Tadamichi Kuribayashi, Date of Birth, Date of Death

Tadamichi Kuribayashi

Japanese general

Date of Birth: 07-Jul-1891

Date of Death: 26-Mar-1945

Profession: writer, poet, military officer

Nationality: Japan

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (?? ??, Kuribayashi Tadamichi, 7 July 1891 – c.
26 March 1945) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, part-time writer, haiku poet, diplomat, and commanding officer of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff.
He is best known for being overall commander of the Japanese garrison during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Even before the battle, General Kuribayashi insisted upon sharing the hardships of his men.
He also refused to permit banzai charges, which he regarded as an unnecessary waste of his men's lives.
Although the United States Marine Corps had expected to capture Iwo Jima in five days, Kuribayashi and his men held out 36 days.
While it is believed that he was killed in action in the final assault, Kuribayashi's body was never identified by the United States military. In the 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, which depicts the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers, Kuribayashi is portrayed by Japanese actor Ken Watanabe.