In Nakagusuku village there’s a rather ordinary forested hill that’s been known by many names. The old Okinawans of Nakagusuku Village called it “Kishimaki-no-taki,” a sacred site of prayer. To the Imperial Japanese Army it was “161.8 Kouchi Jinchi,” a fortified outpost and entrenchment line to rebuff the coming American storm of steel and fire. To the Americans who assaulted it, it was “Pinnacle Rock,” just one objective of many during the repetitive slog of breaking Japanese defenses and doing it again on the next hill as the end of the four-year Pacific Campaign finally came in sight.
The earliest names were recorded in the 1713 Ryukyukoku Yuraki (Origin of the Ryukyu Nation), where it was known as Kishimako-no-taki and had the holy name Tenji Amatsuji-no-goibe. For the local Okuma (a village within Nakagusuku Village) villagers it was the sacred site their community began on and a place of prayer. A well remains from that era. Though it seems common practice to fortify sacred sites on high ground in Okinawa, as evidenced by its many ancient castle ruins who’s histories disappear into myth and legend, this wasn’t the case at Kishimaki-no-taki until around January 1945.
It was then that the 1st Company, 14th Independent Infantry Battalion, commanded by 1st Lt. Tanigawa Seiji, moved onto the hill and fortified it with entrenchments and positions for mortars and machine guns. An observation post, covered in mortar to mimic natural rock, was added on top and tunnels borrowed inside the hill to compliment its natural caves and create shelters. Barbed wire and mine fields were added to guard the most likely approaches.
(Of note, the observation outpost was made using pine trees and reinforced with metal from a light railway. The nearby light railway followed the same route as Highway 329, and is now remembered at the Yonabaru Railway Museum for those interested in Okinawa’s four decade-long locomotive story.)
In total his 110 troops had seven mortars, eight light machine guns, two heavy machine guns, rifles and grenades to defend what was now designated 161.8 Kouchi Jinchi, “161.8 meter high ground position,” a name referencing the pinnacle’s height above sea level. Though it was available and requested, artillery support to the position during the actual fighting would be withheld for unknown reasons.
Image from Okinawa: The Last Battle; the observation post is on the right.
American troops landed on Okinawa Apr. 1, 1945. Their landings were uncontested, with the prepared killing fields instead being these hilly outposts, such as 161.8, which took advantage of Okinawa’s natural geography to slow the American advance towards Shuri (now part of Naha). The U.S. Army’s 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division, began its assault on the position they designated “Pinnacle Rock” Apr. 6. Artillery and mortar barrages preceded the American infantry charges, during which the Japanese popped out of their shelters and engaged them in a point-blank battle of bullets, blades and explosives.** This was done twice before switching tactics to a more methodical approach working up the hill with flamethrowers and white phosphorous grenades. Only 20 Japanese troops survived to withdraw south under the cover of night. *** Mission accomplished, they soon moved on to take the next ridge and the one after. It was a hard fought victory, but ultimately a bloody footnote in the three month struggle to take control of the island in preparation for the invasion of Japan.
Today locals call this place Shaku-no-ugan and Ugan-mo, adding a final (?) layer to its naming heritage and on Mar. 26, 2014, Nakagusuku Village designated it an important cultural property.
Getting to this location was a little tricky due to the lack of parking nearby as the only public parking is pulling off onto the shoulder, though I received permission from a nearby business owner to park on their property. The actual access point is easy to miss as it’s simply a set of stairs set into the hill beside a vending machine. Blink and you’ll miss it.
Though I didn’t know it when I planned to go out, this is a park-like tamed path for the most part. It’s well-paved, the stairs are proper and not those little cement fake logs and there are handrails through much of it. During my trip the vegetation had not been managed in sometime and had become overgrown, obscuring the views of the surrounding countryside. The view on the approach reinforces why this position was part of the Japanese defense in-depth as it allowed them to observe American troops movements long before they arrived.
Despite the easy walk I got tripped up in the final stretch. Standing before the information placard about the outpost, it shows what looks like two paths to the site. To my left was a clear jungle trail with marked trees and a trodden path, to the right I saw nothing but jungle growth and stairs leading back down the hill toward Nakagusu’s other cultural assets.
The left trail led to jungle and family tombs, and I found myself on the wrong side of the observation post to actually see it. If I’d gone a few steps to my right at the information placard I would have seen the partially overgrown but still paved yellow path to the front side of the observation post.
Please do not attempt to enter the observation post. There are ropes and signs that clearly show how close visitors can get, which is for the preservation of this hastily built battlefield ruin now in its eighth decade.
Even though it has a clear path, what sets this apart from places like Hacksaw Ridge and Kakazu Ridge, is that it’s still in nature. The immediate area is lightly inhabited and as the view shows, the hills around it are, despite the development, still plenty green. This made for a happy medium between lost jungle trail and sanitized city park. The war ruin is a small site to see and is part of a long walking trail through Nakagusuku that starts up at the UNESCO world heritage Nakagusuku Castle and the Nakamura old house, both of which could easily be seen along with this on a day trip. If so, I’d recommended starting there and driving down to this point as a way to cap off the day with the full breadth of Nakagusuku’s history at the place it began.
ADDRESS
Google Maps: 161.8高地陣地
7Q8H+2R Nakagusuku, Okinawa
https://www.vill-nakagusuku-local-culture.com/?p=870
REFERENCES
Okinawa: The Last Battle by Roy E. Appleman
https://history.army.mil/html/books/005/5-11-1/CMH_Pub_5-11-1.pdf
*In Okinawa: The Last Battle it notes this was likely the location Commodore Perry raised the American flag during his 1853 visit. Today another location has been designated as the likely spot so I did not include it in this telling of the history.
** I can’t say certainly that blades were used on the American side, but given the Japanese propensity for slapping bayonets on anything that could mount one, including machine guns, I’m assuming blades were present.
***This account is from Okinawa: The Last Battle, the U.S. Army’s official history of the battle, and differs slightly from how it’s presented on the local informational signage. None of the differences are necessarily contradictory but likely are looking at the information from different perspectives.
First, the number of Japanese troops present slightly differs. The sign states 150, but the army account states 110 and notes the company was undermanned.
The local sign says that the 184th engaged the position on Apr. 5; the army says the first assault was on the morning of Apr. 6. It’s possibly a matter of semantics. Speculatively, to the Japanese the fight began when first discovered by American forces; to the Americans it began when they intentionally attacked in the morning. If anyone has more solid records on the matter, I’d love to see it.
One place I used both accounts was at the end, as the army account states the third assault began in the morning still and the local’s state the last Japanese troops withdrew during the night. It’s possible that since the last attack was slow and methodical, the American troops took the position later in the day and the surviving Japanese waited until after dark to leave their hiding places.