Latest news with #Imperial Japanese military
NHK
3 days ago
- General
- NHK
Renowned Japanese tea master Sen Genshitsu dies at age of 102
Renowned Japanese tea master Sen Genshitsu, who made a valuable contribution to the development of tea ceremony culture in Japan and overseas, died on Thursday. He was 102. Sen was born in Kyoto as the eldest son of the 14th head of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony. He headed the school for nearly 40 years from 1964 to 2002. Urasenke is one of Japan's major schools for tea ceremony. In 1997, Sen was awarded the Order of Culture for his contribution to the development of traditional tea ceremony. Sen was also known for his efforts to promote tea ceremony culture overseas. He taught tea ceremony classes at universities abroad. During World War Two, Sen served in an Imperial Japanese military unit which was involved in suicide attacks. Based on that experience, Sen conducted tea ceremonies around the world for the rest of his life, even after he turned 100, in the hope of using the activity as a means to promote global peace. According to the Urasenke school, Sen died on Thursday after a struggle with illness.
NHK
7 days ago
- General
- NHK
NHK: 20% of historic WWII monuments lost in past 3 decades
NHK has learned that about 20 percent of facilities and sites in Japan that serve as legacies of World War Two have been lost in the past three decades. As of some 30 years ago, 660 such places had been reported by municipalities as war monuments to the Cultural Affairs Agency. They included facilities used by the former Imperial Japanese military and underground air raid shelters. This year marks 80 years since the end of World War Two. NHK queried municipalities across Japan about the state of preservation and use of the monuments. The survey results show that 14 percent of all relics were intact and 44 percent were mostly preserved. Meanwhile, 13 percent were mostly lost and 8 percent were entirely lost. As for 15 percent of the monuments, it was not known what condition they were in. This indicates that about 20 percent of the war remains have been lost. Regarding usage of the sites, 34 percent of the relics were being shown to the public to pass on memories of the war, 28 percent were not being utilized and 27 percent were being used by public offices, private businesses or individuals. On the reason why the monuments were lost, 36 percent were torn down for development, and 14 percent were taken down because they posed safety hazards. The reason was unknown for 26 percent. The Cultural Affairs Agency has been surveying the places because a significant number are believed to be at risk of demolition for urban redevelopment. Agency officials say sites that are considered important to understand Japan's modern history should be properly protected. Professor Yamada Akira of Meiji University, an expert on military history, says it is important to pass on the legacies of war, but there is a limit to what can be relayed person to person. He says it is extremely important to learn about wartime directly through the buildings and other structures that characterize that period. Yamada says war monuments recount history and should be passed on.
