Letters Exchanged with My Mother (by Honobono)

Letters exchanged with my mother No.1

Sixty years ago when I finished the first year of a junior high school (I was 13 years and 8 months old), I joined the Army Cadet School. I became just a young soldier. I was instructed by the school to write letters to my parents as frequently as possible.

While I stayed in the Army Cadet School for 4 months and 15 days, I sent letters to my parents 14 times. I still have all of them in hand because my parents kept them very carefully. I got my mother's letters 5 times, so I keep them very carefully.

I would like to show some of them to you honestly.

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A postcard to my father and mother

April 25, 1945

How are you, my father and mother?
I'm worried about you because you didn't send a letter to me. Now, early summer has come. Cicadas are making loud noises in the grounds of the Houkoku Shrine.

Yesterday the Army Cadet School students marched from the school to the Kanshin-ji Temple and Nanpian. I respected a great Masashige Kusunoki's loyalty to the Emperor and at the same time I was devoted to the pursuit of my faith in 'Shichisho-houkoku' (this means serving ones country for seven lives ).

I'm studying equations in math now, but I can't understand them at all and I'm suffering from them a lot.---While I study it by myself, I sometimes feel like crying, but I'll study it very hard.

Please look forward to seeing me because I may come back home this coming 30th.

Well, take care, please. Good-by.

from Hideo Ochiai

The third room, the 6th training group, the 49th graduate
Osaka Army Cadet School 　　　　　

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A letter from my mother

May 4 (1945)　

　 To Hideo Ochiai,
The third room, the 6th training group, the 49th graduate
Osaka Army Cadet School 　　　　　
　　　　
I think you went back to your school safely the other day. As I wasn't able to see you go up the stairs of the Kyoto station. I went around the storeroom of cargos and looked over the railway track, but finally I missed you.
I'm sure you went back to your school safely.

This time your father and myself were really glad to see that you looked great. I was so proud of being a soldier's mother.
You can study freely with thanks to the Emperor's authority (Miitsu) though the same other students as your age can't study and have to work even if students.

I do hope you shouldn't forget obligation for Japan and you study very hard because your duty is a student. And make your schools ( Shugakuin Elementary School and Kyoto first junior high school) famous.
Mr. Aono that we saw on your way home looked so glad, didn't he?

Tomorrow is a boy's festival and there is a festival in the Saginomori Shrine. I displayed a military sword in the alcove of our house and prayed your fortune of the war and Japan's sure victory. I hear air-raid warnings very often, but pay attention to everything and take care of yourself.

I wanted to show you onions that you planted in the fields when you came back home, because they grew up very much, but I couldn't show you around there because you didn't have enough time, could I?

Your father and myself are really worried to hear that you suffer from math. If you have anything difficult to understand about math, ask your senior students as I usually tell you, "Better ask than go astray". Do not worry that you can't understand it from the beginning so well as students of the second year.

I am praying to the Rokkatsu Shrine and asking your elder brother's soul about you from my heart. Don't get tired of studying math even if you never understand math. Persist to do your best like your elder brother.

Your father will manage to visit your school because he fortunately has something to do in Osaka this coming 13th ( Sunday). Therefore stay in your school even though you can go out freely. Check what you want to ask him because your father wants to teach you math you can't understand, in a quiet place. I won't able to visit you for some time.

Imagining your healthy figure, I will produce a lot of crops very hard.

Well, take care.

from your mother (Kayoko Ochiai)

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This is a 13-year-old young soldier who aspired to enter the Army Cadet School and took an exam of it, and finally succeeded in joining the Osaka Army Cadet School.
When I came back home, I had my picture taken at a famous photo studio in Mototanaka, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto-city, in order to leave it to my family for a memorial.