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Kenzō Kotani
(better known as Yasunori, born 7 January 1909 - died 1 March 2003) was the last Yasukuni Shrine swordsmith. Early history Kotani Kenzo was born on 7 January 1909 as the eldest son of a toolmaker in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. In his adolescent years he was apprenticed to his uncle Kajiyama Tokutaro (his mother's brother) who, along with his younger cousin Kajiyama Toshimichi, became (sword assistants). In 1933 they were summoned to Tokyo to work at the Yasukuni Shrine. The Army and Navy were concerned that the number of swords extant were too few to accommodate the needs of the growing officer corps. With backing from the Household Ministry, the Army Ministry, and the Ministry of Culture, a swordsmithy (the , "Japan sword and forging society") was established on 8 July 1933. Kajiyama Yasutoku and Miyaguchi Yasuhiro were appointed as swordsmiths by Army Minister General Sadao Araki. The kanji was taken from the shrine and affixed with a character from their personal names () t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yasukuni Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japanese War, 1894–1895 and Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937–1945 respectively, and the First Indochina War#Japanese volunteers, First Indochina War of 1946–1954, including Japanese war crimes, war criminals. The shrine's purpose has been expanded over the years to include those who died in the List of wars involving Japan, wars involving Japan spanning from the entire Meiji period, Meiji and Taishō periods, and the earlier part of the Shōwa period. The shrine lists the names, origins, birthdates, and places of death of 2,466,532 men, women, children, and various pet animals. Among those are 1,068 convicted War crime, war criminals, 14 of whom are International Military Tribunal for the Far East#Charges, A-Class (convicted of having been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morihiro Higashikuni
, formerly was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who was a member of a cadet line of the Japanese imperial family and husband of Emperor Hirohito's eldest daughter. Early life The eldest son and heir of Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, Prince Morihiro had the distinction of being a grandson of Emperor Meiji and simultaneously both a first cousin and a son-in-law of Emperor Hirohito. He was born in Tokyo, and like most male members of the imperial family during the Empire of Japan, was groomed to pursue a career in the military from an early age. Military career After graduation from the Gakushuin Peers’ School and the Central Military Preparatory School, Prince Higashikuni served for a session in the House of Peers. He graduated from the 49th class of Imperial Japanese Army Academy in June 1937, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of field artillery in August. The following March, he was promoted to lieutenant in the IJA First Artillery Regiment, and was stationed in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 Deaths
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies. Evolution of the Arabic digit The use of three lines to denote the number 3 occurred in many writing systems, including some (like Roman and Chinese numerals) that are still in use. That was also the original representation of 3 in the Brahmic (Indian) numerical notation, its earliest forms aligned vertically. However, during the Gupta Empire the sign was modified by the addition of a curve on each line. The Nāgarī script rotated the lines clockwise, so they appeared horizontally, and ended each line with a short downward stroke on the right. In cursive script, the three strokes were eventually connected to form a glyph resembling a with an additional stroke at the bottom: ३. The Indian digits spread to the Caliphate in the 9th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1909 Births
Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music * 19 (band), a Japanese pop music duo Albums * ''19'' (Adele album), 2008 * ''19'', a 2003 album by Alsou * ''19'', a 2006 album by Evan Yo * ''19'', a 2018 album by MHD * ''19'', one half of the double album ''63/19'' by Kool A.D. * ''Number Nineteen'', a 1971 album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron * ''XIX'' (EP), a 2019 EP by 1the9 Songs * "19" (song), a 1985 song by British musician Paul Hardcastle. * "Nineteen", a song by Bad4Good from the 1992 album '' Refugee'' * "Nineteen", a song by Karma to Burn from the 2001 album ''Almost Heathen''. * "Nineteen" (song), a 2007 song by American singer Billy Ray Cyrus. * "Nineteen", a song by Tegan and Sara from the 2007 album '' The Con''. * "XIX" (song), a 2014 song by Slipk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glossary Of Japanese Swords
This is the glossary of Japanese swords, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on Japanese swords. Within definitions, words set in boldface are defined elsewhere in the glossary. A * – thin line that runs across the temper line (hamon) to the cutting edge (ha). * – regular wavy surface grain pattern (jihada). Also known as gassan-hada after the name of a school which usually produced swords of this type. B * – an authentically shaped wooden (practice) sword (or other bladed weapon). * – temper line (''hamon'') of the blade point (kissaki). (see image) (also see ko-maru) C * – black gleaming lines of nie that appear in the ji. * – distinctly visible mokume-hada with a clearer steel than in similar but coarser patterns. * – an irregular hamon pattern resembling cloves, with a round upper part and a narrow constricted lower part. * – a straight sword primarily produced during the ancient period (jokotō). Their defini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hamon (swordsmithing)
In swordsmithing, (from Japanese, literally "edge pattern") is a visible effect created on the blade by the hardening process. The hamon is the outline of the hardened zone (''yakiba'') which contains the cutting edge (''ha''). Blades made in this manner are known as differentially hardened, with a harder cutting edge than spine (''mune'') (for example: spine 40 HRC vs edge 58 HRC). This difference in hardness results from clay being applied on the blade (''tsuchioki'') prior to the cooling process (quenching). Less or no clay allows the edge to cool faster, making it harder but more brittle, while more clay allows the center (''hira'') and spine to cool slower, thus retaining its resilience.''A History of Metallography'' By Cyril Stanley Smith -- MIT Press 1968 Page 40--57 Introduction The hamon of a blade is created during the quenching process (''yakiire''). During the differential heat treatment, the clay coating on the back of the sword reduces the cooling speed of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamakura Period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan. During the early Kamakura period, the shogunate continued warfare against the Northern Fujiwara which was only defeated in 1189. Then, the authority to the Kamakura rulers waned in the 1190s and power was transferred to the powerful Hōjō clan in the early 13th century with the head of the clan as regent (Shikken) under the shogun which became a powerless figurehead. The later Kamakura period saw the invasions of the Mongols in 1274 and again in 1281. To reduce the amount of chaos, the Hōjō rulers decided to decentralize power by allowing two imperial lines – Northern and Southern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bizen Province
was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchū and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces. Bizen's original center was in the modern city of Okayama. From an early time Bizen was one of Japan's main centers for sword smithing. Historical record In the 3rd month of the 6th year of the '' Wadō era'' (713), the land of Bizen''-no kuni'' was administratively separated from Mimasaka Province (美作国). In that same year, Empress Genmei's ''Daijō-kan'' continued to organize other cadastral changes in the provincial map of the Nara period. In ''Wadō'' 6, Tanba Province (丹波国) was sundered from Tango Province (丹後国); and Hyūga Province (日向国) was divided from Ōsumi Province (大隈国).Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) In ''Wadō'' 5 (712), Mutsu Province (陸奥国) had been severed from Dewa Province (出羽国). In the M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nara Taketsugu
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents which make up the National Archive. NARA is officially responsible for maintaining and publishing the legally authentic and authoritative copies of acts of Congress, presidential directives, and federal regulations. NARA also transmits votes of the Electoral College to Congress. It also examines Electoral College and Constitutional amendment ratification documents for prima facie legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature. The National Archives, and its publicly exhibited Charters of Freedom, which include the original United States Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, United States Bill of Rights, and many other historical documents, is headquarter ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hisaichi Terauchi
Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of '' Gensui'' Count Terauchi Masatake, the first Governor-General of Korea and the 9th Prime Minister of Japan. At the age of four, his father was transferred to France, and he was sent to live with his maternal aunt in Yamaguchi. Due to his family's close connections with former Chōshū Domain, he was officially registered as a resident of Yamaguchi Prefecture around that time. After his father returned from an overseas assignment, the family moved back to Tokyo. He graduated from the 11th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1899, and served as a junior officer in the Russo-Japanese War with the Guards 2nd Infantry Battalion. After the war, Terauchi returned to the Army Staff College and graduated from the 21st class in 1909. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swordsmith
Bladesmithing is the art of making knives, swords, daggers and other blades using a forge, hammer, anvil, and other smithing tools. Bladesmiths employ a variety of metalworking techniques similar to those used by blacksmiths, as well as woodworking for knife and sword handles, and often leatherworking for sheaths. Bladesmithing is an art that is thousands of years old and found in cultures as diverse as China, Japan, India, Germany, Korea, the Middle East, Spain and the British Isles. As with any art shrouded in history, there are myths and misconceptions about the process. While traditionally bladesmithing referred to the manufacture of any blade by any means, the majority of contemporary craftsmen referred to as bladesmiths are those who primarily manufacture blades by means of using a forge to shape the blade as opposed to knifemakers who form blades by use of the stock removal method, although there is some overlap between both crafts. Related trades Many blade smiths were kn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
