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Hosokawa Takakuni (1484-1531) was the most powerful military commander in the Muromachi Period under the 12th shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiharu. He was a member of the Hosokawa clan, and adopted brother to Hosokawa Sumimoto.<br/><br/> In 1507, he aided his brother in avenging the death of their adopted father, Hosokawa Masamoto, at the hands of Hosokawa Sumiyuki. However, he betrayed his adopted brother and the head of the Hosokawa clan when the previous shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiki, was returned to power in 1508. He became the new head of the clan, monopolising much of the shogunate's power in the next few years, turning Yoshiki into a puppet shogun.<br/><br/> When Yoshiki escaped his 'captivity' in 1521, Takakuni made Ashikaga Yoshiharu the new shogun. He was eventually purged from Kyoto, the capital, in 1527, by an alliance between Myoshi Motonaga and Hosokawa Harumoto. His army was defeated in 1531, and he tried to hide in an alcohol storage room in Amagasaki, Settsu Province, before he was discovered and, rather than be captured, committed suicide.
Hosokawa Sumimoto (1489-1520) was a samurai commander who lived during the Muromachi Period, in 16th century Japan. A member of the Hosokawa Clan in Awa Province, he succeeded his adopted father Hosokawa Masamoto as leader of the clan, creating a rift between Sumimoto and Hosokawa Sumiyuki, who was originally going to succeed.<br/><br/> In 1507, Masamoto was killed by a servant of Sumiyuki's, while Sumimoto was attacked by a retainer but managed to escape to take refuge at Rokkaku Takayori, in Omi Province. A loyal follower of Sumimoto's, Miyoshi Yukinaga, raised an army and destroyed Sumiyaki, allowing Sumimoto to return and succeed the house in proper form.<br/><br/> When Ashikaga Yoshiki, the previous Shogun who had been deposed by Sumimoto's adopted father, was returned to power in 1508, Sumimoto was forced to flee and rebel. He fought and lost multiple battles, and eventually died after fleeing back to his home province of Awa.
Karakuri-zui was written by Hosokawa Hanzo Yorinao, and was published in the Edo period (1798). This, Japan's oldest manuscript of mechanical engineering, consists of three volumes. They were later reprinted in Osaka and Kyoto. The compendium details the structure and the construction process of clocks (wadokei, jp. 和時計) and automated (Karakuri ningyō, jp. からくり人形) mechanical dolls, and it explains not only the techniques, but also about the spirit of making these mechanical devices.
Karakuri-zui was written by Hosokawa Hanzo Yorinao, and was published in the Edo period (1798). This, Japan's oldest manuscript of mechanical engineering, consists of three volumes. They were later reprinted in Osaka and Kyoto. The compendium details the structure and the construction process of clocks (wadokei, jp. 和時計) and automated (Karakuri ningyō, jp. からくり人形) mechanical dolls, and it explains not only the techniques, but also about the spirit of making these mechanical devices.
Karakuri-zui was written by Hosokawa Hanzo Yorinao, and was published in the Edo period (1798). This, Japan's oldest manuscript of mechanical engineering, consists of three volumes. They were later reprinted in Osaka and Kyoto. The compendium details the structure and the construction process of clocks (wadokei, jp. 和時計) and automated (Karakuri ningyō, jp. からくり人形) mechanical dolls, and it explains not only the techniques, but also about the spirit of making these mechanical devices.
Kamikaze ('divine wind') were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible.<br/><br/> Kamikaze pilots would attempt to crash their aircraft into enemy ships in planes laden with explosives, bombs, torpedoes and full fuel tanks. The aircraft's normal functions (to deliver torpedoes or bombs or shoot down other aircraft) were put aside, and the planes were converted to what were essentially manned missiles in an attempt to reap the benefits of greatly increased accuracy and payload over that of normal bombs.<br/><br/> The goal of crippling as many Allied ships as possible, particularly aircraft carriers, was considered critical enough to warrant the combined sacrifice of pilots and aircraft.<br/><br/> These attacks, which began in October 1944, followed several critical military defeats for the Japanese. They had long lost aerial dominance due to outdated aircraft and the loss of experienced pilots. On a macroeconomic scale, Japan experienced a decreasing capacity to wage war, and a rapidly declining industrial capacity relative to the United States. The Japanese government expressed its reluctance to surrender. In combination, these factors led to the use of kamikaze tactics as Allied forces advanced towards the Japanese home islands.