Miyakonojo Airfield Ruins (East & West)
都城飛行場跡（都城東・西飛行場）
Site of two Imperial Japanese Army airfields in southern Kyushu from which 79 Shinbu (Army special attack) pilots flew Ki-84 Hayate fighters on 17 kamikaze sorties against the U.S. fleet off Okinawa between April 6 and July 1, 1945. The West Airfield (built 1934, expanded to 1,200 m runway by 1945) launched the first mission on April 6; after devastating air raids on April 27–28 destroyed it, operations shifted to the East Airfield (built 1944 on converted rice paddies by the Navy, later transferred to Army use). Today, stone monuments at both former airfield sites and the Hayate Shinbu Special Attack Corps Memorial in Toshima Park (former Army cemetery) preserve the memory of the young pilots, most aged 18–23, who never returned.
Images
History
The Miyakonojo Airfields were a pair of Imperial Japanese Army air bases located on the outskirts of Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki Prefecture, in southern Kyushu. During the final months of the Pacific War, they served as critical staging bases for tokko (special attack / kamikaze) operations against the American fleet during the Battle of Okinawa.
West Airfield (都城西飛行場)
Located in Tsuhara-cho (now Yokoichi area), the West Airfield was originally constructed in late 1934 using volunteer labor. It featured two unpaved runways laid diagonally across a nearly square field, extended to approximately 1,200 meters by April 1945. From 1944, the 2nd Training Flight Unit of the Akeno Training Air Division was deployed here, conducting combat training with Ki-43 Hayabusa and Ki-84 Hayate fighters. On April 6, 1945, eight pilots of the 1st Shinbu Squadron took off from this airfield at 2:10 PM — the first kamikaze sortie from Miyakonojo — heading toward Okinawa. Two more pilots from the same unit departed on April 12. All ten gave their lives. On April 27–28, 1945, intensive American air raids destroyed the runway and killed 18 personnel, rendering the base inoperable. Surviving special attack units relocated to the East Airfield.
East Airfield (都城東飛行場)
Located in Tohoku-cho (partly in present-day Mimata Town), the East Airfield was hastily constructed in early 1944 by the Navy, which conscripted local residents to convert rice paddies along the Okimizu River floodplain into an airstrip. The runway featured an innovative octopus-leg (タコ足) pattern extending approximately 1,500 meters north-south and 500 meters east-west, with dispersal taxiways branching into surrounding forest cover — a design that proved effective in concealing aircraft from Allied air attacks. Initially used for Zero fighter training by the Navy, it was transferred to Army control in March 1945 when the 101st Air Regiment (100th Air Brigade) deployed for special attack operations. After the West Airfield's destruction, the East Airfield became the primary launch base. Between April and July 1945, pilots from the 26th, 27th, 57th, 58th, 59th, 60th, 61st, 179th, and 180th Shinbu Squadrons departed from here on one-way missions.
Shinbu Special Attack Operations
In total, 79 young pilots from 10 Shinbu Squadrons launched 17 special attack sorties from Miyakonojo's two airfields between April 6 and July 1, 1945. They flew Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Type 4 Fighter "Frank") — the Army's most advanced fighter at the time — each armed with two 250 kg bombs. The Hayate's superior speed and maneuverability gave pilots a better chance of penetrating American fighter screens and anti-aircraft barrages to reach their targets. Most pilots were between 18 and 23 years old. None returned.
Air Raids on Miyakonojo
From March 18, 1945, American carrier aircraft and long-range bombers subjected Miyakonojo to repeated devastating raids targeting the airfields and surrounding infrastructure. The worst came on August 6, 1945, when incendiary bombing and strafing of the city center destroyed eleven neighborhoods and killed 56 civilians.
Northern Airfield (都城北飛行場)
A third airfield was constructed in Nonomitani-cho, but no special attack aircraft departed from this base.
Present-Day Memorials and Ruins
Both airfield sites have been largely returned to agricultural and residential use, with minimal visible wartime structures remaining. Key memorial sites include:
- Hayate Shinbu Special Attack Corps Memorial (疾風振武隊慰霊碑): Erected November 15, 1977, in Toshima Park (都島公園), the former Imperial Army cemetery in Miyakonojo. The main stone tablet inscribes the names, ages, squadron numbers, and sortie dates of all 79 pilots. A secondary monument with stone lanterns was added in 1993 by the Army Academy 57th Class Association. An annual ceremony is held on April 6.
- East Airfield Monument (特別攻撃隊出撃の地碑): A stone marker erected November 15, 1977, at the former airfield site in Tohoku-cho, inscribed "Special Attack Squadrons Takeoff Location" on the front and "Former Miyakonojo East Airfield Site" on the right side. A second marker exists at the Mihara Area Community Center. The Mimata Town Board of Education erected an additional sign in March 1997 noting "69 young men took off from here."
- West Airfield Monument (特攻隊出撃の地碑): A memorial stone at the former airfield site in the Yokoichi district, identifying it as a special attack corps departure point.
- Miyakonojo History Museum (都城歴史資料館): Located in Shiroyama Park (城山公園), the museum features exhibits on the Hayate Shinbu Corps and wartime history of the Miyakonojo area.
The Miyakonojo JGSDF Garrison (陸上自衛隊都城駐屯地) now occupies the former Army regimental headquarters in Kubohara-cho, with the historic "Kyodo-kan" building preserved as a Self-Defense Forces museum.