Publisher's Synopsis
During the Pacific War, thousands of Japanese women committed suicides along with their children to avoid capture by Americans. Why? You may find the answer in this book. The author who lived and grew up in Tokyo during the war recorded his life and general psychological environment of the relatively tranquil period: 1942 and 1943. People believed and had faith in deities. Japan was the sacred country, which their deities protected. Deities gave Japanese spiritual power, which eventually would overcome American material power. Even the author personally experienced deity induced miracles.Regardless war or peace, a life of any ambitious elementary school boy in Japan revolved around the preparation for the notorious exam hell. The author lived in slum in Tokyo, and the passing the exam is the only way to escape from the poverty. An enrolment to the best available middle school almost guarantees for his life-long career success. His ambition was to become an Army General. A problem was his class teacher, who had no interest in teaching, but he had support from the principal and superintendant. The author and his family tried to overcome the obstacle with author's self-study and faith in deities. The author had a break from his stressful self-study. He had inducted to a mandatory summer camp. He had experienced several humiliating incidents there. However, he had also encountered his first miracle. Meanwhile the war situation was gradually changing toward the favor to American side. News of a big Japanese victory became scarce. Rumors about Japanese defeat were rampaging. Especially rumors about Americans' brutality at Guadalcanal were detailed and numerous. Some people thought that the propaganda machine of Imperial Army was spreading these rumors to inspire Japanese to hate Americans. Regardless whatever and how these rumors started, many people believed them and nursed the fear toward Americans. Despite of war situation, the author's man focus was passing the entrance exam, but he could not get enough confidence from his own study alone. He needed some extraordinary helps and found them in the pray to deities. Believed or not, he passed the exam with helps of several miraculous events.
