Lava of Prayer for Victory

On the way to "Omote-Sabaku Desert" Course, at the top of the crater wall of the outer rim of the mountain, there is a lava rock carved with the words "certain kill certain win". Climbing up the sand hill to get a closer look, we could see that the words "Imperial Year 2605, Isohei-dan" were also carved on it. The year 2605 refers to the year 1945. The history of this inscription was revealed when Mr. Fumio Kokubo, who was an army sergeant at the time, visited the Oshima Town Office in 1979.

In June 1945, the 321st Division (Iso Corps) was formed. On August 15, the Iso Corps learned of Japan's defeat when they listened to a radio broadcast by Emperor Showa at the Goshinka Tea House, which was used as the regiment's headquarters. A few days later, the commander of the Iso Corps gave the order to carve the words " certain kill certain win, Imperial Year 2605, Isohei-dan" on the rock wall of the outer rim of the mountain. 9 masons from the division gathered and spent a week carving the words on the rock. Nine stonemasons from the division got together and spent a week carving the words into the rock. The carving was painted in vermilion at the time, although the color seems to have faded later.

The feelings of the corps commander who ordered this carving after learning of the defeat are immeasurable, and it is a valuable relic as one of the traces of the war left behind on Oshima.

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