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| Ceremonial Axe used for launching Aegis destroyer DDG-179 JS Maya. Photo JMSDF |
While researching on Japan's new Taigei-class submarine recently, I came across photographs and videos of the ship naming and launching ceremony featuring the guest of honour, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, wielding an exquisitely decorated axe for cord cutting. That certainly piqued my interest as the use of this ceremonial axe seems to be common in many Japanese ship launching events involving both warships and merchant vessels. It also appears to be a uniquely Japanese custom as most shipbuilders elsewhere in the world would use mallets, gavels or scissors for cord or ribbon cutting. And by the way, did I mention that they are all made of silver and have special engravings for protection against evil spirits?
In this article we explore the traditions of Japanese ship naming and launching ceremony and the origins of this silver ship launching axe.
Ceremonial Ship Launching
Ceremonial ship launching is a maritime tradition that that dates back thousands of years. It is an important milestone in shipbuilding and marks the first time that the vessel is transferred into water. It is frequently observed as a public celebration and will also be a time to call for solemn blessings through religious rites or other appropriate processes for the safety and good fortune of the new vessel, its crew and its passengers.
As one would expect, different cultures would have evolved different methodology for their naming and launching traditions which can change with the passage of time. The Babylonians had been known to sacrifice oxen while the Vikings sacrificed slaves for blood offerings to their sea gods during the launch of their new ships. Fortunately, these barbaric customs were no longer practiced by medieval times as wine had largely substituted blood as an offering during such ceremonies.
Since the Europeans were a global maritime power and were at the forefront of the shipbuilding industry at least until the turn of the twentieth century, it is probably safe to say that most contemporary ship launching ceremonies would be based either in part or wholly on the Western customs and traditions. It would typically involve a mass celebration where the ship sponsor, usually a female civilian, would have the honour of releasing the ship into water. She would be standing on a platform built around the bow of the ship as it rest on the slipway and at the time of choosing, she would break a bottle of wine or champagne over the bow, wish the vessel and all those who would sail in it good luck, and operate the mechanism that would slide the vessel into the water.
During the Meiji Restoration beginning from 1868, Japan embarked on rapid industrialization and militarization by assimilating the wisdom and technology of the western powers and adapting them as necessary. Technical advisors from Europe were hired to teach the Japanese the most advanced western thinking and practices while Japanese students were sent abroad to study in the most prestigious continental universities. British naval officers were seconded to help train and indoctrinate Japanese sailors. Many of the Imperial Japanese Navy's early pre-dreadnaught battleships including the famed Mikasa were constructed by European yards, until the Japanese managed to acquire the knowledge and expertise to construct these capital ships themselves from the subsequent Taisho era onwards. So there had been plenty of opportunity for western influence in maritime customs and traditions within the fledgling Japanese navy and shipbuilding industry at the turn of the 20th century.
Currently, Japanese ship naming and launching procedures largely mirror those of the western cultures with minor variations, like the use of the silver cord cutting axe. The ship launching ceremony is known as 進水式 ( shinsuishiki ) while the christening ceremony is known as 命名式 ( meimeishiki ). The special axe is referred to as the 進水斧 ( shinsuifu ).
Ship naming and launching ceremony of destroyer JS Shiranui
Japanese Shipbuilding Industry
Japan did not have any modern form of ship building capacity until the second half of the 19th century for one important reason. For more than 200 years, the isolationist foreign policy ( 鎖国 sakoku - locked state ) of the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled over feudal Japan prohibited the construction and possession of large ocean-going ships. Enacted in 1635, the large ship construction ban ( 大船建造の禁 ) would outlaw the building of ships larger than 500 koku ( 75 tonnes ) with the exception of commercial vessels. As a result, the most common Japanese vessels of that era are the small single mast coastal boats known as bezaisen ( 弁才船 ) or sengokubune ( 千石船 ).
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| Japan Post 1975 Ship Series : Sengokubune ( left ) and frigate Shoheimaru |
These restrictive legislation were only revoked after the gunboat diplomacy of Commodore Perry's Black Ship Expedition in 1853 shocked the shogunate to open up the country to trade and to aspire to build a modern navy to avoid being colonized by western powers. Within a few years, iron foundries, dockyards, a ship engine repair facility and a naval training institute were set up and the various samurai domains were encouraged by the shogunate to built western-style warships. Initially through trial and error, experimentation, and later by the direct importation of western technology, Japan progressed to full-blown industrialization through its gradual build-up of domestic expertise and continued adoption and adaptation of western technology.
Slipway Launching And Associated Tools
One of the first few western style ships built by Japan after the ship construction ban was abolished was the schooner Heda ( 戸田号 ) in 1855. It was built for the Russian admiral and diplomat Yevfimiy Putyatin as an urgent replacement for his frigate Diana which was sunk by a tsunami triggered by the Ansei-Tokai earthquake. With a length of 24m and displacing 100 tons, it was launched via a western type wooden slipway, a first for Japan.
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| Launch ceremony of the schooner Heda 7th Mar 1855 on western style wooden slipway. Image : Wikipedia. |
Thereafter, the slipway gradually became the method of choice for launching large ships in Japan. By 1872, the Yokosuka Shipyards had even constructed rails for launching large vessels. The slipway stern-first ship launching method would invariably require some holding and releasing device known as launching triggers, to prevent the unintended release of the ship until the desired moment. The release of these triggers frequent involved severing of cords or rope with cutting tools such as a mallet and chisel combination which was commonly used in 19th century Europe.
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| Gavel and chisel used for launching the royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert in 1855. Image : National Maritime Museum |
According to Kakizaki Sadao, a member of the Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers, in Japan, it was at Yokosuka where cord or rope cutting during ship launching ceremony was first recorded. This occurred in 1885 at the launch ceremony of the Imperial Navy sloop Katsuragi ( 葛城 ) but the type of cutting tool involved was not specified. Many more ships including the corvette Musashi ( 武蔵 ) launched the following year and the gunboat Chokai ( 鳥海 ), launched in 1887 at the Ishikawajima-Hirano Shipyard, would be put to sea in this way, involving rope cutting and sliding down slipways.
Subsequently, there were records of axe usage during the launch of the protected cruisers Hashidate in 1891 and Akitsushima in 1892 but they prove difficult to verify and it is believed that the usual mallet and chisel were used.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the tonnage of Japanese constructed vessels had began to increase exponentially and consequently the size of the cables and ropes used during construction and launch had also increased. Cutting them became difficult with the usual small blades and shears and that eventually lead to the introduction of guillotine mechanisms and axes for more efficient cutting.
Cultural Significance Of The Axe
In ancient China, the broadaxe had always been held as a symbol of imperial authority and were presented to high ranking officials and military commanders to bestow upon them power and status. It is sometimes depicted on coat-of-arms and other forms of heraldry.
In Japan, the axe has been used in Shinto rituals such as during the periodic reconstruction of its most sacred Ise Grand Shrine. The Naiku or inner shine is constructed from Japanese cypress and two giant cypress trees had to be fell with axes using an ancient method which involved cutting the trunk from 3 sides. The blades are grooved with 3 streaks on the left face and 4 on the other side representing several Japanese deities believed to protect the bearer from evil spirits especially when working in remote mountainous areas. The axes used for cutting these sacred trees ( 御神木 oshinboku ) as well as many ordinary forestry worker's axes are frequently seen shrouded with a braided hemp cover to protect the cutting edge when not in use.
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| Lumberjack's broadaxe with 4 grooves on the right side. Image : Forest Research and Management Organisation Japan |
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| JS Izumo's axe with 3 grooves on the left side. Photo : JMSDF |
Origins of the Silver Ship Launching Axe
The modern Japanese ship launching axe could have its origins traced back to 1907, the 40th year of the Meiji Era, where Koyama Kichiro ( 小山吉郎 ) the chief of the ship building department of the Sasebo Naval Arsenal ( 佐世保海軍工廠 ) proposed the use of an axe for the launching of the cruiser Tone. The ceremony was attended by the crown prince. Like many existing Japanese axes, his proposed ship launching axe would also have grooves carved into the blade face itself in the usual pattern, 3 on the left and 4 on the right. As mention earlier the grooves represent the various Japanese gods and when used during the ceremonial launching were supposed to confer divine protection to the ship and all those onboard. Silver or gold is used in making the axe as these precious metals are believed to have special warding effects against demons and evil things.
The use of these ship launching axes were not officially sanctioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy and their usage was dependent on the decision of the director of each individual shipyard. In 1909 when a young engineer officer known as Nagamura Kiyoshi ( 永村清 ) was transferred from Sasebo to the Kure Naval Arsenal, he brought with him the launching axe culture.
At Kure, the first recorded use of the axe was at the launching ceremony of the dreadnought Settsu ( 攝津 ) in 1911. For the next several years the shipyard would support the use of both the axe as well as the traditional mallet and chisel. The launch of Submarine Number 23 ( later renamed Ro-13 ) in 1919 for example still involved using the mallet and chisel which is known as tsuchi to nomi ( 槌とのみ ) in Japanese. In had been estimated that it took 15 years before the use of the ship launching axe became regular and exclusive at the Kure Naval Arsenal, permanently replacing the mallet and chisel.
Further west at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal, it is not clear when the usage of the launching axe had began but textbooks describing the launch of the battleship Mutsu in 1920 still mentioned about mallet and chisel. However, the launch of the cruiser Myoko in 1927 was said to involve the use of a broadaxe ( 鉞 masakari ). Coincidentally, that was also the year that Nagamura Kiyoshi, by then a rear admiral, was transferred from Kure to Yokosuka. It might have been easy to postulate that he had popularised ritual axe usage as a result of his transfers among the various naval yards. In any case, it probably took more then 20 years for the culture of the ship launching axe to be entrenched within the naval ship building community. From then onwards, the launching of government vessels and subsequently most civilian ships would have featured the ship launching axe.
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| Launching axe of mine sweeper MSO-306 JS Etajima. Photo : JMSDF |
Evolution And Variations
The early pre-WWII ship launching axe is usually of simple design without much fanfare comprising of a metal blade attached to a wooden handle. The name of the ship and details such as the date and location of the launching ceremony, sponsor or the guest-of-honour, are usually printed or engraved on the handle. They are rarely adorned with any precious stones or expensive jewelry. Several examples have survived and are found in the private museum collections of shipyards as well as naval and maritime museums like the Kure Maritime Museum a.k.a. Yamato Museum.
Contemporary ship lunching axes can have more elaborate designs and may have the ends of the wooden handles wrapped with metal or may even feature an all-metal handle. They can also have ribbons or tassels attached. Some may also come in a set which includes a matching mallet for striking the axe. They may also sometimes come in a pair of two axes for two guests to concurrently perform the act of cord cutting. This occurred during the launch of the helicopter carrier JS Izumo.
In a survey of 60 post-war ship launching axes, Kakizaki Sadao discovered that the lengths varied between 191mm to 386mm while the weights were between 305g to 1233g. The cost of material alone can be considerable if the blades were to be entirely forged with silver!
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| Launching axe of DD-120 JS Shiranui ( 不知火 ). Photo : JMSDF |
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| Launching axe of SS-512 JS Toryu next to the cutting block and cord Photo : JMSDF |
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| Mallet and axe set for AOS-5203 JS Aki. Photo JMSDF |
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| Double axe during the launch of DDH-183 JS Izumo. Photo : JMSDF |
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| Simultaneous cord cutting during the launch of JS Izumo. Photo : JMSDF |
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| Launching ceremony of Aegis destroyer DDG-180 JS Haguro Photo : JMSDF |
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| The cutting block with remnants of the cord during the launch of JS Haguro. Photo : JMSDF |
The Sacred Blade
The main distinguishing feature between a normal utilitarian axe and a sacred Japanese axe are the presence of grooves on both sides of the blade representing the highest ranking Japanese deities. The three grooves on the left symbolise the Shinto creator gods Izanagi, his wife Izanami and their daughter the sun goddess Amaterasu. The four grooves on the right represent the Four Heavenly Kings, Tamon-ten, Zocho-ten, Jikoku-ten and Komoku-ten, Buddhist gods that are believed to be watching the four cardinal directions of the world. Shintoism and Buddhism are the two most common religion in Japan and by including deities from both faiths on the axe blade, the Japanese seem to have all their bases covered.
In Japanese mythology, Izanagi ( 伊邪那岐 ) and his twin sister-wife Izanami ( 伊邪那美 ) were the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested after the creation of heaven and earth. Upon receiving orders to from the other gods to shape the earth which was then a formless swirl of aquatic chaos, the couple churned the waters with the jeweled spear Amenonuhoko and the brine that dripped from the tip of the spear formed island Onogoro-shima. They settled on the new land mass and their union lead to not only the birth of the eight islands of the Japanese archipelago but also to more deities to inhabit these islands.
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| Izanagi and Izanami with jeweled spear Image : Wikipedia |
Unfortunately, Izanami died after giving birth to the fire god Kagutsuchi. Wishing to see his wife again, Izanagi ventured to Yomi no kuni ( 黄泉の国 ), the land of the dead, but was informed by Izanami that she had already consumed food from Yomi and could no longer return to the land of the living. Breaking his promise not to look at her, Izanagi lighted a torch while Izanami was asleep and was shocked to find her in a horrible state of decay. Terrified, he fled, chased by his indignant wife and the minions that she had unleashed after him. Izanagi barely made it to the boundary between the living and the dead and sealed the entrance to Yomi with a large boulder. Feeling contaminated by his visit to Yomi he then purified himself by bathing in a river from which more deities came into being - the sun goddess Amaterasu-Omikami ( 天照大御神 ) when he washed his left eye, the moon goddess Tsukuyomi when he washed his right eye and the impetuous god Susanoo when he washed his nose. Collectively they are referred to as " The Three Precious Children " of the creator god Izanagi.
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| Sun goddess Amaterasu. Image : Ise Grand Shrine |
Amaterasu the sun goddess is also the ruler of Takamagahara, the abode of the heavenly gods and the mythical ancestor of the Japanese imperial house via her grandson Ninigi, who is said to be the great-grandfather of Japan's fist emperor, Emperor Jimmu. Her main place of worship is the Grand Shine of Ise at Ise, Mie Prefecture, the holiest of all Shinto sites.
The Four Heavenly Kings ( 四天王 shitenno ) are benevolent Buddhist gods that watch over much of the world bringing peace, prosperity, and protection from evil. They are frequently depicted as fierce-looking red or green faced towering figures dressed in a full suite of armour and they each have their own preferred weapon.
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| Tamon-ten Statue at the Rengein Tanjoji Temple, Kumamoto. Image : Wikipedia |
Tamon-ten ( 多聞天 ) is the chief of the Heavenly Kings and the protector of the north. He is also the guardian of the place that Buddha preaches. He is frequently seen carrying an umbrella or sometimes a spear in one hand and a small pagoda in the other. The pagoda represents the divine treasure house whose content Tamon-ten both guards and gives away. In Japanese folklore he is one of the Seven Gods of Fortune ( 七福神 shichifukujin ).
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| Zocho-ten statue at the Rengein Tanjoji Temple, Kumamoto. Image : Wikipedia |
Zocho-ten ( 増長天 ) - he who causes growth, is the protector of the south and is frequently depicted as a blue-faced warrior general carrying a sword or a spear trampling over an evil spirit known as a jaki ( 邪鬼 ). He is the defender of the Buddhist Dharma and will guard Buddhist followers from dangers and enemies.
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| Jikoku-ten statue at the Rengein Tanjoji Temple, Kumamoto. Image : Wikipedia |
Jikoku-ten ( 持国天 ) - he who upholds the realm, is the protector of the east and is sometimes seen carrying a Japanese lute which is also known as the biwa ( 琵琶 ). Otherwise he might be holding a sword and also stepping over a cowering jaki. He is harmonious and compassionate and protects all beings. He is also the god of music and uses his tunes to convert others to Buddhism.
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| Komoku-ten statue at the Rengein Tanjoji Temple, Kumamoto. Image : Wikipedia |
Komoku-ten ( 広目天 ) - he who sees all, is the protector of the west. He has a divine eye which allows him to identify non-believers and will convert them to Buddhism. He is frequently seen holding a serpent or a cord which symbolises the dragon. He is the lord of all dragons.
With such powerful deities onboard, what's there to be afraid of? Still plenty, as it turns out.
Sea Monsters And Boat Spirits
Japan is a nation mostly covered with high mountain ranges, with dense forests inhabited by dangerous creatures. The archipelago is surrounded by treacherous waters and its people have to constantly deal with natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It is therefore not surprising that in attempts to explain some of these incomprehensible natural phenomenon, Japanese folklore is full of stories about ghosts ( 鬼 Oni ), spirits ( 幽霊 Yurei ) and monsters ( 妖怪 Yokai ). Here are just a small selection of supernatural beings that Japanese mariners fear.
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| The Umibozu or sea priest. Wikipedia |
The Umibozu ( 海坊主 ) or sea priest is a sea spirit that can suddenly appear on calm seas which will then turn tumultuous. They have eyes and take the form a black mass which resembles the bald head of the Japanese monk. The Umibozu's length can vary between few meters to few tens of meters and so can be quite gigantic. It can either break a ship upon emergence or else would demand a bucket or barrel from sailors and then proceed to drown them. It is believed that the only safe way to evade the Umibozu is to give it a bottomless barrel and sail away while it is confused.
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| Funayurei with hishaku or ladle. Wikipedia |
The Funayurei ( 船幽霊 ) or ship spirit are vengeful ghosts believed to be the souls of people who have died in shipwrecks. They use hishaku ( bamboo spoon or ladle ) to fill boats with water and sink them or else will drag people underwater to drown them. They often appear on rainy days, during new moon or full moon and on stormy nights and foggy nights. Rising from the depths of the sea clad in white kimono-like attire and with their long hair trailing in the water, these spirits will always demand a hishaku from the sailors. If the demand is complied with, a single hishaku will in an instant turn into a countless number of hishakus which the Funayurei will use to swamp the boat with water and drown all the sailors. It is said that a wise captain always carries a ladle with holes drilled at the bottom when sailing in Funayurei infested waters. Giving the spirits this leaking spoon will render one's ship immune from sinking.
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| Kaika or ghostly lights. Wikipedia |
The Ayakashi ( アヤカシ ) is a general term for various yokai that appear on the surface of the water. One particular legend originating from Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, relates to the Ayakashi no Kaika ( 怪火 ), literally meaning strange fire or ghostly lights. These luminous apparitions frequently appear on beaches in the evening and looks as if a child is running around within the flame. They can also appear as floating fires on the water surface and can suddenly transform into massive boulders or land masses in an attempt to panic the ship into changing course and then run aground on a reef or sink. No harm will come to the ship or crew if the captain stays calm enough to call the Kaika's bluff and hold the ship's course.
If you wish to learn more about Japanese yokai and yurei, a good place to start would be Mizuki Shigeru's manga series GeGeGe no Kitaro ( げげげの鬼太郎 ) or Kitaro of the Graveyard. The anime series Demon Slayer : Kimetsu no Yaiba ( 鬼滅の刃 ) is also highly recommended. Its movie offshoot - the Mugen Train was the fastest movie to rake in 10 billion yen in the Japanese box-office in Oct 2020.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
With such imaginative and colourful folklore about supernatural beings, its no wonder the Japanese mariners needed to call upon their highest deities for protection. The use of the ship launching axe is a cultural phenomenon that had began within the defense community but had subsequently been widely adopted even by the civilian ship builders within just a few decades. It is not found anywhere else and is entirely unique to Japan. With such deep religious, cultural and historical background, Japan's sacred ship launching axe should be deemed an intangible cultural heritage. I would wholeheartedly support its nomination to the UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Lastly, it would not seem appropriate to end without mentioning a little more about Koyama Kichiro, the proponent of the ship launching axe.
Koyama was born on 1 Mar 1860 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture. He graduated from the Engineering Institute, University of Tokyo in 1883 and started work at Ishikawajima Ship Building as a drafter. He was employed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1884 and was posted to Onohama Ship Building with the rank of Assistant Engineer 1.
By 1887 he was chief of the drafting section and was made a lieutenant ( technical ) in 1888. He was transferred to Kure Naval Arsenal in 1890 and remained there until his sabbatical to Germany in 1896. He was promoted in rank to Commander ( constructor ) before his recall back to Japan in 1900. He then joined the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal as the acting chief of shipbuilding. He would be promoted to Captain ( constructor ) in 1902.
From 1903 to 1908, Koyama was the Chief of the Shipbuilding Department at Sasebo Naval Arsenal where he came up with the idea of the ship launching axe. After that, he was transferred to Maizuru Naval Yard where he would stay until 1911. During this period he was conferred the title of Constructor General. He was back at Yokosuka from 1911 to 1913 after which he was put to the reserves.
He obtained a doctorate in engineering in 1915 and was promoted in rank to rear-admiral ( constructor ) in 1919. He retired in 1923 and died on 25th Feb 1929 age 68 years old.
That's all for now and we'll have more about Japan's ship launching ceremony and the " Warship March " in the next article.
