Former Pilot  CPO Katsue Kato

Aircraft History
Built by Kawanishi in 1944. This aircraft has the facilities for the four 30-kg or four 60-kg bombs or two 250-kg bombs. Therefore it is an N1K2-Ja.

Wartime History
This aircraft aborted an interception mission on April 12, 1945 against carrier aircraft over Amami/Kikat from Kanoya. Captured at the end of the war at Oppama Naval Air Station.

Postwar
In November 1945, this aircraft was transported aboard the USS Barnes to the United States for technical evaluation. It was probably evaluated at the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia, and then moved to NAS Willow Grove.

Display
Displayed at NAS Willow Grove outdoors and steadily deteriorated along with a group of captured German and Japanese airplanes.

Restoration
In 1983 the Smithsonian Institution, the custodian of the plane, moved it from NAS Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, where it was in open-air display, to the NASM Paul Garber Facility (then known as Silver Hill, Suitland, Maryland) for storage.

Display
Loaned it to the Champlin Fighter Museum, for restoration in December 1991 - November 1994. Today, it is on display at NASM Udvar-Hazy Center.

References
Genda's Blade, page 201
NASM N1K2 Shinden Profile
Thanks to Jim Long for additional information

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