Courage and dedication are the most important part of Japanese culture. Japanese society expected more from Hosono. According to them, Hosono, like every proud Samurai, should have stayed on the ship and sunk into the cold waters with the ship.
Masabumi Hosono was the only Japanese passenger to survive the Titanic disaster in 1912. Hosono was working as a railway manager at the Ministry of Transportation. Because of his proficiency in the Russian language, he was sent to Russia to study the Russian state railway system.
After staying in Russia for two years, he went to London and from there to Southampton and boarded the Titanic on April 10, 1912. On the night of April 15, the ship hit an iceberg and began to take on water. It was certain that the ship would sink. Hosono was awakened by a steward and quickly went on deck. Hosono describes those moments as follows: “Flares were constantly being thrown into the air. The scary blue lights and sounds were simply terrifying, I tried to prepare myself for death without any hassle.
Masabumi Hosono (15 October 1870 – 14 March 1939) was a Japanese civil servant. He survived the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912 but found himself condemned and ostracized by the Japanese public, press, and government because of a misconception that he decided to save himself rather than go down with the ship. Hosono's grandson is Haruomi Hosono, leading member of the Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra.
An officer loading the lifeboats shouted 'There is room for two' and I immediately jumped into the water. After the ship sank, the terrible screams and cries of those who drowned in the water could be heard. "Our lifeboat was full of sobbing children and women worried about the safety of their husbands and fathers."
At first, Hosono's story did not attract much attention. Hundreds of people survived the Titanic disaster, and each one had a story to tell. However, a New York newspaper reported his story with the headline "Lucky Japanese boy." The news reached Japan in a short time. When Hosono returned to Tokyo, he faced the scorn of his people.
Courage and dedication are the most important part of Japanese culture. Japanese society expected more from Hosono. According to them, Hosono, like every proud Samurai, should have stayed on the ship and sunk into the cold waters with the ship.
Hosono's story caused embarrassment to his family for years.
He was fired from his job and then rehired on a contract basis. Hosono endured the attacks and tried to live a simple life. He passed away in 1939 at the age of 68.