# Sentai

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{{Italic title}}
{{Short description|Japanese military unit}}
{{Distinguish|Zentai}}
{{For|the American entertainment company|Sentai Filmworks}}

{{More citations needed|date=November 2017}}

In [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language), {{nihongo|'''''sentai'''''|戦隊}} is a [military unit](/source/military_unit) and may be literally translated as "squadron", "[task force](/source/task_force)", "[division (of ships)](/source/Division_(naval))", "[group](/source/group_(air_force_unit))" or "[wing](/source/wing_(air_force_unit))". The terms "[regiment](/source/regiment)" and "[flotilla](/source/flotilla)", while sometimes used as translations of ''sentai'', are also used to refer to larger formations.

==Imperial Japanese aviation ''sentai''==
The term was used during [World War II](/source/World_War_II) by the [military of the Empire of Japan](/source/military_of_the_Empire_of_Japan) for [Imperial Japanese Army Air Service](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Army_Air_Service) (IJAAS) and [Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service](/source/Imperial_Japanese_Navy_Air_Service) (IJNAS) [military aviation](/source/military_aviation) units equivalent to a group or wing in other air forces. However, the term had slightly different meanings in the IJAAS and the IJNAS.

An IJAAS ''Sentai'' was made up of two to four [squadrons](/source/Squadron_(aviation)) (''chūtai''). In the IJAAS, two or more ''Sentai'' comprised a ''hikōdan'' (air [brigade](/source/brigade)). In the later stages of World War II, the IJAAS abolished ''chūtai'' and divided its ''sentai'' into ''[hikōtai](/source/hik%C5%8Dtai)'' (flying units) and ''seibitai'' (maintenance units). A ''sentai'' commander (''sentaichō'') was generally a [lieutenant colonel](/source/lieutenant_colonel).

In the IJNAS, a ''sentai'' was a larger unit: a ''[Kōkūtai](/source/K%C5%8Dk%C5%ABtai)'' was the equivalent of an IJAAS ''sentai''. Several ''sentai'' made up a ''kantai'' (air fleet). In the IJNAS, a ''Sentaichō'' was usually a [naval captain](/source/Captain_(naval)).

==Imperial Japanese naval ''sentai''==
''Sentai'' in the Japanese Navy were prescribed by the document ''Naval military command No. 10, {{nihongo|'''Kantairei'''''|艦隊令}} dated 30 November 1914.

Paraphrased, they were defined as follows:
*{{nihongo|''Sentai''|戦隊||[Battleship](/source/Battleship) Division, [Battlecruiser](/source/Battlecruiser) Division, [Cruiser](/source/Cruiser) Division, [Minelayer](/source/Minelayer) Division or Coast Defence Ship Division}}: comprising two or more warships of the same [type](/source/Warship).
*{{nihongo|''Kōkū Sentai''|航空戦隊||Carrier Division or Air Flotilla}}: comprising two or more [aircraft carrier](/source/aircraft_carrier)s, [seaplane tender](/source/seaplane_tender)s or air groups.
*{{nihongo|''Suirai Sentai''|[水雷戦隊](/source/%3Aja%3A%E6%B0%B4%E9%9B%B7%E6%88%A6%E9%9A%8A)||Torpedo Squadron or Cruiser-Destroyer Squadron}}: comprising two or more [destroyer](/source/destroyer)s, possibly with a [light cruiser](/source/light_cruiser) as a squadron [flagship](/source/flagship).
*{{nihongo|''Sensui Sentai''|潜水戦隊||Submarine Squadron}}: comprising two or more [submarine](/source/submarine)s, with a [submarine tender](/source/submarine_tender) or cruiser as submarine squadron leader, and some submarine divisions. The ''1st Sensui Sentai'' was formed on 1 April 1919 from the former ''4th Suirai Sentai''.
*{{nihongo|''Yusō Sentai''|輸送戦隊||Landing Ship Squadron}}: comprising two or more [landing ship](/source/landing_ship) divisions. First unit the ''1st Yusō Sentai'' was organized on 25 September 1944.
*{{nihongo|''Tokkō Sentai''|特攻戦隊||Suicide Attack Division}}: comprising a [mother ship](/source/mother_ship) and individual suicide weapons, such as ''[Kaiten](/source/Kaiten)'', ''[Kairyū](/source/Kairy%C5%AB-class_submarine)'', ''[Kōryū](/source/%3Aja%3A%E8%9B%9F%E7%AB%9C_(%E6%BD%9C%E6%B0%B4%E8%89%A6))'' and ''[Shin'yō](/source/Shin'y%C5%8D-class_suicide_motorboat)''. The first such unit was the ''1st Tokkō Sentai'', organized on 20 March 1945.

==Cultural references==
{{main|Super Sentai}}
The {{nihongo|''Super Sentai Series''|スーパー戦隊シリーズ|Sūpā Sentai Shirīzu}} is a franchise of Japanese [tokusatsu](/source/tokusatsu) [television dramas](/source/Japanese_television_drama) produced by [Toei](/source/Toei_Company) and [TV Asahi](/source/TV_Asahi) that uses the word ''sentai'' to describe a group of three or more costumed [superhero](/source/superhero)es who often pilot fictional [robotic vehicles](/source/mecha) to fight ''[kaiju](/source/kaiju)''.

==See also==
* [Senshi (disambiguation)](/source/Senshi_(disambiguation))

==Bibliography==
*Series 100 year histories from [Meiji Era](/source/Meiji_period), Ministry of the Navy, printed by Hara Shobō (Japan)
**Vol. 173, ''Histories of Naval organizations #3 (1)'', original printing in 1939, reprint in May 1971
**Vol. 174, ''Histories of Naval organizations #3 (2)'', original printing in 1939, reprint in July 1971

Category:Military units and formations of Japan in World War II

[ja:戦隊](/source/ja%3A%E6%88%A6%E9%9A%8A)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sentai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentai) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentai?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.