a renowned kidney specialist, returning to his hometown to save lives where before he had faced death and human suffering on an unimaginable scale. It was a life-altering experience that would remain etched in his memory. As a result, he would pour his energy into promoting international peace and reconciliation among former enemies. This is the story of two remarkable individuals and their connection to a small yet powerfully symbolic wartime memento.

In the evening of June 19-20, 1945, two of a large group of Army Air Forces’ B-29 Superfortresses from the 314th Bombardment Wing on Guam, assigned to a firebombing mission over Shizuoka, collided and crashed. Twenty-three American airmen were killed; nearly 2,000 Shizuoka citizens also perished and approximately 12,000 were wounded.

At the center of the devastation, Mr. Fukumatsu Itoh, a Shizuoka councilman and merchant attempted to rescue from the wreckage two of the gravely injured airmen. However, both died shortly thereafter. Amidst the smoking rubble, Mr. Itoh also found and retrieved a blackened and heat-distorted canteen. Eerily, the canteen appeared to bear the imprint of its former owner’s hand.

Being a devout Buddhist who believed that all life is precious, and that all dead deserve respect, Mr. Itoh assisted in giving the airmen a proper burial alongside the Japanese who had also died in the bombing. For this selfless act, Mr. Itoh was roundly condemned by the local townspeople. [Readers might imagine themselves in a similar situation. Your hometown is destroyed by enemy aircraft. Friends and neighbors, perhaps family members and relatives, are killed or grievously wounded. Some of the aircraft crash. Someone perhaps you know treats the dead enemy with care and respect and even helps bury them. How many of us could think kindly about or accept such a seemingly traitorous act?] Mr. Itoh bore the hatred silently. But it didn’t end there.

On each anniversary of the bombing, Mr. Itoh conducted a simple private ceremony to remember those who had paid the ultimate price that wars exact. He would utter a muted prayer and, using the blackened canteen, pour an offering to the spirits of the fallen, both Japanese and American. Eventually, Mr. Itoh erected the two monuments atop Mt. Shizuhata to memorialize the 1945 tragedy, one dedicated to the Japanese who had died in the firebombing, the other dedicated to the dead American airmen.

Fast forward to 1971. While on a weekend outing on Mt. Shizuhata, Dr. Sugano came upon Mr. Itoh’s monuments. He learned of the story from workers at the site that day. Having lived through the horrors of that terrible night and having seen the B-29 wreckages, Dr. Sugano was so fascinated by the account that he was compelled to seek out Mr. Itoh; a friendship instantly formed. Before his death in 1972, Mr. Itoh passed the blackened canteen to Dr. Sugano after his assurance that he would carry on the tradition that Mr. Itoh had originated.

Since 1972, on the Saturday closest to June 19th each year, Dr. Sugano has personally hosted and funded the annual ceremony atop Mt. Shizuhata. The public is welcomed. Each year, the numbers have increased as more learn of the ceremony through word of mouth and the Internet. Townspeople and dignitaries, both civilian and military, attend. In past years, US Forces have been represented by officers and enlisted personnel from the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base and soldiers from Camp Zama. The Japan Self Defense Forces are represented by the regional commander and troops. On occasion, the American ambassador to Japan has sent a personal note to be read at the ceremony. Attendees are invited to participate in the ceremony by offering silent prayers before a simple altar. Then, using the Blackened Canteen, each pours a measure of bourbon over the American monument as an offering to the spirits of the fallen airmen. Japanese guests are invited to perform a similar ritual pouring sake over the Japanese monument.

The annual ceremony in Shizuoka might have remained localized had not Dr. Sugano brought the Blackened Canteen to Hawaii on the 50th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1991. In explaining his motivation, he said that he wanted to initiate personal friendship and reconciliation ties with Americans who might, even 50 years later, still view him and other Japanese with bitterness or worse. By sharing the Blackened Canteen story, he felt those outside Japan might be more understanding if they learned that even in war, one can find goodness and compassion where one least expects it.

Not certain how his overture would be received, Dr. Sugano chose to conduct a private ceremony at Pearl Harbor surrounded only by a few close friends. In following years, he had the good fortune to meet influential, like-minded individuals who became friends. These included the late Admiral Ronald J. Hays, former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, the late Bishop Ryokan Ara, Tendai Mission in Honolulu, Daniel Martinez, National Park Service chief historian at the USS Arizona Memorial, and John DeVirgilio, an Asian scholar and author. With their and others’ understanding and support, including the U.S. Navy, National Park Service, and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, the Blackened Canteen ceremony was eventually integrated into the December commemoration events’ list.

Photo by Somers Steelman, USN

Clearly, the most moving and thought-provoking part of the Blackened Canteen ceremony at Pearl Harbor is when Japanese and American WWII veterans join with Dr. Sugano and, holding the canteen together, they pour a tribute to the lost souls of both countries. The ceremony ends with guests strewing plumeria blossoms onto the waters. It is a poignant and solemn scene never to be forgotten.

This Blackened Canteen, which rose from the ashes of a wartime tragedy, has since become an inspiration for peace and reconciliation. Its blackness and battered shape represent the inevitabilities of conflict. Yet its presence represents eternal hope for a future of peaceful understanding. It is a powerful symbol of the light that can emerge from darkness.

Gary Meyers is a retired Marine Corps officer living in Honolulu who volunteers at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.