An Ghaoithe Dhiaga de 1916 — the Spiritual Parallels of the Kamikaze and the Easter Rising
This article was originally featured on Pádraig’s Substack and is re-produced with the permission of the author.
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“Life springs from death; and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have foreseen everything, but the fools, the fools, the fools! – they have left us our Fenian dead. And while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.” — Pádraig Pearse
The above quote, spoken by Pearse at the graveside of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa in 1915, was not merely a eulogy, but a statement of intent. The beloved 1916 leader knew the importance of sacrifice for the sake of Ireland, and he embraced it. Pearse would be one of the prominent figures involved in planning and undertaking the rising of 1916. He would subsequently be executed and martyred following the Easter Rising, cementing his legacy in the annals of Irish history.
The 1916 Easter Rising is the most important event in modern Irish history, and perhaps the entire history of this great nation. It was a monumental event which would change the course of Ireland’s future. The rising itself was not just an armed act of resistance, no, it was a spiritual sacrifice which aimed to light the fires of freedom in every Irish man and woman in it’s aftermath. It is in this spiritual lens that I see the close parallels to the Kamikaze.
The word Kamikaze means ‘Divine Wind’. The original use of the word comes from the 13th century, when typhoons on two separate occasions destroyed invading Mongol fleets. These typhoons were seen as a divine intervention from a higher power, thus the donning of the name Kamikaze.
In the Second World War, Japanese pilots who would willingly sacrifice themselves for the sake of Imperial Japan would come to be known as Kamikaze also. They received this name as their actions were held in the same regard as those famous typhoons seven centuries before. The people of Japan viewed the Kamikaze pilots as martyrs. They were beloved and celebrated by the Japanese at home during the war. Their acts of sacrifice viewed as truly divine.
“I will go smiling. For a peaceful land, let us do our best. Mother, please congratulate me.” — Seventeen year old Kamikaze, Yukio Araki.
The Kamikaze knew of their death prior to take-off. They knew they would at some point turn the nose of their fighter plane toward an enemy ship and attempt to cause as much death and destruction as possible. This destruction was by no means their end goal. They viewed their sacrifice as a spiritually cleansing and divine undertaking, which would in turn bring glory to their Japanese homeland. Their sacrifice would infuse in others an unbreakable desire to see Japan succeed, no matter the cost.
It is in this sacrifice that I see the closest parallel to 1916. Ireland, for all her unwavering spirit, did not have the military power nor numbers to fight the British Empire head on. Their fight had always been one of resistance. 1916 was, in no uncertain circumstances, a sacrificial undertaking. Pearse and his fellow leaders knew they would die during the rising or soon after. They knew total military victory against Britain was not possible. But that was not their goal.
“The Irish nation can never be defeated. I die that the Irish nation might live.” — Seán Mac Diarmada
The Easter Rising would be an act of martyrdom. A willing sacrifice by Irishmen in order to change the course of Ireland’s future. They did not go out on that April morning hoping to return, they knew that was not their fate. The sacrifice of those men, a truly divine act, would strike at the core of the Irish people. Ireland in 1916 was the fuel, the Rising was the spark, and the result was an eternal desire for freedom lit inside every Irish man, woman, and child from that day on.
“We may make mistakes in the beginning and shoot the wrong people; but bloodshed is a cleansing and a sanctifying thing.” — Pádraig Pearse
Pearse, in the same vein as a Kamikaze pilot, knew his death was not merely the end of a life, but the beginning of further resistance in the soul of his countrymen. It was not just suicide when a Kamikaze turned himself toward an aircraft carrier, it was a sacred act of sacrifice for the future of his homeland.
One could argue that other parallels exist at other times throughout history. I do not deny it. I do, however, view the total willingness to embrace certain death in the case of both the Kamikaze and the men of 1916 as a distinct difference to others. Men in combat know they may die, that is the risk you take, but few embrace it. Even fewer use it as a spiritual weapon.
Prior to take-off, Kamikaze pilots would take part in sacred rituals and receive blessings at Shinto shrines. Before the rising of 1916, similar rituals and blessings would take place. Pearse, like most of his compatriot, was a devout Catholic. That the rising took place on Easter was no mere coincidence. The death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ would serve as the perfect symbol for Ireland and her people on that day.
“One man can free a people as one Man redeemed the world.” — Pádraig Pearse