Japan Quotes

It was then customary to return with the head of a killed Samurai which would be made up as if in life so the dead man could be recognized. That way, the victor received more recognition with the importance of the Samurai who he defeated.

This audacious general and Queen of one of the Roman Provinces conquered most of the area including Egypt. Then she declared her independence from the Roman Empire itself. A master of multilateral coalition leading, she was able to attract nearby provinces to join her. The Roman Emperor Aurelian himself set out to subjugate Zenobia—the Roman, Latin name. In the first battle, the Romans won a tactical victory for some territory but lost many men. The Emperor asked Bat Zabbai to surrender, but she refused in this famous reply. She was counting on the fact that the Romans would not accept the high losses she was inflicting. See Aurelian’s letter to the Roman Senate {606345}. The Romans did however did pay the price and eventually conquered Bat Zabbai and brought her to Rome as a captive. However she was very much admired by Roman society and after she pledged to not revolt against Rome, she was allowed to live in Rome—but not go back to Syria where she might raise another army. She became a major celebrity of Roman society and married a Roman Senator. Her exploits although well known at the time lapsed into obscurity in that later Roman Christian society did not see her as a fitting Christian female example, and when Islam developed in Syria, she was not considered a model Muslim woman. So a key figure in Roman history was ignored by most of the cultures until recently where the original documentation of the time has been made more widely available.

This text, generally considered the most important of all the Hindu works is believed to be the guidance given by Lord Krishna, the most important of the God figures, to has friend and devotee Arjuna. It originally was an episode of the enormous Mahabharata, the history of the ancient world written originally in Sanskrit. The date is approximate and different scholars have dated it from 500 BC to 50 BC. The Bhagavad Gita is generally regarded as the most concise description of Hindu philosophy. For Christians this notion is not a general one although it has evolved very strongly outside of religion in some subcultures such as Spain. But for Islam and the Hindu religion this notion is an integral component of the religious philosophy.

The proverb dates from the Samurai era of Japan where the Samurai in battle wore metal and leather protective helmets. These were secured to their heads by a tight helmet chord. Many societies, after a war and desiring peace would reduce the spending for the military, eliminate conscription, and weapons production. The result often was a more attractive target for enemies wanting land or revenge. Thus, the proverb warns that immediately after a victory, prepare for the next battle and do not let your guard down.

At that point the Japanese were losing the war on every front. It is not clear whether Hirohito would actually have done such and not tried to escape in the end, however he certainly expected his subjects, military and civilian to do so. That expectation and the behavior of the Japanese troops fighting to the death on many islands was a powerful factor in leading Truman, Marshall and other key American leaders to use the Atomic Bomb. See Marshall: {641063}

Response to an offer by Commodore Preble to exchange prisoners.

This statement is perhaps the greatest and most eloquent description of the United States exceptionalism and its behavior in WWII. Such a statement could only come from a non-American.