During the early morning hours of September 9, 1942, in a bold attempt to retaliate for the Doolittle Raid, Japanese pilot Nobuo Fujita, launched from submarine I-25, dropped incendiary bombs near Brookings, Oregon, aiming to ignite massive forest fires.
The operation involved a Yokosuka E14Y floatplane, catapulted into the Oregon sky with the intent to wreak havoc on the landscape and instill fear among the populace. Fujita’s mission, however, fizzled in the damp Oregon conditions, the thermite bombs causing minimal damage.
Years passed, and Fujita, the man responsible for the only enemy aerial bombing campaign on U.S. soil during the war, found himself invited back to the site of his wartime actions. In 1962, the Brookings Jaycees invited Fujita to Brookings as an occasion of historical significance. During the visit, Fujita donated his Samurai sword, which had flown with him in the cockpit, to the City of Brookings as a gesture of international peace and goodwill.
The sword, now on permanent display at the Chetco Community Public Library, served as a poignant reminder of the past and a commitment to a better future. Fujita didn’t stop with a mere token; he planted a redwood tree in the very forest he had once attempted to burn, calling it a “symbol of friendship and peace.”
Fujita, honored by the town and later made an honorary citizen of Brookings, dedicated himself to cultural exchange and understanding.
While visiting the bomb site may require a trek through challenging terrain, the journey holds a reminder of the resilience of both the natural world and the human spirit. The trail leads to an interpretive display at the impact site and, nearby, to Fujita’s redwood, standing tall as a testament to reconciliation.
Years after the 1962 Azalea Festival, Fujita revealed he didn’t know what would happen during his visit in Brookings. Part of him feared he would be pelted with rotten eggs or even tried for war crimes. If so, he would have used the centuries old family sword for “seppuku” — ritual suicide.
Relevant articles:
– Brookings, OR – Official Website, City of Brookings, Oregon
– Bombs Fall on Oregon: Japanese Attacks on the State, Secretary of State (Oregon (.gov)
– 5 Attacks on US Soil During World War II, history.com
– The unlikely bond between an Oregon town and the man who bombed it, Oregon Public Broadcasting – OPB, Dec 7, 2016