Mr. Masabumi Hosono 

By: Paul Kovach

Mr. Masabumi Hosono was the only Japanese person aboard the Titanic. He was 42 years old when he sailed, and he was educated and lived in Tokyo. He worked as a civil servant. He embarked in Southampton and traveled in 2nd class. His diary was hidden in the bottom of a drawer until his family found it recently, here are some of the entries, 'All the while flares signaling emergency were being shot into the air ceaselessly, and hideous blue flashes and noises were simply terrifying. Somehow I could in no way dispel the feeling of utter dread and desolation”, and 'I tried to prepare myself for the last moment with no agitation, making up my mind not to leave anything disgraceful as a Japanese. But still I found myself looking for and waiting for any possible chance for survival.’ and finally, 'I myself was deep in desolate thought that I would no more be able to see my beloved wife and children, since there was no alternative for me than to share the same destiny as the Titanic. But the example of the first man making a jump led me to take this last chance." 'After the ship sank there came back again frightful shrills and cries of those drowning in the water. Our lifeboat too was filled with sobbing, weeping children and women worried about the safety of their husbands and fathers. 'And I, too, was as much depressed and miserable as they were, not knowing what would become of myself in the long run’.

He was in lifeboat 10 or 13. After the incident he was charged by the Japanese court for cowardice because he escaped instead of meeting his fate on the ship like a man and honoring Japan. He was used in textbooks as an example of shameful behavior and professors called him immoral. When a Japanese ship sank in 1954, Hosono was again dishonored.

Citations

Dean, John. "Mr. Masabumi Hosono." encyclopedia titanica. 2007. 1 Apr 2008 <http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/460/>

 "Royal B.C. Museum Titanic Exhibit." iexplore. 6 august 2007. 1 Apr 2008 <http://community.iexplore.com/planning/journalEntryActivity.asp?JournalID=66662&EntryID=65642&n=Royal+B.C.+Museum+Titanic+Exhibit>.