My life shared for my parents' land
Tears will never stop from falling
This storm is our last stand
I am pleased to have the honour of having been chosen as a member of a Special Attack Force that is on its way into battle, but I cannot help crying when I think of you, Mum. When I reflect on the hopes you had for my future ... I feel so sad that I am going to die without doing anything to bring you joy.
— Ichizo Hayashi, last letter home a few days before his final flight. April 1945
