Chapter V: Netaji's Ashes

The last part of this sad story is about Netaji's ashes. The day the ashes were taken out of crematorium, the urn in which they were kept was taken and left at the Nishi Honganji temple in Taihoku city. Col. Habibur Rehman, Major Nagatomo and Mr. J. Nakamura, Interpreter, went to the temple. Mr. Nakamura has said that the urn was handed over to the Head Priest, with instructions that it should be well looked after, and fresh flowers placed before it every day. The urn was to be kept for the time being in the temple, till it was taken away to its final resting place. This temporary deposit seems to have been customary, for Mr. Nakamura says that in the same temple he saw another urn containing the ashes of General Shidei. There were two Buddhist temples near Nanmon Military Hospital, Taihoku: one was the Nishi (West) Honganji temple which was the biggest temple in Formosa and had twelve priests, and the other was the Higashi (East) Honganji temple which had eight priests. The Nishi Honganji temple was nearer to the Nanmon Military Hospital, and the other temple was 600 metres away from it. These details have been given by the priest of Higashi Honganji temple, Rev. H. Hidemaru, whom the Committee examined as a witness. No priest from the Nishi Honganji temple could be traced. According to Rev. Hidemaru, the ashes were kept in a white box in the Nishi Honganji temple. He said that the urn containing the ashes was kept there by the Japanese Army who looked after it carefully and later brought it to Tokyo. He says that a funeral ceremony was held at Nishi Honganji temple towards the end of August 1945. Major Nagatomo says that he attended a funeral ceremony at the Nishi Honganji temple, either on the day the ashes were deposited, or on the next day. Lt. Col. Shibuya, the Staff Officer, also mentions the funeral ceremony at this temple. It appears that there was a ceremony also in the Higashi Honganji temple. Rev. Hidemaru says that on the 22nd or 23rd (i.e., soon after the ashes were brought to Nishi Honganji temple) his own Head Priest told him that a ceremony would be held for an important Indian personality on the 26th or 27th of August. He goes on to say that this ceremony did take place.

2. On the 5th September, a plane was flying to Tokyo. A passage was secured for Col. Habibur Rehman who had been asking for it from the Headquarters of the Formosan Army. Lt. Col. Shibuya, the Staff Officer of the same Headquarters, also decided to send by the same plane the urn containing Netaji's ashes, and the box containing valuables, and asked Lt. Col. T. Sakai to take charge of them. Sub. Lt. T. Hayashida was also asked to proceed to the Taihoku Aerodrome to carry the two boxes to Tokyo. According to the written statement of Lt. Col. T. Sakai, at that time his hands and face were still bandaged, and he could not lift any luggage. One Major Nakamiya, who was acquainted with Col. Habibur Rehman, also went on the same plane. Lt. Hayashida says that he arrived at the aerodrome at 11 A.M. on the 5th of September, and found that Lt. Col. Sakai, Major Nakamiya and Col. Habibur Rehman were there. There were also two boxes — one containing Netaji's ashes, and the other gold and jewellery. The first box was 1 feet cubical in shape, and the second box was 3 ft. x 2'/2 ft. x 2 ft. Both were of wood. The first was covered with white cloth, and the second had a leather covering. Both were nailed. He slung the box containing the ashes from his neck in the Japanese style. According to Lt. Col. Sakai, the aerodrome was Minami Aerodrome near Taihoku. The plane accident had taken place at the bigger Matsuyama Aerodrome. Major Nagatomo had arranged for the box containing the ashes to be taken from the temple, and delivered at the aerodrome. The aeroplane in which the party was travelling was, according to Col. Habibur Rehman, a Red Cross plane. Lt. Col. Sakai says that it was a 97 heavy bomber marked with a green cross. It flew to Gannosu Airfield near Fukuoka in Kyushu, the southern-most island of Japan. There is some discrepancy as to what happened then. According to Lt. Col. Sakai and Lt. Hayashida they all left by train next afternoon at 3 P.M., after having collected a guard of one Sergeant and two soldiers from the local Military Headquarters. According to Lt. Col. Sakai, they had consultations at Fukuoka and decided that, in the interest of safety, the party should be divided into two. While Col. Habibur Rehman and Major Nakamiya flew on to Tokyo, he (Lt. Col. Sakai) and Lt. Hayashida, with the ashes and the box of valuables, proceeded by train, attended by a guard of three soldiers from the local Army Headquarters. There is also discrepancy as regards the time of departure from Fukuoka and arrival at Tokyo. Col. Habibur Rehman says that the party left by night by goods train, and next morning (6th September) they reached Tokyo. Lt. Col. Sakai says that he and Lt. Hayashida left Fukuoka on the morning of 6th September and reached Tokyo the same evening. According to the current time-table of the Japanese National Railways, even fast Express trains take 20 to 22 hours to reach Tokyo from Fukuoka (Hakata). It is unlikely that in 1945, after the war, the service was so much faster. So the time of travel, approximately 12 hours, given by Col. Habibur Rehman or Lt. Col. Sakai, is incorrect. The timing mentioned by Lt. Hayashida is more reasonable. He says that the party left Fukuoka at 3 P.M. on the 6th September and arrived at 6 P.M. on the 7th September. This date tallies with what has been mentioned by two officers of the Imperial General Staff, Major Kinoshita and Lt. Takakura, who received the ashes. However, the discrepancy as regards the time is not of great importance.

3. All the three witnesses, Col. Habibur Rehman, Lt. Col. Sakai and Lt. Hayashida, say that immediately on arrival at Tokyo the two boxes containing the ashes and valuables were taken to the Imperial General Headquarters. As it was after office hours, they made over charge to the Duty Officer, Major Kinoshita. The Duty Officer, Major Kinoshita was examined by the Committee. He said that on the 7th of September at 11 P.M. an officer of the rank of Lt. Col. handed over to him for safe custody two wooden boxes which he said he had brought from Taiwan (Formosa). One box was 8" in size and the other 10" in size. One was light and the other heavy. The boxes were nailed and wrapped in cloth but were not sealed. The officer who brought them said that the smaller box contained the ashes of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, while the bigger one contained gold. As the boxes were received late at night, Major Kinoshita kept them in his room in his personal custody, and in the morning handed them over to the next Duty Officer, Lt. Col. Takakura. Lt. Col. Sakai went round to the Imperial General Headquarters next morning, and met Lt. Col. Takakura, Chief of the Military Affairs Section, whom he knew, and confirmed that he had received the ashes and the box containing valuables. Neither the Duty Officers gave or took any receipt for the two boxes, nor made any written entries about them. Having taken charge of the ashes, Lt. Col. Takakura called the other officers of the Headquarters and paid respects to Netaji's ashes. He then contacted Mr. Ramamurti, President of the Indian Independence League, Tokyo, over the telephone, and asked him to come to the Headquarters and take charge of the ashes. A car was also arranged for Mr. Murti. Mr. Murti came in about half an hours time, accompanied by Mr. Ayer who had by then arrived in Tokyo. At the main entrance of the Imperial General Headquarters, on the morning of the 8th September, the ashes were handed over to Messrs. Murti and Ayer, by Lt. Col. Takakura in a simple solemn ceremony which is described by Mr. Murti in the following words: