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Hisamasa Azai

Hisamasa Azai

Azai Hisamasa (浅井 久政 Azai Hisamasa) (1524 - September 23, 1573) was a son of Azai Sukemasa and the second head of Azai clan. Hisamasa became the head of Azai clan on 1542 after his father died, but unlike his father, he was never a strong leader. Losing domains against Rokkaku clan, he instead became a Rokkaku retainer. Hisamasa's retainers had enough with Hisamasa and after his son Azai Nagamasa won the Battle of Norada against at least double the number of troop commanded by Rokkaku Yoshikata to win back independence, they forced Hisamasa into a retirement. Yet, this retirement was not a complete and Hisamasa managed to hold some sway of the clan. This surfaced on 1570 after Oda Nobunaga who was allied with his son, Azai Nagamasa, attacked Asakura Yoshikage who had supported Hisamasa against enemies like the Rokkaku clan. Hating Nobunaga for his personalities, Hisamasa demanded that the Azai clan to pay back the support of Asakura clan and forced a war by breaking the alliance. It is believed that Nagamasa opposed him and believed that the alliance can somehow be mended over time since he refused to divorce his wife, Ichi, but he failed to gain enough support to overturn Hisamasa. On 1573, Odani Castle was besieged by Nobunaga's force and facing a loss, Hisamasa committed a seppuku. Hisamasa, Azai Hisamasa, Azai ja:浅井久政

1524

Events


- March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. date).
- April 30 - Battle of the Sesia - Spanish forces under Charles de Lannoy defeat the French army in Italy under William de Bonnivet. The French, now commanded by François de St. Pol, withdraw from Italy.
- August - September - Siege of Marseille by Imperial forces under the Duke of Bourbon.
- October 28 - A French army invading Italy under King Francis besieges Pavia.
- Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to sight the island of Manhattan, the future New York City.
- The Peasants' War in Germany (1524-1525).
- Quiché capital of Gumarcaj falls to the Spanish Conquistadores.

Births


- February 10 - Albrecht Giese IV, German politician and diplomat (died 1580)
- February 17 - Charles of Guise, French cardinal (d. 1574)
- May 28 - Selim II, Ottoman Sultan (died 1574)
- August 23 - François Hotman, French protestant lawyer and writer (died 1590)
- September 7 - Thomas Erastus, Swiss theologian (died 1583)
- September 11 - Pierre de Ronsard, French poet (died 1585)
- Jan Borukowski, royal secretary of Poland (died 1584)
- Armand de Gontaut, baron de Biron, French soldier (died 1592)
- Azai Hisamasa, Japanese warlord (died 1573)
- Diego de Landa, Bishop of the Yucatán (died 1579)
- Jean Pithou, French lawyer and author (died 1602)
- Nicolas Pithou, French lawyer and author (died 1598)
- Tahmasp I, Shah of Persia
- Thomas Tusser, English poet and farmer (died 1580)

Deaths


- January 5 - Marko Marulic, Croatian poet (born 1450)
- April 30 - Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, French soldier (b. 1473)
- May 21 - Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, English soldier and statesman (born 1443)
- May 23 - Ismail I, Shah of Persia (born 1487)
- July 20 - Claude of France, queen of Louis XII of France (born 1499)
- December 20 - Thomas Linacre, English humanist and physician (born 1460)
- December 24 - Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer
- Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, Spanish conquistador (born 1465)
- Hans Holbein the Elder, German painter (born 1460)
- Joachim Patinir, Flemish painter
- William Scott of Scott's Hall, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
- Andrea Solari, Italian painter Category:1524 ko:1524년 simple:1524

September 23

September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). There are 99 days remaining. Also an important date in pagan history celebrating autumn.

Events


- 1122 - Concordat of Worms
- 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the Roses, is fought at Blore Heath in Staffordshire.
- 1529 - The Siege of Vienna begins as Suleiman II begins his attack on the city.
- 1642 - First commencement exercises occur at Harvard College.
- 1779 - American Revolution; USS Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, wins a fight against the British ships of war Serapis and Countess of Scarborough off the coast of England.
- 1780 - American Revolution; British Major John Andre arrested as a spy by American soldiers exposing Benedict Arnold's treason.
- 1803 - Battle of Assaye
- 1806 - Lewis and Clark return, after exploring the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
- 1845 - The Knickerbockers Baseball Club, the first baseball team to play under the modern rules, is founded in New York.
- 1846 - Discovery of Neptune by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams; verified by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle
- 1868 - Grito de Lares (Lares Revolt) occurs in Puerto Rico against Spanish rule.
- 1875 - William Bonney ("Billy the Kid") is arrested for the first time.
- 1884 - Herman Hollerith patents his mechanical tabulating machine.
- 1905 - Norway and Sweden sign the "Karlstad treaty", officially ending the Union between the two countries peacfully.
- 1912 - First Mack Sennett "Keystone Comedy" is released.
- 1922 - Gdynia Seaport Construction Act passed by the Polish parliament.
- 1932 - The Kingdom of Hejaz and Nejd is renamed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- 1941 - The first gas experiments are conducted at Auschwitz.
- 1952 - Richard Nixon makes his "Checkers speech".
- 1962 - The Jetsons aired for the first time.
- 1962 - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City opens with the first building completed, Philharmonic Hall, now Avery Fisher Hall home of the New York Philharmonic.
- 1969 - The Chicago 8 trial opens in Chicago, Illinois
- 1973 - Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina.
- 1980 - Bob Marley's last concert
- 1981 - Jack Henry Abbott, best-selling author, is arrested for murder.
- 1983 - Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the United Nations.
- 1983 - Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa becomes the first African boxing world heavyweight champion.
- 1993 - Sonic the Hedgehog CD is released for the Sega Mega-CD in Japan.
- 1999 - NASA announces that it lost contact with the Mars Climate Orbiter.
- 2002 - Mozilla Firefox (Phoenix) web browser is born: version 0.1.
- 2004 - At least 1,070 in Haiti reported killed by floods due to Hurricane Jeanne.
- 2005 - FBI killing of Filiberto Ojeda on Plan Bonito Hormigueros, Puerto Rico.

Births


- 480 BC - Euripides, Greek playwright (d. 406 BC)
- 63 BC - Augustus Caesar, Roman Emperor (d. AD 14)
- AD 1158 - Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1186)
- 1161 - Emperor Takakura of Japan (d. 1181)
- 1215 - Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire (d. 1294)
- 1598 - Eleonore Gonzaga, wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1655)
- 1647 - Joseph Dudley, colonial Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1720)
- 1650 - Jeremy Collier, English bishop (d. 1726)
- 1713 - King Ferdinand VI of Spain (d. 1759)
- 1740 - Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (d. 1813)
- 1771 - Emperor Kokaku of Japan (d. 1840)
- 1819 - Hippolyte Fizeau, French physicist (d. 1896)
- 1838 - Victoria Woodhull, American suffragist (d. 1927)
- 1852 - William Stewart Halsted, American surgeon (d. 1922)
- 1863 - Mary Eliza Church Terrell, American writer and social reformer (d. 1954)
- 1865 - Emmuska Orczy, British novelist (d. 1947)
- 1880 - John Boyd Orr, Scottish physician and biologist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1971)
- 1889 - Walter Lippmann, American journalist (d. 1974)
- 1890 - Friedrich Paulus, German general (d. 1957)
- 1895 - Johnny Mokan, baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1897 - Walter Pidgeon, Canadian actor (d. 1984)
- 1899 - Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-born artist (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Jaroslav Seifert, Czech writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- 1911 - Frank Moss, U.S. Senator from Utah (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Clifford Shull, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2001)
- 1916 - Aldo Moro, Italian politician (d. 1978)
- 1920 - Mickey Rooney, American actor
- 1924 - Pedro Chamorro, Nicaraguan newspaper editor (d. 1978)
- 1926 - John Coltrane, American saxophonist and composer (d. 1967)
- 1930 - Ray Charles, American musician and singer (d. 2004)
- 1931 - Gerald Stairs Merrithew, Canadian educator and statesman (d. 2004)
- 1936 - Valentín Paniagua, Peruvian politician, interim president in 2000–01
- 1938 - Tom Lester, American actor
- 1938 - Romy Schneider, Austrian actress (d. 1982)
- 1939 - Roy Buchanan, American guitarist (d. 1988)
- 1939 - Janusz Gajos, Polish actor
- 1942 - Sila María Calderón, Governor of Puerto Rico
- 1943 - Julio Iglesias, Spanish singer
- 1943 - Marty Schottenheimer, American football coach
- 1945 - Paul Petersen, American actor
- 1946 - Franz Fischler, Austrian politician
- 1947 - Mary Kay Place, American actress
- 1949 - Bruce Springsteen, American singer and songwriter
- 1954 - Charlie Barnett, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1958 - Marvin Lewis, American football coach
- 1959 - Jason Alexander, American actor
- 1959 - Elizabeth Peña, American actress
- 1961 - Willie McCool, American astronaut (d. 2003)
- 1964 - Koshi Inaba, Japanese singer (B'z)
- 1969 - Michelle Thomas, American actress (d. 1998)
- 1970 - Ani DiFranco, American musician
- 1974 - Matt Hardy, American professional wrestler
- 1974 - Harumi Inoue, Japanese actress and model
- 1975 - Jaime Bergman, American model and actress
- 1975 - Chris Hawkins, British radio personality and disk jockey
- 1984 - Anneliese van der Pol, Dutch actress
- 1994 - Burhan Jawed, Son of Jawed Abdeli in the cricket hall of fame

Deaths


- 79 - Pope Linus
- 1241 - Snorri Sturluson, Icelandic historian, poet, and politician (b. 1178)
- 1390 - John I, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1346)
- 1535 - Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg, queen of Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1513)
- 1571 - John Jewel, English bishop (b. 1522)
- 1573 - Azai Hisamasa, Japanese warlord (b. 1524)
- 1605 - Pontus de Tyard, French poet
- 1675 - Valentin Conrart, founder of the Académie Française (b. 1603)
- 1728 - Christian Thomasius, German jurist (b. 1655)
- 1738 - Herman Boerhaave, Dutch humanist and physician (b. 1668)
- 1764 - Robert Dodsley, English writer (b. 1703)
- 1773 - Johann Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop and botanist (b. 1718)
- 1789 - John Rogers, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)
- 1835 - Vincenzo Bellini, Italian composer (b. 1801)
- 1850 - José Gervasio Artigas, Uruguayan hero (b. 1764)
- 1870 - Prosper Mérimée, French author (b. 1803)
- 1873 - Jean Chacornac, French astronomer (b. 1823)
- 1889 - Wilkie Collins, British author (b. 1824)
- 1900 - William Marsh Rice, American philanthropist and university founder (b. 1816)
- 1917 - Werner Voss German World War I pilot (b. 1897)
- 1929 - Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-born chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
- 1939 - Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychiatrist (b. 1856)
- 1943 - Elinor Glyn, English author (b. 1864)
- 1950 - Sam Barry, American basketball player and coach (b. 1892)
- 1968 - Padre Pio, saint (b. 1887)
- 1971 - Billy Gilbert, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1973 - Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904)
- 1974 - Cliff Arquette, American comedian and actor (b. 1905)
- 1978 - Lyman Bostock, American baseball player (murdered) (b. 1950)
- 1981 - Chief Dan George, Canadian actor (b. 1899)
- 1987 - Bob Fosse, American dancer, choreographer, and actor (b. 1927)
- 1988 - Tibor Sekelj, Croatian explorer (b. 1912)
- 1992 - James Van Fleet, U.S. Army general (b. 1892)
- 1994 - Robert Bloch, American author (b. 1917)
- 1998 - Mary Frann, American actress (b. 1943)
- 2000 - Aurelio Rodríguez, Mexican Major League Baseball player (b. 1947)
- 2000 - Carl Rowan, American journalist (b. 1925)
- 2002 - Vernon Corea, Sri Lankan broadcaster (b. 1927)
- 2004 - André Hazes, Dutch singer (b. 1951)
- 2004 - Robert Goldman, WWII Veteran, Golfer, and Zayda (b. 1944)
- 2005 - Filiberto Ojeda, Puerto Rican revolutionary (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances


- Astrology: Usually the first day of sun sign Libra
- In ancient Latvia, the second day of Mikeli
- RC Saints - Feast day of Saint Adomnan of Iona, Saint Constantius, Saint Thecla. Also see September 23 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Traditional New Year's Day in Constantinople and Eastern Orthodox churches — because of the birthday of August, not because of the equinox.
- Japanese Autumnal equinox Day (秋分の日/Shūbun no hi)
- Saudi Arabia - National Day (unification 1932)

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/23 BBC: On This Day] ---- September 22 · September 24 · August 23 · October 23 · more historical anniversaries ko:9월 23일 ms:23 September ja:9月23日 simple:September 23 th:23 กันยายน

1573

Events


- January - articles of Warsaw Confederation signed, sanctioning religious freedom in Poland.
- July 6 - Córdoba, Argentina is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- July 12 - Spanish forces under the Duke of Alva capture Haarlem after a seven month siege.
- August-October - Unsuccessful siege of Alkmaar by Alva
- November - Alva resigns as Spanish Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in the Netherlands, and is succeeded by Luis de Requesens, who attempts to pursue a more conciliatory policy.
- End of the Fourth War of Religion in France.
- Oda Nobunaga drives the 14th Ashikaga shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki out of Kyoto, effectively destroying the Ashikaga shogunate and historically ending the Muromachi period. The Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japan begins.
- Sarsa Dengel, emperor of Ethiopia, defeats the Oromo in a battle near Lake Zway.

Births


- January 10 - Simon Marius, German astronomer (died 1624)
- April 17 - Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (died 1651)
- April 26 - Marie de' Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- July 15 - Inigo Jones, English architect (died 1652)
- July 25 - Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer and Jesuit (died 1650)
- September 28 - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian artist (died 1610)
- October 6 - Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, English patron of the theater (died 1624)
- October 7 - William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 1645)
- Ambrosius Bosschaert, Dutch painter (died 1621)
- Pietro Carrera, Sicilian chess player, priest and painter (died 1647)
- Robert Catesby, English leader of the Gunpowder Plot (died 1605)
- Odoardo Farnese, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy (died 1626)
- Ukita Hideie, Japanese daimyo (died 1655)
- Richard Johnson, English romance writer (died 1659)
- Johannes Junius, Burgomeister of Bamberg (died 1628)
- John Kendrick, English merchant (died 1624)
- Oeyo, wife of Tokugawa Hidetada
- Juan Pujol, Catalan composer and organist (died 1626)
- Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême, natural son of Charles IX of France (died 1650) See also :Category: 1573 births.

Deaths


- March 13 - Michel de l'Hôpital, French statesman (born 1505)
- May 13 - Takeda Shingen, Japanese warlord (b. 1521)
- July 29 - John Caius, English physician (born 1510)
- August 14 - Saito Tatsuoki, Japanese warlord (born 1548)
- September 23 - Azai Hisamasa, Japanese warlord (born 1524)
- October 27 - Laurentius Petri, first Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden (b. 1499)
- December 30 - Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian novelist and poet (born 1504)
- Pieter Aertsen, Dutch historical painter (born 1507)
- Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, Spanish philosopher and theologian (born 1494)
- William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, English Lord High Admiral (born 1510)
- Etienne Jodelle, French dramatist and poet (born 1532)
- Shimazu Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman
- Michel de L'Hospital, Chancellor of France (born 1505)
- Takeda Nobutora, Japanese warlord
- Wigbolt Ripperda, Mayor of Haarlem
- Paul Skalic, Croatian encyclopedist (born 1534)
- Reginald Wolfe, English printer
- Murakami Yoshikiyo, Japanese warlord (born 1501) See also :Category: 1573 deaths. Category:1573 ko:1573년

Azai Sukemasa

Azai Sukemasa (浅井 亮政 Azai Sukemasa) (1491 - January 21, 1546) was the father of Azai Hisamasa and built Odani Castle from where Azai clan would rule. Sukemasa used to be a retainer under Kyogoku clan but he gradually increased his power under an internal struggle in the Kyogoku clan. Eventually, he managed to become daimyo but came to be engaged in a perpetual struggle against Rokkaku Sadayori. He was once completely overrun and forced to retreat into Echizen but with the help of Asakura clan, managed to maintain the independece. While this alliance would later prove to be a curse to the Azai clan, it was essential to the clan's survival at this time. Category:1491 births Category:1546 deaths ja:浅井亮政

Battle of Norada

The Battle of Norada was a battle between forces under Azai Nagamasa and Rokkaku Yoshikata in the year 1560. Azai Nagamasa used to be a retainer under the Rokkaku clan, and seeked an independence from the Rokkaku while Rokkaku Yoshitaka seeked to clash the Azai clan to consolidate his power. Rokkaku Yoshikata's force numbered 25,000 and outnumbered Azai Nagamasa's force by over two to one as it counted only 11,000. Both sides arrived on the battle field unimpeded and even before engaging, Rokkaku troops believed they had alreadey won the battle. Highly motivated under Nagamasa, his troops charged unintimidated and in the chaos of the battle, Rokkaku force collapsed and retreated under heavy losses. By winning the battle, Azai Nagamasa and his clan won the independence as well as a recognition that they were a force to be reckoned becoming a daimyo and a warlord. The Azai clan ousted the defunct leader Azai Hisamasa for Nagamasa. The Rokkaku clan fell into a disarray with retainers questioning Yoshitaka's rule and the Yoshitaka's strength weakened never to recover to its height. Category:1560 Norada 1560 ja:野良田の戦い

Oda Nobunaga

Oda Nobunaga (織田 信長 , June 23, 1534 - June 21, 1582) was a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. Son of Oda Nobuhide, a minor warlord with meager land holdings in Owari Province. Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, to eventually conquer most of Japan before his untimely death in 1582.

Life

Young Nobunaga

In 1534, Nobunaga was born to regional daimyo Oda Nobuhide in the Shobata Castle. He was Nobuhide's third son; however, he was the first son not born to a concubine and so was the heir to the Oda clan and domain in the Owari province. He was made the master of Nagoya Castle at a young age, and was brought up under the tutelage of senior Oda retainer, Hirate Masahide, apart from his brother Nobuyuki. As a youth, Nobunaga was known for his eccentric behaviour and lack of restraint. He was even called the "Owari's Great Fool" by some people openly. In the year 1546, Nobunaga went through his coming of age ceremony, and the next year, Nobunaga saw his first, though short, military action in Mikawa province. In a political manoeuvre, Hirate Masahide sent a proposal to the Oda clan's rival daimyo in Mino province, Saito Dosan, to have Nobunaga marry Dosan's daughter, Nōhime. This marriage forged an alliance between the two formerly hostile clans.

Unification of Owari Province

In 1551, Oda Nobuhide died unexpectedly, and during his funeral, Nobunaga was said to have acted outrageously, throwing the ceremonial incense at the altar. This act further alienated many Oda retainers, convincing them of Nobunaga's supposed mediocrity and lack of discipline, and they began to side with his more soft-spoken and well-mannered brother, Nobuyuki. Ashamed for Nobunaga's behaviour, Hirate Masahide committed seppuku. This came as a huge blow to Nobunaga, who lost a mentor and a valuable retainer. He later built a temple to honour Hirate. Though Nobunaga was recognized as Nobuhide's legitimate successor, the Oda clan was divided into many factions, and even then, the entire clan was technically under Owari's true kanrei, Shiba Yoshimune. Thus, Oda Nobutomo, being Owari's deputy shugo with the powerless Shiba as his puppet, was able to challenge Nobunaga's place as Owari's new master. Nobutomo murdered Yoshimune when it was clear he supported and attempted to aid Nobunaga. However, Nobunaga successfully persuaded Oda Nobumitsu, a younger brother of Nobuhide, to join his side, and with Nobumitsu's help, Nobutomo was slain in the Kiyosu Castle, which later became Nobunaga's place of residence for over ten years. Taking advantage of Yoshimune's son, Shiba Yoshikane's position as the rightful kanrei, Nobunaga forged an alliance with the Imagawa clan of Suruga province and the Kira clan of Mikawa province, as both clans were also kanrei and would have no excuse to decline. In effect, this ensured the Imagawa would have to stop attacking Owari's borders. Even though Nobuyuki and his supporters were still at large, Nobunaga led an army to Mino province to aid Saito Dosan, when his son, Saito Yoshitatsu turned against him. The campaign failed, however, as Dosan was killed and Yoshitatsu became the new master of Mino in 1556. A few months later, Nobuyuki, with the support of Shibata Katsuie and Hayashi Hidesada, rebelled against Nobunaga. They were defeated at the Battle of Inō. The three were pardoned with the intervention of the birth mother of Nobunaga and Nobuyuki. However, the next year, Nobuyuki again planned to rebel. Informed by Shibata Katsuie, Nobunaga faked illness and assassinated Nobuyuki in Kiyosu Castle. By 1559, Nobunaga had already eliminated all opposition within the clan as well as the Owari province. He continued to use Shiba Yoshikane as an excuse to make peace with other daimyo, although it was later discovered that Yoshikane secretly corresponded with the Kira and Imagawa clans, trying to oust Nobunaga and restore the Shiba clan's place. Nobunaga cast him out, and alliances made in the Shiba clan's name thus became void.

Battle of Okehazama

In 1560, Imagawa Yoshimoto gathered an army of 20,000 to 40,000 men and started his march toward Kyoto, with the excuse of aiding the frail Ashikaga shogunate. The Matsudaira clan of Mikawa was also to join Yoshimoto's forces. In comparison, the Oda clan could barely rally an army of 5,000, and the forces would also have to be split up to defend various forts at the border. Under such dire circumstances, Nobunaga was said to have performed his favourite Atsumori dance, before riding off with only a few attendants to pray in a shrine. Aided by a sudden thunderstorm, Nobunaga assaulted Yoshimoto's base and slew Yoshimoto, resulting in a victory that stunned the entire country. This was known as the Battle of Okehazama, and brought Nobunaga's name to national prominence. Rapidly weakening, the Imagawa clan no longer exerted control over the Matsudaira clan. In 1561, an alliance was forged between Oda Nobunaga and Matsudaira Motoyasu (later Tokugawa Ieyasu), despite the decades-old hostility between the two clans.

"Tenka Fubu"

In Mino, Saito Yoshitatsu died suddenly of illness in 1561, and was succeeded by his son, Saito Tatsuoki. Tatsuoki, however, was young and much less effective as a ruler and military strategist compared to his father and grandfather. Taking advantage of this situation, Nobunaga moved his base to Komaki Castle and started his campaign in Mino. By convincing Saito retainers to abandon their incompetent and foolish master, Nobunaga weakened the Saito clan significantly, eventually mounting a final attack in 1567. Nobunaga captured the Inabayama Castle and sent Saito Tatsuoki into exile. Oda Nobunaga then moved into Inabayama, and renamed his new castle as well as the city to Gifu. Naming it after the legendary Mount Gi in China (Qí in Standard Mandarin), on which the Zhou dynasty started, Nobunaga revealed his ambition to conquer the whole of Japan. He also started using a new personal seal that read Tenka Fubu (天下布武), which means "Cover that which is under the sky with the sword". In 1564, Nobunaga had his sister, Oichi marry Azai Nagamasa, a daimyo in northern Omi province. This would later help pave the way to Kyoto. In 1568, the last Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki went to Gifu, requesting that Nobunaga start a campaign toward Kyoto. Yoshiaki was the brother of the murdered 13th Ashikaga shogun, Yoshiteru. The killers of Yoshiteru had already set up a puppet shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihide. Nobunaga agreed to Yoshiaki's request, grasping the opportunity to enter Kyoto, and started his campaign. An obstacle in the southern Omi province, however, was the Rokkaku clan. Led by Rokkaku Yoshikata, the clan refused to recognize Yoshiaki as shogun and was ready to go to war. Nobunaga launched a rapid attack, driving the Rokkaku clan out of their castles. Within a short amount of time, Nobunaga had reached Kyoto and driven Miyoshi clan out of the city. Yoshiaki was made the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga shogunate. Nobunaga refused the posts of kanrei, and eventually began to restrict the powers of the shogun, making it clear that he intended to use him as a puppet to justify his future conquests. Yoshiaki, however, was not pleased about being a puppet, and thus, he secretly corresponded with various daimyo, forging an anti-Nobunaga alliance (信長包囲網). The Asakura clan, in particular, was disdainful of the Oda clan's rising power. Historically, the Oda clan had been subordinate to the Asakura clan, and Asakura Yoshikage also temporarily protected Ashikaga Yoshiaki but was not willing enough to march toward Kyoto; thus, the Asakura clan despised Nobunaga the most for his success. When Nobunaga launched a campaign into the Asakura clan's domain, Azai Nagamasa, to whom Oichi was married, broke the alliance with Oda to honour the Azai-Asakura alliance which had lasted for generations. With the help of Ikko rebels, the anti-Nobunaga alliance sprang into full force, taking a heavy toll on the Oda clan. At the Battle of Anegawa, Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the combined forces of the Asakura and Azai clans. Finally, tired with the Tendai warrior monks who hid in the Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei, a significant cultural symbol, Nobunaga attacked it and burnt it to the ground in 1571, killing many non-combatants in the process. Through the years, Nobunaga was able to consolidate his position and conquer his enemies through brutality. In Nagashima, for example, Nobunaga suffered tremendous losses to the Ikko resistance, including a couple of his brothers. Nobunaga finally surrounded the enemy complex and set fire to it, again killing tens of thousands of non-combatants, mostly women and children. At the height of the anti-Nobunaga alliance, Takeda Shingen was convinced that he should rise against the Oda clan. Tied down in perpetual warfare, Nobunaga sent lacklustre aid to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who suffered defeat at the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1572. However, after the battle, the Takeda forces retreated as Shingen died of illness (or perhaps, as it had been speculated, of aggravated wounds or at the hand of an assassin) in 1573. This was a relief for Nobunaga, who could now focus on Yoshiaki, who had openly declared hostility more than once, despite the imperial court's intervention. Nobunaga defeated Yoshiaki's weak forces and sent him into exile, bringing the Ashikaga shogunate to an end in the same year. Still in the same year, Nobunaga successfully destroyed the Asakura and Azai clans, and Azai Nagamasa sent Oichi back to Nobunaga as he committed suicide. With Nagashima's destruction in 1574, the only threat to Nobunaga was the Takeda clan, now led by Takeda Katsuyori. At the decisive Battle of Nagashino, the combined forces of Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu devastated the Takeda clan with the strategic use of muskets. Nobunaga continued his expansion, sending Shibata Katsuie and Maeda Toshiie to the north and Akechi Mitsuhide to Tamba province. The Oda clan's siege of Ishiyama Honganji in Osaka still had little progress, but the Mori clan of Chugoku region started sending supplies into the strongly-fortified complex by sea, breaking the naval blockade. In 1577, Hashiba Hideyoshi was ordered to expand west to confront the Mori clan. In 1578, the Azuchi Castle in the Omi province was completed, an impressive and extravagantly decorated castle that shocked European missionaries and ordinary courtiers alike. However, in the same year, Uesugi Kenshin, who was said to be the only military commander to have bested Takeda Shingen in battle, started his march toward the Oda domain as well. He defeated the Oda army, retreated in winter only to return the next spring, but eventually died of stroke before making any progress (it is speculated that he may have been assassinated). Nobunaga forced the Ishiyama Honganji to surrender in 1580 and destroyed the Takeda clan in 1582. Nobunaga's administration was at its height of power, and was about to launch invasions into Echigo province and Shikoku.

Incident at Honnoji

In 1582, Hashiba Hideyoshi invaded Bitchu province, laying siege to Takamatsu Castle. However, the castle was vital to the Mori clan, and losing it would leave the Mori home domain vulnerable. Led by Mori Terumoto, reinforcements arrived outside Takamatsu Castle, and the two sides came to a standstill. Hashiba asked for reinforcements from Oda Nobunaga. It has often been argued that Hideoshi in fact had no need for reinforcements, but asked Nobunaga anyway for various reasons. Some believe that Hideoshi, envied and hated by fellow generals for his swift rise from a lowly footman to a top general under Oda Nobunaga, wanted to give the credit for taking Takamatsu to Nobunaga so as to humble himself in front of other Oda vassals. Some also speculate that Hashiba or his retainers in fact wanted to put Nobunaga in a vulnerable position in the front where he might be more easily assassinated. Others believe that Hashiba in fact was the mastermind behind Akechi Mitsuhide's treachery. In any case, Nobunaga ordered Niwa Nagahide to prepare for an invasion of Shikoku and Akechi Mitsuhide to assist Hideyoshi. En route to Chugoku region, Nobunaga stayed at Honnoji, a temple in Kyoto. Since Nobunaga would not expect an attack in the middle of his firmly-controlled territories, he was guarded by only a few dozen personal servants and bodyguards. Nevertheless, Akechi Mitsuhide suddenly had Honnoji surrounded in a coup, forcing Oda Nobunaga to commit suicide. At the same time, Akechi forces assaulted Nijo Castle, and Oda Nobutada killed himself after sending the kōtaishi away. Together with him died his young page (o-kosho) and lover, Mori Ranmaru, who had served him faithfully for many years and was still in his teens at the time. Ranmaru's love and devotion to his lord were widely known and praised at the time. Just 11 days after the Honnoji incident, Mitsuhide was killed at the Battle of Yamasaki.

Policies

Militarily, Oda's revolutionary dreaming not only changed the way war was fought in Japan, but also in turn made one of the most modernized forces in the world at that time. He developed, implemented, and expanded the use of long pikes, firearms, ironclad ships, and castle fortifications in accordance with the expanded mass battles of the period. Oda also instituted a specialized warrior class system and appointed his retainers and subjects to positions based on ability, not wholly based on name, rank, or family relationship as in prior periods. Retainers were also given land on the basis of rice output, not land size. Oda's organizational system in particular was later used and extensively developed by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu in the forming of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo. Oda's dominance and brilliance was not restricted to the battlefield, for he also was a keen businessman and understood the principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. First, in order to modernize the economy from an agricultural base to a manufacture and service base, castle towns were developed as the center and basis of local economies. Roads were also made within his domain between castle towns to not only facilitate trade, but also to move armies great distances in short timespans. International trade was also expanded beyond China and the Korean peninsula, while nanban (southern barbarian) trade with Europe, the Philippines, Siam, and Indonesia was also started. Oda also instituted rakuichi rakuza policies as a way to stimulate business and the overall economy. These policies abolished and prohibited monopolies and opened once closed and privileged unions, associations, and guilds, which he saw as impediments to commerce. He also developed tax exemptions and established laws to regulate and ease the borrowing of debt. As Oda conquered Sengoku period Japan and amassed a great amount of wealth, he progressively supported the arts for which he always had an interest, but which he later and gradually more importantly used as a display of his power and prestige. He built extensive gardens and castles which were themselves great works of art. Azuchi castle on the shores of Lake Biwa is said to be the greatest castle in the history of Japan, covered with gold and statues on the outside and decorated with standing screen, sliding door, wall, and ceiling paintings made by his subject Kano Eitoku on the inside. Oda is remembered in Japan as one of the most brutal figures of the Sengoku period. During this time, Oda's subject and tea master Sen no Rikyu established the Japanese tea ceremony which Oda popularized and used originally as a way to talk politics and business. The beginnings of modern kabuki were started and later fully developed in the early Edo period. Additionally, Oda was very interested in European culture which was still very new to Japan. He collected pieces of Western art as well as arms and armour. He is considered to be among the first Japanese people in recorded history to wear European clothes. He also became the patron of the Jesuit missionaries in Japan, although he never converted to Christianity. Oda was the first of three unifiers during the Sengoku period. These unifiers were (in order) Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Oda Nobunaga was well on his way to the complete conquest and unification of Japan when Akechi Mitsuhide, one of his generals, forced Oda into committing suicide in Honnoji in Kyoto. Akechi then proceeded to declare himself master over Oda's domains, but was quickly defeated by Oda's general Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Oda Nobunaga in Fiction

Nobunaga has been used extensively as a reference in fiction, appearing in video games (such as Onimusha, Kessen, Sengoku Basara, and the Super Nintendo series Nobunaga's Ambition), manga, and anime (such as Flame of Recca, Samurai Deeper Kyo, and InuYasha). He is often portrayed as a ruthless villain, possesing demonic powers. Nobunaga is also a central character in Eiji Yoshikawa's historical novel Taiko ki. Oda is also one of 20 historical figures in the History Channel's game, Anachronism, where people from different times and places are pitted against each other in an arena. Oda features the yumi, or the bow of the samurai, kyudo, the way of the bow, a Japanese equivalent of plate mail, and Izanagi, the god of life in the Shinto religion. Nobunaga also appears as a character in the Playstation 2 game, Samurai Warriors. Another possible reference is in James Clavell's famous novel Shogun. Oda Nobunaga does not appear in name, but the character of "Goroda the Dictator" (who is mentioned in passing, not an active figure) bears striking resemblence to the real-life warlord. It is arguable whether Oda ever recited his a stanza from his favourite play Atsumori before his demise in Honnoji. :"A man's life of fifty years, :When compared to the vastness of that under Heaven, :Is as an illusion or dream." This stanza appears in the fictional version of Nobunaga. In a chapter of the Hikaru no Go manga series called "Special Bonus: the Haze Middle School Actors present Assassination at Honnoji Temple", a character named Tetsuo Kaga portrays Nobunaga, while a character named Yuki Mitani plays Mitsuhide.

See also


- Historical pederastic couples
- Samurai
- Shudo

External link


- [http://www.samurai-archives.com/nobunaga.html#1 Biography of Oda Nobunaga]
- [http://www.shunkoin.com/ Shunkoin Temple] the Bell of Nanbanji

The festival in Japan

;[http://nobunagain.exblog.jp/ Oda Nobunaga info] [http://www.nobunagaou.com/ The coverage of nobunagaou] Category:Daimyo Category:1534 births Category:1582 deaths ja:織田信長

Asakura Yoshikage

Asakura is the last protecter of the Asakura line who own a small province in the centre of Japan, making him a famous daimyo of Japan he is famous for his ferocity in battle. Category:Samurai

Asakura clan

The was a line of daimyō (feudal lords) which, along with the Asai family, opposed Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century. They were defeated by Nobunaga at the battle of Anegawa in 1570, and all but eliminated when their home castle of Ichijo ga Tani was taken three years later.

Asakura of Note


- Asakura Norikage (1474-1552)
- Asakura Yoshikage (1533-1573)
- Asakura Kagetake (dates unknown)

References


- Turnbull, Stephen (1998). 'The Samurai Sourcebook'. London: Cassell & Co.
- Turnbull, Stephen (2002). 'War in Japan: 1467-1615'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. Category:Japanese clans ja:朝倉氏

1573

Events


- January - articles of Warsaw Confederation signed, sanctioning religious freedom in Poland.
- July 6 - Córdoba, Argentina is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera.
- July 12 - Spanish forces under the Duke of Alva capture Haarlem after a seven month siege.
- August-October - Unsuccessful siege of Alkmaar by Alva
- November - Alva resigns as Spanish Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in the Netherlands, and is succeeded by Luis de Requesens, who attempts to pursue a more conciliatory policy.
- End of the Fourth War of Religion in France.
- Oda Nobunaga drives the 14th Ashikaga shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki out of Kyoto, effectively destroying the Ashikaga shogunate and historically ending the Muromachi period. The Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japan begins.
- Sarsa Dengel, emperor of Ethiopia, defeats the Oromo in a battle near Lake Zway.

Births


- January 10 - Simon Marius, German astronomer (died 1624)
- April 17 - Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (died 1651)
- April 26 - Marie de' Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (d. 1642)
- July 15 - Inigo Jones, English architect (died 1652)
- July 25 - Christoph Scheiner, German astronomer and Jesuit (died 1650)
- September 28 - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Italian artist (died 1610)
- October 6 - Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton, English patron of the theater (died 1624)
- October 7 - William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (died 1645)
- Ambrosius Bosschaert, Dutch painter (died 1621)
- Pietro Carrera, Sicilian chess player, priest and painter (died 1647)
- Robert Catesby, English leader of the Gunpowder Plot (died 1605)
- Odoardo Farnese, Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy (died 1626)
- Ukita Hideie, Japanese daimyo (died 1655)
- Richard Johnson, English romance writer (died 1659)
- Johannes Junius, Burgomeister of Bamberg (died 1628)
- John Kendrick, English merchant (died 1624)
- Oeyo, wife of Tokugawa Hidetada
- Juan Pujol, Catalan composer and organist (died 1626)
- Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême, natural son of Charles IX of France (died 1650) See also :Category: 1573 births.

Deaths


- March 13 - Michel de l'Hôpital, French statesman (born 1505)
- May 13 - Takeda Shingen, Japanese warlord (b. 1521)
- July 29 - John Caius, English physician (born 1510)
- August 14 - Saito Tatsuoki, Japanese warlord (born 1548)
- September 23 - Azai Hisamasa, Japanese warlord (born 1524)
- October 27 - Laurentius Petri, first Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden (b. 1499)
- December 30 - Giovanni Battista Giraldi, Italian novelist and poet (born 1504)
- Pieter Aertsen, Dutch historical painter (born 1507)
- Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda, Spanish philosopher and theologian (born 1494)
- William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham, English Lord High Admiral (born 1510)
- Etienne Jodelle, French dramatist and poet (born 1532)
- Shimazu Katsuhisa, Japanese nobleman
- Michel de L'Hospital, Chancellor of France (born 1505)
- Takeda Nobutora, Japanese warlord
- Wigbolt Ripperda, Mayor of Haarlem
- Paul Skalic, Croatian encyclopedist (born 1534)
- Reginald Wolfe, English printer
- Murakami Yoshikiyo, Japanese warlord (born 1501) See also :Category: 1573 deaths. Category:1573 ko:1573년

Seppuku

:Harakiri redirects here. For the 1962 film by Masaki Kobayashi, see Harakiri (film). Seppuku (切腹 lit."stomach-cutting" or "belly slicing") is a Japanese word that means ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku is better known in English as hara-kiri (腹切り) and is written with the same kanji as seppuku but in reverse order with an okurigana. However, in Japanese hara-kiri is considered a colloquial and somewhat vulgar term. The practice of committing seppuku at the death of one's master is known as oibara (追腹 or 追い腹); the ritual is similar.

Overview

Seppuku was a key part of bushido, the code of the samurai warriors; it was used by warriors to avoid falling into enemy hands, and to attenuate shame. Samurai could also be ordered by their daimyo (feudal lords) to commit seppuku. In later years, disgraced warriors were sometimes allowed to commit seppuku rather than be executed in the normal manner. Since the main point of the act was to restore or protect one's honor as a warrior, those who did not belong to the samurai caste were never ordered or expected to commit seppuku. In his book The Samurai Way of Death, Samurai: The World of the Warrior (ch.4), Dr. Stephen Turnbull states: :Seppuku was commonly performed using a dagger. It could take place with preparation and ritual in the privacy of one’s home, or speedily in a quiet corner of a battlefield while one’s comrades kept the enemy at bay. :In the world of the warrior, seppuku was a deed of bravery that was admirable in a samurai who knew he was defeated, disgraced, or mortally wounded. It meant that he could end his days with his transgressions wiped away and with his reputation not merely intact but actually enhanced. The cutting of the abdomen released the samurai’s spirit in the most dramatic fashion, but it was an extremely painful and unpleasant way to die, and sometimes the samurai who was performing the act asked a loyal comrade to cut off his head at the moment of agony. Sometimes a daimyo was called upon to perform seppuku as the basis of a peace agreement. This would so weaken the defeated clan that resistance would effectively cease. Toyotomi Hideyoshi used an enemy's suicide in this way on several occasions, the most dramatic of which effectively ended a dynasty of daimyo forever, when the Hojo were defeated at Odawara in 1590. Hideyoshi insisted on the suicide of the retired daimyo Hojo Ujimasa, and the exile of his son Ujinao. With one sweep of a sword the most powerful daimyo family in eastern Japan disappeared from history.

Ritual

Ujinao Ujinao, prepares for her suicide; note the legs tied together, a female feature of seppuku to ensure a "decent" posture in death]] In time, committing seppuku came to involve a detailed ritual. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloths, the warrior would prepare for death by writing a death poem. With his selected attendant (kaishakunin, his second) standing by, he would open his kimono (clothing), take up his wakizashi (short sword) or a tanto (knife) and plunge it into his abdomen, making first a left-to-right cut and then a second slightly upward stroke to spill out the intestines. On the second stroke, the kaishakunin would perform daki-kubi, a cut in which the warrior is all but decapitated (a slight band of flesh is left attaching the head to the body). Because of the precision necessary for such a maneuver, the second was often a skilled swordsman. The principal agrees in advance when the kaishaku makes his cut, usually as soon as the dirk is plunged into the abdomen. The second was usually, but not always, a friend. If a warrior had fought honourably and well but lost, an opponent who wanted to salute his bravery would volunteer to act as his second. In the Hagakure, Yamamoto Tsunetomo wrote: :From ages past it has been considered ill-omened by samurai to be requested as kaishaku. The reason for this is that one gains no fame even if the job is well done. And if by chance one should blunder, it becomes a lifetime disgrace. :In the practice of past times, there were instances when the head flew off. It was said that it was best to cut leaving a little skin remaining so that it did not fly off in the direction of the verifying officials. However, at present it is best to cut clean through. Some samurai chose to perform a considerably more taxing form of seppuku known as jūmonji-giri (十文字切り, lit. "cross-shaped cut"), in which there is no kaishakunin to put a quick end to the samurai's suffering. It involves a second and more painful vertical cut across the belly. A samurai performing jumonji-giri was expected to bear his suffering quietly until perishing from loss of blood.

Seppuku as capital punishment

While the voluntary seppuku described above is the best known form and has been widely admired and idealized, in practice the most common form of seppuku was obligatory seppuku, used as a form of capital punishment for disgraced samurai. If the sentenced was uncooperative, it was not unheard for them to be restrained, or for the actual execution to be carried out by decapitation while retaining only the trappings of seppuku; even the short sword laid out in front of the victim could be replaced with a fan. Unlike voluntary seppuku, seppuku carried out as capital punishment did not necessarily absolve the victim's family of the crime. Depending on the severity of the crime, half or all of the deceased's property may have been confiscated, and the family may also be stripped of rank.

The Western experience

The first time a Westerner saw formal seppuku was the "Sakai Incident" of 1868. On February 15, twenty French sailors of the Dupleix entered a Japanese town called Sakai without official permission. Their presence caused panic among the residents. Security forces were dispatched to turn the sailors back to their ship, but a fight broke out and 11 sailors were shot dead. Upon the protest of the French representative, compensation of 15,000 yen was paid and those responsible were sentenced to death. The French captain was present to observe the execution. As each samurai committed ritual disembowelment, the gruesome nature of the act shocked the captain, and he requested a pardon due to which nine of the samurai were spared. This incident was dramatized in a famous short story, Sakai Jiken, by Mori Ogai. In the 1860s, The British Ambassador to Japan, Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (Lord Redesdale) lived within eyesight of Sengaku-ji where the Forty-seven Ronin are buried. In his book Tales of Old Japan, he describes a man who had come to the graves to kill himself: :I will add one anecdote to show the sanctity which is attached to the graves of the Forty-seven. In the month of September 1868, a certain man came to pray before the grave of Oishi Chikara. Having finished his prayers, he deliberately performed hara-kiri,[8] and, the belly wound not being mortal, dispatched himself by cutting his throat. Upon his person were found papers setting forth that, being a Ronin and without means of earning a living, he had petitioned to be allowed to enter the clan of the Prince of Choshiu, which he looked upon as the noblest clan in the realm; his petition having been refused, nothing remained for him but to die, for to be a Ronin was hateful to him, and he would serve no other master than the Prince of Choshiu: what more fitting place could he find in which to put an end to his life than the graveyard of these Braves? This happened at about two hundred yards' distance from my house, and when I saw the spot an hour or two later, the ground was all bespattered with blood, and disturbed by the death-struggles of the man. Mitford also describes his friend's eyewitness account of a Seppuku: :There are many stories on record of extraordinary heroism being displayed in the hara-kiri. The case of a young fellow, only twenty years old, of the Choshiu clan, which was told me the other day by an eye-witness, deserves mention as a marvellous instance of determination. Not content with giving himself the one necessary cut, he slashed himself thrice horizontally and twice vertically. Then he stabbed himself in the throat until the dirk protruded on the other side, with its sharp edge to the front; setting his teeth in one supreme effort, he drove the knife forward with both hands through his throat, and fell dead. During the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa Shogun's aide committed Seppuku: :One more story and I have done. During the revolution, when the Tycoon, beaten on every side, fled ignominiously to Yedo, he is said to have determined to fight no more, but to yield everything. A member of his second council went to him and said, “Sir, the only way for you now to retrieve the honour of the family of Tokugawa is to disembowel yourself; and to prove to you that I am sincere and disinterested in what I say, I am here ready to disembowel myself with you.” The Tycoon flew into a great rage, saying that he would listen to no such nonsense, and left the room. His faithful retainer, to prove his honesty, retired to another part of the castle, and solemnly performed the hara-kiri. In his book Tales of Old Japan, Mitford describes witnessing a hara-kiri [http://www.blackmask.com/thatway/books162c/taja.htm]: :As a corollary to the above elaborate statement of the ceremonies proper to be observed at the hara-kiri, I may here describe an instance of such an execution which I was sent officially to witness. The condemned man was Taki Zenzaburo, an officer of the Prince of Bizen, who gave the order to fire upon the foreign settlement at Hiogo in the month of February 1868,—an attack to which I have alluded in the preamble to the story of the Eta Maiden and the Hatamoto. Up to that time no foreigner had witnessed such an execution, which was rather looked upon as a traveller's fable. :The ceremony, which was ordered by the Mikado himself, took place at 10:30 at night in the temple of Seifukuji, the headquarters of the Satsuma troops at Hiogo. A witness was sent from each of the foreign legations. We were seven foreigners in all. :"After another profound obeisance, Taki Zenzaburo, in a voice which betrayed just so much emotion and hesitation as might be expected from a man who is making a painful confession, but with no sign of either in his face or manner, spoke as follows:— :"I, and I alone, unwarrantably gave the order to fire on the foreigners at Kobe, and again as they tried to escape. For this crime I disembowel myself, and I beg you who are present to do me the honour of witnessing the act." :Bowing once more, the speaker allowed his upper garments to slip down to his girdle, and remained naked to the waist. Carefully, according to custom, he tucked his sleeves under his knees to prevent himself from falling backwards; for a noble Japanese gentleman should die falling forwards. Deliberately, with a steady hand, he took the dirk that lay before him; he looked at it wistfully, almost affectionately; for a moment he seemed to collect his thoughts for the last time, and then stabbing himself deeply below the waist on the left-hand side, he drew the dirk slowly across to the right side, and, turning it in the wound, gave a slight cut upwards. During this sickeningly painful operation he never moved a muscle of his face. When he drew out the dirk, he leaned forward and stretched out his neck; an expression of pain for the first time crossed his face, but he uttered no sound. At that moment the kaishaku, who, still crouching by his side, had been keenly watching his every movement, sprang to his feet, poised his sword for a second in the air; there was a flash, a heavy, ugly thud, a crashing fall; with one blow the head had been severed from the body. :A dead silence followed, broken only by the hideous noise of the blood throbbing out of the inert heap before us, which but a moment before had been a brave and chivalrous man. It was horrible. :The kaishaku made a low bow, wiped his sword with a piece of rice paper which he had ready for the purpose, and retired from the raised floor; and the stained dirk was solemnly borne away, a bloody proof of the execution. :The two representatives of the Mikado then left their places, and, crossing over to where the foreign witnesses sat, called us to witness that the sentence of death upon Taki Zenzaburo had been faithfully carried out. The ceremony being at an end, we left the temple. :The ceremony, to which the place and the hour gave an additional solemnity, was characterized throughout by that extreme dignity and punctiliousness which are the distinctive marks of the proceedings of Japanese gentlemen of rank; and it is important to note this fact, because it carries with it the conviction that the dead man was indeed the officer who had committed the crime, and no substitute. While profoundly impressed by the terrible scene it was impossible at the same time not to be filled with admiration of the firm and manly bearing of the sufferer, and of the nerve with which the kaishaku performed his last duty to his master."

Seppuku in modern Japan

Seppuku as judicial punishment was officially abolished in 1873, shortly after the Meiji Restoration, but voluntary seppuku did not completely die out. Dozens of people are known to have committed seppuku since then, including a large group of military men who committed suicide in 1895 as a protest against the return of a conquered territory to China; by General Nogi and his wife on the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912; and by numerous soldiers and civilians who chose to die rather than surrender at the end of World War II. In 1970, famed author Yukio Mishima and one of his followers committed public seppuku at the Japan Self-Defense Forces headquarters after an unsuccessful attempt to incite the armed forces to stage a coup d'etat. Mishima committed seppuku in the office of General Kanetoshi Mashita. His second, a 25-year-old named Morita, tried three times to ritually behead Mishima but failed; his head was finally severed by Hiroyasu Koga. Morita then attempted to commit seppuku himself. Although his own cuts were too shallow to be fatal, he gave the signal and he too was beheaded by Koga. Some believe the 1990 suicide of the father of Japanese serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki should be considered seppuku. In 1999, Masaharu Nonaka, a 58 year old employee of Bridgestone in Japan, slashed his belly with a sashimi knife to protest his forced retirement. He died later in the hospital. This suicide was dubbed risutora (downsizing/lay-off) seppuku by the mass media, and was said to represent the difficulties in Japan following the collapse of the bubble economy.

Well-known people who committed seppuku


- Yukio Mishima
- Sen no Rikyu
- Anami Korechika
- Maresuke Nogi

In pop culture

Seppuku features prominently in Western depictions of pre-Meiji Japan in books, movies, videogames, etc. such as The Last Samurai or the novel Shogun. Some video games give players the option of committing seppuku: Mortal Kombat: Deception adds a new "Fatality" feature to the series called "Hara-kiri," which allows a defeated player to kill himself in a graphic manner before his opponent can. In American media, particular television and film from the 1940s-1960s era, the term "hara-kiri" was often mispronounced as "Harry Carry". (See, for example, the TV series McHale's Navy). In the manga/anime Ranma ½, Genma promised his wife Nodoka that he would raise his son Ranma to be a man among men. If he failed, both him and Ranma would commit seppuku. Ranma falls into a cursed spring that causes him to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and Genma (who changes into a panda with cold water) hides Ranma and himself whenever Nodoka comes around. Ranma often called him/herself Ranko to spend time with his mother, although she doesn't find out until late in the manga. Eventually Nodoka finds out and declares Ranma to be a man despite the curse, so no one had to commit seppuku. For the most part, seppuku is depicted in popular culture as marking a true warrior's ethos and the (stereotypical) mystical Eastern understanding of death. The dutiful suicide of seppuku is often seen as a uniquely Japanese cultural trait, although the Western tradition has its share of historical figures who have killed themselves when facing dishonor, death or both at the hands of their enemies. The television adaptation of Shogun, produced in 1980, sparked an upswing of interest in all things Japanese, including the ritual of seppuku; in one dubious reference to the practice, the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes featured an episode in which Gary Coleman's character Arnold Drummond dresses in Japanese robes and announces his intent to commit seppuku (though this is done in a humorous fashion). In Raymond Benson's James Bond book The Man with the Red Tattoo, the main villain, Yami Shogun Goro Yoshida commits seppuku just before Bond could capture him. Yasutake Tsukamoto, yakuza leader and Yoshida's secundant, tells Bond that Yoshida won, because he "robbed Bond of the ultimate victory". Bond tells Tsukamoto that he does not care about it, because "he's bloody dead and that's all that matters." In Giacomo Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, the heroine Cio-cio-san, commits Seppuku at the end of the final act. Unit leaders in computer strategy game Shogun: Total War may commit seppuku if the units they command are defeated in combat too many times. In the computer game Warcraft III the night elf demon hunters commit ritual suicide as part of their death animation. In the console fighting game Tekken 2, the character Yoshimitsu has a move wherin he turns away from the enemy and stabs his sword through his stomach and out his back. If the sword connects with Yoshimitsu's opponent, it causes devastating damage to them, and minor damage to Yoshimitsu himself. However, if it misses, it can drain almost half of Yoshimitsu's life, meaning that it can easily kill him, or make a match almost impossible to go in his favour. The cult website [http://www.realultimatepower.net/ realultimatepower.net] describes a darkly hilarious method of committing seppuku by swallowing a Frisbee. The website [http://www.ninjaburger.com/ ninjaburger.com], a parody of fast food delivery services, states on their webpage: Guaranteed delivery in 30 minutes or less, or we commit Seppuku! In the American film Harold and Maude, the character Harold, a young man obsessed with death, fakes his own suicide in a multitude of ways. At one point, he brings out a blade and educates a woman in the art of "hara-kiri" before going through with the (faked) ritual. Seppuku is depicted twice on the American film The Last Samurai, at the beginning of the movie after the general of the Japanese newly formed army faces defeat in the hands of Katsumoto's (played by Ken Watanabe) forces, and later, near the end of the film, with Katsumoto committing seppuku after his army is killed to the last man (all but Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise)). In the first instance we see Katsumoto in the role of kaishaku, beheading General Hasegawa to quickly end his suffering. This action comes as a shock to Algren, who sees it as a barbaric form of execution. Finally, defeated on the battlefield it is Algren who helps Katsumoto to end his life with honor by pushing the dagger all the way into his friend's stomach.

See also


- Kamikaze
- Yukio Mishima
- Japanese funeral
- Nakano Seigo
- Google seppuku
- Jigai

Further reading


- Jack Seward, Hara-Kiri: Japanese Ritual Suicide (Charles E. Tuttle, 1968)
- Seppuku - A Practical Guide http://kyushu.com/gleaner/editorspick/seppuku.shtml
- An Account of the Hara-Kiri from Mitford's "Tales of Old Japan" provides a detailed description: http://www.blackmask.com/thatway/books162c/taja.htm
- The samurai way of death --a chapter from "Samurai: The World of the Warrior" by Dr. Stephen Turnbull http://www.ospreysamurai.com/samurai_death02.htm
- [http://www.win.net/ratsnest/archive-articles21/fog0000000384.html The Fine Art of Seppuku]
- Zuihoden - The mausoleum of Date Masamune -- When he died, twenty of his followers killed themselves to serve him in the next life. They lay in state at Zuihoden http://www.zuihoden.com/ Category:Suicide Category:Japanese terms Category:Japanese culture ja:切腹

Category:1573 deaths

Ute Starke

Ute Starke, verheiratete Kahlenberg (
- 14. Januar 1939 in Eisleben, Sachsen-Anhalt), ist eine ehemalige deutsche Turnerin. Für die DDR startend, gehörte sie in den 1960er Jahren zur Weltspitze, insbesondere im Pferdsprung. In dieser Disziplin wurde sie 1961 in Leipzig Europameisterin, wofür sie im gleichen Jahr zur DDR-Sportlerin des Jahres gewählt wurde. Bei den Olympischen Spielen 1968 in Mexiko-Stadt gewann sie mit der DDR-Mannschaft die Bronzemedaille. Sie nahm an drei Olympischen Spielen - 1960, 1964 und 1968 an Einzelwettbewerben im Turnen teil, jedoch ohne Medaillenerfolg. Weitere Erfolge im Pferdsprung: Vize-Europameisterin 1965, Weltmeisterschafts-Vierte 1966. Nach Ende ihrer Sportlerlaufbahn wurde sie Trainerin beim SC Leipzig, nach dem Ende der DDR Übungsleiterin beim TuG Leipzig. Ute Starke startete für den SC Lokomotive Leipzig/SC Leipzig und trainierte bei Ellen Berger und Sylvia Hlavacek. Starke, Ute Starke, Ute Starke, Ute Starke, Ute Starke, Ute

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