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Kaishakunin
A ''kaishakunin'' ( ja, 介錯人) is a person appointed to behead an individual who has performed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony. The role played by the ''kaishakunin'' is called ''kaishaku''. Aside from being spared prolonged anguish until death, both the condemned and those on hand to observe are spared the spectacle of the writhing death throes that would ensue. The most recent ''kaishakunin'' of the 20th century was Hiroyasu Koga, who beheaded the novelist Yukio Mishima and political activist Masakatsu Morita during their seppuku. Ritual Still preserved in modern-day movements (''kata'') of the martial art Iaidō, the ritual of performing ''kaishaku'' varies very little between Japanese fencing schools, but all of them are bound to the following steps to be performed by the ''kaishakunin'': #First, the ''kaishakunin'' sits down in the upright (''seiza'') position, or remains standing, at the left side of the person about to commit ''seppuku'', a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daki-kubi
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people during the Shōwa period (particularly officers near the end of World War II) to restore honour for themselves or for their families. As a samurai practice, ''seppuku'' was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offences, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a '' tantō'', into the belly and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the belly open. If the cut is deep enough, it can sever the abdominal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seppuku
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people during the Shōwa period (particularly officers near the end of World War II) to restore honour for themselves or for their families. As a samurai practice, ''seppuku'' was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offences, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a '' tantō'', into the belly and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the belly open. If the cut is deep enough, it can sever the abd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiroyasu Koga
Hiroyasu Koga ( ''Koga Hiroyasu'', born 15 August 1947) is a former Tatenokai member and kaishakunin responsible for the decapitations of Yukio Mishima and Masakatsu Morita during their ''seppuku'' on November 25, 1970. He studied law at Kanagawa University and intended to become a lawyer. Koga, known by the nickname Furu-Koga (distinguishing him from another Tatenokai member named Masayoshi Koga who was in turn nicknamed Chibi-Koga, ), was a skilled practitioner of kendo (swordsmanship). It was originally planned that Mishima would be decapitated by Masakatsu Morita, the Tatenokai's student leader; however, Morita was not trained in the sword and failed, at which point Koga stepped in to complete it. Koga then decapitated Morita as part of Morita's own ''seppuku''. Koga and two other participating Tatenokai members (Masayoshi Koga and Masahiro Ogawa) went on trial on March 24, 1971, facing charges of bodily injury, violence, illegal possession of firearms and swords, and ass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yukio Mishima
, born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, but the award went to his countryman and benefactor Yasunari Kawabata. His works include the novels and , and the autobiographical essay . Mishima's work is characterized by "its luxurious vocabulary and decadent metaphors, its fusion of traditional Japanese and modern Western literary styles, and its obsessive assertions of the unity of beauty, eroticism and death", according to author Andrew Rankin. Mishima's political activities made him a controversial figure, which he remains in modern Japan. From his mid-30s, Mishima's right-wing ideology was increasingly revealed. He was proud of the traditional culture and spirit of Japan, and opposed what he saw as western-style materialism, along with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Musō Shinden-ryū
is a style of sword-drawing art (''iaido'') founded by Nakayama Hakudō (中山博道) in 1932. Nakayama Hakudō studied under Hosokawa Yoshimasa, a master of the ''Shimomura'' branch (下村派) of Hasegawa Eishin-ryū, and Morimoto Tokumi, a fellow student of Ōe Masaji of the ''Tanimura'' branch (谷村派). The name Musō Shinden-ryū most likely comes from the name given to the ''Shimomura'' branch by Hosokawa, Musō Shinden Eishin-ryū (無雙神傳英信流). Particularities The ''kata'' from Musō Shinden-ryū have a number of differences from the ''kata'' of its sister art, Musō Jikiden Eishin-ryū. Among the most visible are the manner in which the ''furikaburi'' (raising the sword overhead, sometimes called ''furikamuri'') and the ''nōtō'' (sheathing) are done. Both arts also differ from many other ''iaijutsu'' schools in that the ''kiai'' is performed silently, without ''hassei'' (shouting). Furikaburi After striking with one hand, primarily on ''nukitsuke'' (cutt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Masakatsu Morita
was a Japanese political activist who committed ''seppuku'' with Yukio Mishima in Tokyo. Morita was the youngest child of the headmaster of an elementary school. Losing both parents at the age of three, Morita was cared for by his brother Osamu and educated at a Catholic school. He entered Waseda University in 1966, but was dismayed by the presence of Communist Zengakuren students at the University and became heavily involved in the small right-wing faction at the university. He first met Mishima on 19 June 1967, and joined the Tatenokai at its establishment in October 1968. As early as March of that year, he had written a letter to Mishima expressing a willingness to die for him. Mishima was interested in using his society for direct political action, and he approached several members in April and May 1970. The inner circle then consisted of Mishima, Morita, and ("Chibi" Koga). No clear plan was developed until late June. Shortly afterwards, Mishima went on holiday to Shimo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coup De Grâce
A coup de grâce (; 'blow of mercy') is a death blow to end the suffering of a severely wounded person or animal. It may be a mercy killing of mortally wounded civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the sufferer's consent. Methods Examples of coup de grâce include shooting the heart or head (typically the back of the skull) of a wounded, but still living, person during an execution or by humanely killing a suffering, mortally wounded soldier, in war, for whom medical aid is not available. In pre-firearms eras the wounded were finished with edged or impact weapons to include cutting throats, blows to the head, and thrusts to the heart. Other examples include the officer leading a firing squad administering a coup de grâce to the condemned with a pistol if the first hail of gunfire fails to kill the prisoner; or a '' kaishakunin'' who performs a beheading to quickly end a samurai's agony after seppuku. Other uses The phrase may also refer to the final ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mozambique Drill
The Mozambique Drill,See section on Mozambique. also known as the Failure Drill, or Failure to Stop drill and, informally, as "two to the body, one to the head," is a close-quarters shooting technique that requires the shooter to fire twice into the torso of a target (known as a double tap or hammered pair to the center of mass), and follow up with a more difficult head shot that, if properly placed, will instantaneously stop the target if the previous shots failed to do so. History According to anecdotal history, the technique originated with a Rhodesian mercenary, Mike Rousseau, engaged in the Mozambican War of Independence (1964–1974). Fighting at the airport at Lourenço Marques (modern-day Maputo), Rousseau rounded a corner and encountered an enemy combatant, armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, at 10 paces (). Rousseau immediately brought up his Browning HP35 pistol and fired two bullets into the target's upper chest, usually enough to incapacitate or kill outright. Seein ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Martial Arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of the term ''budō'' (武道) to mean martial arts is a modern one: historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms ''bujutsu'' (武術) and ''bugei'' (武芸) have different meanings from ''budō'', at least historically speaking. ''Bujutsu'' refers specifically to the practical application of martial tactics and techniques in actual combat. ''Bugei'' refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. History The historical origin of Japanese martial arts can be found in the warrior trad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zanshin
''Zanshin'' ( ja, 残心) is a state of awareness, of relaxed alertness, in Japanese martial arts. A literal translation of ''zanshin'' is "remaining mind"."One arrow, one life: Zen, archery, enlightenment" by Kenneth Kushner , 2000, page 73 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chiburi
, also called ''chiburi'', is the process by which one symbolically removes blood from a sword blade. The term chiburui can thus be translated as "shaking off the blood". In the Japanese martial art of ''iaidō'', this is done before '' nōtō'' or placing the blade back into the scabbard (known as '' saya'').Yamatsuta, p. 36. In popular culture In films set in feudal Japan, such as ''Zatoichi is a fictional character created by Japanese novelist Kan Shimozawa. He is an itinerant blind masseur and swordsman of Japan's late Edo period (1830s and 1840s). He first appeared in the 1948 essay , part of Shimozawa's ''Futokoro Techō'' s ...'', chiburi is usually performed by swordsmen after the killing of an opponent. However, chiburi is incorrectly portrayed as a simple swipe that completely removes all of the blood. In reality, the sword needs to be thoroughly wiped with a cloth as there would still be enough blood on the blade to cause rusting. Notes References * * Japa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
