True Life Tuesday: Masabumi Hosono

 This is a very sad stroy. I feel bad that he felt shame over this for his entire life.

Masabumi Hosono was born on October 15, 1870 in Hokura, now a part of the city of Joctsu. He graduated from Tokyo Commercial School (now Hitotsubashi University) in 1896. After graduation he joined the Joint Stock Company. In 1897 he left to join Shiodome Freight Terminal in Tokyo as a cargo clerk. In 1906 he completed a course in Russian at Tokyo Language School (now Tokyo University of Foreign Studies). He then became a manager in the accounting and investigation division of the Imperial Railroad Office in 1907. He was promoted to railroad director in 1908. In 1910 he was sent to Russia by the Ministry of Transportation to study their state railway system. On his way home he spent time in London before boarding the Titanic as a 2nd class passenger.

On the night of April 14, 1912 he was awoken by a pounding on his door. His passage to the upper deck was originally blocked because stewards though he was a 3rd class passenger. He eventually was able to make his way to the upper deck where he took in the chaos around him. He was mentally preparing himself to go down with the ship when he noticed another man entering one of the lifeboats. This gave him the courage to enter the boat himself. After his rescue the crew of the Carpathia made fun of him about his cowardice. 

Unfortunately this treatment continued once he was back in Japan. He was publicly called a coward and was a disgrace to the country of Japan. He lost his job however he was eventually rehired because he was to valuable and he remained the the Ministry until his death on March 14,1939. He never spoke about the sinking but there was a letter to his wife on Titanic stationary. The letter would be published twice after his death. After the film Titanic was released in 1997 to public view of him softened a bit.