Gunkan Machi : The Sprightly Japanese Naval March That Even The Chinese Found Irresistible

 

Gunkan March written in calligraphy. Image : JMSDF

You might be familiar with military marches such as " Anchors Aweigh " of the US Naval Academy or the British " Colonel Bogey " march adopted in the 1957 film " The Bridge on the River Kwai ", but have you heard of  Japan's number one military march, the Gunkan Koshinkyoku?

The Gunkan Machi ( 軍艦マーチ ), officially known as the Gunkan Koshinkyoku ( 軍艦行進曲 ), is a military march composed in 1897 by Setoguchi Tokichi. Translated, it is invariably known as the Warship March or the March " Man-Of-War ".  It was the official naval march of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) and currently that of its modern day successor the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF ).

It has a storied past in its more than a century of existence and was banned for a few years by the US occupation forces after World War II, in part due to its controversial imperialistic and militaristic lyrics. The march was resurrected with the formation of the JMSDF and is frequently played during ship naming and launching ceremonies for both warships and sometimes merchantmen as well. In post-war Japan, this much beloved tune continues to endear Japanese hearts and can found in CD compilations and can be heard as background music streaming from pachinko machines and arcade video game consoles.

It even has a commemorative monument erected in its honour at the Mikasa Park in the port city of Yokosuka, and that is an uncommon feat. How many of the world's great marches have had their own monument? And did I mention that this march has such a catchy rhythm and tune that even the Chinese could not resist using it during one of their graduation ceremony? But more of that later.

We can begin by listening to the Gunkan March being played by the JMSDF Band, Tokyo at the Tokyo Opera City at the 50th Regular Concert in 2011. The video can also be accessed here. 

The Gunkan March

I honestly could not  recall when I first heard the Gunkan March being played but it was likely a few years ago when watching one of the launching ceremony of a Japanese warship. After listening to it a few times being played on different events, it must have dawned on me that this had to be some official tune sanctioned by the JMSDF. The more I listened to it, the more appealing it became. I was so intrigued by it that I started to research on its origins and history, and what a treasure cove of information I discovered.

The Gunkan March could have its origins traced to lyrics written by the multi-talented educator, naturalist and lyricist Toriyama Hiraku ( 鳥山啓 ) in 1893 entitled " Man-of-War " ( Gunkan ). It was made into a military song with music composed by Yamada Genichiro and was selected for the Compilation of Elementary School Songs edited by educator Isawa Shuji ( 伊澤修二 ). You can listen to this original Gunkan military song set to a very different tune and tempo here. If the song does not play automatically, right click on the black bar below the photo of the songbook and select reload frame.

Original Gunkan military song composed by Yamada Genichiro
in the Collection of Elementary School Songs, published on
18th Aug1893. Photo : JMSDF Band, Tokyo

In 1897, Setoguchi Tokichi ( 瀬戸口藤吉 ), then a warrant officer in the music corps of the navy, created a new composition to the lyrics and the Gunkan March came into being. In modern English, naval vessels are known as warships, but in those pre-dreadnought days towards the end of the nineteenth century when the march was composed, they were commonly known as man-of-war. Hence the Gunkan March is also frequently referred to in English as the March " Man-of-War".

The exact date which the Gunkan March premiered has been lost in history but music critic, composer and lyricist Horiuchi Keizo ( 堀内敬三 ) reckons it to be 30th April 1900 during the fleet review off Kobe, played by the naval band onboard the flagship, the battleship Fuji. He came to the conclusion based on the recollections of the naval band personnel. However, according to the JMSDF Band, Tokyo website, historical records indicated that the Fuji remained at anchor during the fleet review due to an unexpected epidemic and Emporor Meiji conducted the review onboard the cruiser Asama. So Horiuchi could have had either the date or the venue wrong.

The Lyrics

It is interesting to note that the march was originally composed in B-flat major but was found to be too difficult for men to manage. It was transposed first to G major and then finally to F major towards the end of the Taisho era.

In its initial form, the Gunkan March lyrics consisted of the two verses from Toriyama's " Gunkan ". Later, a third verse known as the Umi Yukaba ( 海行かば ) which has its origins from the Manyoshu ( 万葉集 ) manuscripts, an ancient collection of poetry in Classical Japanese, would be inserted to the march as a middle portion to form a trio. In the latest iteration however, the Umi Yukaba portion would be rearranged as the third verse.

I personally find the lyrics rather disturbing, even macabre, especially the Umi Yukaba portion. They are shown here with the corresponding translation, not as any form of endorsement for the expansionist and militaristic ideology of Imperial Japan, but for facilitating the understanding of the history and evolution of the march itself.

軍艦行進曲 Warship March

守るも攻むるも黒鐵の Black steel that excels in defense and attack

浮かべる城ぞ頼みなる Reliable castles over the water

浮かべるその城日の本の Floating fortresses of the Japanese Imperium

皇国の四方を守るべし Protecting the four corners of the Empire

真鐵のその艦日の本に Japan's fleet of steel

仇なす國を攻めよかし Will attack and triumph over the enemy

石炭の煙は大洋の Columns over coal fire smoke over the great ocean

龍かとばかり靡くなり Adrift with the winds as if soaring with dragons

弾撃つ響きは雷の Thunderous clap from exploding shells

聲かとばかり響むなり Reverberate over the sea

萬里の波濤を乗り越えて Riding the waves for ten thousand miles

皇国の光輝かせ For the glory of the Empire

海行かば Should I perish at sea

水漬く屍 I'll be a corpse awash

山行かば If I expire in the mountains

草生す屍 The grass be my pall

大君の辺にこそ死なめ To sacrifice my life for my sovereign

かえりみはせじ I have no regrets

JMSDF Bands from the various naval districts frequently play the Gunkan March in its instrumental form without singing the lyrics, which is the way I most prefer.

A well used Gunkan March score.
Photo : JMSDF Band, Tokyo

Ceremonial Use

The Gunkan Koshikyoku is one of ten musical compositions selected by the JMSDF for ceremonial use in 1961. Of these seven were also found on the IJN's list of ceremonial music established in Aug 1912. Adopted as the JMSDF's official ceremonial march, the use of the Gunkan March is only sanctioned under the following circumstances :

During fleet reviews ( 観艦式 kankanshiki ) and military parades ( 観閲式 kanetsushiki )

During ship commissioning ( 引渡式 hikiwatashishiki ) and flag awarding ceremonies ( 旗授与式 hatajyuyoshiki )

During ship naming ( 命名式 meimeishiki ) and launching ceremonies ( 進水式 shinsuishiki )

Any other approved occasions such as military academy graduation ceremonies, port entry and departure ceremonies for visiting ships, publicity events, and lastly, concerts and tattoos.

Multi-purpose frigate JS Kumano goes down the slipway
amidst the tune of the Gunkan March, 19th Nov 2020.
Photo JMSDF

Ship Naming & Launching 

Japanese ship naming and launching ceremonies always follow a strict sequence. For a typical dry dock ceremony, the opening speech comes first, followed by the singing or instrumental rendition of the national anthem the Kimigayo. Then the guest of honor, usually the Minister for Defense, would name the ship. Preparations to launch the ship follows, with shipyard workers scurrying to remove dog shores and choke pins. Then comes the rope cutting that will start the ship moving down the slipway into the water.

The military band is usually stationed near the bow of the ship, sometimes said to be near enough to smell the champagne when the bottle is smashed against the bow. They will start playing the Gunkan Koshinkyoku the moment the rope is cut, many a times just milliseconds before the bottle hits the bow and the giant confetti ball bursts open.

The speed of the ship going down the slipway frequently means that the ship is already in the water way before the naval band could finish playing even the first verse of the march. The blessing whistle would have been sounded by other ships in the surrounding waters at this stage and the ceremony gradually draws to a close.

The above JMSDF video shows the launch of the destroyer Asahi ( DD-119 ) at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki shipyard in 2016.

Ship's company march to the tune of the Gunkan Koshinkyoku
during the commissioning of the Aegis destroyer JS Maya.
Photo : JMSDF

Commissioning and Flag Awarding Ceremony

Ship commissioning ceremonies in the JMSDF similarly follow a set routine, with the vessel by the wharf and the ship's complement standing at attention near to it. The VIP arrives and inspects the contingent. The opening speeches are delivered and the initiation of the commissioning by the Minister for Defense or an appointed representative is carried out. The shipyard representative formally hands over the ship to the Minister for Defense. At this stage, the shipyard's flag is lowered for the last time onboard the vessel signifying the final process of ownership transfer. The commanding officer of the ship then receives the state flag from the Chief of the Maritime Staff and marches to hand the flag to his deputy. The deputy will lead the ship's company to board the vessel, marching to the beat of the Gunkan Koshinkyoku played by the naval band.

Once onboard, the national anthem is played and the state flag is raised for the first time on the vessel. The Chief of the Maritime Staff then comes onboard and gives a speech to the ship's company, followed by another speech by the CO of the vessel. The ship prepares to sail while the bouquet presentation ceremony takes place at the wharf side. The CO then reports to the Chief of the Maritime Staff for permission to sail. As the vessel casts off, the naval band plays the Gunkan Koshinkyoku again for the second time during the ceremony. The invited guests and all the naval brass then gather at the wharf side to wave goodbye to the departing ship amidst the Auld Lang Syne tune.

The above video shows the commissioning of the improved Soryu-class submarine the Oryu ( SS-511 ), the world's first lithium-ion battery powered diesel-electric submarine, at Mitsubishi's Kobe shipyard on 5th March 2020.

 

Unofficial Use

As mentioned earlier, various iterations of the Gunkan March as been used as background music ( BGM ) in all sorts of places in Japan. The most common would be BGM from those pinball machines in the ubiquitous pachinko palours found in every Japanese town or city. It can also be heard streaming from video game machines in arcades and sometimes as BGM in elevators.

It is also frequently used in commercial advertisements, not just within Japan but also in Taiwan and South East Asia where Japanese influence is strong.

Bama ( Myanmar ) Doe Ye Tatmadaw
official military song. Image : JMSDF

Burmese Military Song

An adulterated version of the Gunkan March even became adopted by the Burmese military ( Tatmadaw ) as their official military song. Known as the Myanmar Doe Ye Tatmadaw March, it is played on the Army Broadcast every morning and any self-respecting Burmese would be familiar with the song. It can be heard on the JMSDF Band, Tokyo website here. If the audio does not play automatically, right click on the black bar below the photo of the score and select reload frame.

How this came to be has an interesting history and has everything to do with General Aung San, the Burmese politician and revolutionary, founder of the Burmese Armed Forces and father of Myanmar's recently ousted State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. 

The older Aung San had been fighting for independence from Burma's colonial rulers, the British, and fled Burma shortly before the outbreak of World War II to seek support from Chinese communists. By a twist of fate, he was recruited by the Japanese who promised support. Together with a core of 30 revolutionaries ( 30 comrades ), they were educated in the Japanese language and trained with the Imperial Japanese Army where they were exposed to many different Japanese military songs or gunka ( 軍歌 ). Among all the songs, they were so smitten with the Gunkan March that they adopted it as their official military song when the Burmese Armed Forces was subsequently founded in 1945. 

In the Doe Ye Tatmadaw, the original lyrics of the Gunkan March has simply been replaced by Burmese words. The tune had been slightly changed here and there but it is still recognizable as a foreign or adulterated version of the Gunkan March. It is constantly being played as BGM at the Defense Services Museum of Naypyidaw, the world's biggest military museum and the white elephant monument that the military junta built for itself. 

What's surprising to me is that the official JMSDF Band, Tokyo website has a fairly detail write-up on this illegitimate version of its Gunkan March and even plays the Doe Ye Tatdamaw when the web page is first opened. It does not seem to be bothered by the infringement of copyrights by the Tatmadaw. 

I am no expert in copyright laws, but the copyright lengths typically lasts for the lifetime of the author or composer plus another 50 to 70 years ( In Japan Life + 70 years ) and Setoguchi passed away in 1941. So the Doe Ye Tatmadaw was created when Setoguchi's composition was still protected under intellectual laws which should be enforceable. Even though 80 years had passed since Setoguchi's death and the copyrights to his masterpiece would have lapsed based on commercial principles, would it apply to the official march of a national institute like the JMSDF? Wouldn't sovereign nations have perpetual rights to their national anthems for example? 

Chinese Infatuation 

Many Chinese people have a long standing hatred for Japan because of the many atrocities committed by the Japanese imperial military and the decades of abuse and humiliation brought by them. China's humiliating defeat by Japan during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 resulted in the loss of Korea as a tributary state and the ceding of Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and Penghu Islands in perpetuity. 

The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1931-1945 began with the invasion of Manchuria followed by the full-scale invasion of China in 1937 and saw even more atrocities committed by the Japanese including the Nanjing Massacre where an estimated 300000 civilians were killed and the illegal use of chemical and biological weapons. These are excruciatingly painful memories that the Chinese will likely never forget or forgive.

Even though Sino-Japanese relations were supposed to have normalized in 1972, anti-Japanese sentiments still prevail among a significant portion of the Chinese population. Therefore the inadvertent use of the Gunkan March for any purpose in China would trigger off a huge public outcry. This had happened several times in the past decade, as the sprightly, fast paced and jubilant march is characteristically irresistible to almost anybody, unsuspecting Chinese included! 

In 2005 a war veteran complaint at an online forum that the Zhonghai Kangcheng Kindergarten ( 中海康城幼儿园 ) in Guangzhou City played the Gunkan March every morning as the children arrived at the school. He claimed to have informed the school about the history and origins of the music and requested for the broadcast to be stopped but to no avail. Reporters from the local news portal subsequently staked out the kindergarten and verified that the school was indeed playing the Gunkan March. When contacted, the person in-charged, a young women, said that the broadcast was from a CD bought at a local music shop and had no indication that the particular tune had a Japanese connection. She further said that the Sino-Japanese War happened a long time ago, before she was born, which was absolutely true! The local education ministry however, had a dim view of the incident and conducted a thorough investigation. It failed to uncover the offending piece though and the school indicated that that it did not deliberately broadcast the Japanese march and subsequently used only piano pieces for its daily broadcast. News on the incident in Chinese only here.

Also in 2005, a retiree noticed the Gunkan March ringtone emerging from a young person's cell phone in Danyang City, Jiangsu Province. Investigations by a news reporter traced the ringtone to a local telecommunications service provider who failed to respond to inquiries but would later quietly remove the offending ringtone from its download list.

In 2009, at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing City, a tourist reported to the management authority that a video games booth was streaming the Gunkan March as BGM from its shooting game machine. The stall was swiftly reprimanded.

Most recently on 27th Jun 2014, the Aurora Foreign Language Kindergarten of Shanghai City was known to have used the Gunkan March as BGM during a drum performance by students at its graduation ceremony. It created a huge backlash against the school when parents unwittingly uploaded the visuals on social media. According to the teacher in-charged, the music was sourced through a search on Baidu Music. The teacher selected it for its tune and rhythm, out of ignorance since it was a musical piece that came without any lyrics or written explanation on its background. The education ministry intervened and the school's executive committee had to issue a public apology and it seemed that the services of the principal and the teacher involved were also terminated. The irony was the kindergarteners actually liked the tune very much. Write up on Baidu about the incident in Chinese here.

Gunkan March Monument, Mikasa Park, Yokosuka
Photo : Wikipedia

Gunkan March Monument

The Gunkan Koshinkyoku is probably the only march in the world that has a monument to its name. It is located in the Mikasa Park at Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo. The main attraction of the Mikasa Park is of course the preserved pre-dreadnought battleship IJN Mikasa ( 三笠 ) which served as Vice-admiral Togo Heihachiro's flagship in the Battle of Tsushima Strait against the Russian Fleet in 1905.

The monument was completed in 1996 as a public effort by the people of Yokosuka City. It has the lyrics on one face and the score, notated in G Major on the opposite side. A short description about the history and origins of the march appears below the score.

It is erected near the stern of the battleship.

Mikasa Park. Arrow points at Gunkan March
monument. Photo : Wikipedia

Setoguchi Tokichi

Setoguchi was born on 28th Jun 1868 in Tarumizu City, Kagoshima Prefecture. He joined the Tokyo Naval Band as a clarinetist in 1882 and would later study at the Tokyo Academy of Music. He was appointed the Naval Musician in 1895 and married in 1896.

He composed his masterpiece the Gunkan March in 1897. In addition, he had numerous other marches and songs to his name, such as the Patriotic March, Song of the Shikishima Warship, the Battle of Tsushima Sea March etc. He is known as the Father of Marches in Japan.

After his retirement in 1917, Setoguchi became a professor of music at the Tokyo Imperial University. He died of cerebral haemorrhage on 8th Nov 1941 at the age of 74. His tomb, set amidst weeping cherry trees, is located at the Jokoji temple ( 常光寺 ) in Yokosuka, about 3km from the Mikasa Park.

Since 1999, the City of Tarumizu has held an annual Setoguchi Memorial March Competition in his memory.

In 2018, on his 150th birth anniversary, the City of Tarumizu relocated the Setoguchi monument from its original site at the Shitamiya Shrine ( 下宮神社 ) to its current location at the grounds of the Tarumizu City Culture Center.

Setoguchi monument probably at its previous 
location at the Shitamiya Shrine a.k.a.
Kagoshima Shrine ( Tarumizu City ).
Photo : Jalan.net

Publicity poster for the 20th Setoguchi March Competition
in 2019 depicting a 15 year old Setoguchi.

So there you go, a much beloved military march, a Japanese music icon, and a whole lot of history.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also what to check this other article of mine out Warding Sea Monsters & Demons : Japan's Sacred Silver Ship Launching Axe.

COVID-19 : Should You Be Vaccinated?

 

COVID-19 vaccination at Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam 29th Dec 2020.
USN Photo.

Less than a year ago, during the early days of the pandemic, we witnessed COVID-19 outbreaks onboard naval vessels such as the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the Taiwanese supply ship ROCN Panshih. Thankfully, military leaders around the world have learnt from these incidences and have since implemented the necessary measures such as pre-deployment quarantine, mask-wearing and safe-distancing to drastically reduce the likelihood of such large scale outbreaks among service personnel. Though effective, these disease preventing measures are highly disruptive and restrictive and have a negative impact on moral, work efficiency and productivity.

Now, slightly more than a year since the first cases were reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, a new tool is made available to fight the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. I am referring to the COVID-19 vaccines that are now starting to be administered to the masses in many countries. It will be through the widespread inoculation of vaccines that will give the world a fighting chance of ending the pandemic so that life can eventually return to normal, well at least a post-pandemic normal.

In many democratic societies, COVID-19 vaccinations are given on a voluntary basis and the current challenge is that many people are unsure if they should receive the vaccines. There are even some who would refuse to believe in the science of disease prevention and would reject the vaccines outright. Herd immunity and therefore the protection of the larger population cannot be achieved if not enough people take up the vaccine.

During this initial vaccine roll-out phase where availability is low, governments are trying their best to prioritize vaccinations for frontline medical personnel and essential services personnel, apart from those who are most vulnerable, like the frail and elderly nursing home residents. For military personnel, if your commander " volunteered " you for the vaccine, or if vaccination is listed as an operational requirement, it might be difficult or even impossible to refuse.

So, are the COVID-19 vaccines safe? The short answer is YES. And I will attempt to explain the science of vaccination in simple terms from the perspective of one who has already received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Disclaimer :  I do not work for any governmental organizations or NGO. I do not own shares or have any direct interest in any pharmaceutical companies, including those that research or produce vaccines. 

How Vaccines Work

Vaccines protect us from infectious diseases by training our immune system to recognize and eliminate those external threats to our bodies with much greater efficiency than it would if left to its own devices. When our immune system first encounters a pathogen such as a bacteria or a virus, it takes time to establish it as foreign to the body. It also takes time to organize an appropriate response to neutralize the threat, usually through some kind of antibody or cellular action.

The process of vaccination presents the immune system with the necessary information to prime it to react almost instantly should it encounter the real threat at a subsequent time. It is like a full-dress rehearsal, or a military exercise to prepare the soldiers for no-duff encounters. Once the immune system had familiarized itself with the infectious agent, it forms memory cells, B-lymphocytes that basically archives whatever the immune system has learnt. Any future encounter with the actual pathogen will result in an immediate activation of immune responses including rapid ramping up of antibody production and cellular defenses, usually with lethal consequences to the invading microbe. And hopefully this instant immune response will spare the host ( that's us ) from contracting the disease or at least avoid severe symptoms.

Preventive Medicine

Ever since the English physician and scientist Edward Jenner created the first modern vaccine against smallpox in 1796, our knowledge in immunology and expertise in vaccine development has increased exponentially. There exist today many safe and effective vaccines against a variety of infectious diseases including influenza, measles, yellow fever, hepatitis B, dengue and human papilloma virus, just to name a few. 

Collectively, vaccines have helped save literally hundreds of millions of human lives in the past centuries. Smallpox killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century alone before it was finally declared eradicated in 1980.

In addition to the of loss of lives, many of these infectious diseases cause severe morbidity and long term sequelae which can include blindness ( smallpox ), flaccid paralysis ( poliomyelitis ), permanent mental retardation and recurrent seizures ( Japanese encephalitis ) that can threaten the livelihood of any survivors and their care givers.

Where as most treatment methods in modern western medicine are curative and does nothing to help people avoid getting sick, the process of vaccination is one of a handful that is truely preventive in nature and is considered the most cost effective way to ward off infectious diseases. 

Historical Vaccine Development

Developing a new vaccine against any infectious agent is no mean feat. It takes years, sometimes even a decade or two, to research, design, produce, trial, obtain regulatory approval and finally market a vaccine. Even then the job is never finished as post-market surveillance for adverse reactions continues for many, many more years. It requires the combined effort of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from immunologists, pharmacists, micro-biologists, geneticists, bio-engineers, epidemiologists, statisticians to clinicians. Success is never guaranteed. 

The costs involved can be staggering too. The International Monetary fund ( IMF ) estimated R&D costs of between USD200 to USD500 millon for each vaccine and an investment of another USD500 to USD1500 million for facilities to produce the vaccine in scale.  

So how could COVID-19 vaccines be possibly developed, approved and mass produced within less than a year? Can they still be safe?

                                                             How vaccines are developed with Dr Anthony Fauci et al            

                                

Developing A Safe Pandemic Vaccine 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic represented an unprecedented global threat to humankind through its medical, socio-economic and environmental impacts. As of today, 104 million have contracted the disease of which 2.27 million had died. Entire cities, even whole countries are in protracted and sometimes recurrent lock-downs in mostly futile attempts to control the epidemic. Jobs and livelihoods are lost as trade and movement of people and goods are severely disrupted. Desperate times calls for desperate measures and fortunately advances in science and technology have made it possible for the accelerated but safe development of the pandemic vaccines. These are some of the enabling factors :

Genomics - advances in the field of genomics have allowed scientists to map out entire genomes of organisms through rapid DNA-sequencing. The structure and function of the genome can then be analysed and determined. Back in 2003 when the human genome was first sequenced, it had cost a billion dollars and had taken 13 long years to complete. Today, the vast increase in computing power, among other things, has allowed the human genome to be sequenced in just 2 days, for about $1000. The COVID-19 epidemic started in Wuhan in early December 2019. By 10th Jan 2020 the entire genome of the SARS-CoV-2 was sequenced, uploaded and freely available to the global scientific community of researchers.

Co-operation - Countries, governments, institutions, corporations and the academia are joining hands in ways never imagined before to combat the global scourge of COVID-19. Through efforts such as GISAID ( Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data ) scientific information on the influenza and the corona viruses are shared on a global scale. Universities are partnering big pharma to research on vaccines like the Oxford-Astra Zeneca duo and the Duke-NUS-Arcturus pairing. Vaccine candidates may also have their clinical trails done concurrently in several countries where the disease burden are the highest and that necessitates the highest level of co-ordination among governments and researchers.

Funding - In the past, vaccine research is mainly funded by individual pharmaceutical companies. Now, governments are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars to drastically accelerate vaccine research and development, usually in exchange for the priority to procure the vaccines when eventually available at an agreed special low price. While money may not be the solution to every problem encountered, the timely accessibility of funds can certainly pave the way for smooth processes.

Accelerated Clinical Trials - Regulatory authorities such as the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration ) have drastically shortened the time required to complete each phase of the clinical trial, without compromising on safety, partly by monitoring the vaccine trials on the fly. Where as in the past data for each phase was submitted for approval only at the end of the phase, now data is continuously uploaded for the authorities to review in real time, so that approval can be granted immediately for progression to the next phase, provided there are no safety issues involved. Another trick is to combine clinical trial phases. Some trials combine phase I and II while other might combine phase II and III. Also during a pandemic where there are high incidences of infection, the time required to reach a clinical end point ( for example, after X number of people involved in the trial got infected ) can be achieved much faster than during normal times when the disease burden is low, and the phase can be concluded earlier.

New Vaccine Technology - messenger RNA ( mRNA ) vaccines represent a new way of manufacturing vaccines and have never been utilized on other vaccines approved before the pandemic. Compared to the traditional way of vaccine manufacturing, these new vaccines have the advantage of using non-infective elements, have much shorter manufacturing time, have the potential to be engineered to target several diseases at the same time and can be developed in a laboratory using DNA templates and readily available materials. All these means that mRNA vaccine production can be more easily standardized and scaled up without affecting the yield, allowing for cheaper and faster roll-out. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are examples of mRNA vaccines and are both among the first to complete large scale clinical trials with flying colours. Here's the link to learn the difference between RNA vaccines and conventional vaccines.

Capacity Building - Pharmaceutical companies are preparing and expanding their manufacturing facilities for large scale vaccine production as the vaccines are concurrently being developed so that production can be ramp up rapidly once approval is given. The logistic and transportation industries are similarly preparing for vaccine distribution with expansion to cold storage facilities and delivery fleets. Production of ancillaries required for vaccine production, delivery and administration such as special low temperature glass vials, dry ice and special low dead-space syringes are also increased in anticipation of a huge surge in demand.

All these measures, coordinated on a global scale, have made it possible to produce safe and effective vaccines within a record breaking period of less than a year. With this in mind, let's take a closer look at the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the world's first successful mRNA vaccine, now being administered in the US, UK, Israel, Singapore and several countries that acted early enough to procure it in sufficient quantities.

In Pfizer We Trust
Photo : Wikipedia

Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine

The American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's collaboration with BioNTech AG, a German biotechnology company specializing in precise immunotherapies for the treatment of cancers and infectious diseases, started in Aug 2018 with the original aim of producing mRNA-based influenza vaccines. When the COVID-19 outbreak started in Dec 2019, the focus turned towards the development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Pfizer's development of a novel vaccine against COVID-19 was initiated on 10th Jan 2020, the very day the genetic sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was released by the Chinese Center For Disease Control and Prevention via GISAID. It would ultilize BioNTech's already mature mRNA technology. Several variants were created, four of which entered early clinical trials ( combined Phase I/II ) which began in April and May. It would eventually emerge that the most promising vaccine candidate with the best safety profile was the one with the code name BNT162b2. Phase III trials for BNT162b2 started in July involving 43538 participants from the US, Germany, Brazil and Argentina with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. By early November, preliminary data suggested the vaccine to be over 90% effective with no serious side-effects. The final results indicated an efficacy of 95% in preventing serious COVID-19 disease, paving way for the declaration of Emergency Use Authorization ( EUA ) by the UK on 2nd Dec and by the FDA on 11th Dec 2020.

mRNA vaccine at the cellular level.
Illustration : New England Journal of Medicine

BNT162b2 is a lipid nanoparticle-formulated, nucleoside-modified mRNA encoding the full-length spike of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Modifying a key nucleoside of the mRNA strand was crucial in reducing the unpleasant side effects of the vaccine while the lipid encapsulation protects the extremely fragile mRNA and facilitates its entry into the cells of the vaccine recipient. The mRNA would then instruct the cell to produce many copies of the spike-protein which would then trigger an immune response, leading to the eventual production of protective antibodies against the virus. The spike-protein is just an antigenic part of the coronavirus and is safe and non-infectious. The mRNA do not enter the nucleus of the cell where all the genes are located and therefore could never ever come into contact with or modify your DNA. They would be completely degraded and destroyed by all sorts of enzymes in the cells within probably less than 48 hours of vaccination.

The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine is marketed under the brand name Comirnaty, with an international non-proprietary name ( INN ) of Tozinameran. It is supplied in vials of 5 doses and must be stored in ultra-cold temperatures between -60C to -80C, making its distribution and storage a logistical nightmare. It is transported with dry ice in special cold boxes with thermal sensors and GPS trackers to ensure compliance with the manufacturer's recommendations. It must be thawed before use. Its shelf-life is only 5 days when stored at the normal fridge temperatures between 2C to 8C and must be used within 6 hours of reconstitution with saline.

Receiving the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine at
Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton 15th Dec 2020.
Note ski gloves and thermal sensor. Photo : USN

The vaccination schedule requires 2 injections of 0.3ml 3 weeks apart. Effective protection against COVID-19 disease is observed just 10 days after the first shot, with the second shot acting as a booster dose to further enhance the level of protection. Possible side effects, mostly mild and transient, include the usual array of pain or swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, nausea, giddiness, post-vaccination fever, allergic reactions with rashes and rarely anaphylaxis, a potentially life threatening form of drug allergy, with an incidence of 11.1 per million. 

Anyone can receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine apart from those with a past history of anaphylaxis, those who are severely immuno-deficient, pregnant women and young people below the age of sixteen years old. The latter two groups because they were not included in the vaccine's clinical trials so no data on the safety of the vaccine exist at the moment for them. Clinicians do not yet know the protective duration of the vaccine as it is so new but it is hoped that the protection can at least last for 2 to 3 years, if not longer. Otherwise, the vaccination will have to repeated at regular intervals. Another unknown at this stage are the long term side-effects of the vaccine, if any. But from the basic science of immunology governing the design and production of vaccines and our collective experience dealing with many other vaccines, I believe the risks of long term side effects are not high. Vaccine side effects are usually observed within days or at most, within weeks after inoculation, not after months or years!

Pfizer manufactures the BNT162b2 vaccine in Michigan and Belgium. It has plans to deliver 50 million doses of the vaccine by end of 2020 and 1.3 billion doses in 2021. How much does it cost? BioNTech's chief strategy officer Ryan Richardson had said that the vaccine would be priced " well below typical market rates ". The vaccine would also have differential pricing depending on where and to which region it is being sold. It is common knowledge that the US government paid Pfizer $1.95 billion for an initial 100 million doses of the vaccine. So that works out to $19.50 per shot or $39 to vaccinate each person.

Hospital corpsman prepares Moderna vaccine at
US Naval Hospital Okinawa, 29th Dec 2020.
Photo : USN

Adverse Reactions? What Adverse Reactions? 

I was given my first shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on 19th Jan 2021. Before the vaccine was given, a series of questions were asked to ensure the vaccine recipient was not feeling unwell, was not on anti-coagulants, did not have a past history of severe drug allergy, did not receive any other vaccines within the past 14 days, were not to be pregnant or breast feeding and other nitty gritty stuff. 

The vaccination process was mostly painless as a fine gauge needle ( 25G ) was used and the injection volume was small ( 0.3ml ). It was an intramuscular injection into the deltoid muscle ( upper arm ) and was completed within a couple of minutes. I had then to wait for 30 minutes at a holding area to be monitored for any possible adverse reactions before being allowed to leave for home. I was issued with a certificate of vaccination with the date for the second shot exactly 3 weeks later.

The only minor side effect that I encountered was a slight soreness at the site of injection which had began 12 hours post-vaccination. Even at its peak intensity at 24 hours, it was at best a mild tenderness which did not affect any of my routine activities. The ache was largely resolved by 36 hours post-vaccination. The injection site was never swollen or red at anytime and I did not develop any fever.

My stamina was not affected by the vaccine as I had attained the same timing for all four of my 10 km runs, the first of which was done 2 hours prior to vaccination and the rest on each of the 3 consecutive days immediately following the vaccination. I even managed to obtain the fastest ever timing for my usual 29 km weekend long run on day 10 post-vaccination. 

In case anyone wonders why I seem to be training a little more than the average person, exactly a year ago, I had failed in my first 100 mile ultra-marathon attempt, just before COVID-19 closed many borders to travelers. Another 100 km ultratrail event which I had enrolled in for the month of May was cancelled. I intend to return to complete these unfinished events sometime in the near future. So COVID-19 or not, I continue to motivate myself to train hard, and hope for borders to reopen soon.

Admittedly, not all vaccinations are smooth going. Perhaps I am just lucky. A friend of mine who is a major in an elite commando unit who had also received the Pfizer vaccine a few days after me had complaint of pain in his arm which lasted for several days. There are a few others whom I have known that had to take a couple of days off from work because they felt feverish or fatigued, but none are really serious events. I have since learnt that the second dose of the vaccine might possibly illicit a slightly stronger reaction from the body and I will update this article accordingly.

* 9th Feb Just completed second and final dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The soreness at the site of injection seemed to begin slightly earlier at 5 hours after vaccination but its nothing more than a niggling ache.

* 14th Feb The soreness, though slight, persisted for a total of more than 4 days. There was a slight swelling at the injection site which lasted for about 3 days. Completed a 78km overnight long run on day 4 post-vaccination with no problems except for some blisters.

So it seems true that once primed by the first dose, the body's reaction to the subsequent dose is slightly more intense, but still well manageable.

#SINKCOVID : One of the vaccine awareness campaign poster, US Navy.

Commemorative sticker, Washington DC Veteran Affairs Medical Center.
15th Dec 2020 Photo : USN

Why Should Anyone Be Vaccinated

The most obvious answer to this question is that COVID-19 infection is a potentially serious disease that can kill, regardless of age. The younger population with a more robust immune system generally fair better but are certainly not completely spared the debilitating symptoms, long term sequelae and even the possibility of death with COVID-19 infections. The SARS-Cov-2 case fatality rate can range from a relative low of 0.2% in the 20 to 29 years old group, to more than 20% for those above 80 years old.

Even if a person survives the acute infection, there are still the protracted post-infection sequelae or what is commonly known as " long COVID " to worry about. Chronic fatigue syndrome, asthenia, coronary syndromes, pulmonary embolism and stroke have all been reported with increased incidences among convalescent COVID patients.

One of the major reasons for vaccine hesitancy is the concern over the safety of these new and untried vaccines which are pushed out in record time. This worry is then exacerbated by inaccurate and frequently false information circulating on the internet and social media. In some communities, COVID vaccines are said to cause infertility. In others, they are the conspiracy theories that governments are trying to implant microchips into our bodies through the process of vaccination to ultimately control us. Some reports would highlight deaths occurring within days of vaccination, but none would eventually be proven to be caused by the vaccines directly. The Russians even claimed that mRNA vaccines will alter our genes and turn us into chimpanzees, absolutely impossible and laughable to a trained scientist, but would seem very real and plausible to the lay person not so well versed in science. Then there are people who had never taken the vaccine but would talk about the side effects and adverse reactions as if they were the experts, except they weren't! 

Another important but often overlooked and understated reason to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is the fact that there is still NO CURE for the disease. All those antiviral agents like Remdesivir, Lopinavir, anti-parasitic agents like Ivermectin and anti-inflammatory agents like Dexamethasone and Hydroxy-Chloroquine do not eradicate or even completely inhibit the coronavirus. They are merely useful at different stages of the infection to slightly reduce the morbidity and mortality rates among a carefully selected cohort of COVID-19 patients. All the hospital and intensive care treatments, ventilators, extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation ( ECMO ) machines, are by nature supportive only to help the severely ill patients through a very serious and stressful period and provide them with whatever their bodies would require to recover from the infection. Sadly, there are many who do not make it despite having the best care money can possibly buy. 

And then we will have to ask ourselves how we can protect those in our communities who in one way or other missed out on the vaccine. The most obvious groups would be the children and teenagers under the age of 16 years old, those who are pregnant and those with a past history of severe life threatening drug allergies. They are excluded in this initial round of vaccination. But what about those who had received the vaccine but subsequently failed to develop a lasting immunity against the coronavirus? The fact that the Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective and that the Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective against the development of symptomatic COVID-19 disease means that of every 100 persons vaccinated, roughly 5 would fail to acquire the intended protection. The figure is worst for the above 65 years old population as the Pfizer vaccine was found to be only 85% effective among the elderly. How then to protect the 15 out of every 100 elderly people whom though vaccinated still effectively missed out on the protection? If only every single vaccine eligible persons within the community could step out and receive the vaccine, they would create the herd immunity that would ring-fence and protect the vulnerable, those who had missed out on the vaccination through one reason or other. That way the entire community is protected and further transmission of the virus would cease and the pandemic might be put under control. Building up of the herd immunity through the act of vaccination is possibly the most cost-effective, scientific, morally and politically correct way to fight the coronavirus. The alternative would be to have the community acquire herd immunity through natural infection. Up to 70% or more of the population would have to be infected before herd immunity could be achieved by which time millions could have succumbed to the disease.

                                  Vaccine Roll Out with US Defense Health Agency Director LTG Ronald J Place

An electronics technician ( nuclear ) assigned to attack submarine
USS Jefferson City ( SSN-759 ) receives the COVID -19 vaccine
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam 23rd Dec 2020. USN Photo.

As mentioned earlier, for the civil population in most democratic countries, COVID-19 vaccination is voluntary. This is good as with such high levels of vaccine skepticism and hesitancy, people are given a choice and are not coerced or forced to receiving the vaccine if they do not wish to for whatever reason. However, those serving in the military or other federal or municipal essential services sector like the police or the coast guard or the fire service may not have such luxury of choice when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination. As they frequently have to be in close contact with other people during the course of their work, they are at high risk of being infected. The critical nature of their jobs also means that they cannot afford to be falling sick and be taken off for sick leave for any protracted duration. Many will have to be deployed on overseas missions on land or at sea in regions that may have high rates of coronavirus transmission. Yet others might have the burden of national security on their shoulders, like for example the Gold and Blue crew of the Ohio-Class ballistic missile submarine, who absolutely cannot afford to have a coronavirus outbreak onboard their boat during a several month long nuclear deterrent mission. That is exactly why the members of the Strategic Services get top priority for vaccination in the US military. 

Several people in active military service that I have spoken to have either already received the first dose of the vaccine or were told that they would be having it soon, without any options to decline, much as I had expected. For many, it would come as an explicit order from the unit commander : get vaccinated, period.

Global COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

The UK became the first country to approve a stringently evaluated coronavirus vaccine on 2nd Dec and the first in the western world to start mass vaccination on 8th Dec 2020. At the time of writing, the biggest vaccination campaign in the history of humankind is taking place in 66 countries and so far a total of 107 million shots had been administered*. At present the rate of vaccination globally is approximately 4.22 million shots per day. Israel leads the pack with at least 20% of its population vaccinated while the UK and US have each achieved 10% and 7% respectively. With more than a hundred million doses administered cumulatively worldwide and no major adverse events reported, surely logic would tell us that the myriad of COVID-19 vaccines in general are safe. 

In the coming days and weeks, more countries will begin their vaccination campaigns, just as more COVID-19 vaccines are being approved for emergency use by the regulatory health authorities. Never in history had so many vaccines been administered in so short a time.

* Around 2nd Feb 2021, the number of vaccinated persons ( 107 million ) as surpassed the number of infected persons ( 104 million ) globally for the very first time since the start of the pandemic. A watershed moment.

The Legacy Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

The impact of the pandemic on every aspect of our life has mainly been negative but one of the rare positive outcome from this global epidemic would definitely be its role in accelerating the advancement in vaccine research and development. If not for COVID-19, who knows how long it would take for the first successful mRNA vaccine to be developed and when we would get our first ever approved vaccine against a human coronavirus disease. Before COVID-19, nobody with the right mind would predict that dozens of vaccines against the same disease could be concurrently developed and successfully achieve regulatory approval in a year or less. Already, a number of winners have appeared among the 150 or more COVID-19 vaccine candidates that started out a year ago. Now the World Economic Forum has an even more ambitious goal of producing a vaccine within 100 days of a pandemic. 

While the dust had more or less settled in the race to develop the first effective COVID-19 vaccine, another race had just began. And that is the race between countries to vaccinate as many of their own population as possible. The current challenge is for the manufacturers to churn out vaccines quickly to alleviate the acute shortage that every country faces. It will certainly go a long way to stem vaccine nationalism behaviors that some countries are increasingly exhibiting, like imposing vaccine export controls and vaccine hoarding. But these are mostly things above our pay scale. For the majority of us, we just have to do our part by accepting the vaccine when it comes our way .... 

COVID-19 ward, early 2020, China. Photo : China Daily

Johns Hopkins Global COVID-19 Map

 

Take Home Messages

COVID-19 disease is real and serious. It is not a hoax and it will not go away on its own. 

There is still no cure for COVID-19. Existing treatments are merely supportive in nature.

The COVID-19 vaccines approved by stringent regulatory authorities such as the US FDA and the UK MHRA for emergency use are generally safe and efficacious.

The risk of adverse reactions from COVID-19 vaccines are very low and are mostly transient and manageable.

There has been no COVID-19 vaccine related deaths so far. **

Achieving herd immunity through mass vaccination is our best bet to control the pandemic.

Unless vaccination is contraindicated, every eligible person should be vaccinated, if possible.

Get vaccinated as soon as available. Do not wait for others.

Get vaccinated even if there are low levels of COVID-19 transmission within your community. The situation is always fluid and can potentially deteriorate rapidly.

Many of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to demonstrate high levels of efficacy against the new mutant COVID-19 strains and can be readily adapted to deal with future mutations.

Vaccines alone will not put an end to the pandemic. Safe distancing, mask wearing and good personal hygiene must continue to be strictly observed even after vaccination has been completed.

Nobody is safe unless everybody is safe. No country is safe until every country is safe.

Do not believe in everything that you see or hear on the internet or social media. Fact check where necessary and make good use of your critical thinking skills. Believe in science, not rumours. Above all, NEVER drink bleach!

** Update 21 Apr 2021. Unfortunately this is no longer true. The Oxford AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been implicated in causing a rare but severe form of blood clotting event characterised by LOW platelet counts. Several have died. Known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia ( VIIT ), it has an incidence of 1 in 250000 vaccinations. This is still way lower than the risk of dying from severe COVID-19 disease, which stands at 2 in 1000 even for a young adult. 

This adverse reaction is peculiar to the two vector-based vaccines and are not observed in other vaccine brands such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The AZ and J&J vaccines are still generally safe to use especially for high risk individuals in communities with high transmission rates and where alternative vaccine brands are not available. 

   

Warding Sea Monsters And Demons : Japan's Sacred Silver Ship Launching Axe 破邪.魔除け.日本国神を祀る銀の進水斧

 

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 ).

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. 

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. 

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. 

Lumberjack's broadaxe with 4 grooves on the right side.
Image : Forest Research and Management Organisation Japan

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.

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!

Launching axe of DD-120 JS Shiranui ( 不知火 ). Photo : JMSDF

Launching axe of SS-512 JS Toryu next to the cutting block and cord
Photo : JMSDF

Mallet and axe set for AOS-5203 JS Aki. Photo JMSDF

Double axe during the launch of DDH-183 JS Izumo. Photo : JMSDF

Simultaneous cord cutting during the launch of JS Izumo. Photo : JMSDF

Launching ceremony of Aegis destroyer DDG-180 JS Haguro
Photo : JMSDF

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. 

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.

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.

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 ).

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.