Chapter 1
This story is about a convict who managed to escape from prison not once or twice but four times. A man having so many qualities assembled within himself that he managed to escape high-security prisons many times each time using a different trick.
He earned the reputation “the man no prison can hold”. Many incidents of jailbreak happen in different countries of the world, but the quality possessed by this convict is rarely ever found.
Opening handcuffs was a relatively easy task for him. He could open any lock with just a metal strip. He can climb over a smooth wall with his bare hands and feet like a lizard. He had enormous strength in his arms that can break the handcuffs into two pieces.
He possessed the ability to dislocate his joints and makes his body slid through a small hole. He had a very sharp mind and knew all the tricks. Every prison he has been into knowing about his reputation and imposed stricter restrictions on him each time. But he managed to escape from every single prison with ease.
Yoshie Shiratori was born on 31st July 1907 in Aomori, Japan. As a teenager he worked in farms, later he worked in a tofu shop for some time and also worked as a fisherman catching crabs. After changing his means of earning frequently, he became addicted to gambling and stealing.
His habit of stealing and gambling one day landed him in trouble. In 1936 he tried to rob a person, and in the scuffle, the person got killed. He was arrested by Japan’s police with charges of robbery and murder.
He was a convict awaiting judicial judgement and was shifted to Aomori prison. The condition of prisons during that period in Japan was bad. The guards of the prison used to torture him repeatedly often kicking and hitting him; they made him work long hours and used abusive languages.
Chapter 2
Shiratori believed that he would be handed a death penalty for murder and robbery. Torture committed by the jail guards was also becoming unbearable for him gradually.
He decides to break the prison and flee and starts his preparation. He started observing the duty pattern of guards, when does the guard shift changes, the duration of time the patrolling happens and takes notes of this in his mind.
He continues his observation for about six months. He knew that it takes 15 minutes for the guard to complete his patrolling of the barracks and return to his cell again for another round. He knew that he had these 15 minutes to escape. He got hold of metal wire from a bucket provided to him for bathing.
One morning at about 5.30 AM just after the guard passed his barrack, he used the metal wire to break open the lock of his cell. There were a total of six locked doors. Using the same metal wire he opened one lock after another, within 15 minutes, he managed to unlock all the doors and fled.
By 5.45 AM he was a free man. Guard comes for next patrolling round and sees him sleeping. During subsequent rounds, guard observed some wires lying close to his bed.
Guard opens the door to have a closer look, as he removes the blanket he finds pillows stacked in such a way so that it gives an appearance of a man sleeping. Shiratori was not in the cell, guard raises an alarm and search began for the convict, but by then Shiratori had already fled.
Chapter 3
Yoshie Shiratori’s freedom lasted for just for three days. After his prison escape, he was still in Aomori roaming around and devoid of money and food. He went to a hospital and tried to steal some supplies. He was caught by the hospital staff and handed over to police. Police were already searching for him, so they again shifted him to Aomori Prison.
He was already accused of murder and robbery in his previous case and prison break charges were also slapped on him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court. Court took cognizance of his jailbreak and shifted him to a much more secure prison in Akita.
Akita prison was a much secure prison, and the jail guards knew that he had a reputation of jailbreak. Jail guards used to torture him repeatedly by making him overwork and challenged him that he would not dare to break this secure prison.
During the cold season, he was forced to sleep on the concrete floor without any bed and blanket. He was not even provided with warm clothes. He was always handcuffed and kept in a specially designed cell, that was just long and wide enough or a single person to stay.
The prison cell itself had a high ceiling having a ventilation window at the top that too was protected by steel rods for the light to pass through. The walls of the cell were of smooth copper that did not have any holes. The window of the cell was located high enough without any furniture in the room.
Chapter 4
Shiratori was laughed upon by the jail guards and tortured. Only the head guard of the prison, Kobayashi always used to treat him gently and talked to him politely. He also scolded the other jail guards when they tortured him.
Shiratori was very disappointed with the behaviour of other guards; he believed that Kobayashi was the only good and humble person among all jail authorities. He stayed in Akita prison from 1936 to 1942 for six years. During that period, the Second World War had started.
Japan was a country fighting against the allied forces led by America. It was a stormy night on 15th June 1942, with heavy rains and strong wind, jail guard came to patrol in the morning according to their schedule. Jail guard peeped inside his prison and to verify his presence, but was surprised to find that he was not in his cell.
Shiratori had escaped from prison once again. He started his planning about 8 months ahead. He had a piece of metal wire, during the night when patrolling was negligible, he used to open his handcuff and practised climbing through the copper walls by extending his hands both ways. After each attempt, he used to re-lock his handcuffs back.
Slowly and gradually he practised climbing and one day was able to reach the window at the top. He found that the window had steel rods, but the frame was made of wood. With the help of eating plate, he was able to weaken the base of the wood. He was provided with soup balls during lunch, he used to pour the soup balls in the base of the wooden frame to make it weak.
He checked that the wooden frame came out entirely along with the steel bars and waited for a stormy day to hide his footsteps replacing the window to its place. He executed his plan to perfection and escaped from the prison for the second time.
Chapter 5
Shiratori was married and had a daughter even before his first arrest. He wanted to visit his family but knew that police would be keeping a close watch over his family to nab him. So he decided not to meet his family.
He wanted to lead a simple and respectful life, not like a runaway convict always chased by police. He had already spent six years of his life imprisonment in Akita prison.
After three months of his escape from Akita prison, he decided to approach Kobayashi, the head jail guard of Akita Prison. One night there was a knock on Kobayashi’s door. On opening the door, he was surprised to find Shiratori standing in front of him.
Shiratori explained to him the reason for his arrival. He further stated that he never wanted to break the prison and complete his prison term, but he was disappointed with the behaviour of the jail guards and repeated torture by them.
He further continued that Kobayashi was the only jailer he liked in Akita prison. He wanted Kobayashi’s help to take him to judicial authorities so that he can narrate the atrocities faced by him. He also wanted to be shifted to Tokyo prison to complete his prison term.
Kobayashi assured him of help and offered dinner to Shiratori. Kobayashi informed police as soon as Shiratori went to the restroom. Police arrived immediately and arrested their convict when he came out of the restroom.
After three months of his escape, Shiratori again landed in Akita prison. His prison term was extended for three more years over the life imprisonment term due to the jailbreak.
He pleaded with the judge that he accepts his term of imprisonment, but he should be shifted to Tokyo prison as the prisoners were treated much better in Tokyo prison. But the judge rejected his plea and transferred him to Abashiri prison situated in the north of Hokkaido.
Chapter 6
Abashiri Prison is situated amidst cold mountains and had a reputation of no prison break. This prison had the best security system. Some convicts, who tried to flee, were shot by the prison-guards. The prison was pretty cold and with sub-zero temperature even in summer.
Shiratori was brought to this prison in 1943, to serve his sentence. Jail guards knew about his previous escapes from prison, so they used to torture, abuse and make fun of him.
One day due to the extreme torture, he became so furious that he broke his iron handcuffs into two pieces in front of all the guards just by the shear strength of his arms. He challenged the guards there that one day he would flee from this prison as well.
The jail guards were surprised to see the sheer strength of his arms. They knew that opening handcuff or breaking them is an easy thing for him. They ordered a specially designed handcuff and leg cuff for him made of solid iron weighing 20 kilos each.
These cuffs did not have any keyholes and took 2 hours by two trained blacksmith to open the handcuff. His hands were tied behind his back and handcuffed also leg cuffs were tied to his ankles.
He used to eat his food like a dog as hands and legs were tied. Twice a month two blacksmiths used to visit him to open the specially designed handcuff and leg cuff. He was allowed two hours for his bath. They again enchained him with these hefty handcuffs and leg cuff and leave.
Chapter 7
Shiratori was kept in a cell that was specially designed for him. The windows were made smaller than the size of his body, the walls of the cell were smooth, he was always kept handcuffed and leg cuffed with specially designed heavy iron.
One day after a year, a guard suddenly heard something in the roof of the cell. He comes into check Shiratori’s prison, to his amazement he could only find the heavy iron cuffs in one corner but not Shiratori. Shiratori had again fled and this time from Abashiri prison. This was his third prison break.
He started his planning about six months ahead. He used to put some soup on the joints of the handcuff and leg cuff every day. He also used to spit some soup to a portion of window from his mouth. He was aware that the salt content of the soup would make the iron rusted making it weaker.
After six months of effort the joints of handcuff and leg cuff became weak, he was able to break open the handcuffs and leg cuffs. He knew that had to escape from prison before the arrival of the blacksmiths.
One night he opened his handcuffs and leg cuffs and found that screw of the window had weakened due to rust. He removed the window, slid his body by dislocating his joints, making the size of his body smaller and ran to the roof and fled.
It was a shame for Abashiri prison. They searched for him but were unable to trace him. After a few days of search the jail authorities stopped looking for him, they thought that some wild animals in the snowy mountains would have killed and eaten him.
Shiratori survived, he found a safe cave amidst the snowy mountains and made a bunker for himself. He used to eat, the fruits of surrounding trees and meat of animals.
Chapter 8
Shiratori stayed in the bunker cave for about two years entirely cut off from the world. It was around 1945, and Japan has already surrendered to allied forces after the atomic explosions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Police authorities forgot about him, and presumed him to be dead. He then decides to come out of his hiding and move to Sapporo in search of his family.
He was surprised to see American soldiers in Sapporo walking along with Japanese women. He found a newspaper and came to know about the bombings. He thought that situation in Japan has changed after the world war, and police would no longer be searching for him.
He was hungry, so he enters into a farm and steals some tomatoes and starts eating them. The owner of the farm spots him and pounces on him hitting him with plough. In the ongoing tussle, he was able to grab the plough and hit back at the farm owner killing him instantly. It was an accidental death that happened in self-defence.
He tries to flee the spot but was captured by people nearby and handed over to police. He was sent to Sapporo Jail. In 1947, Sapporo district judge pronounces the death penalty for him for murder. The jail authorities were aware of his previous jailbreak incidents; they formed a team of six armed guards to keep a constant vigil on him.
He was kept in a specially designed cell, keeping in mind his abilities. This time the windows on the door and wall were made so small that no person could pass through that. The walls of the cell were made smooth with a high ceiling.
Chapter 9
Six armed guards kept a close watch on Shiratori, they did not even put handcuffs on him, because they knew that he could break the handcuffs easily. He always used to stare up towards the ceiling and walls. Guards watching him, used to make fun of him for this, as they thought that he was trying to escape the prison from a very high ceiling.
He was provided with a sleeping mattress and made to sleep on the floor. He made a habit of waking up late in the mornings. He was abused and tortured by the guards for this habit, but he continued with his habit of getting up late. Some of the guards allowed him to oversleep for long hours.
One night guards were amazed to find that Shiratori had escaped the prison again. They found the door locked from outside, the ceiling window was safe, the walls did not have any distortion and the entire cell looked to be perfect. How did he escape this time?
Jail authorities have done all that they could to prevent him from escaping the prison. Learning from the previous mistakes, they made the cell in such a way that the ceiling was kept very high; windows were made smaller than the size of his head, providing a constant vigil on him, but they never inspected the floor.
This time Shiratori dug a tunnel under his sleeping mattress. He used to dig the tunnel, when guards were asleep after securing him inside his cell and kept the floor mattress on the top of it. He escaped from the prison for the fourth time using this tunnel.
Chapter 10
A year later, one day Shiratori was sitting on a bench in a park in the outskirts of Sapporo city. A police officer in his uniform comes and sits beside him. He knew that the police officer was a high ranking officer from the uniform, he was wearing.
He became tensed and wanted to move away from that place. Suddenly the officer offered him a cigarette. A cigarette was a luxury commodity in Japan during that time. He accepts the cigarette from the officer and smokes.
He was thinking, about the torture suffered by him in jail, betrayal by an officer he trusted. This man in his uniform had offered him a cigarette without even knowing him. He started feeling guilty about himself.
After finishing his cigarette, he stands up before the officer and discloses his identity as Yoshie Shiratori. This name was very famous among the police authorities.
The officer looks at him and asks him the purpose of disclosing his identity. Shiratori replies that it was due to the respect provided to him by the officer that made him believe that all the officers are not cruel.
He narrates his entire story to the officer, mentioning that he is tired of running around and leading a solitary life. He further informs the officer, that his fight is not against the jail, but against the atrocities and the treatment provided to the convicts in the jail.
Chapter 11
The police officer takes Shiratori into custody and produces him before the court. He was an honest police officer and stood by his commitments. After listening to Shiratori’s plea, the court pronounces judgement burying him from the murder charge of the farmer as that happened in self-defence.
Considering all the facts and events related to his jailbreaks, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. This time accepting his wish to transfer him to Tokyo’s prison. This prison was warm; the guards were respectful and treated him with respect.
After spending 14 years in prison, considering that he had already served six years of prison earlier, he finally was released from prison in 1961. Shiratori was a free man and had no longer fear of police.
He went to Aomori, where his family lived. He found that his wife had passed away long ago. His daughter had grown to an adult she was a toddler when he first went to jail. He tells his entire story to his daughter. From 1961 to 1979 he lived with his daughter. On 1979 he died of a heart attack.
It is largely due to Shiratori’s effort that the prison condition of Japan underwent a massive improvement. The guards were provided with training to be more human towards the convicts.
(12 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)