A poet buffeted by war

 Hiroshi Ota was a Japanese poet and army officer. His life became deeply connected to the tragic story of the Himeyuri Student Corps during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

Ota began his carrier as a banker and poet. He was conscripted into Japanese army in 1942 and later sent to Okinawa as a second lieutenant in an anti-aircraft artillery unit.

In 1944, Ota was stationed in Okinawa, and the Himeyuri Student Corps　（female students who assisted the military） were assigned to the unit under his command. The young women engaged in unfamiliar civil engineering work. Ota was impressed by their intelligence and dedication, and his poetic heart was deeply moved. He wrote a poem titled “Farewell Song” , also known as “Song of the Shoushiju Tree”, which was dedicated to their graduation the following March.

This poem was set to music by Keii Kochihira and became a cherished piece among the students. It was meant to be sung at their graduation ceremony, but the ceremony never took place due to the intensifying war. Instead, the song was sung in underground shelters and caves as the students faced unimaginable hardship and death. 

In April 1945, after the U.S. military landed in Okinawa, Ota and Himeyuri Student Corps moved south during heavy fighting. On June 20, he died near Mekaru (now the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Itoman City) at the age of 24.