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Thread: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

  1. #1
    Spike's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Just recently chat about modelling stuffs with other members (that was American), and it simply deviate enough when heads is mentioned, he simply said his grandfather has ashtray made from Japanese skulls. When I think it was joke, he was simply point out to search "American Mutilation of Japanese". While I'm know that indeed, Japanese occupants here actually doing more henious thing, I just stratch my head when he mentioned that "at least Americans used that for decorations and souvenirs, it's just lke trophy huntings, with humans"

    I did agree, if they do some trophy huntings in war, it was completely unavoidable when the motives are revenge, because Japanese in WW2 are very notorious to be evil and unnecessarily cruel, but

    ok, straight to the point:

    - why they doing that anyway? I think, unless most of american soldiers at WW2 are Native Americans who do headhunting in the past anyway, they have no much motives on doing that.
    - and why it was very widespread? (I will agree if there was only small cases, but reading much of the wiki article, make me think that it was widespread despite they are actually prohibited from doing that), or does it was "because it was forbidden it will be more funny to break that law" mentality. While I know that Christians didn't get harrased by ghosts if they have faith, does that mean they did harass japanese ghosts who lost their heads? while in they are destined to burn in hell anyway (in Christian perspective), why make they suffer more?

    thanks.

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    saglam2000's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Because the US military was racist towards the japanese to foster a hatred for them because of Pearl Harbour and such. And also the Japanese were cruel so the Americans fought fire with fire.
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    Spike's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    oh, then why they doesn't affraid of ghosts?

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    Azog 150's Avatar Civitate
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    I am not sure how widespread it was, but it went hand-in-hand with the brutality and dehumanisation present in the Pacific. The combat itself was brutal with thousands and thousands of men stuck on tiny islands with no escape, and due to the Japanese refusal to surrender or take prisoners these were very much fights to the death. That in itself breeds a lot of hatred, bitterness and brutality.

    Then there was the fact that both sides had done a great job at dehumanising one another. Due to racial differences it was easier for the two sides to dehumanise each other then it was over in Europe where the Germans looked the same as the Americans. Pre-war and wartime propaganda on both sides portrayed each other as almost subhuman. The Americans were portrayed as bloodthirsty demons and the Japanese in a fairly similar vain.

    The culture (And the fighters these cultures bred) were also very alien to one another. The Japanese refusal to surrender shocked those they fought against, and likewise the Japanese thought if they surrendered they would be tortured and killed. The tenacity and suicidal tendencies of the Japanese seemed almost inhuman and helped back up the propaganda.

    This, combined with the brutality of that style of warfare meant neither side saw each other as human and more then that they utterly despised one another, and the taking of skulls, fingers or gold teeth was basically trophy hunting. It was nothing to do with Christianity or superstition, just hatred and desensitisation.
    Last edited by Azog 150; November 16, 2011 at 12:25 PM.
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  5. #5
    No, that isn't a banana
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Well, quite simply, war/battle makes people batpoopcrazy. People who are batpoopcrazy will do crazy things, like collect heads, ears, teeth, etc.

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    boofhead's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Human nature to take trophies.

    When I worked in a piggery people used to cut teeth out of boars they had killed. It was just something people did.

    Besides, in WW2 the Allied soldiers pretty much thought of the Japanese as yellow sub-human monkeys.

  7. #7

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    It is not racism , is called war. The japanese had it coming, for the Batan Death March, Wake , Pearl Harbor, Rape of Nanking just for some. Oh, lets not forget about the japanese 32nd medical bn who performed experiments on the allied forces. So, before you call it any one racist have all the facts.

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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Quote Originally Posted by Azog 150 View Post
    I am not sure how widespread it was, but it went hand-in-hand with the brutality and dehumanisation present in the Pacific. The combat itself was brutal with thousands and thousands of men stuck on tiny islands with no escape, and due to the Japanese refusal to surrender or take prisoners these were very much fights to the death. That in itself breeds a lot of hatred, bitterness and brutality.

    Then there was the fact that both sides had done a great job at dehumanising one another. Due to racial differences it was easier for the two sides to dehumanise each other then it was over in Europe where the Germans looked the same as the Americans. Pre-war and wartime propaganda on both sides portrayed each other as almost subhuman. The Americans were portrayed as bloodthirsty demons and the Japanese in a fairly similar vain.

    The culture (And the fighters these cultures bred) were also very alien to one another. The Japanese refusal to surrender shocked those they fought against, and likewise the Japanese thought if they surrendered they would be tortured and killed. The tenacity and suicidal tendencies of the Japanese seemed almost inhuman and helped back up the propaganda.

    This, combined with the brutality of that style of warfare meant neither side saw each other as human and more then that they utterly despised one another, and the taking of skulls, fingers or gold teeth was basically trophy hunting. It was nothing to do with Christianity or superstition, just hatred.
    Quote Originally Posted by Smedley Butler View Post
    It is not racism , is called war. The japanese had it coming, for the Batan Death March, Wake , Pearl Harbor, Rape of Nanking just for some. Oh, lets not forget about the japanese 32nd medical bn who performed experiments on the allied forces. So, before you call it any one racist have all the facts.
    well, thanks, so these are basically revenge to each others?

    but why some of the Americans still kept those trophies till now? and make them into Ashtray, letter openers, etc? why not simply bury them and let their ghosts in peace?

    while it may not affect Americans directly, why they don't think about the place where the Japanese are killed? maybe that's why most of the Japanse hideout in WW2 are haunted, their ghosts are restless...

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  9. #9

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Quote Originally Posted by Azog 150 View Post
    I am not sure how widespread it was, but it went hand-in-hand with the brutality and dehumanisation present in the Pacific. The combat itself was brutal with thousands and thousands of men stuck on tiny islands with no escape, and due to the Japanese refusal to surrender or take prisoners these were very much fights to the death. That in itself breeds a lot of hatred, bitterness and brutality.

    Then there was the fact that both sides had done a great job at dehumanising one another. Due to racial differences it was easier for the two sides to dehumanise each other then it was over in Europe where the Germans looked the same as the Americans. Pre-war and wartime propaganda on both sides portrayed each other as almost subhuman. The Americans were portrayed as bloodthirsty demons and the Japanese in a fairly similar vain.

    The culture (And the fighters these cultures bred) were also very alien to one another. The Japanese refusal to surrender shocked those they fought against, and likewise the Japanese thought if they surrendered they would be tortured and killed. The tenacity and suicidal tendencies of the Japanese seemed almost inhuman and helped back up the propaganda.

    This, combined with the brutality of that style of warfare meant neither side saw each other as human and more then that they utterly despised one another, and the taking of skulls, fingers or gold teeth was basically trophy hunting. It was nothing to do with Christianity or superstition, just hatred.
    Since a lot of what I'm about to write is based on my pov from now, rather than what the soldiers knew at the time, I could be off track.

    Trophy hunting seems a rather traditional activity, though scalping seems more confined to America. To turn a skull into an ashtray seems less hatred but despise, as while not official, you get the feeling that a lot of Americans did view the Japanese as subhuman, combined with the fact that any fight at close quarters with a screaming enemy that doesn't give up would have pumped up their fears a thousandfold, and again by then they would have heard how they treated the POWs.

    However, this is only a comment on the OP, rather then a confirmation that it did occur in general or in any specific case. And then you have to ask if such cases occurred amongst the British and Australians.
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    hellheaven1987's Avatar Comes Domesticorum
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    You guys all know what I am going to say...

    Blood for the Blood God!! Skulls for the Skull Throne!!
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  11. #11

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Since they wanted an exotic mantle piece, nothing gets the guest talking on a soiree like a human head.
    These fine gentlemen's have thanks to their consistent idiotic posts have earned their place on my ignore list: mrmouth, The Illusionist, motiv-8, mongrel, azoth, thorn777 and elfdude. If you want to join their honourable rank you just have to post idiotic posts and you will get there in no time.

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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    War weary troops fighting an overdetermined enemy who simply refuses to surrender and is previously signified asd inhuman and diabolic tend to create symbols and rituals around the killing of said enemies.

    You are less prone to give a about RoC and respectful treatment of bodies when those same bodies were ferociously shooting and bombing you a few minutes ago. Let's not forget that the myths, legends and actual events surrounding the Japanese Military(and how they treated war prisoners or civilians for that matter) didn't really help to curtail the bloodthirsty propaganda of the Government.

    When the Government bombards a War weary soldier with this:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    and then said ''Murdering Japs'' turn out to be doing things such as this:

    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    then for the average G.I. it turns into an easy equation: ''Sub-human ers kill our boys, well then they don't deserve any kind of respect''.

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    Azog 150's Avatar Civitate
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Quote Originally Posted by Condottiere 40K View Post
    However, this is only a comment on the OP, rather then a confirmation that it did occur in general or in any specific case. And then you have to ask if such cases occurred amongst the British and Australians.

    I know the Gurkhas were known for head-hunting. I have never heard any reports about anyone else partaking in it though. But then you have to bear in mind that the theatres of war in which British and Aussie troops were fighting in were not quite as confined as the tiny Pacific Islands where many American troops did battle with the Japanese.

    British and Australian troops could be marching for weeks or months at a time through dense jungle without encountering anyone before suddenly being ambushed at close-quarters. On the Pacific Islands however there wasn't really much avoiding one another and there was more constant exposure.
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    Spike's Avatar Primicerius
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Quote Originally Posted by Azog 150 View Post
    I know the Gurkhas were known for head-hunting. I have never heard any reports about anyone else partaking in it though. But then you have to bear in mind that the theatres of war in which British and Aussie troops were fighting in were not quite as confined as the tiny Pacific Islands where many American troops did battle with the Japanese.

    British and Australian troops could be marching for weeks or months at a time through dense jungle without encountering anyone before suddenly being ambushed at close-quarters. On the Pacific Islands however there wasn't really much avoiding one another and there was more constant exposure.

    is that only Americans doing this right? British and australians are doing this too or not?

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  15. #15

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?
    Convienence.

    Have you tried collecting them nowadays? Talk about red tape. Hopefully we got enough stored up to last until the next war.

  16. #16
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sphere View Post
    Convienence.

    Have you tried collecting them nowadays? Talk about red tape. Hopefully we got enough stored up to last until the next war.
    well, at least Americans also had this headhunting habit in Vietnam wars, just not as widespread (just confirmed it from both wiki and my Vietnamese mod team member)

    but now I won't be amazed if they do this in Afghanistan and Iraq too... or does it means the headhunters are smarter now?

    Annokerate Koriospera Yuinete Kuliansa


  17. #17

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    I did hear that for the duration of the conflict, the British lifted its prohibition, probably unofficially, from the Borneo natives, who enthusiastically engaged in it. But those ended up as proper trophies.
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  18. #18

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    I used to and still do collect human hair, I see nothing wrong taking a trophy of your victim to remember them by. Aaaaaaaaaa I love the smell.

  19. #19

    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    They considered the "Japs" subhuman for the most part, to be fair the Japanese were very cruel as well. When they sent skulls and other body parts back home they thought it was like a trophy from a hunt. This was one of the harshest, most bitter wars ever, only maybe the Eastern Front comes close.

  20. #20
    avion365's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Why Americans Collects Japanese heads in WW2?

    to be quite honest my familys line of soldiers used to collect the left ear of a victum, but we kind of stoped after Korea
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