Nagomi no Misaki Park
Nagomi no Misaki Park is located on a cape a short distance north of the port town of Kametoku. It overlooks the spot 2 kilometers off the coast where the Japanese steamship Toyama Maru was torpedoed and sunk by the US Navy submarine Sturgeon on June 29, 1944. The ship had departed Kagoshima two days earlier, carrying some 4,600 crew and soldiers on their way to reinforce the defenders on the island of Okinawa. Despite rescue efforts by escorts and the people of Tokunoshima, over 3,700 of those aboard died in the attack.
A Memorial to the Lost
The names of the deceased are engraved on the stones flanking the walkway to the main memorial cenotaph, erected in 1964. Mitsuo Misumi, a survivor of the tragedy, was instrumental in its construction, along with the families of the deceased and the local community. Another cenotaph dedicated to the 150 children and elderly Tokunoshima islanders who perished in the September 1944 sinking of the Bushu Maru, a ship that was evacuating them to the mainland, also stands on the site. There are a number of smaller monuments donated by various organizations and locales, along with olive trees and other symbols of peace. Every year in April, families of the deceased come from all over Japan to attend the Toyama Maru Memorial Ceremony.
A Recreation Area for Visitors
In 2004, this part of the cape was named Nagomi no Misaki Park (nagomi means “a feeling of calm”). The park’s recreation area, which includes a protected reef and a broad white-sand beach, has a number of facilities for vacationers, including toilets, picnic tables, and a barbecue area.
The carving on the stone monument at the park’s entrance was commissioned by former prime minister Koizumi Jun’ichiro.
