WHERE IS TENJINYAMA of TAKAOKA?
 
The place in which Second Lieutenant EUGENE J. REDINGER who was a crew of B-29 WEREWOLF　belonged 497th BG that did the parachute descent
 
 
AKIHIRO SEI
Fujinomiya local history association member
 
 
TENJINYAMA is NOT EXIST, only TENJIN SAN
 
No one knows TENJINYAMA in TAKAOKA of Fuji province.
Only, there is a shrine of TENJIN (god of the sky) in TENMA of TAKAOKA.
They call the god “TENJIN SAN”and the shrine, too.
 
SAN of“TENJIN SAN” is a term of familiar respect in Japanese.
For instance, Mr. SUZUKI is SUZUKI SAN.
And “SAN” has a meaning called a mountain by the same pronunciation, too.
Mountain of “SAN” is old Chinese sound, now is “SHANG” in Mandarin.
When we call the name of a mountain, there are two kinds of customs.
It is a case where“SAN” or“YAMA” is attached and called after a proper noun.
For example, Mt. Fuji is “FUJI-SAN”and Mt. Hakone is “HAKONE-YAMA”.
There is no convertibility in the rule. We never call FUJI-YAMA.
 
“TENJIN SAN”and TENMANGUH (shrine of TENJIN, formal name) are kept faith by the people who live in.
The god is familiar as it is called “TENJIN SAN of TAKAOKA”by the residents of surrounding towns that are Fuji-city and Fujinomiya-city.
TAKAOKA (hill in which hawks live) is the name of town.
Every year, there is taken place of big a festival.
It is said that the place name of TENMA occurred from TENMANGUH.
 
The cause by which the place in which Second Lieutenant REDINGER did the parachute descent was recorded as the TENJINYAMA.
 
１．When a Japanese MP asked the place as for which a crew of B-29 WEREWOLF did the parachute descent, the inhabitants answered it as “near the shrine of TENJIN SAN (honorific) in TAKAOKA”.
 
２． The military policeman wrote it as “TENJIN SAN (honorific)”, and reported.
When a Japanese officer who lived in other city read it and posted, he  understood “ TENJIN SAN(honorific) ” was “ TENJIN-SAN(mountain) ” and it was recorded as the TENJIN mountain by the Chinese characters.
In Japanese writing is as follows;
 (TENJIN SAN wo yama no namae to rikai-sita, sosite kanji de “TENJIN-SAN”to kiroku sita.)
 
３．Then, the Japanese American who was an officer of“G.H.Q.” in occupied JAPAN read the“ TENJIN-SAN (the TENJIN mountain written by the Chinese characters)”to be TENJIN-YAMA(mountain), and translated the report.
He did not know habitual reading that “SAN” or“YAMA”was attached after a proper noun.
It is considered that the name of a place which does not exist owing to was recorded.
Sometimes, Japanese people also have difficulty to read correctly the proper noun written by the Chinese characters.
 
 
ON January 24, 2008, I have been to TENMANGUH (TENJIN SAN) of TAKAOKA and neighboring geographical feature has been seen.
It is the place where it is on the slope which goes down south from Mt. Fuji, and the north side is high.
There is no geographical feature which is near called a mountain.
However, there is a custom which calls a copse and a forest in the flat ground a“ mountain ”in distinction from fields in Fuji province.
A possibility of having carried out the common name of the forest which was near TENMANGUH (TENJIN SAN) to the TENJIN-YAMA cannot be denied completely.
It was not understood simply whether the circumference developed into home lots and there was such any woods.
If the woods of TENJIN-YAMA had existed in a term of the past, it was a vernacular name and it was contiguous to TENJIN shrine or a site of.
 
 
 
Investigation the cause of the official documents in FUJI-CITY public library
 
The “air defense diary” about descent of the crew of B-29 is in the lower volume of the history of the Yoshiwara city, and it was clearly written to this as the “ the TENJIN mountain by the Chinese characters”.
Although the geographical dictionary was investigated and there was the name of a place the “TENJIN-BARA (Tenjin field) ”.
However, there was no name of“TENJIN-YAMA (Tenjin Mountain) ”.
Then, I noted that the air defense diary reporter was the chairman of the Yoshiwara Higashi-Machi town association.
He is not an actual witness. It seemed that the heard information was recorded.
If it is those who are not detailed about TAKAOKA town, it may be written to an official document as“TENJIN-YAMA (Tenjin Mountain)”.
There is room for further investigation whether he knew Takaoka's geography or not.
He at least lived in the Yoshiwara city which adjoins TAKAOKA.
 
 
Therefore, it is thought that a very strong possibility of having recorded “TENJIN SAN (honorific)" as the “TENJIN-SAN (mountain)”.
 
 
PS
I am looking for actual witnesses.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SEI AKIHIRO

hopefull this comes out ok..excerpts from the book B-29 Hunters of the JAAP #1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Terry T.

[image]local://upfiles/10751/4CFAD0E262094701835A0BBF551124EE.gif[/image]

Attached Image(s)

So much for that try..what the book (B-29 Hunters of JAAP) said that Eugene landed via parachute at Tachikawa, Japan
 
Terry T.

It is NOT TACHIKAWA that his descent place
 
2Lts EUGENE J REDINNGER did not do a parachute descent to TACHIKAWA of Tokyo.
I have read the book that B-29 Hunters of the JAAF (English version/Osprey publishing), before writing the document that is TENJINYAMA.
You are confused with the report of IRISH LASSIE.
Each　descent place of four captured crews of B-29 WEREWOLF is not carried by the report in the page73.
According to the page77 which is the report of IRISH LASSIE, Captain Kobayashi, the Japanese pilot, did the parachute descent to TACHIKAWA.
 
 
If TACHIKAWA goes via Kofu from Fujinomiya of the crash ground of the bomber, it is in the position of the northeast of 100-mile beyond.
Moreover, the strong northwest wind blew and it was an adverse wind on the day at the WEREWOLF.
It is IMPOSIBLE to go to a northeast and to carry out a parachute descent to the land of 100-mile beyond rather than a crash point, receiving a strong northwest wind just beside.
I’d like to know, if there is a way the windward lands 100 miles ahead carrying out a parachute descent from an altitude of 2400 feet, and receiving a strong side wind.
 
According to record or the witness's testimony, the body rear became a disastrous fire over KANBARA Town in the southwest of Fujinomiya-City and the Werewolf blew off the conflagration flame from the tail part twice.
Five crews who were in the body rear at this time -- a possibility that four persons were killed in the fire among them is strong.
And escape of a crew started near the boundary of the west side of Fujinomiya-City.
When 2Lts EUGENE J REDINNGER escaped, and the fight level was  high, he was southeast passed by the northwest wind and did the parachute descent to TAKAOKA Town which is next to [ of Fujinomiya ] south at the most distant place from the crash spot. From official document, he was restrained by the Yoshihara-city police station officer which had jurisdiction at TAKAOKA Town, was detained at the police station, and then was escorted to Tokyo by train.

Great - looks like you answered your own question<s>
 
 
Terry T.