In April, cherry blossoms were in full bloom across the Japanese archipelago, and spring was in the air. From Hokkaido to Kyushu, from the foot of Mount Fuji to the depths of the Imperial Palace, butterflies and bees danced everywhere, and the land was full of vitality.
Yet amid this vibrant spring, Japan was heading toward its doom. The same fate awaited the Combined Fleet. After the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Combined Fleet had effectively ceased to exist. Only the battleship Yamato, anchored at Tokuyama in the western Seto Inland Sea after hasty repairs, silently testified to the former glory of the fleet.
With the U.S. landing on Okinawa, on April 5th, the Japanese Combined Fleet decided to launch "Operation Ten-Go"—a naval suicide attack consisting of the battleship Yamato, cruiser Yahagi, and eight destroyers, carrying only enough fuel for a one-way trip, to strike at the American landing forces on Okinawa in a desperate, do-or-die battle.
