One for the Japanese aircraft experts

[warbird1]

Ohayogozaimas Y'All,
Thank you for your kindwords to mention me in the passing.

The Skull mark is for a "Tokubetsu" (Special attack) unit with the Kanji character "home" (sort of a "tree on landscape"...the tree is the + with the land as the bottom _ portion under the plus sign). Perhaps the "home" has a seconmd kanji on the rudder...any shot of the other side?

HTH,
David

So, David, can you confirm once and for all what kind of aircraft that is?

[David_Aiken]

Aloha All,
You have made progress in that plane's identification. Your study is making a good conclusion. I applaud your work.
Cheers,
David

[warbird1]

Aloha All,
You have made progress in that plane's identification. Your study is making a good conclusion. I applaud your work.
Cheers,
David

Why all the mystery? So either we are correct or incorrect - which is it? Or are you not sure yourself?

[RyanShort1]

Regrettably, I do not have any further photos that look to be this particular aircraft. Others, yes, but I'm not sure I want to post all of them at one time. Makes it more fun to do them every so often!

Ryan

[David_Aiken]

Now we await others who are looking at the unit mark in hopes they could help us all...I had a friend send the pic to the Kamikaze Pilots Memorial Museum in Kagoshima to ID.

[Steve Nelson]

I'm gonna stick with my ID of the Ki-51. In the photo you can make out a small sliding panel just forward of the Hinomaru, a feature of the "Sonia," but not the "Ann." I'm not sure what it's for..perhaps a camera hatch?

Thanks for your input, Mr. Aiken. Conincidentally, I was watching a PH docmentary DVD last night that had several interview segments with you.

SN

[RyanShort1]

Since the Kamikaze pilots were mentioned - here's a plane I NEVER ever would want to fly. And yes, I just said there's a plane I don't want to fly.



Ryan

[RyanShort1]

Two more shots here:





From a quick web search it looks like there were a LOT more pictures taken of this particular bomb. Wonder if the 163rd Liaison Squadron found it first, or if they just got it afterwards...

Ryan

[David_Aiken]

One of my sensei, Osamu "Sam" Tagaya, confirms the identification and corrects my Kanji...

Yes, Ki-51

My Kanji reading of "home" (which is also "land") has an errror. It is "shi" as in "Bushido", meaning a warrior or a martial leader like a "shikan" (i.e. officer). Probably an individual name for the aircraft, and probably read right to left which was often the case even with horizontally (as opposed to vertically) written text in prewar and wartime period. Thus "shi" is probably the second kanji in the name, the first being lost, having been on the rudder (unless a photo of the opposite side turns up). In the kanji for "land" the bottom horizontal bar is longer than the one above, whereas in "shi" it is shorter as seen in photo.

Thanks, Sam, for the confirmation, too!
Cheers,
David

[David_Aiken]

Howdy Y'All,
Yet another Japanese sensei/teacher has weighed in. "Shinpachi" suggests that IF the name on the plane is read from left to right [Writing the Chinese charactors from the left to the right was neither uncommon nor unnatural when they were on the portside.], "...there was a word "Shikon" meaning Samurai Spirit....IJA preferred using such traditional words."
HTH,
David

[warbird1]

Thanks very much for the info, David! As always, you are a wealth of information on Japanese aviation!