Japanese sword worn by the samurai
Tachi
(
太刀
)
|
---|
Itomaki-no-tachi
style sword mounting with chrysanthemum and paulownia crests on nashiji laquer ground. The blade was made by
Masatsune
. Blade, 12th century; mounting, 18th century.
Tokyo National Museum
.
|
Type
| Sword
|
---|
Place of origin
| Japan
|
---|
|
Produced
| Heian period
(794?1185) to present
|
---|
|
Blade length
| approx. 70?80 cm (28?31 in)
|
---|
|
Blade
type
| Curved, single-edged
|
---|
Scabbard
/
sheath
| Lacquered wood
|
---|
A
tachi
(
太刀
)
is a type of sabre-like traditionally made
Japanese sword
(
nihonto
)
worn by the
samurai
class of feudal Japan.
Tachi
and
uchigatana
generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the
mei
(
銘
)
, or signature, on the
tang
. The
tachi
style of swords preceded the development of the
katana
, which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century.
[1]
Tachi
were the mainstream Japanese swords of the Kot? period between 900 and 1596.
[2]
Even after the
Muromachi period
(1336?1573), when
katana
became the mainstream,
tachi
were often worn by high-ranking samurai.
History
[
edit
]
The production of swords in Japan is divided into specific time periods:
[4]
- J?kot?
(ancient swords, until around 900)
- Kot?
(old swords from around 900?1596)
- Shint?
(new swords 1596?1780)
- Shinshint?
(new new swords 1781?1876)
- Gendait?
(modern or contemporary swords 1876?present)
The predecessor of the Japanese sword has been called
warabitet?
(
ja:蕨手刀
).
[5]
[6]
[7]
In the middle of the
Heian period
(794?1185), samurai improved on the
warabitet?
to develop
kenukigata-tachi
(
ja:毛?形太刀
) -early Japanese sword-.
[5]
[6]
To be more precise, it is thought that the
Emishi
improved the
warabitet?
and developed
Kenukigata-warabitet?
(
ja:毛?形蕨手刀
) with a hole in the hilt and
kenukigatat?
(
ja:毛?形刀
) without decorations on the tip of the hilt, and the samurai developed
kenukigata-tachi
based on these swords.
[8]
Kenukigata-tachi
, which was developed in the first half of the 10th century, has a three-dimensional cross-sectional shape of an elongated pentagonal or hexagonal blade called
shinogi-zukuri
and a gently curved single-edged blade, typical features of Japanese swords. There is no wooden hilt attached to
kenukigata-tachi
, and the
tang
(
nakago
), integrated with the blade, is directly gripped and used. The term
kenukigata
is derived from the fact the central part of tang is hollowed in the shape of an ancient Japanese tweezers (
kenuki
).
[9]
In the
tachi
developed after
kenukigata-tachi
, a structure in which the hilt is fixed to the
tang
(
nakago
) with a pin called
mekugi
was adopted. As a result, a sword with three basic external elements of Japanese swords, the cross-sectional shape of
shinogi-zukuri
, a gently curved single-edged blade, and the structure of
nakago
, was completed.
[9]
[10]
Its shape may reflect the changing form of warfare in Japan. Cavalry were now the dominant fighting unit, and the older straight
chokut?
were unsuitable for fighting from horseback. The curved sword is a far more efficient weapon wielded by a warrior on horseback; the curve of the blade adds considerably to the downward force of a cutting action.
[10]
According to historian
Karl Friday
, before the 13th century, there are no written references or drawings showing swords of any kind were used from horseback.
[11]
However, According to Yoshikazu Kondo, bow and arrows were certainly the main weapons used in cavalry battles, but from around the
Genpei War
in the 12th century, the use of
tachi
on horseback increased.
[12]
Early models had uneven curves with the deepest part of the curve at the
hilt
. As eras changed, the center of the curve tended to move up the blade.
[13]
By the 11th century during the Heian period,
tachi
were exported to neighboring countries in Asia. For example, in the poem "The Song of Japanese Swords"
Ouyang Xiu
, a statesman of the
Song Dynasty
in China, described Japanese swords as "It is a treasured sword with a scabbard made of fragrant wood covered with fish skin, decorated with brass and copper, and capable of exorcising evil spirits. It is imported at a great cost.".
[14]
[15]
From the Heian period (794?1185), ordinary samurai wore swords of the style called
kurourusi tachi
(
kokushitsu no tachi
, ?漆太刀), which meant black lacquer
tachi
. The hilt of a
tachi
is wrapped in leather or ray skin, and it is wrapped with black thread or leather cord, and the scabbard is coated with black lacquer. On the other hand, court nobles wore
tachi
decorated with precisely carved metal and jewels for ceremonial purposes. High-ranking court nobles wore swords of the style called
kazari tachi
or
kaza tachi
(飾太刀, 飾?), which meant decorative
tachi
, and lower-ranking court nobles wore simplified
kazatachi
swords of the style called
hosodachi
(
細太刀
)
, which meant thin
tachi
. The
kazatachi
and
hosodachi
worn by nobles were initially straight like a
chokut?
, but since the Kamakura period they have had a gentle curve under the influence of
tachi
. Since
tachi
worn by court nobles were for ceremonial use, they generally had an iron plate instead of a blade.
[16]
[17]
In the
Kamakura period
(1185?1333), high-ranking samurai wore
hyogo gusari tachi
(
hyogo kusari no tachi
, 兵庫鎖太刀), which meant a sword with chains in the arsenal. The scabbard of the
tachi
was covered with a gilt copper plate and hung by chains at the waist. At the end of the Kamakura period, simplified
hyogo gusari tachi
came to be made as an offering to the
kami
of
Shinto shrines
and fell out of use as weapons. On the other hand, in the Kamakura period, there was a type of
tachi
called
hirumaki tachi
(蛭?太刀) with a scabbard covered with metal, which was used as a weapon until the Muromachi period. The meaning was a sword wrapped around a leech, and its feature was that a thin metal plate was spirally wrapped around the scabbard, so it was both sturdy and decorative, and chains were not used to hang the scabbard around the waist.
[16]
[17]
The
Mongol invasions of Japan
in the 13th century during the Kamakura period facilitated a change in the designs of Japanese swords. The swordsmiths of the
S?sh? school
represented by
Masamune
studied ruined
tachi
? broken or bent in battle ? to develop new production methods, and create innovative Japanese swords. They forged the blade using a combination of soft and hard steel to optimize the temperature and timing of the heating and cooling of the blade, resulting in a lighter and very robust blade. They also made the curve of the blade gentle, lengthened the tip linearly, widened the width from the cutting edge to the opposite side of the blade, and thinned the cross section to improve the penetration and cutting ability of the blade.
[18]
[19]
Historically in Japan, the ideal blade of a Japanese sword is considered to be the
kot?
in the Kamakura period, and the swordsmiths from the
Edo period
to the present day after the
Shint?
period focused on reproducing the blade of a Japanese sword in the Kamakura period. There are more than 100 Japanese swords designated as
National Treasures in Japan
, of which the
Kot?
of the Kamakura period account for 80% and the
tachi
account for 70%.
[20]
[21]
- National treasure
tachi
from the Kamakura period (Tokyo National Museum)
-
-
Okadagiri Yoshifusa
, by Yoshifusa.
Bizen
Fukuoka-Ichimonji
school
. The name comes from the fact
Oda Nobuo
killed his vassal Okada with this sword.
-
Nikk? Sukezane
, by Sukezane. Bizen
Fukuoka-Ichimonji
school. This sword was owned by
Tokugawa Ieyasu
.
-
By Sukezane. This sword was owned by
Kish? Tokugawa family
.
-
Kory? Kagemitsu
, by Kagemitsu. Bizen
Osafune
school. This sword was owned by
Kusunoki Masashige
.
From the end of the Kamakura period to the end of the
Muromachi period
(1333?1573),
kawatsutsumi tachi
(革包太刀), which means a
tachi
wrapped in leather, was popular. The
kawatsutsumi tachi
was stronger than the
kurourushi tachi
because its hilt was wrapped in leather or ray skin, lacquer was painted on top of it, leather straps and cords were wrapped around it, and the scabbard and sometimes the
tsuba
(hand guard) were also wrapped in leather.
[16]
By the 15th century, Japanese swords, including
tachi
, had already gained international fame by being exported to China and Korea.
[22]
For example, Koreans learned how to make Japanese swords by sending swordsmiths to Japan and inviting Japanese swordsmiths to Korea. According to the record of June 1, 1430, in the
Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty
, a Korean swordsmith who went to Japan and mastered the method of making Japanese swords presented a Japanese sword to the King of Korea and was rewarded for the excellent work which was no different from the swords made by the Japanese.
[22]
[23]
Traditionally,
yumi
(bows)
were the main weapon of war in Japan, and
tachi
and
naginata
were for close combat. The
?nin War
in the late 15th century in the Muromachi period expanded into a large-scale domestic war, in which employed farmers called
ashigaru
were mobilized in large numbers. They fought on foot using
katana
shorter than
tachi
. In the
Sengoku period
(period of warring states) in the late Muromachi period, the war became bigger;
ashigaru
fought in a close formation using
yari
(spears)
lent to them. Furthermore, in the late 16th century,
tanegashima
(muskets)
were introduced from Portugal, and Japanese swordsmiths mass-produced improved products, with
ashigaru
fighting with leased guns. On the battlefield in Japan, guns and spears became main weapons in addition to bows. Due to the changes in fighting styles in these wars, the
tachi
and
naginata
became obsolete among samurai, and the
katana
, which was easy to carry, became the mainstream. The dazzling-looking
tachi
gradually became a symbol of the authority of high-ranking samurai.
[24]
[25]
[26]
From the 15th century, low-quality swords were mass-produced under the influence of the large-scale war. These swords, along with spears, were lent to recruited farmers called
ashigaru
, while swords were exported. Such mass-produced swords are called
kazuuchimono
, and swordsmiths of the
Bisen school
and
Mino school
produced them by division of labor.
[24]
[27]
The export of Japanese sword reached its height during the
Muromachi period
?at least 200,000 swords were shipped to
Ming Dynasty
China in official trade in an attempt to soak-up the production of Japanese weapons and make it harder for
pirates
in the area to arm. In the Ming Dynasty of China, Japanese swords and their tactics were studied to repel pirates, and
wodao
and
miaodao
were developed based on Japanese swords.
[14]
[28]
[29]
From this period, the
tang
(
nakago
) of many old
tachi
were cut and shortened into
katana
. This modification is called
suriage
.
[30]
For example, many of the
tachi
Masamune forged during the Kamakura period were converted into
katana
, so his only existing works are
katana
and
tant?
.
[31]
From around the 16th century, many Japanese swords, including
tachi
, were exported to
Thailand
, where
katana
-style swords were made and prized for battle and art work, and some of them are in the collections of the Thai royal family.
[32]
In the Sengoku period (1467?1615) or the
Azuchi?Momoyama period
(1568?1600), the
itomaki tachi
(
itomaki no tachi
, ??太刀), which means a
tachi
wound with thread, appeared and became the mainstream of
tachi
after that.
itomaki tachi
was decorated with gorgeous lacquer decorations with lots of
maki-e
and flashy colored threads, and was used as a gift, a ceremony, or an offering to the
kami
of Shinto shrines.
[16]
In later Japanese feudal history, during the Sengoku and
Edo periods
, certain high-ranking warriors of the ruling class wore their sword
tachi
-style (edge-downward), rather than with the scabbard thrust through the belt with the edge upward.
[33]
This style of swords is called
handachi
, "half
tachi
". In
handachi
, styles were often mixed, for example, fastening to the
obi
was
katana
style, but metalworking of the scabbard was
tachi
style.
[34]
With the rising of
statism in Sh?wa Japan
, the
Imperial Japanese Army
and the
Imperial Japanese Navy
implemented swords called
shin gunt?
, worn
tachi
style (cutting-edge down).
[35]
In the Shint? period from around 1596 in the
Azuchi?Momoyama period
, the traditional techniques of the Kot? period were lost, and no smith was able to reproduce the
tachi
of the Kamakura period. However, in 2014, Kunihira Kawachi succeeded in reproducing a
tachi
from the Kamakura period. He received the Masamune Prize, the highest honor as a swordsmith. On the
tachi
he forged,
midare-utsuri
(a pattern of hazy white shadows between
hamon
and
shinogi
), characteristic of the Bizen school in the Kamakura period. Nobody could win the Masamune Prize without extraordinary achievements, and in the field of
tachi
and
katana
, no one won until Kawauchi for 18 years.
[36]
Features
[
edit
]
With a few exceptions,
katana
and
tachi
can be distinguished from each other, if signed, by the location of the signature (
mei
) on the
tang
. In general, the signature should be carved into the side of the tang facing outward as the sword is worn on the wielder's left waist. Since a
tachi
was worn cutting edge down, and the
katana
was worn cutting edge up, the
mei
would be in opposite locations on the tang of both types of swords.
[37]
An authentic
tachi
had an average cutting edge length (
nagasa
) of 70?80 cm (
27
+
9
⁄
16
?
31
+
1
⁄
2
in), and compared to a katana, was generally lighter in proportion to its length, had a greater taper from hilt to point, was more curved and had a smaller point area for penetrating heavy clothing.
[38]
Unlike the traditional manner of wearing the
katana
, the
tachi
was worn hung from the belt with the cutting-edge down,
[39]
and was most effective used by
cavalry
.
[40]
Deviations from the average length of
tachi
have the prefixes
ko-
for "short" and
?-
for "great, large" attached. For instance,
tachi
sh?t?
and closer in size to a
wakizashi
were called
kodachi
. The longest
tachi
(considered a 15th-century
?dachi
) in existence is 3.7 metres (12 ft) in total length with a 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) blade, but is believed to be ceremonial. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, many
tachi
blades were modified into
katana
, their cut tangs (
o-suriage
) removing the smiths' signatures from the swords.
[41]
For a sword to be worn in
tachi
style, it needed to be mounted in a
tachi koshirae
. The
tachi koshirae
has two hangers (ashi) so the sword can be worn in a horizontal position with the cutting edge down.
[42]
A sword not mounted in a
tachi
koshirae could be worn
tachi
style by use of a
koshiate
, a leather device allowing any sword to be worn in the
tachi
style.
[43]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Generally, the blade and the sword mounting of Japanese swords are displayed separately in museums, and this tendency is remarkable in Japan. For example, the Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum "Nagoya Touken World", one of Japan's largest sword museums, posts separate videos of the blade and the sword mounting on its official website and YouTube.
[44]
[45]
-
Mikazuki Munechika
, by Sanj? Munechika. A Yamashiro
Sanj?
school. Late 10th century,
Heian period
.
National Treasure
. Tokyo National Museum. This sword is one of the "
Five Swords under Heaven
". (天下五?
Tenka Goken
)
-
D?jigiri
, by Yasutsuna.
Ko-
H?ki
(old
H?ki
) school. 12th century, Heian period, National Treasure, Tokyo National Museum. This sword is one of the "Five Swords Under Heaven". (天下五?
Tenka Goken
)
-
A
tachi
forged by Rai Kunitoshi. Late
Kamakura period
. (top)
Katana
style mounting, Early Meiji period. (bottom)
-
A
tachi
forged by Osafune Kanemitsu.
Nanboku-ch? period
. (top)
Tachi
mounting, Late Edo period. (bottom)
-
Tachi
forged by Bizen Osafune Sukesada, 1515. Scabbard in aogai-nashiji lacquer, gold decorations. Tokyo National Museum.
-
Tachi
mountings decorated with
maki-e
.
Itomaki-no-tachi
style sword mountings. (top and bottom)
Edo period
, 1800s. Tokyo National Museum
-
Tachi
mounting. Mid-Edo period.
-
Tachi
mounting. Late Edo period.
-
Various types of sword
koshirae
, a device used to carry a sword in the
tachi
style (cutting edge down)
-
Line drawing showing the correct method of wearing a
tachi
while in armour
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Turnbull, Stephen (8 February 2011).
Katana: The Samurai Sword
. Osprey Publishing. p. 22.
ISBN
978-1-84908-658-5
.
- ^
Nagayama, K?kan
(1997).
The Connoisseur's Book of Japanese Swords
. Kodansha International.
ISBN
978-4-7700-2071-0
.
, page 48
- ^
?日本刀?の文化的な?値を知っていますか
Toyo keizai, August 2 2017
- ^
Transition of kot?, shint?, shinshint?, and gendait?.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World
- ^
a
b
Kazuhiko Inada (2020),
Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords
. p33.
ISBN
978-4651200408
- ^
a
b
Shimomukai, Tatsuhiko (30 June 2000).
The Review of the Study of History : Shigaku Kenkyu
. ?島史??究?. Archived from
the original
on 2021-05-18.
- ^
John T. Kuehn (15 January 2014).
A Military History of Japan: From the Age of the Samurai to the 21st Century
. Praeger. p. 34.
ISBN
978-1-59228-720-8
.
- ^
Tatsuhiko Shimomukai (2007)
武士の成長と院政 日本の?史 07
.
Kodansha
.
ISBN
978-4062919074
- ^
a
b
Kazuhiko Inada (2020),
Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords
. pp32-33.
ISBN
978-4651200408
- ^
a
b
?史人
September 2020. pp.36?37.
ASIN
B08DGRWN98
- ^
P.84
- ^
Yoshikazu Kondo (1997).
弓矢と刀?―中世合?の?像.
Yoshikawa Kobunkan
ISBN
978-4642054201
- ^
?史人
September 2020. pp. 6, 36-37.
ASIN
B08DGRWN98
- ^
a
b
Takeo Tanaka. (2012)
Wokou
p.104.
Kodansha
.
ISBN
978-4062920933
- ^
日本の技術の精巧さは….
Mainichi Shimbun
. March 27, 2016
- ^
a
b
c
d
Kazuhiko Inada (2020),
Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords
. pp.36-44.
ISBN
978-4651200408
- ^
a
b
?史人
September 2020. pp.37-41.
ASIN
B08DGRWN98
- ^
なぜ「正宗」は名刀なのか.
Masamune Sword and Blade Workshop
- ^
五箇?(五ヵ?、五ヶ?)
Touken world
- ^
日本刀の格付けと?史.
Touken World
- ^
鎌倉期の古名刀をついに再現 論?委員?長?象平.
Sankei Shimbun
. July 2, 2017
- ^
a
b
Takeo Tanaka (1982)
?外?係と文化交流
. p.348. Shibunkaku.
ASIN
B000J7JC30
- ^
Junko Oishi.
"Analyzing the words of Wae-geom and Wae-geom-sa in Classical Korean literatures"
. p. 72. Archived from
the original
on 9 December 2022
. Retrieved
9 December
2022
.
- ^
a
b
?史人
September 2020. p40.
ASIN
B08DGRWN98
- ^
History of Japanese swords "Muromachi period - Azuchi-Momoyama period".
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World
- ^
Arms for battle - spears, swords, bows.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World
- ^
?史人
September 2020. pp.70?71.
ASIN
B08DGRWN98
- ^
Koichi Shinoda. (1 May 1992).
Chinese Weapons and Armor
. Shinkigensha.
ISBN
9784883172115
- ^
Rekishi Gunzo. (2 July 2011)
Complete Work on Strategic and Tactical Weapons. From Ancient China to Modern China
. Gakken.
ISBN
9784056063448
- ^
日本刀鑑賞のポイント「日本刀の姿」
Nagoya Touken Museum Touken World
- ^
相州?の名工「正宗」.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World.
- ^
Ayumi Harada (24 October 2016).
"Reception and transformation of foreign cultures in Thailand; focusing on the foreign trade items of the 13 th to 18th centuries"
(PDF)
(in Japanese).
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 25 October 2021
. Retrieved
11 December
2022
.
- ^
Kapp, Leon; Hiroko Kapp; Yoshindo Yoshihara (1987).
The Craft of the Japanese Sword
. Japan: Kodansha International. p. 168.
ISBN
978-0-87011-798-5
.
- ^
weblio.
Handachi-Goshirae
.
- ^
The Japanese Army 1931-42, Volume 1 of The Japanese Army, 1931-45
, Author Philip S. Jowett, Publisher Osprey Publishing, 2002,
ISBN
1-84176-353-5
,
ISBN
978-1-84176-353-8
P.41
- ^
日本刀鑑賞のポイント「日本刀の映りとは」.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum Touken World
- ^
土子, 民夫; 三品, 謙次 (May 2002).
日本刀21世紀への挑?
. Kodansha International.
ISBN
978-4-7700-2854-9
.
, page 30
- ^
寒山, 佐藤
(1983).
The Japanese Sword
. Kodansha International.
ISBN
978-0-87011-562-2
.
, page 15
- ^
Nippon-to: the Japanese sword
, Author Inami Hakusui, Publisher Cosmo, 1948, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized May 27, 2009 P.160
- ^
"A distinguished collection of arms and armor on permanent display", Issue 4 of
Bulletin, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History History Division
, Ward Ritchie Press, 1969. Original from the University of Virginia, Digitized Aug 13, 2010 P.120
- ^
The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords
, Author K?kan Nagayama, Edition illustrated, Publisher Kodansha International, 1998,
ISBN
4-7700-2071-6
,
ISBN
978-4-7700-2071-0
P.48
- ^
Art of the samurai: Japanese arms and armor, 1156-1868
, Authors Morihiro Ogawa, Kazutoshi Harada, Publisher Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009,
ISBN
1-58839-345-3
,
ISBN
978-1-58839-345-6
P.193
- ^
Pauley's Guide - A Dictionary of Japanese Martial Arts and Culture
, Author Daniel C. Pauley, Publisher Samantha Pauley, 2009,
ISBN
0-615-23356-2
,
ISBN
978-0-615-23356-7
P.91
- ^
Touken World YouTube videos about Japanese swords
- ^
Touken World YouTube videos on koshirae (sword mountings)
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
tachi
.
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Heian ? Kamakura periods
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Muromachi ? Edo periods
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Meiji period and beyond
| |
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|
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India
| Ancient
| |
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Medieval and modern
| |
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|
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Western and
Central Asia
| |
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Indonesia
| |
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Philippines
| Classical
| |
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Spanish colonization
| |
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|
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Mainland
Southeast Asia
| Classic stage
| |
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Post-Classic stage
| |
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Cambodia
| |
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Thailand
| |
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|
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Mesoamerica
| |
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Africa
| |
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