Hiroyasu Koga
Encyclopedia
Hiroyasu Koga is a former Tatenokai
(楯の会) member and kaishakunin
responsible for the decapitations
of Yukio Mishima
and Masakatsu Morita
during their seppuku
on November 25, 1970. He studied law
at Kanagawa University
, and intended to become a lawyer.
Koga, known by the nickname Furu-Koga to distinguish him from another Tatenokai member with the name Koga (小賀), was a skilled practitioner of kendo
(swordsmanship). It was originally planned that Mishima would be decapitated by Masakatsu Morita
, the Tatenokai's student leader; however, Morita was not trained in the sword and failed, at which point Koga stepped in to complete it. Koga then decapitated Morita as part of Morita's own seppuku.
After the trial, he and two other members were sentenced to four years' penal servitude. He married the daughter of Seicho Taniguchi, the leader of Seicho no Ie, and changed his surname to Arechi (荒地). As of 2005, he is a practicing Shinto
priest at a shrine on Shikoku
.
Tatenokai
The Tatenokai or Shield Society was a private militia in Japan dedicated to traditional Japanese values and veneration of the Emperor. It was founded and led by the author Yukio Mishima....
(楯の会) member and kaishakunin
Kaishakunin
A kaishakunin is an appointed second whose duty is to behead one who has committed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide, at the moment of agony...
responsible for the decapitations
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
of Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
and Masakatsu Morita
Masakatsu Morita
was the Tatenokai member who attempted to commit seppuku with Yukio Mishima at the Ichigaya Camp.He was the youngest child of a headmaster. Losing both parents at the age of two, he was cared for by his brother Osamu and educated at a Catholic school...
during their seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
on November 25, 1970. He studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Kanagawa University
Kanagawa University
, abbreviated to is a private university in Japan. The main campus is located in Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.- History :The university was founded in 1928 by as . It was an evening school for the working youth...
, and intended to become a lawyer.
Koga, known by the nickname Furu-Koga to distinguish him from another Tatenokai member with the name Koga (小賀), was a skilled practitioner of kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
(swordsmanship). It was originally planned that Mishima would be decapitated by Masakatsu Morita
Masakatsu Morita
was the Tatenokai member who attempted to commit seppuku with Yukio Mishima at the Ichigaya Camp.He was the youngest child of a headmaster. Losing both parents at the age of two, he was cared for by his brother Osamu and educated at a Catholic school...
, the Tatenokai's student leader; however, Morita was not trained in the sword and failed, at which point Koga stepped in to complete it. Koga then decapitated Morita as part of Morita's own seppuku.
After the trial, he and two other members were sentenced to four years' penal servitude. He married the daughter of Seicho Taniguchi, the leader of Seicho no Ie, and changed his surname to Arechi (荒地). As of 2005, he is a practicing Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priest at a shrine on Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
.