The Luck of Kokura
Meaning
A stroke of extreme good fortune that allows one to narrowly escape a catastrophic event or terrible fate.
Origin
On August 9, 1945, the Japanese city of Kokura was designated as the primary target for the second atomic bomb, 'Fat Man'. The B-29 bomber Bockscar circled overhead for nearly an hour, but heavy cloud cover and a thick industrial haze, likely from conventional bombing raids on the nearby city of Yawata, completely obscured the target. Unable to achieve visual confirmation for the bomb run and with fuel dangerously low, the mission commander made the fateful decision to divert to the secondary target. That city was Nagasaki, which was bombed instead, thus sparing Kokura from nuclear annihilation by a remarkable twist of meteorological and strategic fortune.
Examples
- The project manager experienced the luck of Kokura when the system crashed moments after he saved all his work, avoiding hours of lost effort.
- Despite the economic downturn, their small business managed to thrive, a testament to the luck of Kokura and some clever adaptations.