Sovern, Michael Ira

Sovern, Michael Ira
Sovern, Michael Ira, 1931-, American lawyer and educator, president of Columbia Univ. (1980-93), b. New York City. He graduated from the Columbia Univ. Law School in 1955 and after 1957 he was on its faculty. Dean of the law school from 1970 to 1979 and provost from 1979 to 1980, he was president of Columbia from 1980 until his resignation in 1993. He continued to teach law at Columbia and became president of the Japan Society.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press
Order of the Rising Sun

The Order of the Rising Sun (旭日章, Kyokujitsu shō Japanese) is a Japanese Order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun. The design of the Rising Sun symbolizes energy as powerful as the rising sun in parallel with the "rising sun" concept of Japan ("Land of the Rising Sun").

It is the second most prestigious Japanese decoration after the Order of the Chrysanthemum. This honor was conferred on non-Japanese recipients beginning in 1981; and women were awarded the Order starting in 2003 (previously, women were awarded the Order of the Precious Crown). The awarding of the Order is administered by the Decoration Bureau of Office of the Prime Minister. It is awarded in the name of the Emperor and can be awarded posthumously.

Classes

The Order can be awarded in any of these eight classes. Conventionally, a diploma is prepared to accompany the insignia of the order, and in some rare instances, the personal signature of the emperor will have been added. As an illustration of the wording of the text, a translation of a representative 1929 diploma says:
"By the grace of Heaven, Emperor of Japan, seated on the throne occupied by the same dynasty from time immemorial,

We confer the Second Class of the Imperial Order of Meiji upon Henry Waters Taft, a citizen of the United States of America and a director of the Japan Society of New York, and invest him with the insignia of the same class of the Order of the Double Rays of the Rising Sun, in expression of the good will which we entertain towards him.

"In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hand and caused the Grand Seal of the Empire to be affixed at the Imperial Palace, Tokio, this thirteenth day of the fifth month of the fourth year of Shōwa, corresponding to the 2,589th year from the accession to the throne of Emperor Jimmu."

The badge for the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon is a gilt cross with white enameled rays, bearing a central emblem of a red enameled sun disc surrounded by red rays, and with three paulownia blossoms between each arm of the cross. It is suspended from three enameled paulownia leaves on a sash in red with white border stripes, and is worn on the right shoulder.

The star for the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon is the same as the badge, but without the paulownia leaves suspension. It is worn on the left chest.

The badge for the First to Sixth Classes is an eight-pointed badge, in gilt (1st-4th Classes), gilt and silver (5th Class), or silver (6th Class), with white enamelled rays, bearing a central red enamelled sun disc. It is suspended from three enamelled paulownia leaves (not chrysanthemum as the Decoration Bureau page claims) on a ribbon in white with red border stripes, worn as a sash on the right shoulder for the 1st Class, as a necklet for the 2nd and 3rd Classes, on the left chest for the 4th to 6th Classes (with a rosette for the 4th Class).

The star for the First and Second Classes is an eight-pointed silver badge, bearing a central emblem identical to the 4th Class badge without the paulownia leaves suspension. It is worn on the left chest for the 1st Class, on the right chest for the 2nd Class.

The badge for the Seventh and Eighth Classes consists of just a silver medal in the shape of three paulownia leaves, enamelled for the 7th Class and plain for the 8th Class. It is suspended on a ribbon, again in white with red border stripes, worn on the left chest.

Selected recipients

1st Class, Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon

1st Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Grand Cordon

2nd Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star

3rd Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon

4th Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette

5th Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays

6th Class, Order of the Rising Sun, Silver Rays

7th Class, Green Paulownia Leaves Medal

8th Class, White Paulownia Leaves Medal

Class unknown

References

  • Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States. San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America. ISBN 1-8909-7409-9
  • Tsuji, Masanobu. (1997). Japan's Greatest Victory, Britain's Worst Defeat, Margaret E. Lake, tr. New York: Da Capo Press. 10-ISBN 1-873-37675-8; 13-ISBN 978-1-873-37675-1 (cloth)

External links

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Last updated on Sunday October 05, 2008 at 18:43:51 PDT (GMT -0700)
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