Tomoyuki Yamashita's Fall and Surrenders to Allies in Ifugao A Historical Battle Ended
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Last year we went for a project to the mountainous region of Ifugao, a place where the tiger of Malaya surrendered to the Allies. Locals told me that the mountain in the photo above was the original place which is the Nabigihan Mountain where Yamashita had surrendered but due to the place is a forest. They have declared that it should be near a community near by, thereby declaring Kiangan as the official place where Yamashita surrendered because it is just a few miles from the mountain. When I have known this, I realized that it was not written from any books but old locals from Ifugao knew the real story.
General Yamashita stayed in this place and in this mountain I think one of the locals told me that this was chosen by the General as the seat or center of the Empire, In this mountain they planted 4 Cherry trees on 4 locations of the mountain. But treasure hunters destroyed these trees because they have thought that it contains buried treasure by the General. Sad to know that instead of destroying a historical evidence they should have nurtured it. Old folks tell stories to me which are very historical during the time of war, many died and they have feared intensely just upon seeing a Japanese soldier. Japanese Soldiers were very hungry during the near surrender and they were delaying the Allies to bury most of their stolen loots. One road near to the place where I have taken the photo, old folks told me that during the war, Japanese soldiers exchange gold coins for food to the locals but the locals don't know whats the value of gold at that time.
This picture is where General Yamashita officially surrendered and until now this house still stands as one of the historical site in Ifugao beside from the Rice Terraces which recently was removed from the 8th Wonder of the World.
This War should never be repeated, many lives were lost and forgotten. Let their death be not in vain nor fade away. Japan had altered their textbooks regarding this war but many still knows the truth about the real history.
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