Here's a story about a macabre 1937 contest between two Japanese officers in China during the Nanking Massacre:
In 1937, the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun covered a "contest" between two Japanese officers, Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyoshi Noda, in which the two men vied to be the first to kill 100 people with a sword. The competition took place en route to Nanking, directly prior to the infamous "Nanking Massacre" ...
Both officers supposedly surpassed their goal during the heat of battle, making it impossible to determine which officer had actually won the contest. Therefore, they decided to begin another contest, with the aim being 150 kills. The Nichi Nichi headline pertaining to the event read "'Incredible Record' [in the Contest to] Behead 100 People—Mukai 106 – 105 Noda—Both 2nd Lieutenants Go Into Extra Innings".
Link | Wikipedia Entry - via reddit
Alex, I think you've topped yourself on the "Decidedly Not Neat" posts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contest_to_kill_100_people_using_a_sword
The story about the decapitation contest is a well-recorded one. If I recall correctly, both Japanese officers were later executed for their crimes. Don't quote me on that, though.
Finally, I think Chang sadly killed herself after some severe bouts of depression while researching her latest writing project which concerned the Bataan death march. It's quite a shame, as she was so talented and so young (30s). She did what she did well, but I think the subject matter may have been a little too much for her.
Straight talk from Sid.
Better late than never, I guess! hehe
Because it is impossible to kill 100 people with one sword.
Do you believe communist?
I know wiki isn't the best source but:
"Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi, who, in 2000, undertook one of the most comprehensive studies of the incident ever conducted, reached the conclusion that "the killing contest itself was a fabricated story", but served as a positive influence in Japanese culture, making the Japanese more aware of some of the wartime atrocities that had actually been conducted by the Imperial Japanese Army."
While it is important to remind us of the cruelty that mankind is capable of, we do not need to know their names, do we?
The stories in her diaries make this "sword battle" sound like child's play. The things the Japanese soldiers did to Chinese women really were unspeakable.
A good ancient Japanese sword was able to cut through 3 human corpses in 1 shot (that was the quality benchmark test).
So, 100 necks? nothing.
I think you are loving Ninja Stories.
And you know, Ninja Stories are fiction.
If you check wikipedia "Katana" entry, you know that test you are mentioned is only in novels.
To others:
Iris Chang's book contains many photoshoped content.
If you want to believe her assertion, you should check below book.
"The Politics of Nanjing: An Impartial Investigation" by Kitamura Minoru.
This book say author are trying to validate her assertion, but they can't find any evidence that proving her assertion.
About Nanking issue, some Japanese politician made a proposal to investigate that issue is with Japan, China and third party county, for example United States are good for distinguishing what is fact.
But China is reject this proposal.
What kind of thing the China communist hide?
Professor Minoru Kitamura of Ritsumeikan University raises important questions about Japan's rampage in Nanjing in 1937-38, but sadly comes up with misleading, biased and unconvincing answers. Promises to the contrary, there is nothing impartial about his narrative. Much of it rests on innuendo and unsubstantiated interpretations he passes off as "common sense." [...]
The discourse about Nanjing is very polarized in Japan. In one corner, you have the "Massacre School." It acknowledges horrific atrocities were perpetrated by Japanese troops and puts the death toll at around 100,000. In the opposite corner, there are the "illusionists." They deny the massacre happened and blame Chinese propaganda for unfairly blackening Japan's reputation.
Kitamura describes himself as a centrist, but concedes he has an affinity for the "Illusionist School." This raises doubts about his impartiality and conclusions.
I haven't read Minoru's book (it's not widely available in bookstores), but stories of Japanese atrocities during WW II are plentiful (the "comfort women" [wiki], for example)
Like the Holocaust deniers, there will be people who deny that the Japanese did anything wrong during the war.
Do you think that soldiers who use house of comfort woman are doing atrocities?