Previously unseen footage of Japan’s experimental World War II fighter aircraft, the Kyushu J7W Shinden, has been donated to the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum, offering a rare glimpse into the final desperate months of the Pacific War.
Yagyu8, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 80-year-old film, donated in May 2025 by the Japan Wind Tunnel Manufacturing Company, shows a Shinto ceremonial blessing being performed in front of the actual aircraft, marking the first time museum officials have seen visual documentation of such rituals despite having read about them in historical records.
“We had seen records that a ceremony was performed, but this is the first time we’ve seen it in video form,” said Toshimi Fujiue, a museum representative. “The images are so clear, and seeing this scene for the first time filled us with great joy.”
The Kyushu J7W Shinden was developed in Fukuoka during the final stages of the Pacific War as an interceptor designed specifically to counter American B-29 bombers that were devastating Japanese cities. The aircraft featured an unusual rear-mounted propeller configuration that distinguished it from conventional fighter designs of the era.
Known as the “phantom fighter” because the war ended before it could see combat, the Shinden represented Japan’s last-ditch effort to develop advanced aviation technology capable of challenging Allied air superiority. The aircraft was manufactured by Kyushu Aircraft Company as part of Japan’s desperate defense preparations.
The newly revealed footage captures Chief Naval Technical Officer Masataka Tsuruno, who served as the Shinden’s design chief. Tsuruno was an “engineer pilot,” a unique role that required him to undergo flight training so he could better incorporate pilot experiences and needs into his aircraft designs.
The donation coincides with a special exhibition at the museum titled “Kyushu Aircraft and Shinden – Records of Engineers,” which opened to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. The exhibit features a model of the Shinden that was used in the filming of the recent movie “Godzilla -1.0,” alongside displays showcasing the aircraft manufacturer and its technical team.
The exhibition serves a dual purpose of preserving technological history while reflecting on the human cost of wartime innovation. Museum officials emphasize that the engineers’ work, while developed for combat, represented skills that could have been applied to peaceful purposes.
“This technology might have been something they really wanted to use for peace,” Fujiue reflected. “But at that time, it was developed through competition in warfare. We learned that this era was not a fantasy but a reality.”
The Otarigawa Peace Memorial Museum’s acquisition of this rare footage provides historians and the public with an invaluable window into Japan’s wartime aviation development, making tangible a chapter of history that might otherwise remain abstract to modern audiences.
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