Oh well its time to blow a few theorys out the door regarding Yamashita's lost gold. Many years ago I befriended an elderly Japanese gentleman
who lived alone in a small shack up a remote West Coast Valley. I had met him on a prospecting trip and over the years we became good friends.
Whenever I went up the valley I would take him provisions and check his well being. He was quite a loner, but a nice guy. His english was not that great, and my Japanese wasnt to great either. But I did learn enough to converse with him, and him enough english to converse with me.
He did a little prospecting and trusting me, he would on my occassional visits give me gold to sell for him. What was odd was that some was alluvial flakes but the other stuff was like gold shavings. I did at the time note that whenever I used his axe to cut him firewood, that it was always quite blunt and the cutting edge quite dented. So I gave him the nickname " Blunt Axe" he used to laugh when I called him that.
In his hut he had an old, steel sea chest, which was secured by a sturdy padlock. I only got to see it once. As he had buried it in the floor of hut.
On that occassion I had taken some Saki with me, as it was Xmas, my treat for " Blunt Axe" . Well actually I took him several bottles.
As the night wore on, well we both got a bit sozzled. Boy that Saki got a bite. It was then that " Blunt Axe" said, I show you something, " Big Nose" yep that was his nick for me. Blunt Axe and Big nose, on the grog together. He pulled up a few floorboards and scrapped some dirt aside, to reveal the sea chest. He opened it, with a key he wore around his neck. The first thing he showed me was a photo of he and his wife.
Yep it was a younger Blunt Axe but he was wearing wearing the uniform of the Japanese Imperial Navy. He had all sorts of memoribilia in there.
Even his Navy Hat. And it was a Japanese Submariners Hat. Now ole blunt axe had never told me how he got to NZ. I had asked him, but all he would ever say , was, " By Sea" By Sea. Anyway he begain to cry, and when I asked him what was upsetting him, and that took a while.
He told me that he and his wife had come from Hiroshima. And then I knew why he had chosen to stay in NZ. But how did he get here.
Well the Saki flowed and ole Blunt Axe finally fessed up, he kinda looked upon me as a son I guess. " I tell, you tell no-one. We shook the hand. I cracked another bottle of Saki and so his story began.
Towards the end of WW11 his Submarine C3 Design, Numer 1-52 along with 1-53 was sent on a secret mission to Mindanao Island in the Phillipines. On arrival the crew unloaded all the torpedo's. which were taken ashore and the warheads removed. A Japanese cargo ship was there, in the small harbour and the dismantled torpedos's were taken aboard by derrick. Another saki and Blunt Axe said " I Captain Number two, I trusted by Emperor, so I tell you more, but you no tell. Yep we shook hands again. And as always bowed at each other.
Turns out the hold of the Cargo Ship had been turned into a smelter complete with moulds and lathes. They were making golden warheads for the torpedo's. If we caught chirps Blunt Axe, they no know, we have secret torpedos. Some go to Germany on 1.52, the rest go on my ship. They much heavy so we store some at front and some at back and then we level. But not dive much, as hard to get back up.
Frig, I thought he's pulling my leg. To much Saki. You no believe Blunt Axe, he says, me show you, then. And pulls aside an oiled cloth with the Rising Sun on it. There at the bottom of his sea chest, is what remains of a secret warhead, solid gold. But damm me it looks like somebody has taken to it with an axe. Blunt Axe smiles, me like Chop Suey, but like chopping golden warhead even more.
Me now go to sleep. Next time you bring Saki, I tell you more.
To be continued.
Cheers Trev aka " The Hatter"
