Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Shakes Japan Sparking Tsunami Fears

Magnitude 6.0 earthquake shook Japan's Hachijo-jima island at 7:42am UTC 2017-11-09. 

Hachijo-jima is a volcanic island in the Philippine Sea home to 8,000 people and 287km south of Tokyo, Japan. This 6.0 magnitude quake came 14 hours after a 4.6 magnitude one in the same area. 

Japan is sitting in the "Ring of Fire" where about 80% of Earth's earthquakes occur. Fortunately, there are no reported deaths or building damage and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any tsunami warnings. 

This may trigger frightening memories of the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdowns from a 2011 9.0 earthquake tsunami, which has since mutated sea life in the Pacific Ocean. 

Deadly Life of a Female Ninja

When we hear the word “ninja,” most of us picture those sword-wielding assassins wearing an all-black garb who are adept at martial arts and the art of stealth. We’ve read about these black-masked warriors in novels and comic books, and we’ve seen some fictionalized versions of them in a lot of movies for the past few decades. And in many of these materials, we’ve learned that a ninja is often a cloaked and masked man who can stealthily infiltrate an enemy’s territory to end the life of a specific target. 

In reality, however, the way of the ninja is not a life solely intended for men, and not all ninjas live in the shadows. Yes, some of these ninja assassins were female, and they often hid in plain sight. These female ninjas were referred to as the “kunoichi,” and while they equaled their male counterparts in terms of combat and stealth skills, they handled their assignments differently from men in several impressive ways.

Defining Ninja, Shinobi, Kunoichi

While the term “ninja” is what became popular among Westerners, written records in feudal Japan refer to these covert agents and mercenary assassins as the “shinobi.” Members of the shinobi clans in Japan were practitioners of ninjutsu, which taught them the strategy and tactics of espionage, infiltration, sabotage, assassination and even guerrilla warfare. They were like the antithesis of the honorable samurai as the ninja’s covert methods of warfare were regarded as irregular and dishonorable. Nevertheless, as spies and assassins, many of the shinobi lost their lives while in the line of duty and usually took on missions from which they were not expected to return alive.  

Medieval Japan was a time during which men dominated society while women were primarily relegated to the sidelines, taking “harmless” roles such as that of a wife, a mistress, or a maid. And so many incorrectly assume that ninja clans were strictly composed of males when the truth was women of that time also worked as covert agents and assassins alongside men although their approach in doing so is not the same as the male shinobi accomplished their missions.

The existence of female ninja warriors is mentioned in the Bansenshukai - a 17th-century book containing knowledge and secrets about ninja training. The Bansenshukai revealed the primary function of a kunoichi, and that is to infiltrate a target’s household by forming intimate relations with members of that clan and gaining their trust. Walking freely inside enemy territory and hiding in plain sight, they usually bided their time in collecting information about their target, but they were also capable of facilitating assassinations if ordered to do so.

Disguises And Tactics Of A Female Ninja

The shinobi knew the importance of using personal strengths to their deadliest advantage. In a world where women were prized for their beauty and were deemed ignorant and harmless, the kunoichi was less likely to arouse suspicion and found it much easier to get close to their targets compared to their male counterparts. The female ninjas used feminine wiles to accomplish their objective and even became concubines and mistresses to mask themselves for long periods of time.

The targets of the shinobi were typically powerful and influential members of the samurai class, which meant that they were heavily guarded and were naturally distrustful of men outside their clan. However, rarely were they as suspicious of the women around them as they were of men. This allowed the kunoichi to disguise themselves as maids, courtesans or as priestesses and go undercover, infiltrating dangerous enemy zones on a broader and more intimate level than male shinobis would have ever been able to achieve.

The kunoichi did not sneak in during moonless nights to steal information or eliminate their targets. A kunoichi was patient and took time to accomplish missions even if the mission took years. Female ninjas rarely attempted to kill their targets right away. First, they worked hard to integrate themselves well into the enemy’s household and to earn the trust of the household's many residents slowly. They gathered intelligence and passed on crucial information to a samurai’s enemies. When the time came to eliminate the target they were monitoring, they did not wait for a male shinobi to finish the job. Their combat skills were just as excellent, and sometimes, their method of execution was even more creative and brutal.

This is why some argue that the kunoichi posed a more serious threat than other members of the shinobi. It was hard to tell if a maid, a priestess or a courtesan was who she said she was since they could pretend to be one for a very long time if they must. And when they were ordered to strike, they did so cunningly when their targets are at their most vulnerable – often in bed and with their pants down. Hence, it is not so surprising that they suffered worse fates than the captured male ninjas when they were caught for committing such intimate betrayals.

Weapons Used By Female Assassins

Beauty and sexuality were the female ninjas’ primary weapons when gaining access to their targets, but they also wielded actual deadly weapons of their own. Considering they had to go to their enemy’s territory unnoticed, they could not bring around with them long swords that would catch people’s attention. Instead, they carried weapons such as dagger-like hairpins, throwing stars, tessen or folding fans with hidden blades, and poison as these items can be inconspicuous while wearing a standard kimono.

Perhaps the iconic weapon of choice used by the kunoichi was the neko-te. The neko-te mimicked Wolverine claws and was made of leather finger sheaths topped with very pointed metal tips. The tiger-like claws of the weapon extended between one and three inches in length and were sharp enough to tear away human flesh. Some of the kunoichis would even douse their neko-te with poison in order to quicken death or worsen pain.

Mochizuki Chiyome: Japan's Most Famous Kunoichi

There is little record available about kunoichis, and Mochizuki Chiyome is probably the only one whose name was solidified in Japan’s ninja history.  Mochizuki Chiyome was a noblewoman from the 16th century and the wife of a samurai warlord. She is credited for setting up an underground network of female spies, which she accomplished by recruiting around 300 female orphans, war victims, and prostitutes.

To the eyes of the locals of Nazu village in the Shinshu region, the noblewoman was merely running an orphanage, but in reality, she trained and managed a very sophisticated group of female espionage operatives and assassins who have infiltrated almost every aspect of the region’s community. These groups of female ninjas put their bodies and lives on the line all in service to the Takeda clan led by the uncle of Chiyome’s late husband, Takeda Shingen.

For reasons unknown, after the death of Shingen in 1573, Chiyome and her league of spies disappeared from Japan’s historical records, and no one knows what happened to the secret group after serving the Takeda clan.

Although we don’t know all the names of the Japanese women who were once among the kunoichi, they were no less important than their male counterparts within the ranks of the shinobi. These deadly female ninjas were highly respected by the men they worked for and those who worked alongside them, and for a time, they were truly a force to be reckoned with in Medieval Japan.

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Sources: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunoichi
http://www.ninjaencyclopedia.com/reality/kunoichi.html
https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2013/06/kunoichi-female-ninja-spies-medieval-japan-susan-spann
http://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/deadly-female-ninja-assassins-used-deception-and-disguise-strike-their-target-021503?nopaging=1
https://www.mysterytribune.com/kunoichi-closer-look-female-ninja-spies-old-japan/

Legendary 7-Branched Sword Of Japan

Swords are not merely deadly weapons used for injuring enemies or ending human lives. Some of them have gained renown and went down in history as legendary artifacts for the role they played in massive conquests and violent and bloody wars. This is why it is not so surprising that many of these bladed weapons that had been discovered bring with them stories that make some people believe they hold unknown powers or are simply cursed.

More often than not, epic tales of their origins and the bizarre claims of what these swords were once capable of accomplishing when wielded by their owners are nothing more than mythical fiction. But over the years, experts have come across ancient swords that they believe serve as testament to the possibility that there may be some semblance of truth in some of the legendary tales that have been passed down for many generations.

One such weapon is the Nanatsusaya no Tachi or the Seven-Branched Sword of Japan.

Background on the Seven-Branched Sword

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It was said that the mysterious Seven-Branched Sword was re-discovered in the 20th century in Japan’s Isonokami Shrine in 1945. Situated in the foothills of Tenri-shi in Nara Prefecture, Japan, this 2000-year-old Shinto shrine is home to many of the country’s national treasures and has housed the original Seven-Branched Sword since antiquity.

Nanatsusaya no Tachi is referred to as the Seven-Branched Sword because of its unique appearance. The sword has three pairs of branch-like protrusions which extend on each side of the main blade. Along with the central blade’s tip, these protrusions make up the sword’s iconic seven “branches.”

The sword is made of iron and is 2 feet and 5 and a half inches in length. Considering the unusual appearance of the sword, particularly the blade’s several branches, the Seven-Branched Sword is not a functional weapon for combat. And so, it is believed that it most likely served a ceremonial function and not a military one.

In the 1870s, a two-sided inscription inlaid in gold was rediscovered on the sword’s blade by Masatomo Kan, one of Isonokami Shrine’s Shinto priests at the time. Unfortunately, due to abrasion and deterioration of the blade over the years, some of the characters of the inscription are now indecipherable.

On one side of the blade, the inscription mentions that the Seven-Branched sword was “manufactured with hundred-times-wrought iron” and that it possessed a “magical power” that could repel enemy forces.

On the other side, the inscription reveals who commissioned the forging of the sword and for whom it was made. The second inscription reads:  "Never before has there been such a blade. The crown prince of Baekje's king, who lives under august sounds, had this sword made for King of Wa in the hope that it might be passed on to later generations."

Debate Over the Inscriptions of the Sword

The ambiguity of some of the characters found in the inscription of the Seven-Branched Sword has caused much debate among experts, particularly regarding the nature of the relationship between Baekje and Japan.

One interpretation of the inscription suggests that Baekje was a vassal state of Japan - a claim largely supported by many Japanese scholars. This would mean that the sword along with the other precious items sent by this old Korean kingdom to the ruler of Japan were equivalent to paying tribute to an overlord.

In contrast, many Korean scholars insist that the relationship between the two states was reversed – It was the Yamato ruler the sword was given to who was the king of a vassal state that answered to the might of Baekje during that period. If the superior power and influence of Baekje at the time is considered, there is supposedly no reason why its kingdom would be the one to pay tribute to Japan - a nation which showed no evidence that it reached the same advancement that Baekje achieved during the same period.

The translations of the sword’s faded inscription have been called into question many times, but what remains clear is that the Nanatsusaya no Tachi was a gift from a Korean royalty to a Japanese monarch. And a third interpretation of the inscription sees neither Baekje and Japan as the superior nation. Instead, some experts from Japan and Korea are of the opinion that the two countries during that time treated each other with respect and regarded one another as equals.

Significance of the 7 Branched Sword

The Seven-Branched Sword is a significant piece of East Asian history for several reasons. First, the sword breathes life to the semi-mythical existence of Japan’s Empress Jingū, who supposedly ruled Japan in its early years after the death of her husband in 201 and before her son, Emperor Ōjin ascended to the throne in 269.  

It is believed that that the sword found in Isonokami Shrine is the same seven-branched sword mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, which chronicles Japan’s early history. The sword mentioned in this ancient text is a gift of the king of Baekje to a Yamato ruler during the 52nd year of Empress Jingū’s reign. If the ancient sword that exists today is indeed the same sword mentioned in the Japanese Chronicles, the empress’s controversial existence becomes more fact than legend, which gives her an official place in Japan’s imperial history.  

The second reason for the Seven-Branched Sword’s significance is that it is a tangible evidence of the level of knowledge and sophistication that the swordsmiths of Baekje possessed in metal industrial art. In fact, some experts have argued that the intricate process required to make the sword reflected the high standards of Baekje experts in making metal weapons, which in turn contributed to the improvement of Japan’s own process of metal craftmanship at the time.  

And the third reason for the sword’s importance is that its inscription, though heavily debated until now, is an indication that there was once a sincere and respectful relationship between the rulers of Yamato and the kings of Baekje.

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The value of several bladed weapons from our distant past are usually determined by the magnitude of the legends surrounding them and the potential impact such mythical tales may have on our actual history. However, not all swords of renown are prized simply because they were the possession of invincible warriors or was used to end the lives of many in the battlefield. Some swords are regarded as culturally significant and protected as world treasures because they represent a history of good faith between nations and their people.

This is mainly why the Seven-Branched Sword is a priceless piece of East Asian history. Not only does it somehow validate the existence of a legendary empress, it also serves as proof that at some point in the tumultuous history shared between Japan and the kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, the two nations once forged a respectful and perhaps an equal relationship that they cultivated for many years. Today, the amount of care Japan has placed in the safekeeping of this artifact is equivalent to the value it has put on its own heritage and its peaceful relations with a neighboring nation.    

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SOURCES:

1.http://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/seven-branched-sword-mystical-ceremonial-sword-japan-003185?nopaging=1

2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven-Branched_Sword

3.://www.hongwontack.com/homepage4/data/450814.pdf

4.http://baekjemuseum.seoul.go.kr/eng/contents.jsp?mpid=SEM0301130000

5.http://listverse.com/2013/11/16/10-mysterious-swords-from-legend-and-history/

10 Warnings the World Ignored that Completely Changed the Course of History

There is a universal law that everyone agrees on: for whatever action, there is always an opposite reaction. This is most true in physics but certainly applies to our daily lives.

Imagine the Butterfly Effect where it is said that, in one part of the world, a butterfly would flap its wings and it would cause a devastating hurricane on the opposite side of the globe. Our actions and the actions of others always have consequences to it, good or bad. It can be Karmic or a kind of domino effect.

In this list, we examine the actions of people who, in recorded history, have completely changed or greatly affected it with the decisions – or indecisions – that they made.

Here are the 10 Warnings That the World ignored that completely changed the course of history!

Number Ten: The Great Depression

Who could ever forget that time when Stock Market crashed and sent the international economy spiraling out of control, leaving thousands of people unemployed and hungry?

Today’s economic recession is nothing compared to the financial meltdown of 1929. It may have been unthinkable back then because of the speed at which the United States economy was accelerating in terms of industry and its economy. However, on September 5th, 1929, one man saw this great crash coming.

Economist Roger Babson delivered a speech where he predicted that an impending economic crash was just around the corner. Unfortunately, the business community, as well as fellow economists, shrugged the warning off claiming it to be impossible. Two months later, over $5 billion was wiped out of the market – an amount, in today’s standards, is beyond calculating.

According to records, Babson had been warning everyone about the crash for years and what it may precipitate and when people started believing in him, it was already far too late.

Number Nine: The Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

In some sense, the sinking of the Lusitania was not unexpected. However, the events that led to this disaster are incredible enough that it lands number nine on this list.

It was at the height of the First World War when the Lusitania was given more than enough warning by the German army to stop anyone in their right mind from sailing straight to their doom. For several weeks, the German army published several advertisements in newspapers including the New York Times warning the entire world of the ship’s numbered days.

In a most brash attempt, the Lusitania set sail from New York to England. Incidentally, news of the ship’s departure sat side by side with the German ad in the New York Times.

As an exercise of caution and to avoid innocent people getting caught in the crossfire, the British government warned the captain of the Lusitania to avoid areas around the British shores where German U-boats have been known to actively patrol; and should the ship pass through those waters, the captain was strongly urged to zigzag his way through. Unfortunately for the passengers of the Lusitania, the captain ignored these warnings and advice from the British government. The RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by a German U-boat, taking with it the lives of 1,195 people.

Number Eight: Asbestos Warnings

It may seem trivial to talk about the dangers of asbestos in this list and it would also seem that it may not have had much of an impact around the world as the Great Depression, but this silent killer has slowly claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives since it was conceived in the 19th century.

Known for its strength and resistance to fire, asbestos manufacturers have made a fortune selling this product to the public with no regard to its dangerous implications to an individual’s health; and for nearly a century, asbestos has cropped up almost everywhere and has been used for almost anything.

However, people have been suspicious of the product since the early 1900s because of the high-rate of illnesses that were reported around towns where asbestos was mined and manufactured.

In 1938, due to public alarm, asbestos manufacturers commissioned a study that proved that death by the product was airborne. These same manufacturers at that time swept the undeniable link between asbestos and fatal illnesses under the rug. Saying that there was “no proof” that links asbestos to diseases such as lung cancer, many workers in their factories either suffered horribly from the chemicals or were let go of their companies leaving them impoverished.

Today, even as a great majority of the globe, has banned the use and manufacturing of asbestos, many companies still refuse to compensate their dying employees as they continue to keep a firm stand that there is nothing that connects asbestos to their employees’ illnesses.

Number Seven: The Rwandan Genocide

800,000 Tutsis and Moderate Hutus lost their lives during a bloody ethnic cleansing and massacre that was dubbed as the Rwandan Genocide.

Beginning in April 6th, 1994, the genocide was led by Hutu tribesmen with the objective to attack another local tribe called the Tutsis; however, not only did the Hutu plan to massacre the Tutsis, they also planned a purge of their own tribesmen who were protecting the Tutsis.

It was a Belgian ambassador to Rwanda who uncovered the plot and revealed that the plan had been started since at least two years before. Professor Filip Reyntjens, another Belgian, appeared before the Belgian senate and revealed that the Hutus were assembling and operating Death Squads to carry out the genocide and implicated a Rwandan Army Colonel named Theoneste Bagasora as one of its leaders. Later on, Bagasora was found to have indeed commanded the genocide.

In January 1994, four months before the catastrophic event, General Romeo Dellaire, commander of the UN troops at Rwanda, sent what is now known as the “Genocide Fax” to the United Nations, warning the organization that the Hutus, much like the revelations of the Belgian ambassador and Professor Reyntjens, were planning a large scale attack on the Tutsis as well as their own tribesmen. In the fax, General Dellaire requested for more troops to be sent to the region in order to attack a Hutu arms cache and prevent the massacre from happening. The UN, sadly, ignored the plea and told the general to inform the Rwandan government instead which was filled with the same people and officials planning the genocide.

The same month, General Dellaire was able to seize an arms cache that was placed in the custody of the UN and Rwandan Troops – the same Rwandan troops who were training the Death Squads and bands of rebels who directly took part in the genocide.

Number Six: Fukushima Meltdown

The 2011 earthquake that shook Japan left thousands homeless. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake not only rocked the country but it also brought a giant tsunami that devastated areas near its coastlines. It may seem like it was already the worst thing that could ever happen to Japan. What happened right after, however, was more sinister.

Following the earthquake and the tsunami was the worst nuclear accident in history since Chernobyl that no one ever expected to happen except for one Koji Minoura.

Like a scene from a movie, Minoura was investigating a reference in an ancient poem about a tsunami that happened just northeast of the country. Digging through records and historical texts, Minoura discovered an account about an earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands in 869 AD dubbes as the Jogan Event.

Investigating the region in the 1980s, Minoura found evidence that the area was “routinely” destroyed by tsunami every 1000 years and it was already due for another one.

Over the next 20 years, Minoura wrote reports and produced countless studies warning about the inevitable destruction of the Fukushima area. Published in journals and magazines, his articles and research were completely ignored by his peers and by the public.

To this day, the effects Fukushima’s nuclear power plant meltdown spreads and reports and studies have already confirmed that the waters near and surrounding the area have dangerously lethal amounts of radiation that is slowly spreading into the northern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Number Five: The Kuwait Invasion

The early 1990s saw the rise of soaring oil prices because of unstable political situations in the Middle East and in the morning of August 2nd 1990, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi troops marched into the borders of neighboring Kuwait; an invasion that virtually took overnight with Kuwait not giving much of a fight after its head of state fled into the desert.

It was reported that the plan by Iraq to invade Kuwait had been in the works five years beforehand and was said to be just the first phase of Saddam Hussein’s plan – though futile -to secure Saudi Arabian oil wells in the region.

Ample warning to the US government was given by both the CIA and US Military Intelligence. Unfortunately, the government chose to look the other way and even granted Saddam a $1.2 billion loan days before the lightning invasion. The US government’s refusal to take a stand against Saddam’s plans only gave the dictator more fortitude to proceed with his plans, believing that he had the US on his side.

When the situation spun out of hand and gained the attention of the international community, the US government stepped in but was initially unprepared.

The Iraqi forces were ejected out of Kuwait only after the US-led United Nations contingent landed in Kuwait thus beginning the Gulf War.

Along with 248 UN troops and 25,000 Iragi soldiers, the largest fatality count fell on Iraqi civilians which numbered 100,000 after the war. In the following years after the conflict, a million more Iraqi civilians lost their lives due to sanctions that were placed on Iraq.

Number Four: Wilson’s War

US President Woodrow Wilson may very well have been the catalyst that brought about the devastations of First and Second World Wars, the Rise of Communism in Europe, as well as the Vietnam War.

The events of how the First World War began and how the US played a key part in it is numerous and is a complicated web of scenarios like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book.

When trouble and conflict was already brewing in Europe due to discontent from  different countries and the incompetence of several generals and leaders, President Woodrow Wilson claimed the role of impartial arbiter in order to bring the war, which has already erupted by then, to its conclusion without having to directly send US troops into battle – but when Germany and its allies seem to be getting the upper hand, Wilson and his members of cabinet had to make a decision because they wanted victory to go to Great Britain and France.

After his presidential re-election in 1916, he ordered congress to declare war against Germany a year later despite the fact that Germany or its allied countries were threatening or attacking the United States as well as a large population of the US wanted their government to stay out of the war.

After Germany’s defeat, an armistice was created in 1918. Unfortunately for Wilson and his rhetoric, his idealism was buried by the territorial ambitions of Great Britain and France after decimating Germany and the former Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires; a devastation that drove many European countries into revolution and civil war.

Had Wilson not urged the US congress to declare war against Germany in 1917 and listened to reason, the US may not have assumed the mantle of being the Global Police throughout the remainder of the 20th Century and still continues on to this day. His decision therefore created a domino effect that would cost the lives of millions of people in the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; and not to mention 75-years of Soviet Communist rule over Russia and large parts of Eastern and Central Europe.

Number Three: The Rise of Adolf Hitler

After Germany’s defeat in the First World War, France decided to place a fine on Germany in 1919 that was unimaginably large that, had not the Second World War broken out, the country would be paying it until 2010.

John Maynard Keynes, a British economist, strongly believed that it was the most effective way to get disastrous results. By absolutely crippling the German economy with heavy sanctions, the Allied Nations would no doubt trigger economic collapse on a country that was still reeling from a war.

Keynes therefore lobbied governments and presented them with articles to convince them to rethink their move saying, in almost prophetic words, that if the Allies’ objective is to drive Central Europe into debilitating debt and poverty, then vengeance from the subjugated nations will be reaped through revolutions and conflict.

Believing that Keynes was out of his mind, his pleas and warnings were left in the dust. True to his prediction, the German economy practically evaporated and civil unrest spread like wildfire, opening the doors to extremism – and in a small beer hall, a rejected art student by the name of Adolf Hitler, decided to try his hand in politics; a decision that cost the lives of innocent millions.

Number Two: World War II

The Treaty of Versailles ended the First World War in 1919. Included in the Treaty was a hefty sum of money that the Allied nations imposed on Germany as restitution and, as an ulterior move in the part of the Allies, was a means to make sure that Germany would not have money to declare a war of retribution.

Soon enough, Germany’s economy collapsed and German society was destroyed by inflation and a wave of unemployment.

A handful of people could see how ineffective the conditions of the Treaty were. British economist, John Maynard Keynes, believed the Treaty held no water and was practically dead even before it was signed. Another was a French army commander, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch.  “This is not peace,” Foch said. “It is an armistice for 20 years.”

Foch’s warning fell on deaf ears and 20 years later, Germany lit the fires that would start the Second World War. Now formidable, the German army – as part of their campaign – invaded Paris and staged attacks in England that would leave the country and most of Europe in ruins until 1945.

Number One: 9/11

In 2012, years after the tragic events of September 11th, the New York Times published the results of an investigation showing that the Bush administration, in 2001, had knowledge of an impending terror attack on American soil.

Far from being caught by surprise, the report states that the US government had known of the attack but chose to be tied up with bureaucracy instead of preventing it from happening.

As early as June 2001, there was already intelligence that Al-Qaeda strikes on the US were imminent. The intelligence was considered a certainty and known by the CIA.

However, politicians in the Pentagon refused to acknowledge the reports and dismissed it as a fabrication by Saddam Hussein, whom the US government were watching closely.

According to the New York Times’ report, the warnings by the CIA were allegedly downplayed and the agency was practically reduced to begging the President to take notice and take action. It was later on raised to extreme levels of urgency on June 29th, July 9th, July 24th, and August 6th.

With the government’s almost obsessive watch over Iraq and Saddam Hussein and its dismissal of the constant warnings, it therefore resulted in the worst and most deadly terrorist atrocity in the 21st Century committed on American soil only because it decided not to take its intelligence service seriously.

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Sources:

http://listverse.com/2016/05/12/10-ignored-warnings-that-turned-deadly/
http://listverse.com/2013/10/08/10-deadly-warnings-the-world-ignored/
https://fee.org/articles/wilsons-war-how-woodrow-wilsons-great-blunder-led-to-hitler-lenin-stalin-and-world-war-ii/
http://onceuponafact.com/8-deadly-warnings-the-world-ignored/

5 Decisive Battles in History Won by Divine Intervention

Throughout history, battles and wars were fought for various reasons. Whether defending one's own territory or invading another's, our history books have no shortage of epic fights from the Crusades to the Second World War.

Of course, it's no surprise victories are won with amazing planning and great leaders. However, there are battles that almost turned sour — despite having legions of soldiers under a general’s command — and could have dramatically changed the course of human history. Fortunately for such battles, their fates were decided when the heavens intervened and drastically tip the balance to one side.

Whether it was coincidence or just pure luck, many countries throughout history attribute most of their victories to divine intervention, fuelling their belief that the gods are on their side.

#5 — The Battle of the Bulge

One of the bloodiest battles during World War II happened in the Belgian town of Bastogne in 1944 where the German army cornered American soldiers in a surprise attack.

12,000 American soldiers were encircled and trapped by the Germans, and it was up to US Third Army Gen George Patton to break the siege and rescue the 12,000 soldiers in Bastogne, promising that he would grease up his tanks with the guts of the Nazi soldiers.

A plan was already in place but, unfortunately for Patton, the weather had been relentlessly unforgiving. For an entire month, torrential rains pounded Belgium, and the chances of Patton’s troops marching into Bastogne were slowly being swept away by the waters. All Patton needed to be was 24 hours to send the Third Army to storm the town, rescue the 12,000 soldiers, and tear down the Nazi defenses.

Since no amount of screaming and cursing at the sky could stop the rains, Patton had to resort to an unconventional approach by commissioning Third Army chaplain Col James O’Neill to draft a prayer for him which he then distributed to his troops on wallet-sized cards. For the next few days, Patton ordered his troops to recite the prayer as they waited for the rains to let up.

Whether or not Patton’s unorthodox approach worked and summoned the rain gods to stop, the weather cleared, and his troops were given just enough time to break through the Nazi encirclement, save the trapped American troops, and reclaim Bastogne for the Allied forces.

No matter what the opinion is about the events surrounding the Battle of the Bulge, it was undoubtedly one of George Patton’s finest hours in the Second World War.

#4 — The War of 1812

When the fledgling United States declared war against the British in 1812, things could not get any worse, especially after the Americans burned down what is present-day Toronto in Canada as a sign of retribution against the Red Coats.

However, overwhelmed by British forces, the tide seemed to be against the United States when, on August 24th, 1814, the British closed in on Washington DC after breaking through the Americans’ last defense at Bladensburg.

With the state of Maryland set ablaze by the British, then President Madison had to flee for safety with the American Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in tow just before British forces stormed the White House, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress, sacking and burning everything in sight.

But, in a sudden twist of fate, the weather began to turn, and one of America’s most destructive tornadoes in history touched down in the middle of the battle, wiping out soldiers, civilians, and artillery in its wake.

Upon the sight of the destructive storm, the British had no other choice but to retreat and leave the nation’s capital.

The tornado storm scared of the Red Coats, saved America in its most decisive battle, yet left hundreds of Americans either dead or homeless due to its sheer destructive power.

#3 — The Failed Persian Siege

Greece is no stranger to the occasional invading army and bloody war against neighboring countries. With its trove of knowledge and wealth, the Ancient Greeks have always been one of history’s prime targets. Greece’s most formidable foe were the Persians.

In 492 BC, Greece came dangerously close to crumbling under the forces of the Persian army. Led by the Persian General Mardonius, Persia’s naval fleet was able to sail close to the island of Athos. Fortunately for the people of Athos, Poseidon was on their side. As if on cue, a wild hurricane swept the sea and in the blink of an eye, capsized and destroyed the Persian fleet killing 20,000 soldiers! It was believed Persia's hubris brought this catastrophic end to their fleet. As the weather was already proving fickle when they reached Athos, the rains turned into a full-fledged storm.

While there have been many attempts by the Persians to set foot on Greece by way of the sea, this particular one may have succeeded if not for the winds blowing in favor of the Ancient Greeks.

#2 — The Protestant Wind

The political relations between Protestant England and Catholic Spain were already turning sour, and if not for the urging of Church leaders during the 16th Century, Spain may have saved herself from utter humiliation.

In one desperate attempt to subjugate Elizabeth I and England, King Philip II of Spain ordered the Spanish Armada to set sail to dethrone Elizabeth and claim the country in the name of the Catholic Church and the Spanish crown.

Despite the fact that Spain was no match for the English naval fleet, they continued to press on, and by the time they reached the English Channel, a storm that seemed to come out of nowhere battered the Spanish Armada, sinking ships and driving the survivors off.

Many from both sides who witnessed the event took the storms as a sign of intervention from God as Spain was pushed back and humiliated by what history dubs as “The Protestant Wind,” a sign that Providence greatly favored England and its Virgin Queen.

#1 — The Divine Wind

If it weren’t for a helping hand from the heavens, Japanese culture would never have existed.

In 1247, the Mongol Empire had already conquered one-third of the globe and had cemented their power with one of the most formidable armies the world has ever seen.

As the Mongol army advanced further east unopposed, their next target was bringing down the Japanese Empire and annexing it to their strongholds in China. With inferior weapons and significantly fewer troops, Japan did not stand a chance against Kublai Khan’s fierce warriors and their allies.

As the Mongols sailed towards the shores of Japan with Korean allies, Japan sent as many forces as it can muster to defend its seawall. With what seems to be a losing battle, fortune turned its head towards Japan as the Mongol fleet sensed a storm brewing fast.

True enough, two typhoons came to the rescue of the Japanese Empire and decimated Kublai Khan’s rapidly advancing fleet.

The violent tempest, dubbed the Kamikaze or Divine Wind by the Japanese, left 13,000 soldiers dead and the remaining Mongol ships were sent fleeing back to Chinese shores.

Talk about having the Wrath of God rain down upon you, right? But whether or not these events had the heavens directly involved in their historic outcomes, the one most certain thing is that the world could have been a far different place if fate had turned the other way.

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Sources:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18894_6-real-historic-battles-decided-by-divine-intervention.html

http://conservativerefocus.com/blogs/blog5.php/2010/12/15/six-historic-battles-decided-by-divine-intervention-from-the-irreverent-cracked

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1917022-when-freak-storms-win-battles-divine-intervention-or-just-coincidence/

Kusanagi: The Sacred Sword of Myth, Magic, and History

The sword of Kusanagi, the storied sword that completes the Imperial Regalia of Japan, is the stuff of ancient history and timeless legends abound by gods, monsters, and the few mortals who dared wield its piercing magic. But is the sword of Kusanagi, its very existence, part of real-life history? Or is this most storied blade fashioned only from tall tales forged brilliantly into an enduring legend? For us to arrive at answers, we must first take our journey back to a much, much earlier point in time. 

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The Imperial Regalia: The Three Great Treasures of Japan

Green Shinto

The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, or grass-cutting sword, makes one of the three Imperial Regalia, The Great Treasures of Japan. Along with the Kusanagi sword, the other Regalia objects consist of The Regalia Mirror Yata-no-Kagami and the Regalia Jewel Yasakani-no-Magatama. The Imperial Regalia is said to embody the three primary virtues central to the ancient and now modern Japanese society.  While the Yasakani Jewel embodies benevolence, and the Yata Mirror represents wisdom, the Kusanagi Sword is the very embodiment of valor. 

Ever since the 7th century, the presentation of The Regalia Objects to the Emperor by a priest has been an essential element to the enthronement ceremony. The enthronement ceremony is a highly private tradition in which only the emperor and selected priests have the privilege of actually laying their eyes on the sacred treasures. Two of the three treasures, the Yasakani Jewel and the Kusanagi Sword, were last seen in 1989 during the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Akihito. 

Before it was known as the Kusanagi, the sacred sword carried a different name—Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, which translates to Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. The legendary sword’s origin is one that extends to an equally legendary battle that went down between the Storm God Susanoo and the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi. 

Once in time, according to ancient Japanese lore, there existed a fearsome eight-headed serpent named Yamata-no-Orochi.  For the longest time, the monster-serpent wreaked havoc to the province of Izumo, while it terrorized the province’s ruling Ashinazuchi family. The ruling family had nine daughters, and the serpent having devoured eight of them, was coming for the last Ashinazuchi daughter. Not wanting to lose another daughter, the head of the family sought the help of the then exiled Storm God Susanoo.  

Drachen Wiki

Upon hearing the story, the Storm God Susanoo wasted no time and tracked down and attacked the eight-headed beast. His valiant efforts, however, were in vain. Orochi proved to be a formidable beast, and the Storm God was ultimately forced to retreat. Although defeated at the moment, Susanoo wasted no time as he started to devise his next plan of attack against the serpent Orochi. 

Susanoo’s plan was as cunning as it was simple. The Storm God planned on getting each of Orochi’s eight heads drunk. And so, the Storm God Susanoo went on with the preparations. He had arranged eight giant bowls of sake, Japanese rice wine, to lure out the eight-headed serpent. Orochi took the bait and fell for the trap. 

Intoxicated and asleep, the beast was defenseless when Susanoo attacked, ferociously decapitating each of Orochi’s eight heads. To make certain that Orochi was unable to regenerate and return, Susanoo with his sword chopped off the serpent’s tails. Olden stories have it that it is in one of the Orochi’s tails that Susanoo recovered a second sword, the legendary sword which at the moment he named Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, or Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven. 

Yamato Takeru: The First Kusanagi Swordsman

Wikipedia

The Sun God Susanoo did not keep custody of the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi for very long. Although a god, Susanoo was banished from heaven because of a long-standing quarrel with his sister Ameterasu, Goddess of the Sun. Wanting to make peace with Ameterasu, Susanoo gifted the Sword of Gathering Clouds to her as a peace offering thus ending his long exile. 

Entire generations have come and gone. And many generations soon after, the Sword of Gathering Clouds changed hands once more when the Sun Goddess Ameterasu presented the sword to the great warrior Yamato Takeru, the son of Emperor Keiko—the 12th Emperor of Japan. It was in the hands of Takeru that the sword claimed its present name. It was also in the hands of the great warrior that the Kusanagi extended its existence deep into the imperial line of Japan. 

According to the legend, Takeru first discovered of the sword’s magic during a hunting expedition when a rival warlord lured him onto an open grassland. The warlord had his men shoot flaming arrows, thus setting the grass ablaze, and trapping Takeru in the fiery landscape. 

Moments away from burning to his death, Yamato Takeru drew the Sword of Gathering Clouds. With a series of wild swings, he used it to cut down the grass and clear a path that he can use to escape. Olden stories tell that it was during Takeru’s desperate attempt to escape the fiery grassland that he first discovered the Kusanagi’s magical ability to control the wind. Taking advantage of its new found magic, Takeru used the Sword of Gathering Clouds to gain control of the wind and sweep the great big fire across the landscape to the direction of the rival warlord and his men. 

Celebrating his victory over the treacherous warlord and commemorating his narrow escape from death, Takeru changed the name of the sword from Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven to Grass Cutting Sword—The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. At that moment Yamato Takeru became the first man to wield the legendary Kusanagi sword. And since then, the Kusanagi bestowed upon its wielder the supreme power to be most powerful ruler in all of Japan. It is for this very reason that the Kusanagi sword, along with other Regalia Objects, are presented in the enthronement ceremony when a new Japanese Emperor assumes power.  

Historical Accounts of the Kusanagi

Sacred Texts

The earliest mention of the Kusanagi sword appeared in the ancient Japanese text, Kojiki. However, since Kojiki is a collection of Japanese myths, the text in it describing the existence of the Kusanagi is regarded less as a historical account and more as a work of early Japanese fiction. 

The first reliable historical mention of the sword is found in the Nihonshoki. Although parts of this book consist of mythological stories, the Nihonshoki prominently contains sections that recorded real-life historical events that were contemporary to its writing. In the Nihonshoki, it was the written that the Kusanagi was removed from the Imperial Palace in Nara in 668 AD after the sword was suspected to cause Emperor Tenmu’s ill health. Having been removed from the Imperial Palace, the Kusanagi was the sent to the Atsuta Shrine to be safeguarded by Shinto priests. 

Originally built 1900 years ago, the Atsuta Shrine is among the most prominent places of worship from the time of ancient Japan. As the Atsuta Shine underwent major repairs during the Edo period, the Great Grand Shinto priest Matsuoka Masanao claimed that he was able to witness the legendary blade in the flesh. Upon describing the sword, Matsuoka detailed what became the most popular account of the Kusanagi: 

 “A stone box was in the wooden box of length 150 cm, a red earth had been stuffed into a gap, a cored camphor tree log like a box shape was seen in the stone box, and gold was laid out, the sword was placed on it. A red earth was also stuffed between the stone box and the camphor tree box. The sword was about 84 cm long, shaped like calamus, the middle of the sword had a thickness, and from the grip, about 18cm is like a fish spine, fashioned in a white metallic color, and well maintained.” 

Almost immediately after witnessing the Kusanagi, the Great Grand Priest Matsuoka was banished from the Shrine, while several Shinto priests died strange deaths. 

The Tale of the Heike

Artelino

After the sword’s possession by Yamato Takeru, there are few other stories that make prominent mention of past whereabouts of the Kusanagi. In The Tale of the Heike, a 14th-century collection of Japanese epic oral poetry, the Kusanagi sword is said to have been lost at sea following the defeat of the Kusanagi owners Heike clan and the child emperor Antoku in the Naval Battle of Dan-no-Ura. 

In the story, the Emperor's grandmother upon gathering the news of their clan’s defeat led the Emperor and his men to commit suicide by jumping into the waters. It was said that the emperor’s grandmother took with her two of the Three Sacred Treasures—the Regalia Jewel Yasakani-no-Magatama, and the Regalia Sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. The Regalia Mirror, meanwhile, stayed with a lady servant. 

Stories tell that while the Regalia Jewel was salvaged in its casket floating at sea, the Kusanagi Sword was lost forever to the great waters.  The historical reliability of this account, however, is regarded as questionable as the Tale of Heike was written 200 years well after the actual Battle of Dan-no-Ura took place. In those 200 years, more than a few replicas of the Three Sacred Treasures were made and lost when rival members of the royal family soldiered their way into power. It is widely thought that the Imperial Regalia lost in the Battle of Dan-no-Ura were mere replicas, as the original Regalia Objects remained tucked away in the Atsuta Shrine. 

The Kusanagi Today

Smashing Lists

Today, it is believed that the Kusanagi sword remains safeguarded, as it was in the ancient times, well within the walls of the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. The sword’s last known appearance in modern history was when it was presented to Emperor Akihito, along with the Regalia Jewel, in his enthronement ceremony in 1989. And even then both imperial objects remained practically unseen as both were shrouded in packages.  

Whether or not the Kusanagi, and the rest of the Imperial Regalia, still exist in their original incarnations can only be the subject of wild and probably endless speculations. Perhaps the only thing that holds some semblance of certainty is that these ancient, sacred relics—part-myth and part-history in their very existence—have shaped Japan in the most real way imaginable.