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In 1944, a woman and 32 men were left on a desert island and forced to live in isolation.
As time progresses, the minds of these people gradually begin to distort, especially Kazuko, who is the only woman, and suffers unimaginable ordeals.
It wasn't until six years later that the men were finally rescued, however, by this time only 19 people were alive on the island, and more than a third had died.
What did they all experience on the island?
The sources of information in this article have been repeated at the end of the article, and in order to improve the readability of the article, the details may be polished, and are for reference only
Deserted on a desert island
The year was 1944, when World War II was in its final stages and Japan was in decline.
In the Pacific theater, the Japanese army was losing and retreating, the US counteroffensive was like a bamboo, and the few supplies in Japan needed to be continuously transported to the battlefield.
Against this backdrop, in June 1944, three Japanese fishing boats loaded with supplies set off from the port of Yokohama to prepare for the Pacific front.
In addition to the civilian crew, there are also naval soldiers on the fishing boats.
However, as fate would have it, the boats were attacked by U.S. forces as they sailed near the Mariana Islands.
Under heavy artillery fire, three fishing boats sank one after another.
But fortunately, the site of the attack was not far from the Japanese-controlled island of Anatahan.
In the midst of the stormy seas, 31 survivors struggled to swim to the isolated island and began their survival journey.
There were originally two Japanese on Anantahan Island, Kazuko Higa and Masami Kusakabe.
Kazuko Higa is a young Japanese woman who is married and follows her husband to work on the island.
Masami Kusakabe is the boss of Kazuko Higa's husband, and the three of them originally managed the local coconut cultivation on the island.
However, Kazuko's husband later left the island on a mission, but was surrounded by U.S. bombing and could not return.
Therefore, on Anantahan Island, only Kazuko was left to rely on the lower part of the sun for his life.
Now, 31 more surviving crew members and soldiers, a total of 33 people are trapped on this isolated island.
Their first challenge is survival, and they must learn how to get food, build shelter, and keep themselves safe in this strange land.
Survival challenges
At first, the survivors chose to live in scattered areas. This decision was based on two considerations:
First, although concentrated living can take care of each other, it will also accelerate the consumption of limited resources on the island.
Second, dispersed living can maximize the use of various resources on the island and prolong the survival time.
Fortunately, Anatahan Island is located in the tropics, and the island's flora and fauna are relatively rich, and the survivors quickly learned to collect wild fruits, catch marine fish, and even use the farming tools left over from the island for simple farming.
However, the complete isolation from the outside world has put tremendous psychological pressure on the survivors.
They don't know how the war is going, they don't know when they'll be rescued, and they don't even know if the outside world remembers their existence.
U.S. warplanes occasionally flew over the islands, but instead of bringing hope, this only fueled their fears and unease.
In such an environment, 33 people began their long wait.
Over time, the balance on the island began to change subtly.
Kazuko, as the only woman, inevitably became the center of attention. In this isolated environment, traditional social rules and moral constraints began to blur.
What will happen to them next?
Desires and contradictions
On Anatahan Island, at first, a common goal of survival united them.
Kazuko and Kusakabe play husband and wife, and under their leadership, a miniature social structure is formed here.
In this process, Kazuko plays a crucial role.
As the only woman, she is not only a spiritual comfort for men, but also a key factor in maintaining the balance on the island.
However, this superficial harmony did not last long, and over time, the true relationship between Kazuko and the lower part of the sun surfaced.
When the remaining 31 people learn that they are not the real couple, the atmosphere begins to get anxious.
Men began to secretly compete for Kazuko's favor.
Some people gave her wild fruits to collect, some people built her better shelters, and some even began to challenge the authority of the lower part of the sun.
In order to calm down this undercurrent of contradictions, there are also some sane people who decide to hold a humble wedding for Kazuko and Kusakabe to confirm their relationship.
Under the coconut tree, the sun replaced the ring with a wreath of wild flowers, and married Kazuko.
However, the expected peace did not come, and an unexpected event completely changed the situation on the island.
The discovery of weapons
During a routine beach patrol, survivors found the wreckage of a crashed U.S. warplane. In the wreckage, they found 4 pistols and 70 rounds of ammunition.
This discovery completely changed the power structure on the island.
Two former military men, with their expertise, managed to repair two of the pistols.
From then on, they became the new rulers of the island, and the pistol became a symbol of power, and whoever owned the pistol controlled the fate of the island.
The social order based on cooperation and mutual aid has been completely shattered and replaced by naked rule by force.
The distribution of resources is no longer fair, but is decided by those who have weapons, and in the same way, Kazuko has been reduced to a resource, constantly being appropriated.
In this extreme environment, humanity has undergone the most severe test, and a series of heart-wrenching deaths have occurred one after another.
And every death is accompanied by a change of ownership of the pistol, which seems to carry a curse and brings bad luck to every owner.
Similarly, Kazuko's situation is becoming more and more difficult, and as the only woman on the island, she is forced to juggle between multiple men.
She must be careful to maintain her balance, the slightest mistake can lead to catastrophic consequences.
As time went on, the island's resources became increasingly scarce. Food is scarce and fresh water is scarce.
Under this tremendous pressure to survive, the darkest side of human nature begins to emerge, former companions become potential threats, and trust and friendship are replaced by selfishness and suspicion.
After a heated argument, the survivors make an unexpected decision to drop the pistol into the sea.
However, without the deterrence of weapons, the contradictions on the island have not been alleviated, but, on the contrary, have intensified potential conflicts.
Kazuko who survives in danger
Slowly, a shocking plan is brewing among some people, and that is to kill Kazuko.
This extreme idea has been endorsed by many people, on the one hand, she is the only woman on the island, and she is the object of everyone's competition.
On the other hand, her presence is also seen as a source of conflict. Under the twisted logic, some people believe that only by getting rid of Kazuko can the island return to peace.
However, the plan was leaked after all. Kazuko inadvertently learns of this terrible conspiracy.
Faced with a threat to her life, she chose to flee. On a dark and windy night, Kazuko quietly left her residence and fled alone into the dense jungle of the island.
The days in the forest were exceptionally difficult. Kazuko must face hunger, cold, and the threat of beasts alone.
She barely survives by collecting wild fruits and catching small animals, and every day is a test of her will to survive.
However, it was during this time of solitude that Kazuko made up her mind to seek help from the outside world.
The opportunity has finally arrived. One day, Kazuko spotted a patrolling U.S. military plane. Risking her life, she wrote the distress signal "SOS" on the beach with a tree branch.
This act of courage ultimately paid for redemption.
In June 1950, U.S. troops finally landed on Anatahan Island, and Kazuko became the first survivor to be rescued.
Subsequently, other survivors were rescued. The moment they stepped onto the rescue boat, six years of isolated island life finally came to an end.
However, after returning to Japan, what awaits them is not the warm embrace they imagined, but more social doubts.
Societal skepticism
However, after returning to Japan, what awaits these survivors is not a warm embrace from their families, but more social doubts.
Many people could not understand their experience on the island and began to point out what was going on on the island.
Survivors found that although they had physically left Anantahan Island, the psychological wounds were far from healing.
Kazuko's fate is particularly striking.
The media portrayed her as the queen of Anantahan Island, and her story made headlines and street buzz.
For a time, Kazuko became the focus of public attention.
However, endless speculation and judgment ensues, with some sympathizing with her plight and others questioning her morals and calling her a slut.
Under the pressure of such public opinion, Kazuko tried to transform into the entertainment industry, hoping to tell the true story in her own way.
However, the road is not smooth. Lacking professional training, she suffered repeated setbacks in her acting career and eventually had to give up this dream.
The burden of life has not been lightened by being rescued, and Kazuko faces financial difficulties while dealing with psychological trauma.
In such a predicament, she chose to remarry, hoping to start a peaceful life again.
Eventually, fate once again played a cruel joke on Kazuko.
In 1972, at the age of 54, Kazuko died of a brain tumor.
Her life is like a legendary novel of ups and downs, from coming to Nanyang at the age of 16, to experiencing the ordeal of Anatahan Island, and then to the struggles after her return, every step is full of drama.
epilogue
Kazuko's story is not only a personal tragedy, but also a microcosm of that era. It reflects the devastating devastation that war has brought to ordinary people, and also shows the complex face of human nature in extreme circumstances.
Many years have passed since the events on Anatahan Island, but it has left us with a never-ending reflection process.
It makes us reflect on the nature of human nature and what choices we make in extreme circumstances.
Kazuko's story will always be a profound allegory of survival, humanity and redemption.
Resources
Anatahan ------ Josef von Sternberg