I Interview Imperial Japanese Holdouts (Reenactors Allegedly)

[@nipponteikoku9089]

Thanks for having us, friend-it was a pleasure ❤‍🔥

[@dalekemperor4407]

When kantai destruction pt. 69

[@BuyRawrXD]

Of course it’s an anime profile picture

[@seanyamashita2972]

@@BuyRawrXD it's literally the weeb pillow he blasts in he video that's riddled in bullet holes lmao

[@BuyRawrXD]

@@seanyamashita2972I see red, not rationally

[@SonOfTegz]

of course its you lol

[@remingtonarcher1335]

These guys are absolutely rockin with the IJA uniforms.

[@fuzzyhead878]

I agree 100%

[@erickrapa7939]

I need to rock it too

[@kyleparrish2026]

These guys are a service to history. It's always a good day when misunderstood or underexplored areas and moments in history get some exposure.

[@DJTheMetalheadMercenary]

Extremely impressive to go to that level of research and archival detail, mad props to their organization.

[@RP-ks6ly]

I was part of a huge reenactment of Iwo Jima in Doss Texas for one of the anniversaries back in the mid 2000s, they even flew in approximately 80 Japanese reenactors....those reenactors were absolute studs, speaking japanese, never out of character, etc. Great memories and we even made the Houston Chronicle. I was a corpsman in the reenactment and had an absolute blast.

[@Acct1941]

Rich historical textures, dedication, very fascinating.

[@adamhebert5365]

"its not like we're going out there doing Unit 731" , that had me dying

[@imperiumgrim4717]

LOL

[@abramwarner5119]

It was really cool you just kinda let them talk about what they do and know

[@Scruffyman81]

This could have been two hours and I'd still gladly watch every bit of it. Love seeing young, enthusiastic historians!

[@jo1948]

yes. I wish it was longer. I don't know anything about Japanese kit

[@SB-or5mj]

This is so freaking dope. I study a lot of WWII history and never get enough info on the IJA side. This is awesome.

[@AlexNV75]

Actually out surviving on Okinawa in this kit is pretty insane and impressive tbh

[@12ealDealOfficial]

Not Japanese, but the premise is badass, historical friend or foe aside.

[@erikhoryza9068]

Same here, and understanding all history is educational, is my go to.👍🏻Very cool they're here in the U.S. I hope to see interest in their group grow into something much larger. A foundation or the like.

[@jackmehoff2363]

These guys definitely need their own channel. I hope they make one. Or at least you get them back on a couple more times, or they make the rounds and get on other peoples channels. I meed more of them. That nerdy humor.

[@WHO-xi4zp]

Hopefully they’ll do another kantai destruction and give the anime girls the emperors steel.

[@SneakyMadlad]

wait- i think these guys are the same ones from the video Kantai Destruction

[@fancylogic5285]

@@SneakyMadlad indeed

[@atlas4733]

I heard from the C&Rsenal video on the type 38 that the noisy dust cover myth comes from when the American soldiers had to dump all the parts together for some reason (being used to interchangeable parts,) they reassembled them with mismatching components. This lead to the clangy dust cover myth as they were originally fitted very well to the specific gun.

[@rickstick7422]

Bro this is so underrated, shout out to the reenactors on this video!

[@demonofthemojave7689]

I love their dedication to the history. Especially the whole bit about not wanting people that are overweight or will wear the uniform sloppily. Historically, it is the Emperors uniform, so it must be worn with pride and respect. Absolutely loved it!!

[@fuzzyhead878]

I’m of Taiwanese/Chinese descent. Despite my family’s…admittedly graphic…history with the Japanese Empire, I think this is a really cool reenactment topic. I heard about these guys a few months back and I think they’re stuff looks awesome! More power to these guys. They have my support. Now if we could get some ROC reenactors… Edit: Just visited their instagram, there are in fact ROC reenactment groups apparently!

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Taiwan at the time was viewed as a "model colony" of Japan and IIRC quite a few Chinese people from the island served in the IJN/IJA.

[@fuzzyhead878]

@@Waldemarvonanhalt My ancestors were ROC loyalists. I say Taiwan because that’s where the ROC evacuated to postwar. I’m not saying you’re wrong. But that wasn’t the point I was making.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

@@fuzzyhead878 I know. I'm just adding some info for the benefit of other readers.

[@fancylogic5285]

we'll be hosting a China Front event with our friends in the 88D in 2024 :)

[@fuzzyhead878]

@@Waldemarvonanhalt Oh that’s fine. Sorry, I’ve had bad luck lately with the internet mob lately. I’ll say the least controversial things and I get page-long responses about how I’m naive or a sellout or something.

[@JayDubb3BCT]

This was a dope deep dive. I never knew they had IJA reenactment squad's.

[@daringfungus]

I am so happy you are doing this.

[@m00se37]

I have a close friend, shobu, who does IJA/IJN reenacting and its very dedicated honestly, these people are very informational and love explaining it. I highly reccomend anyone going to a living history event or reenactment to always talk to the IJA/IJN guys, especially if they are young. older ones are like any old reenactors but the young ones are the true fire bearers of the IJA/IJN history now.

[@showaboogaloo]

Shobu came out with us for our Manchuria 1945 event. A very chill guy 🫡

[@m00se37]

@@showaboogaloo he is a wacky lil critter

[@Markovite]

Shobu the eternal homie

[@longiusaescius2537]

Chad

[@222TripleJ]

07:50 fun fact there was a Japanese Wermacht unit and also some asian were in the army example the son of the China leader Chang Kai Sheck was driving Panzer and was partecipate to the anschuluss

[@imperiumgrim4717]

Really, that's based and cool af, to be honest

[@Johnny_Cash_Flow]

I especially love the way they captured the authentic Japanese barrel cacti native to the southwest island of Okizona.

[@ScottScott75]

Not really big into reenactment, but the attention to detail and respect they have for history is unreal. Respect to them and keep rockin

[@garnix6390]

This video is so damn cool! As a former reenactor I perfectly know the dedication needed, and they are topping it! Really great work!

[@deltamike3418]

Epic mic holder, and hitting with a unit 731 joke off the bat is great

[@ZULU_0372]

No I’m totally not sitting on the toilet eating a beer watching this 😅

[@TheMrSomecheesyname]

How old is that beer dude?!

[@bfchristianbf]

​@@TheMrSomecheesynamebrother,we eat our drinks here,no girly sipping

[@robertcaseydavis]

Amazing episode. More LARP units plz..

[@johntavish8750]

I would like to have more details on that Indochina part, were the japanese soldiers were re-armed by ww2 allies to fight against the vietminh. When the French arrived they actually thought that they were fighting against remnants of the IJA where in fact they were engaging the vietminh.

[@fancylogic5285]

The funniest ones were the IJ guys who joined the VM forces and ended up fighting remobilized IJ dudes who were conscripted by the western armies. It's literally the Charlie and Mac "always sunny" meme.😂

[@kaitai5900]

Indonesia. Initially kept in barracks and not de-armed and still officered by their own, then used by the British and Dutch to quell initial uprisings. Then, many IJA units that had good relations with their Indonesian trainee troops purposely left their weapons and ordinance for the Indonesian freedom fighters to fight the Dutch. Several thousand IJA and IJN staid behind to train, fight, and lead Indonesian National forces. Several hundred were killed in fighting and listed as Indonesia National heroes. There is a huge monument to them in Jakarta at their national cemetery (Arlington equivalent). Many hundreds staid behind after the anti Dutch colonial war to make lives there in Indonesia. The Indonesian Navy was basically formed and encultured to a certain degree by those left behinds. Vietnamese Viet Minh forces as well had hundred of voluntary stay behinds as well fighting the colonial French. Though most of those were killed or were repatriated at some point.

[@Gideon_Judges6]

There's nothing better than watching someone enthusiastic in their craft "geek out." They were well informed, well spoken, and entertaining. Bravo!

[@TexasSurplusPro]

Solid impressions! I love the level of research they dived into.

[@johnatkinson808]

These guys are great,love re-enacting. I did American civil war for years and the group I belonged to were hardcore, down to the salt pork and hardtack sleeping on the ground with nothing but a blanket. Hats off to you guys !!!

[@fuzzyhead878]

That’s really cool! I remember seeing hardtack samples in the maritime museum in Norfolk, Virginia. That still haunts me knowing people had to eat that. I really hope you guys ate yours with stew or some other form of liquid.

[@DelcoAirsoft]

Dude wow. These guys are so sick. I wish more people would do IJA kits. It’s so much more interesting than German impressions in my opinion.

[@kevinduong337]

Slight correction at 9:39 (from someone that delves in some Indochina-Vietnam reenacting), it was actually the British that re-armed the Japanese during Operation Masterdom Otherwise great video, one of my favorite things about genuine reenactors is the detail that they get into and the fallacies that they counter.

[@aikimechanic]

I believe people in general are beginning to forget about the intensity of WWII and the lessons learned. I'm all about this direct representation of history being available. Wonderful work.

[@JasonLLewis01]

gonna buy some ammo boxes just becuz i love collecting historical pieces and reproduction items glad to have seen these guys on here and i hope admin can find more groups like these to incorporate into the channels

[@laurencetalman]

Really awesome stuff. Would be awesome if you took up the offer and did some reenactment with them, I found the video really interesting and would be cool to have a follow up

[@ArsonalTech]

These guys were fantastic! Have them out again!

[@Darth_Glizzy_]

Keeping history alive is something people should do more often. You guys are awesome!

[@jetthebluesky5432]

Their uniforms and equipment are beautiful, these guys are doing a great service to history.

[@Hammerbass]

Awesome video showing these guys off. Its nice to see the other side of the joy of larping.

[@Aurelius00]

That was seriously some cool stuff. So interesting. Thanks for the education!

[@screamingnighthog7155]

My uncle fought against the Japanese at Guadalcanal. At first the family back home only knew he was somewhere in the Pacific. Any correspondence home that mentioned where he was stationed was censored so that if the letters fell into enemy hands the enemy could not get an estimate of troop strength. Then the family noticed that his letters home were all signed with a different middle initial in his name. They put the letters in chronological order and the middle initials began to spell out G U A D A L C A N A L.

[@phoenixrising4073]

Amazing work gentlemen. Keeping the history alive is a good thing and doing it to a high level is admirable and something we should all strive towards.

[@vicentesanchez7168]

Sick BreakDown Of the Uniforms … Very Knowledgable . Great History … Great Talk Gentlemen … Respect. Non The Less

[@mattgent8599]

Love seeing younger dudes like most of us being into reenacting. It always seemed to have such a nerdy connotation, but it's always super interesting to learn about the daily lives of regular soldiers and their kit.

[@DD-qw4fz]

More stuff like this ,moar !!! Reeneactors like this are a drug to me.

[@PARRISHMELLOTT]

These guys are literally history books!! BEAUTIFUL!

[@wigon]

Wow, these guys are awesome! The depth of their knowledge is extremely impressive. I've always enjoyed learning about the IJA perspective during WWII. Those guys had to endure unimaginable hardship and suffering while also employing some extremely unique and clever tactics. I'm just glad that today Japan is on our side.

[@Pattern51lover]

These guys deserve a big hand! Awesome AF

[@Ryan-T-Hart]

These guys are the real deal! We need more! Admin these videos ROCKED!

[@jonathanbroetz1945]

These guys are awesome. You should do more videos like this with german, American, british, italian, etc. Groups that do things like this. Really enjoyed the video.

[@mikealeman5955]

Love to see youngsters get enthralled with history and their culture 👌

[@ericsfishingadventures4433]

Really cool to learn about accurate history!

[@justinmccreight4194]

I appreciate these guys taking the time to educate us.

[@njw1977]

Thanks for having these guys on. It was really interesting!

[@masterblaster2733]

Very cool. Some history is worth preserving. These guys rock.

[@FreedomVendor76]

Honestly think it would be pretty sick to have reenactors as a regular thing. Bring the best of Garand Thumb and Forgotten Weapons: Forgotten Thumb

[@Jeff5969]

This is sick! I would definitely watch more stuff like this.

[@natmad]

Well done lads. Positive vibes all round

[@The_Devil_Himself]

This was super interesting and informative. You should hang out with reeanctors more often, or even try reeancting yourself! It's a blast.

[@lyntonadams6896]

These guys are rockin the IJA kit like a Boss ! Love it!!!

[@kevlarandchrome]

These guys are awesome. I hope you get lots of interest and useful attention to help spread your obvious love for history.

[@Ian30rf]

History is my obsession and I love seeing when people use that passion to teach and give a window through time

[@ltpunisher6666]

Admin needs to do a video on some of the IJA Rifles with these guys!

[@soundslikesight7876]

These fellas are fascinating! I’m so glad to see finally folks are delving into subjects that have been long neglected in western ww2 history. Great video!

[@jeepman19]

The level of kit and knowledge is amazing

[@Pb_vic]

This was 1 of the coolest videos I've seen in awhile very dope look on history 👌

[@thni1703]

Thanks for the deep Dive guys ... loved it. Could listen for hours ...

[@TheHorzabora]

It’s always good to discover new reenactment groups that are fun and high quality. Finding rivet-counters who make rivet-counting fun *and help others who want to try and improve their kit* makes it even better :-)

[@RTR15Glenn]

These guys are epic. Really bringing history to life!

[@Mr.InbetweenFX]

So glad to see this is actually you! I saw this and was like "wow someone just changed your name around and gonna ride that wave"

[@jik294]

Super cool video!!! This was definitely awesome to see!!!

[@averystrangeplatypus2911]

It would be awesome if admin did some other interviews with reenactors of different eras and countries

[@gadsdenjim8785]

Unit 731. That’s one of those things not a lot of people know about cause it was kind of suppressed and kept quiet for a lot of years cause they made the not-Z doctors look like angels.

[@raymondgomes9947]

I am so happy to hear Dan Carlin referenced in this video. I was thinking Super Nova during the main channel video and hearing this shout out to him made my day.

[@mc-zy7ju]

Awesome to see these guys showing a rarely seen side.

[@agirlsname7159]

Fascinating crossover content with some real badasses. We're open to this left field stuff...keep it coming!

[@kiwi_comanche]

Very rad getting these guys some exposure. They definitely deserve the promotion, their attention to detail is superb.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

Just so folks know, those sun helmets are uber rare. The cork usually disintegrates after that long.

[@thewhich15]

I need friends like this. I have a bunch of kit and no where to use it. Awesome to see such passion

[@thoughtlessroamer]

this gives off spicy war crimes vibes

[@raypaulkidz1063]

Lol👍👍👍

[@TeflonDave]

Great interview. I'd like to see more of these guys!

[@alphonseippolito7173]

I read the Rising Sun by John Toland last summer, gave me a whole new perspective on how tough these guys were.

[@fancylogic5285]

Toland is...interesting to say the least. He's a bit on the apologist side and some of his sources were sketchy at best, but when Rising Sun came out in the 70s it was a very revolutionary piece of historiography. Unfortunately mil-hist has somewhat faded in academic circles so larger scholarship on the IJA and IJN has not ***really*** been delved into in recent years.

[@imperiumgrim4717]

​@@fancylogic5285got any good military books on IJA to study on

[@fancylogic5285]

@@imperiumgrim4717 depends on what you're looking for!

[@PetrosArgy]

This kind of extra content is awesome! (I don't smoke meat). My first education about the Japanese military wasn't until I was in my 30s and translated books on the Japanese air forces. As a nation with just over half the population of the US at the start of the war, they put up one hell of a fight for a very long time.

[@ericsissenwein3601]

I have re-enacted Civil War, WW2 European as US army and WW1 German army. One of The most memorable re-enactments was WW2 Pacific theater. This occurred over 20 years ago. I represented the US Marine Corp and we “ fought “ in a river bottom East of Los Angeles county. There was bamboo and thick grass as well as flowing water. The Japanese opposition was terrific! The uniforms they wore was great to see. Some of them were Asian, and some were not. It was hot, wet and scary. My Dad was in New Guinea and Luzon. It was extra special to reflect on his war this way. Congratulations to your IJ re -enactors. !

[@canuckguns]

Its great to see the new generation appreciate and take interest in military history!

[@Hoopaball]

These guys are cool. You should definitely have them back. Any WWII buff would eat this stuff up.

[@johnchaney1713]

Amazing group of historians! Thanks for helping bring some light on a largely misrepresented group of military professionals.

[@Tx556]

This was awesome. Love seeing more reenactor/history content.

[@KevinSmith-yh6tl]

The IJA guys were the chit! I was glued to the screen watching their interview. Only wish it would have been longer. (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!)

[@chrisrgfield]

Love these kinda videos. Y’all should do a GunTuber WWII Mega history repro! I mean all the factions! Between Admin, Garand, Brandon, Matt, Donut and all the other tonnes of kick ass channels plus their friends they can wrangle. It could be epic! Hell, even get Ian over at FW to narrate like David Attenborough 😂🤣 Big fan of the channel 👍

[@Jordan-ce7sf]

i just noticed he has his mic clipped to his bayo, thats hilarious. great vid guys!

[@RACC_970]

I have learned new stuff, Thank you Admin and the bois of Hasegawa!

[@dylanmcgregor6496]

That was awesome! These guys rock.

[@paulmears5330]

Great resources they manage. IJA info is hard to come by in the mainstream, so kanpai to these dudes!

[@grenadespoon]

I really love this. More videos like this admin for us history guys.

[@porter-831]

I'm from Germany and mainly dabble in medieval and Roman stuff, but I can definitely see the same kind of ethos with these guys that is common with the best living history groups I've seen (funnily enough also some good larp and sci-fi costuming groups with a similar approach). If people are accusing you of gatekeeping and stitch-counting, they don't get the point. Why do living history at all if you aren't trying to create the best possible impression and constantly challenge existing preconceptions and check with the real sources? Strive for excellency, don't settle for mediocrity. Which doesn't mean you should get shit on for any mistake if you are just starting out and don't know better, but aim to improve your kit whenever possible and welcome constructive criticism. Great bunch of guys and great video!

[@vvvppp6021]

Not gonna lie, this was WAY more cool that the main Thompson video, great job guys!

[@brendanmatelan2129]

This is a great video. I know most people go with the American/Allied for re-enactments. But the opposing side is just as important, for learning history and preserving it.

[@Bayrunner87]

You should have these guys back sometime Admin.