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MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

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BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

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BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
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Wikipedia

Wakizashi

Wakizashi (脇差)
Blade and mounting for a wakizashi. The blade was made by Soshu Fusamune. Blade, late 15th–early 16th century; mounting, 18th century. There were many different makers for the katana. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
TypeSword
Place of originJapan
Production history
ProducedMuromachi period (1336–1573) to present
Specifications
Blade lengthapprox. 30–60 cm (12–24 in)
Blade typeCurved, single-edged
Scabbard/sheathLacquered wood

The wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差[1]; lit. 'side-inserted') is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō)[2][3] worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.

History

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Antique Japanese daishō, the traditional pairing of two Japanese swords which were the symbol of the samurai, showing the traditional Japanese sword cases (koshirae) and the difference in size between the katana (bottom) and the smaller wakizashi (top).
Although the number of forged swords decreased in the Meiji period, many artistically excellent mountings were made. A wakizashi forged by Soshu Akihiro. Nanboku-chō period (top). Wakizashi mounting, Early Meiji period (bottom).

The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:[4]

  • Jokotō (ancient swords, until around AD 900)
  • Kotō (old swords from around 900–1596)
  • Shintō (new swords 1596–1780)
  • Shinshintō (newer swords 1781–1876)
  • Gendaitō (modern or contemporary swords 1876–present)

Wakizashi have been in use as far back as the 15th[5] or 16th century.[6]

The term wakizashi did not originally specify swords of any official blade length[7] and was an abbreviation of wakizashi no katana ("sword thrust at one's side"). The term was applied to companion swords of all sizes.[8]

However, it was not until the Edo period in 1638 when the rulers of Japan tried to regulate the types of swords and the social strata which were allowed to wear them that the lengths of katana and wakizashi were officially set.[9]

Design

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The wakizashi has a blade between 30 and 60 cm (12 and 24 in) in length.[1] Wakizashi are not necessarily just a smaller version of the katana; they could be forged differently and have a different cross-section.[10]

Wakizashi were worn on the left side, secured to the waist sash (Uwa-obi or himo).[11][12]

Variants

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Wakizashi close to the length of a katana are called ō-wakizashi.

Wakizashi closer to the length of a tantō are called ko-wakizashi.[1]

Usage

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By samurai

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Main article: Daishō

The wakizashi was used as a backup or auxiliary sword;[1] it was also used for close quarters fighting, to behead a defeated opponent[13] and sometimes to perform seppuku.[14]

The wakizashi was one of several short swords available for use by samurai including the yoroi tōshi, and the chisa-katana.

During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate required samurai to wear Katana and shorter swords in pairs. These short swords were wakizashi and tanto, and wakizashi were mainly selected.[12]

The wakizashi being worn together with the katana was the official sign that the wearer was a samurai. When worn together, the pair of swords were called daishō, which translates literally as "big-little". Only samurai could wear the daishō: it represented their social power and personal honour.[15][16][17]

Kanzan Satō, in his book titled The Japanese Sword, notes that there did not seem to be any particular need for the wakizashi and suggests that the wakizashi may have become more popular than the tantō because it was more suited for indoor fighting. He mentions the custom of leaving the katana at the door of a castle or palace when entering, while continuing to wear the wakizashi inside.[18]

By civilians

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During the Edo period, commoners were allowed to wear one legal-length ko-wakizashi, which made it popular for the general public to wear wakizashi. This was common when traveling because of the risk of encountering bandits.[19][20]

During a speech at Hibiya Public Hall in Tokyo on 12 October 1960, Inejiro Asanuma, the chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, was assassinated by 17 year old Otoya Yamaguchi, who used a wakizashi.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Ogyû Sorai's Discourse on government (Seidan): an annotated translation, Sorai Ogyū, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 1999 p. 105
  2. ^ The Development of Controversies: From the Early Modern Period to Online Discussion Forums, Volume 91 of Linguistic Insights. Studies in Language and Communication, Author Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani, Publisher Peter Lang, 2008, ISBN 978-3-03911-711-6 p. 150
  3. ^ The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology, Complete Idiot's Guides, Authors Evans Lansing Smith, Nathan Robert Brown, Publisher Penguin, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59257-764-4 p. 144
  4. ^ Transition of kotō, shintō, shinshintō, and gendaitō. Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World
  5. ^ Samurai: The Weapons and Spirit of the Japanese Warrior, Clive Sinclaire, Globe Pequot, 2004 P.87
  6. ^ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008 P138
  7. ^ Handbook to life in medieval and early modern Japan, William E. Deal, Oxford University Press US, 2007 P.158
  8. ^ Samurai, warfare and the state in early medieval Japan (Google eBook), Karl Friday, Psychology Press, 2004 P.78
  9. ^ The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords, Kōkan Nagayama, Kodansha International, 1998 P.35
  10. ^ Samurai: The Code of the Warrior, Thomas Louis, Tommy Ito, Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2008 P.138
  11. ^ Oscar Ratti and Adele Westbrook (1991). Secrets of the samurai: a survey of the martial arts of feudal Japan. Tuttle Publishing. p. 260.
  12. ^ a b 歴史人 September 2020. pp.42-43. ASIN B08DGRWN98
  13. ^ The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Land Warfare: An Illustrated World View, Byron Farwell, W. W. Norton & Company, 2001 P.240
  14. ^ A glossary of the construction, decoration and use of arms and armor in all countries and in all times, together with some closely related subjects, George Cameron Stone, Jack Brussel Pub., 1961 P.201
  15. ^ The Japanese sword, Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 p.68
  16. ^ Mol, Serge (2003). Classical weaponry of Japan: special weapons and tactics of the martial arts. Kodansha International. pp. 18–24. ISBN 4-7700-2941-1.
  17. ^ Ratti, Oscar; Westbrook, Adele (1973). Secrets of the samurai: a survey of the martial arts of feudal Japan. Tuttle Publishing. p. 258. ISBN 0-8048-1684-0.
  18. ^ The Japanese sword, Kanzan Satō, Kodansha International, 1983 P.68
  19. ^ Taiho-jutsu: law and order in the age of the samurai, Don Cunningham, Tuttle Publishing, 2004 P,23
  20. ^ The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords, Kōkan Nagayama, Kodansha International, 1998 P.48
[edit]
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Wikipedia

Wakizashi

The wakizashi (Japanese: 脇差; lit. 'side-inserted') is one of the traditionally made Japanese swords (nihontō) worn by the samurai in feudal Japan. Its name refers to the practice of wearing it inserted through one's obi or sash at one's side, whereas the larger tachi sword was worn slung from a cord.

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Wikipedia

Rapier

A rapier () is a type of sword originally used in Spain (known as espada ropera, 'dress sword') and Italy (known as spada da lato a striscia). The name designates a sword with a straight, slender and sharply pointed two-edged long blade wielded in one hand. Known for its elegant design and intricate hilt, it was widely popular in Western Europe throughout the 16th and 17th centuries as a symbol of nobility or gentleman status. As fencing spread throughout Western Europe, important sources for rapier fencing arose in Spain, known under the term destreza ("dexterity"), in Italy and France. The French small sword or court sword of the 18th century was a direct continuation of this tradition of fencing. Rapier fencing forms part of Historical European Martial Arts. The rapier has also been widely used in theatrical productions and films. The Society of American Fight Directors recognizes rapier and dagger as one of the eight main weapon disciplines of stage combat.

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Wikipedia

Gladius

Gladius (Classical Latin: [ˈɡɫadiʊs]) is a Latin word properly referring to the type of sword that was used by ancient Roman foot soldiers starting from the 3rd century BC and until the 3rd century AD. Linguistically, within Latin, the word also came to mean "sword", regardless of the type used. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called xiphe (pl., sing.: xiphos). From the 3rd century BC, however, the Romans adopted a weapon based on the sword of the Celtiberians of Hispania in service to Carthage during the Punic Wars, known in Latin as the gladius hispaniensis, meaning "Hispanic-type sword". The Romans modified it depending on how their battle units waged war, and created over time new types of "gladii" such as the Mainz gladius and the Pompeii gladius. Finally, in the third century AD the heavy Roman infantry replaced the gladius with the spatha (already common among Roman cavalrymen), relegating the gladius as a weapon for light Roman infantry. A fully equipped Roman legionary after the consulships of Gaius Marius (the Marian reforms) was armed with a sword (gladius), a shield (scutum), one or two javelins (pila), often a dagger (pugio), and perhaps, in the later empire period, darts (plumbatae). Conventionally, soldiers threw pila to disable the enemy's shields and disrupt enemy formations before engaging in close combat, for which they drew the gladius. A soldier generally led with the shield and thrust with the sword.

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Wikipedia

Jian

The jian (simplified Chinese: 剑; traditional Chinese: 劍, Mandarin Chinese: [tɕjɛ̂n], Cantonese: [kim˧], English approximation: jyehn) is a Chinese term referring to all double-edged straight sword. Professional jian practitioners, who were often romanticized in historical records, folklores and wuxia literature, are referred to as jianshi (Chinese: 劍士; pinyin: jiànshì; lit. 'swordsman') or jianke (Chinese: 劍客; pinyin: jiànkè; lit. 'sword guests', a term dating from the Han dynasty referring to retainers or warriors errant skilled in swordfighting). The first Chinese recorded sources that mention the jian date to the 7th century BCE during the Spring and Autumn period, with one of the earliest archaeological specimens being the famed Sword of Goujian. Early jian were made of bronze, which remained prevalent to as late as the Qin dynasty, but by the early Western Han dynasty bronze jian were largely supplanted by later ones made of carbon steel due to advancements in ironworking. Historically, the more ubiquitous one-handed jian have blades varying from 45 to 80 cm (18 to 31 inches) in length, with an average weight of a 70 cm (28-inch) blade-length jian would be approximately 700–900 g (1.5–2.0 pounds). Bronze jian tend to be much stouter (shorter, wider and thicker) and slightly heavier than steel jian, although slender, chrome-plated bronze swords uncovered among the Terracotta Army have lengths of 81–94.8 cm (31.9–37.3 inches), which are on par or even exceeding many Iron Age swords. There are also larger two-handed jian, though much rarer, used in many styles of Chinese martial arts or historically as anti-cavalry weapons (e.g. zhanmajian). In Chinese culture, the jian is often revered as "the Gentleman of Weapons" and is considered one of the four first-tier weapons of the Eighteen Arms along with the gùn (quarterstaff), qiang (spear) and dao (saber or single-edged sword). Historically, the military role of jian as an infantry weapon (typically alongside a shield) was largely replaced by more efficient and economic options such as the dao, chui and polearms such as qiang and ji, although it remained popular as a defensive personal weapon and as a status symbol among the scholar-officials. Some jian, usually unsharpened (e.g. taijijian), are relegated to training weapon or performative prop roles in sword dances, combat sport (e.g. wushu) and fitness exercises (e.g. tai chi), while peachwood wasters (taomujian) are a standard ceremonial weapon in Taoist exorcism rituals.

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TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

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TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which Black woman became the first elected to the United States Congress?

Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.