By DANNY MINTON

“Little did I know as I started for Uraga that that meeting was to be the first step in a complete transformation of my way of life.”

As I read this statement, it reminded me of a man named Saul and the day he set out for Damascus. Saul had persecuted Christians, becoming someone to be feared by the Christian community. He carried letters from the high priest to the synagogues of Damascus, informing them that if he found anyone who followed “the Way,” they would be bound and returned to Jerusalem. As he started for Damascus, little did Saul know that it would be a day that would transform his way of life. As he began the journey that day, little did he know that he would meet the very one for which he persecuted those who represented themselves as followers of “the Way.” The road he took that day would lead him to preach Christ to the Gentiles, known to everyone as Paul.

Mitsuo was a farmer who had served in the Japanese Army and Air Force during World War II. He was fortunate to be alive, saved by the dropping of the atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima. The government had planned a suicide project against the United States airfields in Guam. He was to be a part of a squadron that would land in Guam where each pilot was to land, hand-carry a bomb to a plane, plant it with a short fuse, and make an unlikely attempt to get away before it exploded. The Japanese government canceled the mission after Hiroshima. After the war ended, Mitsuo retired to farming near Osaka.

Mitsuo Fuchida, the national hero who led the attack on Pearl Harbor, no longer existed in the limelight but now lived as a farmer, a forgotten hero of yesterday. During this time, his views began to change, and his thoughts turned to the need for Japan to develop a doctrine of peace. He began to write a book called “No More Pearl Harbor.” However, something was missing. “As my writing progressed, however, I came to realize that in my appeal for “No More Pearl Harbor,” there must be an assurance among men of the transforming of the power of hatred to the power of true brotherly love.”

Fuchida heard that prisoners of war were returning from America to Uraga. He scanned the list, discovered a friend’s name, and decided to go and meet him. “God moves in mysterious ways.” “Little did I know as I started for Uraga that that meeting was to be the first step in a complete transformation of my way of life.”

Mitsuo met his friend and asked how the Americans treated them while prisoners. His friend told him the story of a young woman who treated them with concern and kindness. She told them to let her know if they had any needs. When asked why she treated them so well, she replied, “Because my parents were killed by the Japanese Army.” Her parents were missionaries, and she knew they must have prayed for their enemies before dying. She felt she should love those for whom her parents prayed. 

Mituso had difficulty understanding returning good for evil. General MacArthur called him to Tokyo a few months later to testify in war trials. When he arrived at Shibuya railroad station, a young man approached him with a pamphlet, “I Was A Prisoner Of Japan.” The pamphlet told the story of Jake Deshazer and how, from reading the Bible while a prisoner, his hatred for the Japanese turned to brotherly love and the desire to share Jesus with them. “When I finished reading Sergeant DeShazer’s story, I became more ashamed that ever of my own revengeful spirit. If a Bible could change his life, it might change mine. I bought a Bible for myself.”

Mitsuo Fuchida began reading the Bible. When he came to Luke, the verse that changed him was Luke 23:34, where Jesus looked down from the cross upon those who nailed Him there and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” These words, Fuchida thought, were what must have been in the hearts of the young woman who served the prisoners and the spirit of Jake Deshazer. Mitsuo’s life changed, and he converted to Christianity with newspaper headlines displaying “The Miraculous Conversion of the Commander of the Pearl Harbor Bombing.” For the remainder of his life, the man who led the attack on Pearl Harbor would teach his people about the love of Jesus. It all started on the road to Uraga.

We all have come to places in our lives where we have had to choose which “road” in life to take. Some of these choices have significantly impacted where we eventually ended up. As we step along each road, we should do so with an open mind and visualize what God lays ahead for our future. How can we touch the lives of those we meet along the way? How can we share the story of Jesus through our words and actions with those traveling alongside us? When we open the eyes of our hearts, the road that lies ahead of us becomes full of promise and hope.

Every day becomes the beginning of a new road to follow. Where will you allow God to lead you? The road to Uraga transformed Mitsuo Fuchida’s life leading him “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary.”

(Notes: Quotes are from Mitsuo Fuchida’s Pamphlet, “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary.” Available to purchase or read online. The young woman was named Peggy Covell. More on her and her parents’ story can be found in my postings, “Forgiveness: You Killed My Parents” and “A Place Called Hopevale.”)

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ