August 6, 2006

Part 20 (12 Kingdoms)


Chapter 77

The three regiments of the Palace Guard are designated Left (左), Center (中), and Right (右).

迅雷 [じんらい] lit. "thunderclap," Jinrai, general of the Palace Guard Regiment of the Left

Chapter 76

革午 [かくご] Kakugo

Chapter 75

An example of a still-active palace guard is the Papal Swiss Guard that defends the Vatican. Despite their colorful uniforms, this is not a solely ceremonial military unit. To quote from Wikipedia:

After the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II by Mehmet Ali Agca, a much stronger emphasis has been made of the Swiss Guards' functional, non-ceremonial roles. This has included extended training in unarmed combat and with issue SIG P 75 pistols and Heckler & Koch submachine-guns.
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