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52 Photos

Starboard side view of the Mikasa pre-dreadnought battleship berthed at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka.

Starboard side view of the Mikasa pre-dreadnought battleship berthed at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka.

Mikasa is a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1890s. The ship served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Togo Heihachiro (the statue in the foreground) throughout the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, including the Battle of Tsushima. She has been partially restored and is now a museum ship located at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka. Mikasa is the last remaining example of a pre-dreadnought battleship anywhere in the world.

Mikasa is a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 1890s. The ship served as the flagship of Vice Admiral Togo Heihachiro (the statue in the foreground) throughout the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, including the Battle of Tsushima. She has been partially restored and is now a museum ship located at Mikasa Park in Yokosuka. Mikasa is the last remaining example of a pre-dreadnought battleship anywhere in the world.

Hiji Waterfall in Yanbaru National Park, Okinawa.

Hiji Waterfall in Yanbaru National Park, Okinawa.

Commanding officer’s room in the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters in Tomigusuku-city. On the surface of a wall of this room, the farewell poem of commanding officer Ota is still brightly visible: “Born as a man, nothing fulfills me more than to die under the banner of the Emperor.”

Commanding officer’s room in the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters in Tomigusuku-city. On the surface of a wall of this room, the farewell poem of commanding officer Ota is still brightly visible: “Born as a man, nothing fulfills me more than to die under the banner of the Emperor.”

Memorial Monument at the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters in Tomigusuku-city.

Memorial Monument at the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters in Tomigusuku-city.

The cave in Mabuni Hill where General Mitsuri Ushijima, the commander of the 32nd Army, had his last command post and committed suicide at the end of the battle for Okinawa.

The cave in Mabuni Hill where General Mitsuri Ushijima, the commander of the 32nd Army, had his last command post and committed suicide at the end of the battle for Okinawa.

War memorial at the southern Okinawan site where Lt. Gen. Simon G. Buckner Jr. was killed (one of the markers is on the exact site). His death took place in the closing days of the campaign; he was watching an attack on Ibaru Ridge in the southern part of the island a few miles from the coast.

War memorial at the southern Okinawan site where Lt. Gen. Simon G. Buckner Jr. was killed (one of the markers is on the exact site). His death took place in the closing days of the campaign; he was watching an attack on Ibaru Ridge in the southern part of the island a few miles from the coast.

The burial tradition on the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) is the use of domed burial vaults termed turtleback tombs. The bones of many generations of a particular family could repose in one such tomb. During the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians sought refuge from the naval bombardment of the island inside their ancestors' turtleback tombs. Later, many of these tombs were used by the Japanese defenders of the island.

The burial tradition on the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) is the use of domed burial vaults termed turtleback tombs. The bones of many generations of a particular family could repose in one such tomb. During the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians sought refuge from the naval bombardment of the island inside their ancestors' turtleback tombs. Later, many of these tombs were used by the Japanese defenders of the island.

The burial tradition on the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) is the use of domed burial vaults termed turtleback tombs. The bones of many generations of a particular family could repose in one such tomb. During the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians sought refuge from the naval bombardment of the island inside their ancestors' turtleback tombs. Later, many of these tombs were used by the Japanese defenders of the island.

The burial tradition on the Ryukyu Islands (of which Okinawa is the largest) is the use of domed burial vaults termed turtleback tombs. The bones of many generations of a particular family could repose in one such tomb. During the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians sought refuge from the naval bombardment of the island inside their ancestors' turtleback tombs. Later, many of these tombs were used by the Japanese defenders of the island.

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