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1904. 


^.1 . 


se^ 


Ofiv.- 


THE  ALBUM, 

Containing  the  most  interesting  and  striking 
photographs  and  pictures  regarding  the  Russo- 
Japanese  War. 

KINKODO  PUBLISHING   Co. 

Honcho,  Nibonbashiku, 
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THE  RUSSO=JAPANESE  WAR 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.    Introduction By  Major  Jikemnra. 

3.    The  Imperial  Family  of  Jayan 1 

3.  How  Russia  carae  into  Manchuria » 12 

4.  History  of  Russo-Japanese  Relations 19 

5.  Official  Documents  regarding  the  Diplomatic  Relations  between  Japan  . 

and  Russia .          28 

6.  The  Relative  Strength  of  Japan  and  Russia   .          .     .  64 

7-     Outbreak  of  the  War  :     Naval  Engagements  at  Chemulpo  and  off  Port 

Arthur  ;  Bombardment  of  Yladlvoslok 74 

8.  Fighting  on  Land     ...              .              .          ,     .     .  94 

9.  A  Russian  Squadron  fires  on  defenceless  Merchantmen 96 

10.  The   Arrival  of  the  Nisshin  and  Kasuga 98 

11.  War  Time  Anecdotes         100 

12.  A  Short  History  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  Society 112 

13.  Associations  for  Relief  Work    .  , 118 

,14.    The  Imperial  Diet 121 

15.     General  News - 133 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

WAR  MAP 

Chromo-Lithograph  :    H.  I.  M.  the  Emperor  of  Japan. 

5  Coloured-Plates  :  The  Naval  Engagements  at  Chemulpo  and  off 
Port  Arthur,  Relief  Work  for  the  wounded  Russians,  Troops  on 
the  way  to  the  Front,  Calling  up  the  Reservists  of  the  Imperial 
Guard. 

18  Full-page  Photographs  :  H.  I.  M.  the  Emperor  inspecting  at 
the  Grand  Manoeuvres,  H.  I.  M.  the  Empress  and  H.  I.  H.  the 
Crown  Prince  of  Japan,  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  T.  I.  M.  the  Em- 
peror and  Empress  of  Russia  at  a  Military  Review,  T.  I.  H. 
Princes  Arisugawa,  Kan-in,  Higashifushimi,  Yamashina,  and  the 
young  Prince  Fushimi,  T.  I.  H.  Princesses  Komatsu  and  Kan-in, 
Yice-Admiral  Togo,  Rear-Admiral  Uryu,  Reception  given  to  the 
Temporary  Staff  of  the  Nisshin  and  Kasuga,  Crew  of  the  Asama, 
Field  Artillery  in  Action,  Infantry  Fighting,  Students  of  the 
Peeresses'  School,  Attack  of  Torpedo-boats  off  Port  Arthur,  Block- 
ing of  the  Mouth  of  Port  Arthur,  Prince  Tokugawa  President  of 
the  House  of  Peers. 

Other  smaller  Illustrations  over  100. 


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SHiBAuim  EOGinEEninG  Works 

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Entrotruction^ 

The  war  between  Japan  and  Russia  is  now  a  thing  of  the 
actual  present.  It  is  being  actively  waged  at  this  very  moment : 
the  first  naval  actions  at  Chemulpo,  and  around  Port  Arthur, 
are  things  already  of  the  past,  and  the  Japanese  Fleet  has 
covered  itself  with  glory  by  reason  of  the  successes  which  it 
has  already  achieved. 

It  is  not  necessar3''  for  me  to  enlarge  upon  the  causes  of 
the  Avar.  The  continual  encroachments  of  Russia  on  Manchuria, 
and  even  on  Korea,  have  long  been  patent  to  the  eyes  of  the 
whole  world,  and  her  increasing  military  activity  was  a  menace 
not  only  to  the  independence  of  Korea,  for  which  Japan  has 
expended  so  much  in  blood  and  money,  but  also  to  that  of 
Japan  herself.  It  was  therefore  necessary  as  an  act  of  self- 
preservation  for  Japan  to  draw  the  sword  in  her  own  defence. 

Russia  is  a  power  of  such  magnitude  that  her  military 
and  naval  resources  have  always  inspired  her  neighbours  with 
respect,  if  not  with  anxiety,  and  when  a  few  years  ago  the 
question  of  Manchuria  came  into  prominence  and  Russia  began 
ostentatiously  increasing  her  fleets  and  armies  in  the  Far 
East,  there  was  but  one  conclusion  to  be  drawn,  ^vhich  was 
that  it  was  her  deliberate  intention,  in  spite  of  all  professions 
to  the  contrary,  to  compel  Japan  to  renounce  all  pretension 
to  a  voice  in  the  ultimate  fate  of  Manchuria  and  Korea,  and 
to  acquiesce  in  her  own  illegal  designs  upon  both  those 
countries.  The  independence  of  Korea  and  the  integrity  of 
China  are  matters  of  life  and  death  for  Japan,  to  be  main- 
tained by  her  at  the  cost,  if  need  be,  of  a  great  national 
sacrifice. 


—     2     — 

Japan  has  no  reason  to  fear  the  size  of  the  Russian  Army. 
She  can  put  500,000  well  trained  soldiers  in  the  field,  to  meet 
her  gigantic  foe,  and  when  danger  calls,  every  Japanese  is  a 
soldier.  Love  of  Emperor  and  country  unites  us  all  as  one 
man,  and  the  chivalrous  traditions  of  by-gone  ages  have  left 
indelible  traces  on  the  national  character.  We  prefer  death  to 
dishonour,  are  always  ready  to  die  for  our  fatherland,  and 
do  not  know  when  we  are  beaten. 

Russia  is,  in  truth,  a  great  foe  of  humanity,  and  an- 
tagonistic to  all  true  civilization  ;  and  as  such  is  the  enem}^ 
not  of  Japan  only,  but  of  the  whole  world.  In  the  ej-es  of 
our  people,  we  are  fighting  for  great  principles,  and  this  war 
represents  a  conflict  bet^sveen  justice  simple  and  unadorned, 
and  injustice  decked  out  in  sham  jewels  such  as  the  Czar's 
Peace  Conference  at  the  Hague. 

The  principal  object  of  this  book  is  to  put  before  the 
reader  in  a  clear  and  intelligible  manner  the  successive  stages 
of  the  operations  of  war  ;  I mt  we  also  hope  to  demonstrate, 
as  our  Record  proceeds,  how  just  and  honourable  are  the 
principles  for  which  Japan  is  fighting  against  Russian  perfidy 
and  faithlessness. 

Wasuke  Jikkmura, 

Major  (retired). 


His  Imperial  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Japan. 


Cbe  Ru$$o»]apane$e  mar 


O'.^v 


,    Vol.   I. 


APRIL,    1904. 


No.  1. 


The  imperial  Family  of  Japan. 


HE  rapidity  with  wHch 
Japan  struck  the  first  blow 
in  the  war,  at  Chemulpo 
and  Port  Arthur,  and  the 
phenomenal  success  which 
attended  those  daring  naval  operations, 
involving  as  they  did  the  paralysis  of 
the  Russian  Navy,  and  the  securing  for 
Japan  of  the  command  of  the  Eastern 
Seas,  have  served  not  only  to  dishearten 
the  Russians  and  encourage  the  Japan- 
ese, but  also  to  raise  the  prestige  oi 
Japan   enormously  in  the  eyes     of  the 

w^orld. 

Russia  is  one  of  the  world's  great 
powers,  respected  by  the  greater 
nations,  and  feared  by  the  smaller 
ones,  and  it  is  a  long  time  since  any 
single  nation  has  dared  to  challenge 
her  to  mortal  combat.  Turkey  did 
so  in  1876,  but  she  had  the  moral 
support  of  several  European  Powers, 
and  even  then  she  got  a  severe  thrash- 
ing; in  the  Crimean  war,  Russia  fought 
single-handed  against  a  combination 
of    France,     England,     Sardinia,    and 


Turkey  ;  and  when  Napoleon  invaded 
her  in  1812  it  was  not  France  alone 
that  fought  against  Russia  ;  for  the 
armies  that  Napoleon  led  to  destruc- 
tion in  that  campaign  were  drawn  from 
South-Germany,  the  Rhine,  Belgium, 
Holland,  and  Italy,  as  well  as  from 
France.'  It  has  been  reserved  for  Japan 
to  have  the  honour  of  being  the  first 
nation  to  challenge  Russia  to  single  com- 
bat, not  only  in  self-defence,  but  as  the 
champion  oi"  the  rights  of  nations. 

The  Japanese  people  knows  that  it 
owes  nearly  all  its  present  greatness  to 
the  eminent  Ruler  who  has  now  for  so 
man}'  years  guided  its  destinies  in  the 
most  critical  period  of  its  history,  and 
the  compilers  of  this  record  feel  that 
they  cannot  do  better  than  prefix  to 
their  work  an  account  of  His  Majesty 
and  his  August  Family,  not  only  as  an 
act  of  homage  to  their  Sovereign,  but 
also  because  they  wish  that  the  people 
of  other  nations  should  know  what 
kind  of  sovereign  it  is  to  whom  they 
owe  and  give  a  ready  allegiance. 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Emperor  of  Japan,  the  hundred 

and  twenty  second  sovereign  from  the 
first  Emperor,  Jimmu,  is  the  real  ruler 
of  the  nation,  and  his  mere  declaration 
of   war    has    sufficed  to  kindle    in  the 


r 


Jimmu  Tenno, 
The  First  Emperor  of  Japan. 

hearts  of  the  people  a  fierce  glow  of 
ardent  patriotism.  Let  us  think  for  a 
moment  of  all  that  His  Majesty  has 
accomplished  for  his  country's  welfare, 
and  we  shall  understand  some  part 
at  least  of  the  spirit  of  Japanese  loyalty 
in  the  present  crisis.  It  is  just  thirty- 
seven  years  since  he  came  to  the  throne, 
and  since  that  time  his  wisdom  has 
enabled  Japan  to  revolutionize  the 
whole  of  her  social  and  economical 
system,  and  entirely  to  change  the  face 
of  the  nation. 

The  determination  to  do  this  may 


be  seen  in  the  Imperial  Address  when  the 
famous  Decree  of  the  Five  Articles  (Go-jo 
no  go-seimon)  was  issued  by  His  Majes- 
ty shortly  after  his  accession.  *'  On  as- 
cending the  Throne  of  Our  Ancestors, 
Our  determination  is,  in  spite  of  all 
difficulties  that  may  beset  Our  path,  to 
rule  Our  country  in  person,  to  secure  the 
peace  of  all  Our  subjects,  to  open 
friendly  relations  with  other  countries, 
to  make  Our  country  glorious,  and  to 
estabhsh  the  nation  on  a  permanent 
basis  of  prosperity  and  happiness." 

From  this  determination  His  Majes- 
ty has  never  for  one  moment  swerved, 
and  it  has  been  in  consequence  of  his 
wonderful  tenacity  of  purpose  that 
Japan  has  been  able  to  free  herself  from 
the  trammels  of  an  old-world  feudalism, 
has  obtained  a  Constitutional  and  Par- 
liamentary Government  in  the  place  of 
the  ancient  Absolutism,  has  introduced 
all  the  arts  and  sciences  known  to 
modern  civilization,  organized  an  Army 
and  a  Navy  that  are  in  every  respect 
efficient  and  up  to  date,  whilst  at  the 
same  time  developing  all  her  own 
national  resources,  and  extending  her 
commerce  in  a  way  that  has  compelled 
the  admiration  and  sometimes  even  the 
jealousy  of  other  nations.  And  all  this 
within  the  short  period  of  thirty  seven 
years!  It  is  "a  nation  born  in  a  day" 
—an  instance  of  rapid  progress  that  is 
absolutely  without  a  parallel  in  history. 

The  first  address  which  His  Majcs  y 
issued  to  the  Army  and  Navy  reads  as 
follows  : — 

"  We  are  your  Commander-in-Chief. 
As  such,  We  rely  upon  you  as  We  do 
upon  Our  own  hands,  and  desire  you  to 
look  to  Us  as  your  head,  so  that  the 
relation  between  us  may  be  one  of  ab- 
solute and'  sincere  confidence  and  trust. 
Whether  We  perform  Our  duty  success- 
fully or  not,  depends  entirely  on  the 
manner  in  which  you  perform  yours.  If 
Our  country  fails  to  stand  high  in  the 
opinion  of  other  nations,  We  desire  you 
to  share  in  Our  sorrow.    If  it  rises  with 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY   OF  JAPAN. 


honour,  We  will  enjoy  the  fruits  of  it 
with  you.  Stand  iirm  in  your  duty  ; 
assist  Us  in  protecting  the  country  ; 
and  the  result  must  be  the  prosperity 
of  the  nation  and  the  enhancement  of 
Our  country's  reputation." 

The  words  of  their  Sovereign  made 
a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  there  never  has  been  a 
Japanese  that  was  not  ready  to  make 
any  sacrifice,  however  costly,  for  the 
sake  of  the  Emperor.  Both  services, 
down  to  the  humblest  private  and 
blue-jacket,  are  impregnated  with  the 
idea  that  their  conduct  must  be  in  the 
strictest  conformity  with  the  Imperial 
Message,  that  they  must  be  brave  and 
courageous,  true  and  honorable,  simple 
and  frugal.  And  in  the  Emperor  himself 
they  have  always  found  a  splendid  ex- 
ample of  the  virtues  which  he  wished 
them  to  make  their  own. 


attend  to  affairs  of  state,  and  he  will 
sometimes  continue  at  work  till  mid- 
night, without  showing  any  sign  of 
weariness  ;  he  is  also  always  ready,  at 
any  hour  of  the  evening,  to  receive  any 
of  his  Ministers  in  audience  on  matters 
of  grave  importance.  His  decisions  are 
never  given  until  he  has,  by  a  succes- 
sion of  seai'ching  questions,  arrived  at 
a  clear  understanding  of  the  v^hole 
state  of  the  case.  His  work  goes  on 
without  interruption  throughout  the 
year  ;  during  the  severe  cold  of  winter, 
as  well  as  under  the  almost  tropical 
heat  of  a  Japanese  summer,  he  is 
always  to  be  found  at  his  post. 

His  style  of  living  is  remarkably 
frueal  and  free  from  ostentation ;  his 
■wardrobe  and  table  are  alike  simple, 
and  the  decorations  of  the  Palace  chaste, 
and  almost  severe.  He  is  fond  of  riding, 
and  a   good  rider  ;    keeps  an  excellent 


Niju-Bashi, 
Entkance  to  the  Imperial  Palace  at  Tokyo. 


In  times  of  peace,  His  Majesty  stud  in  which  he  takes  great  interest, 
makes  his  appearance  in  his  place  of  and  at  military  reviews,  always  appears 
official    business,    at    8  a.m.,  ready  to      on  horseback.     His  sympathy  for  the 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  "vYAR. 


people  is  strong  and'  deep,  and  when 
one  of  those  calamities  occurs  which 
unfortunately  visit  Japan  so  frequ- 
ently and  with  such  violence,  as  an 
earthquake,  a  typhoon,  a  tidal  wave, 
a  conflagration,  or  a  pestilence,  he  is 
always  the  first  to  send  condolences, 
and  make  inquiries,  and  his  privy  purse 
is  always  open  for  the  relief  of  real 
suffering.  When  a  man  dies  who  has 
served  his  country  well  and  faithfully,  it 
is  always  the  Emperor  who  comforts 
the  mourners,  by  kind  words  and  pre- 
sents, and  the  bestowal  of  ppsthumous 
honours  on  the  deceased.  His  Majesty 
has  always  shown  himself  as  a  tender 
father  to  his  people,  and  his  reward 
has  been  a  whole-hearted  devotion  that 
has  been  almost  without  a  parallel  in 
history. 


the  country,  so  that  the  progress  made 
in  this  direction  has  been  truly  remark- 
able. The  completion  of  the  Restora- 
tion marks  the  establishment  of  the 
War  Department  with  separate  organi- 
zations for  Army  and  Navy  :  the  Fleet 
at  that  time  consisted  of  seven  war- 
ships only,  w^hilst  the  Army  was  com-- 
posed  of  sundry  regiments  which  had 
hitherto  stood  in  the  service  of  the 
various  feudal  lords. 

The  4th  year  of  His  Majesty's  reign 
(1871)  really  represents  the  beginning 
of  a  proper  system  of  military  organi- 
zation and  expansion.  In  that  year, 
the  Lords  of  Satsuma,  Nagato  and 
Tosa  presented  their  armies  to  the 
Emperor,  and  folir  military  centres 
were  formed  for  the  soldiers  who  were 
drafted  into  the  Imperial    Service  from 


The  Japanese  Warriors  in  the  Middls  Ages, 


Since  thfe  period  known  asGo-isshin, 
i.e.  the  Great  RevoliAtion  or,  as  it 
should  more  properly  be  called,  .the 
Great  Restoration  of  1868,  His  Majesty 
has  devoted  special  care  to  fostering 
the  mdrtial  spirit  of  the  people,  and 
no  effort  has  been  spared  to  improve 
the  military  and  naval  armaments  of 


the    armies    of  the   other  feudal  lords 
Orders    were    also    given  for    the  first 
time  in  Japanese    history   for  the  con- 
struction   of    vessels   of    modern  type 
the  Chiyoda  being,   it  is  said,  the  first 
ship  that  was  thus  acquired. 

In  the  fifth  year  of  his  reign  (1S72) 
conscription  was  made  the  law  of  the 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  OF  JAPAN. 


land,  and  m  the  same  year  a  party 
of  English  officers  was  engaged  for  the 
instntctiou  of  the  Navy.  The  ntimber 
of  ships  was  increased  to  seventeen  with 
an  aggregate  of  13,832  tons.  Nor  did 
the  newly  formed  military  and  naval 


The  Late  Admiral  Marquis  Saigo  Judo, 

Commaisder*in-Chief  of  the 

Formosa  Expedition. 

organizations  remain  long  without 
opportunities  for  gathering  experience; 
for  the  commotions  in  Saga,  Kuma- 
moto,  and  Yamaguchi,  followed  by  an 
expedition  to  Formosa  which  took 
place  shortly  aftervs^ards,  gave  both 
impetus  and  practical  guidance  to  the 
movement  for  further  improvement.  A 
start  was  made  with  the  home  con- 
struction of  war-vessels,  for  the  Jingei 
and  Seiki  were  about  this  time  built  at 
Yokosuka,  while  the  Fuso,  Kongo, 
Hiyei  and  others  were  ordered  in 
England.  The  army  organization  also 
advanced    a   step,    and   the    establish- 


ment of  miHtary  "stations"  at  Tokyo, 
Sendai,  Osaka,  Nagoya,  Hiroshima,  and 
Kumamoto  served  to  make  it  more 
effective. 

The  "  Southwest  War,"  as  it  is 
called,  which  broke  out  in  the  tenth 
year  of  Meiji,  (1877)  was  the  last 
of  our  civil  wars,  and  added  im- 
mensely to  the  experience  of  the 
Japanese  fighting  men ;  the  creation 
of  the  General  Staff  Office,  the 
Stores  Department,  and  the  Divi- 
sional StaFs  being  among  its  most 
remarkable  results.  Great  atten- 
tion also  began  to  be  paid  to  the 
subjects  of  naval  and  military  edu- 
cation, to  the  adequate  equipment 
of  both  forces  and  to  coast-defence. 
The  eighteenth  year  of  Meiji  (1885) 
saw  the  creation  of  the  six  military 
divisions  corresponding  to  the  six; 
'*  stations'*  already  mentioned,  the 
adoption  of  a  definite  scheme  for 
naval  expansion,  and  the  provision 
of  the  necessary  funds  by  the  issue 
of  Naval  Bonds. 

Military  matters    have  always 
been   a  matter  of  special  solicitude 
to  His  Majesty,  who  always  makes 
a    point   of  giving  words   of  good 
cheer  to  officers  going  out  to  war, 
and    of  receiving    them  kindly    on 
their  return  and  encouraging  them 
to  give  him  a  detailed  account  of 
the  operations  in  which  they  have 
been   engaged.      The    graduation    cere- 
monies    of    the    Higher    Military    and 
Naval    Colleges    are   always  honoured 
by    the  presence  of  the    Emperor  who 
knows  how  to  encourage  the  students 
by     kind     words     and    special    prizes. 
Military  reviews  and  naval  manoeuvres 
he  always    participates    in,  conducting 
the  operations  in  person  as  Commander- 
in-Chief 

The  quick  suppression  of  the  civil 
commotions  which  attended  the  great 
upheaval  of  the  Restoration,  the 
triumphant  issue  of  the  war  with  China 
in  1894,  and  the  splendid  organization 


6 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


of  tl;e  Japanese  Army  and  Navy,  are  administrative  functions  both  civil  and 
all  due,  more  than  the  world  has  military,  and  after  careful  examination 
generally  thought,  to  the  patient  energy  had  decided  what  should  be  the  policy 
and  unflinching  perseverance  ,  of  the  to  be  followed  by  the  nation.  The 
Emperor  himself,  putting  into  execution  of  all  these  pro- 

jects   had    occupied 


The  Higher  Na-\'Al  College  at  Tsukiji,  Tokyo. 


After  the  establishment  of  Parlia- 
mentary institutions  and  the  opening 
of  the  Imperial  Diet,  Japan  entered 
upon  a  period  of  strife  and  conflict,  ;and 
disagreements  between  the  Ministries 
and  the  political  parties  more  tlian 
once  threatened  to  impede  the  govern- 
mental projects  of  military  expansion. 
This  was  e  specially  the  case  during  the 
Ministry    of    Marquis     Ita,   when    the 

Lower  House  voted  a  wholesale  reduc-     the    same  principles    of    representative 
tion,    of    Government    expenditure     to~    government    have    been    firmly    estab- 
which    the    Ministry    refused    to    give-    lished,      has     been     rapid      and 
their  consent.     The  Diet  then  impeached 
the  Ministry  and    the    House  was  dis- 
solved. 

His  Majesty  thereupon  intervened 
with  a  Message  to  the  following  <effect. 
Addressing  himself  to  both  parties .  in 
the    dispute,    to  .the    members    of    the 


some  twenty  years, 
and  the  one    object 
which  His   Majesty 
had  set  before  him- 
self during  all  those 
years,  had  been  the 
welfare    and    pros- 
perity of  the  people. 
With  the  same   ob- 
ject   in    view,     had 
been    initiated    the 
system  of  the  repre- 
sentative      govern- 
ment, by  which  His 
Majesty    desired  to 
associate  the  people 
with       himself      in 
the   pursuit    of  the 
result    before    them.       The    proclama- 
tion   then    continued      practically    ^as 
follows  :~  "  Our    Constitution  is    still 
in     its    infancy,     and     if     we     would 
secure  the  best  results    from  its  work- 
ing,  we    must     exercise     the    greatest 
caution    and    circumspection.        If    we 
turn     our     eyes     abroad     to     foreign 
countries,     we    ;  h  ill    notice    that    the 
progress   of  those 'countries,   in   which 


con- 


stant, and  thus  would  we  wish  it  to 
be,  with  ourselves.  If,  at  this  junc- 
ture, we  have  disputes  and-  bicker- 
mgs  at  home,  we  shall  not  only 
waste  our  time  and  dissipate  our 
energies,  but  hinder  and  delay  the 
attainment  of  those  worthy  objects 
Cabinet     as     well     as     to     th0     Diet, .    towards     which      we     are     worki 

Such  a, course  would    be  contrary    to 
Our  -  wish,   and  contrary  to   the    duty 
taken  back  into  the  Imperial  hands  all-    which    We    feel    to    be    owing  to    O 
the  powers    of  Sovereignty,   had  abo-     August    Ancestors,    and    would    mor 
lished    the  feudal  system,  reformed    all      over,    practically    nulHfy    the    benefits 


His  Majesty    reminded    them    that    at 
the    time     of    his     accession     he    had 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  OF  JAPAN. 


of  the  Constitution.     We  have  full  con- 
fidence in  the  faith  and    abiHty  of   the 
Servants  of  Our  Crown,  and  have  com- 
mitted   to    their  care  the    execution   of 
certain  measures  calculated  to  promote 
our    designs,    and  We    have  no  dotibt 
but    that    the    representatives    of  Our 
people  will  share  with  Us  in  Our  care 
for  the  national  welfare.     The  expendi- 
tures mentioned  in  Article    67    of  the 
Constitution  (i.e.  those  connected  with 
military     and    naval     administration) 
should  not  be  the  cause  of  any  dispute 
or    contention,    seeing    that  they  have 
the  express,   w^ritten,   sanction   of   Our 
Decree.    In  the  matter  of  administrative 
reform,  We  have  given  speci- 
al instruction  to  Our  Minis- 
ters to  give  the  matter  full 
consideration,  so  that  there 
may  be  no  error  in  the  con- 
clusions they  arrive  at,  and 
then  to  come  to  Us  for  Our 
sanction     to    any     reforms 
they  may    desire    to    intro- 
duce.     The  question  of  na- 
tional defence  is   one  which 
brooks    no     delay,     and    in 
order    to    show     Our    own 
sense   of  its  paramount  im- 
portance We   have    ordered 
the     expenditures     of    Our 
Household  to  be  cut  down, 
so  that  We  may  be  able  to 
contribute  a  yearly  sum   of 
Yen    300,000    for  the   next 
six  years    to    the  necessary 
equipment  of  the    national 
defences.      We    have  at  the 
same  time  ordered  all  officers 
and  officials  in  Our  service, 
to  contribute,  unless  excused 
by  Us  for   exceptional  rea- 
sons,     one-tenth     of    their 
salaries,  for  the  same  period 
of  years,    towards  the   ex- 
penses   of   naval   construc- 
tion.     We  depend  therefore 
on    the    co-opeiation,    along   constitu 
tional   lines,    of  Ministers  and  Repre 


sentatives,  in  the  accomplishment  of 
our  great  national  tasks  ;  and  We  call 
upon  Our  people,  one  and  all,  to  do 
their  duties  in  this  matter." 

His  Majesty's  Proclamation,  which 
was  isstied  in  the  26th  year  of  Meiji 
(1893),  just  one  year  before  the  out- 
break of  the  war  with  China,  gave  an 
electric  shock  to  the  nation,  and  had 
the  effect  of  putting  an  immediate  end  to 
the  unseemly  disputes  between  the  Mini- 
stry and  Representatives,  all  of  whom 
acquiesced  cheerfully  in  the  wisdom  and 
impartiality  of  his  decision  which,  while 
supporting  the  Ministry  and  the  Mili- 
tary Classes  in  their  demands  for  ad- 


Marquis  Ito, 
President  of  the  Privy  Council. 

ditional    grants    for   national    defence, 
demanded  from  them  a  substantial  con- 


8 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


tribution  towards  the  object  for  which  his  loving  subjects.  He  removed  from 
they  were  so  -urgently  insistent,  and  Tokyo  to  Hiroshima,  a  large  city  in 
at  the  same  time  set  before  the  whole  the  west  of  Japan,  and  there  remained 
oation  a  magnificent  example  of  sacri-     in    daily   contact   with   the  war,    and 

in  constant  com- 
munication w^ith 
the  leaders  in  the 
field,  sparing  him- 
self no  exertion  or 
labour,  until  its 
triumphant  con- 
clusion eight 
months  after. 

Since  the  w^ar 
with  China,  the 
development  of 
both  the  services 
has  been  extreme- 
ly rapid,  and  in 
every  way  satis- 
factory to  the 
nation.  There  are 
now  thirteen  mili- 
tary divisions  instead  of  six,  and  the 
effective  strength  of  the  Army  on  a 
war  footing  is  500,000  men,  fiiUy 
trained.  The  Navy  consists  of  bat- 
tle ships,  cruisers,  torpedo  boats  and 
destroyers,  the  number  and  tonnage 
of  which  can  easily  be  ascertained 
manded  by  the  Ministry  were  granted  by  a  glance  at  Hazell's  Annual  or  the 
by  the  unanim- 
ous vote  of  the 
whole  House. 

During  the 
war  with  C  hina, 
His  Majesty's 
self-denying  so- 
licitude for  the 
welfare  of  his 
people,  and  the 
painsta  k  i  ng 
care  with  which 
he  watched  and 
directed  the  con- 
duct of  the  mili- 
tary operations, 
served  to  endear 
him  still  more 
to  the  hearts  of 


Imperial  Head-Quarters  at  Hiroshima, 

DURING  THE    JAPAN- ChINA   War. 


fice  and  self-denial.  That  the  impres- 
sion thus  produced  on  the  people  was 
more  than  a  merely  transient  wave  of 
feeling  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  when 
the  next  Diet  was  summoned  soon  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  war,  at  Hiroshima, 
the    whole    of   the    appropriations  de- 


Old  Castle  at  Hiroshima, 
Now  THE  5TH  Division  Staff  Office, 


Her  Majesty  the  Empress  of  Japan. 


/ 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  OF  JAPAN. 


9 


vStatesman^s  Year  Book  ;  and  the  Em- 
peror has  made  himself  personally  ac- 
quainted -with  every  vessel  in  his  fleet. 
When  we  consider  the  time,  money, 
and  intelligent  pains  that  have  been 
bestowed  upon  onr  Navy,  at  the  in- 
stigation and  under  the  guidance  of 
His  Majesty,  we  can  see  that  our 
victories  at  Chemulpo  and  Port  Arthur 
were  in  no  sense  the  results  of  a  blind 
chance  which  happened  to  be  on  our 
side.  Heaven  helps  those  who  help 
themselves. 

At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  the 


of  China  to  the  Shah  of  Persia  and  the 
Sultan  of  Ttirkey.  Look  over  the 
European  list.  The  Czar  of  Russia  is 
a  young  man  \vho  has  just  reached 
the  throne,  and  of  whose  ability  noth- 
ing is  known.  The  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many has  yet  to  give  proof  that  he 
possesses  any  genius  for  politics  or  for 
war.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  is  an 
amiable  old  ruler,  who  gets  along  as 
well  as  he  can  with  his  many-tongued 
subjects.  The  King  of  Italy:  Unhappy 
Umberto  I  !  The  lesser  kings  are  not 
upon  the  list.     The  Queen  of  England  is 


KWAZOKU   JOGAKKO    (THE   PEERESSES'    ScHOOL.) 


China  War,  the  New  York  Sun  took 
occasion  to  speak  of  His  Majesty  in 
terms,  the  truth  of  which  we  realize 
more  and  more  as  the  years  roll  on 
with  their  ever-increasing  accumula- 
tions of  honours,  though  possibly  the 
writer  might  find  reason  to  modify  his 
criticisms  of  some  other  rulers  :— 

"  Who  is  there  among  the  living 
sovereigns  of  the  world  with  whom  he 
can  be  compared  ?  Not  certainly  with 
any  one  of  them  in  Asia,  from  Kwang-su 


not    upon    it.      The    President    of    the 
French  RepubHc  has  no  place  here.    The 
score  of  other  republican  presidents  in 
North  and  South  America— peace  be  to 
them !    No    other   ruler   but    the   Em- 
peror of  Japan  has  a  record  like  his,  a 
record  of  great  things  accompHshed,  a 
record    of    progress    and    of   victory. 
More  than  the  reign  of  Augustus  was 
to  Rome,  more  than  was  that  of  Alfred 
or  the  Conqueror  to  England,   or  that 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus   to  Sweden,   or 


10 


THE  RUSS0-JAPANE3K  WAR. 


that  of  Peter  the  Great  to  Russia,  or  her  example  ;  and  the  visits  she  paid  to 
that  of  Napoleon  to  France,  or  that  of  hospitals,  and  the  kind  words  of  corn- 
Victor  Emmanuel  to  Italy,  or  that  fort  she  gave  to  the  sufferers  bespoke  the 
of  William  I  to  Germany,  more  than  tender  heart  v^ithin  her.  At  the  out- 
the  Presidency  of  Lincoln  was  to  our  break  of  the  present  war,  she  immediate- 
country,     has    been    the    reign    of  the  ly  cut  down   her  house-hold  expenses. 


encouraged  her  attendants  to  join  the 
forces,  and  in  every  way  set  a  praise- 
worthy example  to  the  ladies  of  Japan. 
She  has  done  much  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  fine  arts,    and  is  interested 


Mikado  to  Japan.      The  Mikado  is  in 
the  prime  of  life  ;    he  is  but  forty-two 
years    of   age.      He    may    yet    have    a 
long    career,    as    the    sovereign   of  the 
Sunrise    Kingdom.      If    he    be  not   the 
greatest    of  the    living  rulers, 
who  is  there  in  any  country 
that    can    dispute  his  title  to 
that  distinction  ?   If  he  be  not 
the    foremost    of  the    world's 
revolutionists,     what    is     the 
name  of  the  foremost  ?" 

H.  I.  M.  The  Empress  is 
the  devoted  companion  and 
consort  of  the  Emperor,  and 
is  a  w^oman  of  incomparable 
womanly  virtue.  Her  attach- 
ment to  her  husband  is  real 
and  affectionate,  and,  so  far 
as  is  known,  there  has  never 
been  a  shadow^  of  disagree- 
ment betweeii  the  pair.  His 
Majesty's  devotion  is  to  his 
Army  and  Navy  :  the  Empress 
works  for  the  Red  Cross  Socie- 
ty and  for  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded  in  war.  In 
times  of  peace,  the  Emperor, 
as  the  centre  of  the  political 
life   of  the  country,   is  wholly 

occupied  with  affairs  of  state:  the  Em-     in     painting,     sculpture,     architecture 
press  finds  her   happiness  in  works  of     music,  the  education  of  girls,  and  gar- 


MONUMENT  OF  THE  Late  General  Pkince  Arisugawa, 

Chief  of  the  General  Staff  during 

China- Japan  War. 


charity.  The  Emperor  gives  his  sub- 
jects the  impression  of  strength,  the 
Empress  of  kindness. 

Her  Majesty's  private  apartments 
are  plain  and  simple,  and  in  perfect 
harmony  with  those  of  her  illustrious 
husband.     She  is  industrious,   too,  and 


dening  ;  and  all  institutions  for  the 
promotion  of  these  and  kindred  objects 
receive  her  special  care.  She  is  in 
every  way  the  fitting  complement  of 
her  noble  Consort. 

H.  I.  H.    the    Crown    Prince     has 
received  an  education  which  has,  among 


likes  to  be  occupied  in  womanly  work,  other  things,   fitted  him  to   become  m 

During  the  China  War,  she  made  band-  due  course  of  time  the   Commander-in- 

ages    for    the  sick  and  wounded  with  Chief  of  the  Army  and  Navy.     He  does 

her  own  hands,   and  induced  the  Prin-  not  take  part  in  active  service  *  but  all 

cesses  of  the  Imperial  House  to  follow  the  other  Princes  of  the  Blood  have  bv 


His  Imperial  Highness  the  Crown  Prince  of  Japan. 


THE  IMPERIAL  FAMILY  OF  JAPAN. 


11 


the  Emperor's  desire,  joined  one  or  tlie 
other  of  the  sei'vices  and  are  now 
serving  as  Military  or  Naval  oiEcers. 

The  late  Prince  Arisugawa,  as  the 
Chief  of  the  General  Staff,  was  at  the 
Head  Quarters  at  Hiroshima  during 
the  China  War,  and  planned  all  the 
operations  of  the  compaign.  He  died 
at  the  age  of  61,  from  the  results  of 
hard  work  and  exposure,  during  the 
trying  months  from  September  1894 
to  January  1895. 

He  was  succeeded  in  his  office  by 
his  relative,  the  late  Prince  Komatsu, 
who,  in  March  1895,  proceeded  to 
China  as  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Army  in  the  field. 

Prince  Kitashirakawa  was  also  in 
the  field  as  Commander  of  the  Imperial 
Guards  Division,  went  to  Port  Arthur, 
and  thence  proceeded  to  Formosa, 
where  he  died,  before  the  conclusion  of 
the  war,  from  the  effects  of  the  climate. 


His  death  took  place  in  a  little  tem- 
porary shanty,  in  the  midst  of  his  own 
troops. 

The  younger  Prince  Arisugawa  Avas 
at  Wei-hai-wei  and  the  Pescadores, 
and  did  good  service  as  Captain  of  the 
Matsushima. 

Prince  Kanin,  as  a  major  and 
officer  of  the  Staff,  fought  bravely  in 
the  Liaotung  Peninsula. 

In  the  present  war,  three  of  the 
Imperial  Princes  have  already  been 
under    fire,    before    Port  Arthur. 

Prince  Higashi-fushimi  is  a  Com- 
mander, on  board  the  Chitose,  Prince 
Yamashina  on  the  Yakumo,  and  Prince 
Fushimi  on  the  Hatsuse. 

The  Japanese  nation  feels  proud  of 
the  Princes  of  the  Imperial  House  -svho 
have  thus  shown  that  they  could  serve 
bravely  in  the  hour  of  national  peril. 
Their  patriotism  inspires  all  and 
elevates  the  martial  spirit  of  the  people. 


THE  SONG  OF  THE  TORPEDO  BOAT. 

Translated  from  a  Japanese  Magazine  for  March,  1904. 


Spring ;  but  the  biiuding  snow-drift  fiieS; 
Driv'n  by  the  wind,  across  our  eyes, 
And  the  fierce  billows  touch  the  skies. 

What's  yon  ship  looming  through  the  night? 
Our  own  Mikasal    That's  all  right; 
The  enemy's  well  out  of  sight. 

No,  there  he  comes,  the  Russian  sneak, 
St.  Andrew's  Cross  flies  at  his  peak ; 
He's  firing,  too— I  like  his  cheek  I 

See !  our  torpedo,  v-^ith  a  splash, 

Dives  through  the  tumbling  billows'  wash; 

It  strikes  its  aim— and  then  a  crash ! 

And  when  it  strikes  the  ship,  a  cry 
From  lusty  throats  will  rend  the  sky; 
Kaigun  Banzai  I     Nippon  Banzai! 


12 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


How  Russia  came  into  Manchuria. 


T  has  for  centuries  been 
a  part  of  the  recognized 
policy  of  Russia  to  extend 
her  Empire  so  that  it 
should  stretch  in  one  con- 
tinuous line  from  the  shores  of  the 
Baltic  to  the  coast  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  .  This  object  she  had,  indeed, 
attained  many  years  ago  (1654),  when 


she  has  desired,  a  land  of  excellent 
harbours,  free  from  ice,  and  one  which 
it  would  be  easy  to  connect  by  railway 
with  her  other  provinces,  so  as  to  put 
it  into  vital  connection  with  the  rest 
of  her  Empire. 

The  immense  extent  of  her  Empire 
was  to  be  bound  together  by  a  long 
line  of  railway  running  east  and  west, 


.  ^J-^( '  ^,, 


1^  ^^fe^-w-^w^BwaeM 


View  of  St,  Petersburg. 


the  Amur  provinces  were  annexed  to 
her  dominions,  and  the  Sea  of  Okhotsk 
became  the  Eastern  gateway  of  her 
dominions,  just  as  the  Baltic  was  in 
the  West. 

But  she  has  never  been  altogether 
satisfied.  With  the  exception  of  Odessa 
and  a  few  ports  on  the  Black  Sea,  she 
has  never  had  a  single  port  that  was 
not  closed  by  ice  during .  the  winter 
months,  and,  even  in  the  case  of  the 
Black  Sea  ports,  the  geographical  con- 
ditions have  been  such  that  no  large 
commercial  development  could  be  ex- 
pected in  that  quarter.  It  has  there- 
fore always  been  the  fixed  policy  of 
Russia  to  extend  her  dominions  in  such 
a  way  as  eventually  to  bring  herself 
to  some  port  which  should  be  open 
for  her  commerce  the  whole  year  round. 

The  Empire  of  Korea  has  always 
offered    to    Russia  the    very  bait  that 


and  this  undertaking  has  occupied  her 
for  many  years.     (1890-1903). 

But  a  glance  at  the  map  will  show- 
that  the  direct  route  for  a  railway  to 
take  in  order  to  get  from,  say.  Lake 
Baikal  to  Vladivostok,  lies  through 
the  Chinese  province  of  Manchuria, 
and  that  if  once  the  railway  were  thus 
brought  within  the  territory  of  China, 
it  would  be  an  obviously  feasible  plan 
to  run  a  line  down  from,  say,  Harbin 
to  the  coast  of  Pechili,  with  an  ex- 
tension to  Peking,  which  would  bring 
the  capitals  of  China  and  Russia  into 
close  relationship  with  each  other. 
The  annexation,  therefore,  of  Man- 
churia and  Korea  would  seem  to  put 
a  splendid  finish  to  the  Eastern  Domi- 
nions of  the  Czar,  while  the  well- 
known  feebleness  of  the  two  Empires 
of  China  and  Korea  made  it  absolutely 
certain  that  Russia  had   only  to   wait 


HOW  RUSSIA  CAME   INTO   MANCHURIA. 


13 


for  a  good  opportunity  to 
get  them.  If  a  man  seats 
himself  under  a  tree  loaded 
with  ripe  apples,  it  will  not 
be  long  before  an  apple  falls 
to  the  ground  for  him  to 
pisk  up. 

None  of  the  great  Eu- 
ropean powers  was  in  sym- 
pathy with  Russia's  designs. 
But  none  of  them  felt  suffici- 
ently interested  in  the  mat- 
ter to  make  an  active  in- 
terference. Manchuria  and 
Korea  are  a  very  long  way 
from  London,  New  York  or 
Paris.  Not  many  Europe- 
ans reside  or  trade  in  those 
regions,  so  that  very  little 
is  known  of  what  goes  on 
there  ;  and  the  jealousies 
between  these  nations  are 
such  as  to  render  them 
at  times  powerless  for  con- 
certed action. 

But  with  Japan,  the  case 
was  quite  different.  Japan 
lies  at  the  very  door  of 
the  China  Sea,  not  more 
than  twelve  hours  by  steam 
from  the  nearest  port  of 
Korea.  Korea  and  Man- 
churia are  her  natural  mar- 
kets and  when  her  people 
are  compelled  by  res  ati- 
gusta  domi,  or  angusta 
domuSy  to  seek  a  wider  field 
for  their  enterprise  and 
energy,  Korea,  Manchuria, 
and  the  Russian  provinces 
on  the  Pacific,  formed  a 
natural  place  for  them  to 
settle  and  trade  in.  Japan 
has  found  herself  compelled 
to  expand  westward,  and 
thus  she  has  come  into  colli- 
sion with  the  eastward  ex- 
pansion of  Russia. 

Strictly  speaking,  it  is 
just  as  legitimate  for  Russia 


o 

O 
> 

Q 
< 

O 

o 
K 


14 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


to  expand  eastward  as  it  is  for  Japan  At    the    conclusion     of    that    war, 

to    extend    her    colonies    towards    the  (1895),     it     was   abundantly  clear  to 

west.     But  there  is  a  difference  between  Japan  that  the  future   and    continued 

the  two  methods  of  expansion.     Russia  independence  of  the  Empires  of  the  Far 

expands  by  the  Russification  of  smaller  East  depended  on  herself  alone.    Neither 

countries,  which  in  process  of  time  be-  China  nor   Corea  was   strong  enough 

come  merged  in  the   Empire    and    lose  to    resist    the    aggression    of    Western 


their  identity  ;  and  the  settlement  of 
Manchuria  and  Korea  would  mean 
their  ultimate  absorption  into  the 
main  body  of  Russia.  Japan  has  no 
such  method.  Her  colonization  oi' 
Korea  has  been  purely  pacific,  and  she 


nations  by  herself,  and  unless  Japan 
was  prepared  to  come  to  the  aid  of 
her  sisters,  she  must  be  prepared  to 
see  the  absorption  of  Korea  into  Russia, 
and  the  dismemberment  of  China. 

She  therefore   resolved    to    set    her 


has  no  desire  to  annex  a  single  pro-  hand  to  the  task  of  maintaining  the 
vince  to  her  own  dominions.  She  con-  integrity  of  the  Eastern  Empires  a- 
siders  that  the  three  Empires  of  the  Far     gainst  foreign  aggression,  a  task  which 

involved  the  politi- 
cal, social,  and  intel- 
lectual reformation 
an  d  renovati  on  of 
China  and  Korea. 
It  was  a  noble  am- 
bition, but  one  that 
has  been  greatly 
misunderstood. 

When  the  Greek 
mathematician  Ar- 
chimedes invented 
the  lever,  a  wag 
asked  him  if,  with 
his  new  invention, 
he  w^ould  be  able 
to  move  the  world. 
"  Yes,"  replied  the 
East,  bound  to  one  another  by  geogra-  sage  ;  "if  you  will  give  me  a  place  to 
phical  position,  as  well  as  by  commu-  stand  upon."  Japan,  at  the  conclusion 
nity  of  political  and  commercial  in-  of  the  Chinese  war,  found  herself  in  the 
terest,  form  a  band  of  sisters  whose  same  position.  She  wanted  a  place  to 
privilege  and  duty  it  is  to  stand  by  stand  upon,  while  applying  the  lever  of 
one  another,  and  that  it  is  incumbent  reformation  to  China  and  Korea.  That 
on  each  pne  of  the  sisters  to  defend  lever  she  found  in  the  Liaotung  Penin- 
the  independence  and  integrity  of  the  sula,  at  the  entrance  to  the  Gulf  of 
other  two.  PechiH,   which  she   proposed  to  retain 

To  this  ideal,  Japan  has  been  always  for  herself  as  one  of  the  spoils  of  war 
constant,  and  when,  in  1893,  the  in-  It  was  not  a  large  demand  but  it 
dependence  of  Korea  was  threatened  by  would  have  given  her  the  standing-place 
China,  who  claimed  suzerain  rights  over  she  needed.  From  Liaotung  she  could 
the  Peninsula,  she  did  not  hesitate  to  have  brought  her  influence  to  bear  on 
make  war  against  one  sister,  in  order  the  two  countries  which  she  proposed 
to  defend  the  rights  of  the  other.  to  renovate. 


A  Korean  High  Official  and  His  Children. 


HOW  RUSSIA  CAME  INTO  MANCHURIA. 


15 


A  View  of  Shan-hat-kwan. 


it  -was  not 
long  before 
the  Man- 
c  h  u  ri  an 
R  a  i  Iway 
was  under 
construc- 
tion. Then 
commenced 
the  poHcy 
of  gradual 
Ru  s  s  i  fi  c  a- 
tion  -with  a 
The  proposal  of  Japan  was,  how-  view  to  ultimate  annexation. 
ever,   instantly    vetoed    by  three  great  "  In  the   spring   of  1900,   at  a  mo- 

powers   of  Europe  —  Gei*many,  Russia,      ment  when   nobody  in   Europe  seemed 
and  France, — who  threatened  to  prevent     able  to  foresee  the  terrible  events  that 

by    force    the    re-         . — , 

tention  of  the 
Peninsula  by 
Japan.  Against 
this  combination 
Japan  found  her- 
self for  the  mo- 
ment helpless. 
Great  Britain  was 
either  asleep  to 
her  own  interests, 
or  occupied  with 
other  cares,  the 
United  States  had 
not    yet    started 

on  their  career  of  active  interest  in  were  to  take  place  in  Chihli,  the 
foreign  pohtics,  and  Japan  consequent-  greater  part  of  the  Siberian  forces  were 
ly  saw  herself,  in  the  hour  of  victory,  mobilized,  and  considerable  bodies  of 
deprived  of  the  fruits  of  her  righteous  troops  sent  down  to  Vladivostok  and 
^   -j  Manchuria,  in    order,   as  was   said,  to 

Not  many  months  afterwards,  protect  the  coast  and  the  Manchurian 
(1891),  Germany  leased  Kiauchou  from  Railway,  then  unfinished,  against  an 
China,  and  Russia  in  a  similar  manner  imminent  Japanese  invasion,  as  they 
leased'   the    Liaotung    Peninsula,   from     claimed.       This    artful    misleading     of 


:M-Jf 


A  View  of  a  Manchurian  Village 


which  Japan  had  just  been  evicted.  It 
was  an  interesting  commentary  on  the 
recent  action  of  those  powers. 

Meanwhile  Russia,  having  gotLiao- 


public  opinion  in  her  Asiatic  possessions, 
enabled  Russia  to  concentrate  before- 
hand, an  army  of  about  80,000  men 
on  the  borders  of  the  countries  which 


tung,  must  have  a  right  of  way  to  it,  she  wanted  to  invade."   (Alex.  Ular 

and  that  right  of  way  must  lie  through  in  Contemp,  Rev.  Aug.  1903.) 
Manchuna     An  agreement  with  China  Soon  after  this,  in  the  summer  of 

for    a   railway    concession   was    made  1901,  there  broke  out  the  Boxer  trou- 

in    1896,   and  pubhshed  in  1898,  and  bles  in  Tientsin,  Peking,  and  other  parts 


16 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


of  North  China,  which  served  to  divert 
the  eyes  of  the  civilized  world  from  the 
doings  of  the  Russians  in  Manchuria. 
While  the  rest  of  the  states  of  Europe, 
Asia,  and  America,  were  engrossed  in 
watching  the  development  of  events 
which  were  to  culminate  in  the  siege  of 


General  Eabon  Yamagucki, 

Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Japanese -Army 

during  the  boxer  disturbances  in 

North  China. 

the  Foreign  Legations  and  the  horrors 
of  that  memorable  summer,  the  Russian 
Viceroy  of  the  Amur,  General  Grodekoff, 
issued  a  proclamation  w^hich  was  wide- 
ly circulated  not  only  throughout  his 
own  province,  but  also  through  the 
Chinese  provinces  of  Mongolia  an(J 
Manchuria,  urging  the  Chinese  inhabit- 
ants '  to  submit  themselves  qiiietly  to 
Russian  rule,  on  the  ground  of  a  pret- 
ended Russo-Chinese  alliance  which 
gave  the  Russians  authority  to  ad- 
minister- these  provinces  in  the  nanre 
of  China. 


Having  thus  prepared  the  way  for 
a  further  advance,  the  Russians  now 
arranged  for  the  perpetration  of  the 
crime  known  as  the  Blagovestchensk 
massacre.  At  the  instigation  of  a 
Russian  official,  a  band  of  Hunhuse 
robbers,  (ignorant  bandits  w^hose  de- 
predations, the  result  of  hunger  and 
cold,  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
political  and  social  ambitions  of  the 
Boxers),  were  persuaded  to  cross  the 
Amur  into  Russian  territory,  and 
there  to  pillage  a  few  hovels  in- 
habited by  Chinamen.  Immediate- 
ly, the  Russians  flew  to  arms,  with 
the  cry  that  armed  bands  of  Chinese 
had  invaded  the  sacred  soil  of  Rus- 
sia, and,  attacking  the  poor  China- 
men, drove  them  into  the  Amur  River, 
w^here  thousands  of  them  were  either 
drowned,  or  shot,  while  attempting 
to  cross  the  river.  The  skilfully 
arranged  massacre  -was  then  used 
by  the  Russians  as  a  reason  for  the 
military  occupation  of  Manchuria, 
on  the  plea  that  China  was  unable 
to  preserve  order  in  her  own  pro- 
vinces. Towards  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber 1900,  when  the  pretended  mili- 
tary operations  were  over,  General 
Grodekoff  publicly  thanked  his 
troops  '*  for  having  valorously  ac- 
quired for  the  Russian  Empire  the 
old  Chinese  province  of  Manchuria, 
now  the  Province  of  the  Right  Bank 
of  the  Amur."  The  massacre  of 
Blagovestchenk,  with  the  occupation  ol 
Manchuria  which  grew  out  of  it,  has 
been  one  of  the  most  serious  items  in 
Japan's  indictment  against  Russia, 

After  October  1900,  the  Russian 
a:rmy  occupied  all  the  inhabited  districts 
of  Manchuria,  and  while  the  roaming 
bands  of  Hunglmse  robbers  gave,  or 
-seemed  to  give  Russia  a  pretext  for 
increasing  her  military  occupation  of 
the  province,  she  has  made  assurance 
.doubly  sure,  first,  by  introducing  into 
the  country  many  thousands  of  Rus- 
sian colonists  who  were  settled  in  the 


HOW  RUSSIA  CAME  INTO  MANCHURIA. 


17 


fertile  districts  around  Harbin,  and 
then,  through  the  agency  of  the  Russo- 
Chinese  Bank,  by  getting  into  her 
own  hands,  the  fiscal  administration 
of  the  country. 

Yet  all  the    while,    she  was  trying 
to    throw    dust    in    the    eyes    of   the 
•iYorld     by     pretending     that     she 
was    only    guarding    the   Man- 
churian  Railway.      She    even 
went  so  far  as  to  "evacu- 
ate a  part   of  the  pro- 
vince   in     the    early 
part   of  1903,  as 
a  sop  to  "the 
righteous      in- 
dignation  of" 
Europe,  Japan, 
and     America, 
■who  had  pro- 
tested  against 
this  underhand 
annexation    of 
a    province    of 
the     Chinese 
Empire.       But 
the  evacuation 
was    a    sham. 
The      troops 
were      with- 
drawn      from 

Moukden  and  a  few  other  large  towns,      different    stations    of  the    East   China 
but  large    barracks  were  built  at  the     Railway,  and  thus  the  evacuation  wag 

^ -^     one      that      was 

only  in  name. 
Not  a  Russian 
soldier  left  the 
province,  nor  did 
the  Russification 
of  Manchuria 
cease  for  a  single 
day. 

To  Japan,  the 
Manchurian  ques- 
tion is  a  matter 
of  life  or.  death. 
If  she  can  .pre- 
serve Manchuria 
to  China,  ;  and 
gain   in  Chipa  a 


The  Massacre  of  Blagovestchensk, 


.,*tf*^..  .....„, 


ft    ^     |V^<J(. 


A/; 


I   1*^'-. 


JiS 


^  A  View  -of  Teintsin. 


18 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


like-minded  ally,  ready  to  walk  with 
her  along  the  path  of  progress  upon 
which  she  has  already  so  successfully 
entered,  then  there  is  hope  of  staying 
the  further  encroachments  of  Russian 
ambition  and  of  preserving  the  inde- 
pendence and  integrity  of  the  Three 
Eastern  Empires.  But  if  Russia  be 
firmly  seated  in  Manchuria,  all  hope  of 
success  will  be  gone.  Korea  would  fall 
to  Russia  without  .striking  a  blow  in 
her  own  defence.  From  Newchwang 
to  Tientsin,  from  Tientsin  to  Peking, 
is  not  a  very  long  journey,  and  with 
Russian  troops  at  Fusan,  and  Russian 
influence  paramount  at  Peking,  what 
chance  would  Japan  have  of  her  natio- 
nal prestige  or  power  ?  Her  very  in- 
dependence, "  her  national  existence, 
would  be  at  stake. 

Japan,  therefore,  even  though  single- 
handed,    felt   it   incumbent    on    her  to 


continue     making     vigorous      protests 
against  the  encroachments  of  Russia, 
and  negotiations  have  been  going  on 
steadily  for  many  months  between  the 
two  countries.    That  these  negotiations 
have  failed  has  not  been   due    to   any 
want  of  patience   on   the  part  of  the 
Tokyo    authorities,    and    a    perusal   ot 
the    oflicial    documents    regarding    the 
negotiations  between  the  two  countries, 
published    by    the    Japanese     Foreign 
Office    after    the  outbreak  of  the  war, 
will,  we  think,  convince  the  reader  that 
it  was  not  until    all  other    means  had 
been  exhausted  that  Japan   decided  to 
try    other    w^ays    than    diplomacy    for 
the  attainment  of  her  most  just  claims. 
The    following    poem  composed   at 
the    outbreak    of    hostilities,     will    be 
found  to  embody  most  of  the  sentiments 
expressed  in  this  chapter. 


1.  Hark  I  o'er  Liaotung's  wintry  coasts, 
Do  ye  not  hear  the  wail  of  ghosts 

Of  men  that  bought^  midst  battle's  shocks 
Those  yellow  sands  and  snow-clad  rocks  ; 
A\'  hilst  every  night  there  comes  the  roar 
Of  raging  strife  the  dark  waves  o'er  ? 
No  trace  of  that  just  war-  remains : 
But,  see,  o'er  Chosen's^  barren  plains 
Dark  lowers  the  sky,  and  when  to  rest 
The  sun  behind  Chopaku's**  crest 
Has  sunk,  what  fate  awaits  the  line 
That  ruled  so  long  by  right  divine  ? 

2.  Hark!  At  the  Cossack's  battle-cry 
Trembles  and  falls,  as  though  to  die, 
The  ancient  king-craft  of  the  East. 
Say,  when  the  Love  which  Nature's  priest, 
In  letters  common  to  us  all,^ 
Confucius  taught,  (o  earth  shall  fall, 
What  doom  awaits  the  myriad  folk 

la  those  wide  lands  that  bear  the  yoke  ? 

Pity  your  brethren,  if  you  can ; 

Rise,  rise,  and  strike  these  foes  of  man  ! 

3.  When  Amur's  stream^  v/as  dyed  with  red, 
Thousands  were  numbered  with  the  dead ; 
Still  Murder  worked  her  deeds  of  Hell, 
And  Kischineff  its  tale  can  tell 

Of  bloodshed.    Soldiers  of  the  Czar 
They  call  these  slavs.  They  robbers  are  : 
And  History,  blushing,  fears  to  pen 
Crimes  that  cry  out  to  God  and  men. 


4.  Thou^  spak'st  of  Peace :  is  this  thy  troth  ? 
And  shall  the  tongue  that  swore  the  oath 
Now  have  Manchuria  for  its  prey  ? 

No.    In  the  East,  where  the  young  day 
First  sees  the  World,  there  lies  a  land, 
Fuso^  by  name,  whose  stalwart  band 
With  blood-stained  blades  shall  never  cease 
To  offer  to  your  god  of  peace ! 

5.  When  holy  Peace  on  Eastern  shores 
Her  mellow  light  once  more  outpours, 
Then,  the  wise  Trade-God's  wand^in  hand. 
We'll  build  the  gloi-ies  of  this  land. 

But  now  that,  on  the  battle-field. 
Flashes  the  sword,  to  you  we  yield 
The  post  of  honour.     Strike  apace. 
Brave  scions  of  a  martial  race! 


that  bought .-  i.e.  in  the  war  -ffith  China. 
that  just  tvar:  the  war  with  China. 
Chosen :  Korea. 

Chdpaku:  the  range  of  mountains  that  forms  the 
back  bone  of  the  Corean  peninsula. 
common  to  us  all  -.  the  three  nations,  China,  Korea, 
and  Japan,   all  use  the  same  mode  of  wiitin-r 
and  are  all  followers  of  Confucius. 
Amur\<!  stream:  the  reference  is  here  to  the  mas- 
sacre at  Blagovestchensk. 

ThoM:  i.e.  the  Russian  Czar  who  repeatedly  pro- 
mised to  evacuate  Manchuria. 
Fiiso:  .  A  name  for  Japan. 

The  Trade-god's  wand:  i.e.  tlie  caducens  of  Mer- 
cury, which  is  the  Badge  of  the  Higher  Com- 
mercial School  In  Tokyo.  Tho  original  of  this 
poem  was  written  hy  a  student  of  that  school. 


W'^-sy 


^i}-^-j>     ■-■■ 


H.  I.  H.  Prince  Kanin 


H.  I.  H.  Prince  Arisugawa. 


HISTORY  OF  RUSSO-JAPANESE  RELATIONS. 


19 


History  of  Russo-Japanese  Relations. 


'have  dictated,  seized  the  whole  crew, 
and  carried  them  as  prisoners  to 
Irkutsk,  where  they  compelled  them 
to  i-emain  and  give,  besides  instruction 
in  the  Japanese  language,  information 
about  the  land  of  their  birth.     The  des- 


T  is  our  object  in  this 
chapter  to  set  forth  his- 
torically the  long  series  of 
wrongs  which  Japan  has 
received  at  the  hands  of 
Russia,  wrongs  committed 

by    a    stronger     power 

against  a   weaker.     The 

recital  of  them  will,  we 

trust,    fully    explain    to 

the  reader  the  strength  of 

the  animosity  which  the 

Japanese    nation     bears 

against  Russia.  Con- 
scious of  her  weakness, 

Japan  has  been  obliged 

in    the     past     to     bear 

patiently     the     affronts 

and  indignities  put  upon 
■  her  by  the  people  of  the 

big  country  with  which 

she    has  the  misfortune 

to  be  in  close  proximity, 

but    to    bear    patiently 

does  not  imply  to  forget, 

and  the  memory  of  past 

wrongs  has  been  simply 

lying    dormant    in    the 

breast  of  Japan,  await- 
ing a  favourable  oppor- 
tunity for  actively  as- 
serting itself  in  vigorous 
action. 

The  first  time  that 
Russians  and  Japanese 
came  into  contact  was 
in  the  year  1780.  In 
that  year  a  Japanese 
ship    was    wrecked    on 

the  Siberian  coast,  which  had  already  cription  of  Japan  which  the  Russians 
been  for  some  time  annexed  to  Russia,  thus  obtained  from  their  unwilling 
and  the  Russians,  instead  of  treating  guests,  filled  them  with  that  lust  of 
the  uiifortunate  mariners  with  the  kind-  conquest  which  has  never  been  wholly 
uess  which  feelings  of  humanity  should     absent  from  the  Russian  breast,  and  in 


Japanesk  Sailors  taken  by  Russians  from  the  Siberian 
Coast  as  Prisoners. 


20 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the  following  year  (1781)  a  party  of 
Russians  crossed  the  Gulf  of  Tartary 
and  landed  on  the  island  of  Saghalien. 
Saghalien  (or,  as  the  Japanese  call 
it,  Karafuto)  is  a  long  narrow  island 
extending  along  the  coast  of  Siberia 
(i.e.  the  southern  part  of  what  the 
Russians  call  their  Maritime  Province) 
between  latitudes  46°  and  54°  N.  It 
contains  valuable  forests  and  minerals, 
and,  what  was  then  far  more  impor- 
tant in  Japanese  eyes,  abundant  fisher- 


An  Oij3  Aino. 

ies,  which  even  yet,  under  the  paraly- 
sing rule  of  the  Russian  who  will  not 
work  himself  nor  yet  allow  others  to 
work,  give  a  profitable  occupation  to 
thousands  of  Japanese  fishermen. 

The  Russians  had  long  known  of 
the  existence  of  the  island.  The  strip 
of  sea  w^hich  separates  it  from  the 
mainland  of  Asia  is  quite  narrow,  and 
the  island  can  be  quite  plainly  seen 
across  the  strait.  But  in  itself  it  is 
not  an   attractive  place.     It  is  a  land 


of  rain  and  fog  during  the  summer,  of 
ice  and  fog  during  the  winter.  It  has 
no  harbour  open  all  the  year  round 
such  as  Russia  has  always  desiderated, 
and  at  the  time  of  which  w^e  are 
speaking,  Russia  had  not  yet  experi- 
enced the  need  of  a  very  distant  penal 
colony  for  the  worst  of  her  criminal 
classes.  There  were  places  nearer  home 
in  the  interior  of  Siberia  which  were 
at  that  time  quite  remote  enough  for 
the  horrors  of  Siberian  exile. 

But  when  they  came  to  look 
upon  Saghalien  as  the  gateway 
to  Japan,  it  was  quite  a  different 
thing.  Saghalien  at  the  time  be- 
longed to  Japan,  and  was  oc- 
cupied by  a  mixed  population  of 
Aino  and  Japanese,  just  as  is  now 
the  case  in  the  island  of  Yezo  or 
Hokkaido.  The  annexation  of 
Saghalien  would  bring  Russia 
into  close  proximity  to  the  island 
of  Yezo,  with  its  fine  harbours 
and  commanding  position.  From 
there  to  the  main  island  of 
Japan  would  be  but  a  step,  and 
Russia,  mistress  of  Japan,  would 
also  see  herself  in  a  position  to 
swallow  Manchuria  and  Korea 
whenever  she  had  the  mind  to 
do  so,  or  w^henever  a  favourable 
opportunity  presented  itself. 

Neither    Japanese    nor    Aino, 
how^ever,     were    w^illing    to    hold 
intercourse    with    the    Russians ; 
indeed,    it    would    have    been    a- 
gainst  the  then  existing  laws   of 
their    country  for  them  to  have   done 
so,  and  the  Russians  retired,  disappoint- 
ed of  their  hopes. 

They  then  tried  the  road  of  regular 
diplomacy,  and  Alexander  I,  whose 
attention  had  been  drawn  to  the  sub- 
ject, sent  an  ambassador  to  Nagasaki 
wath  a  letter  to  the  Shogun,  (1806) 
asking  for  a  treaty  of  commerce  be- 
tween Russia  and  Japan.  But  Japan, 
shut  up  though  she  was  from  foreign 
intercourse,    was    not    even    then    ab- 


HISTORY  OF  RUSSO-JAPANESE  RELATIONS. 


21 


soliitely  ignorant  of  what  was  going 
on  in  the  great  world.  Her  statesmen 
knew  what  fate  China  had  even  then 
been  preparing  for  herself  by  her  al- 
liance wth  Russia.  It  was  not  for- 
gotten at  Yedo  that  the  extensive 
plains  of  eastern  Siberia,  the  province 
of  the  -Amtir,  and  the  peninsula  of 
Kamchatka,  had  all  been  wrested  from 
China  by  the  unprincipled  Muscovite, 
and  the  Shogun,  therefore,  declined  to 
treat  with  the  Emperor  of  Russia. 

Russia's  next  move  was  charac- 
teristic of  her.  An  expedition  crossed 
over  to  Saghalien  in  1806,  pillaged 
and  burned  the  town  of  Kushunkotan, 


out  their  threats.  The  frigate  Diana 
was  sent  to  survey  the  Kurile  Islands, 
as  though  they  already  belonged  to 
Russia.  The  Japanese,  however,  acted 
with  promptitude  and  vigour.  The 
captain  and  officers  of  the  Diana  were 
seized,  while  ashore  on  the  island  of 
Kunashir,  the  southernmost  of  the 
Kurile  Chain,  and  imprisoned  for  two 
years,  after  which  they  were  released 
and  sent  back  to  their  country.  These 
officers  were  able  on  their  return  to 
speak  in  warm  terms  of  the  kindness  and 
humanity  with  which  they  had  been 
treated  during  their  imprisonment  in 
Japan. 


sw.  -**J5f 


C.  * 


The  Port  of  Nagasaki. 


the  most  important  Japanese  settle- 
ment on  the  island,  after  which  the 
Russians  left  behind  them  a  document 
in  which  they  threatened  to  ravage 
all  the  northern  possessions  of  Japan 
if  the  Japanese  refused  to  trade  with 
them,  proceeding  to  demonstrate  the 
spirit  that  animated  them,  by  making 
a  descent  on  the  island  of  Iturup,  the 
largest  of  the  Kurile  Islands.  The 
marauders  (one  can  call  them  nothing 
else)  again  left  behind  them  a  document 
in  which  they  stated  that  the  Emperor 
of  Russia  purposed  to  take  away  from 
Japan  all  her  northern  islands,  unless 
the  Japanese  were  prepared  to  make  a 
treaty  of  commerce  with  them. 

In  1811,  the  Russians  began  to  carry 


After  the  Diana  incident  the  Rus- 
sians changed  their  tactics.  They  found 
that  they  could  not  intimidate  or  coerce 
the  Japanese,  and  that  exhibitions  of 
cruelty  would  not  serve  their  purpose. 
But  they  did  not  abandon  their  de- 
signs ;  they  only  set  about  devising 
other  means  for  compassing  them. 

The  northern  portions  of  the  island 
of  Saghalien  were  very  sparsely  in- 
habited, and  lay  in  close  proximity  to 
the  mainland.  Russian  subjects,  Asiatic 
or  European,  were  encouraged  to  emi- 
grate into  the  northern  part  of  the 
island,  with  the  idea  that  these  colonies 
could  be  gradually  extended  towards 
the  south  until  the  whole  island  should 
come    under     their    influence.       They 


22 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Shogunal  Shrine  at  Nikko. 


pursued  m  fact  the  very  same  policy  of  Taipitig  rebellion  and  could  not 
which  we  have  seen  them  pursue  in  take  much  notice  of  these  explora- 
Manchuria  within  the  last  few  years.       tions  which  went  on  quietly  for  some 

time ;     in     1854, 


when  England 
and  France  were 
otherwise  engaged 
in  the  Crimea,  he 
seized  the  whole 
of  that  region.  In 
1858  and  1860, 
by  the  treaties  of 
Aigun  and  Peking 
extorted  frora 
China  at  a  time 
when  that  coun- 
try was  at  war 
with  France  and 
England,  Russia 
obtained  posses- 
sion of  the  whole 
The  political  situation  of  Japan  at  maritime  province  of  Manchuria,  which 
the  time  was  not  such  that  she  could  brought  her  into  close  proximity  not 
resist  this  form  of  aggression,  for  she  only  to  China  proper,  (as  opposed 
had  no  standing  army,  and  no  means  to  Mongolians,  Manchus,  and  other 
of  holding  Saghalien  by  a  military  force  nationalities  living  on  the  outskirts 
against  Russian  encroachments  ;  but  of  the  Chinese  Empire)  but  also  to 
Japanese  settlers  went  in  increasing  the  island  of  Saghalien  which  she  had 
numbers  to  the  southern  part  of  the  is-  long  coveted  as  the  gate  of  Japan, 
land,  so  that  while  the 
northern  part  became 
more  and  more  Russian, 
the'  southern  became 
more  and  more  Japa- 
nese. 

Things    remained  in 

this  condition  for  some 
time.  The  Russians 
were  busy  with  other 
encroachments,  and  they 
have  always  known 
how  to  wait  patiently 
for  the  most  favourable 
opportunity  for  carry- 
ing out  their  designs.  In 
1847  Muravieff  began 
his  explora^ons  on  the 
Amur  River.  China  was 
at  the  time  distra.ct< 
ed  by   the   first  sounds 


'-^% 


Cpunese  Infantry  Soldiers  on  the  March. 


HISTORY  OF  RUSSO-JAPANESE  RELATIONS. 


23 


111  1855,  profiting  again  by  the  con- 
fusion into  which  Japan  was  thrown 
by  the  entire  change  in  her  policy  and 
national  life  arising  out  of  the  opening 
of  the  country  by  America,  and  the 
consequent  downfall  of  the  Shogunate, 
she  obtained  what  she  had  long  asked 
for  in  vain,  a  Treaty  of  Commerce  with 
Japan  which  \vas  renewed  in  1858. 
In  the  next  year  she  shewed  the  spirit 
with  which  she  was  anim  itcd  by  boldly 
seizing  the  northern  half  of  Saghalien. 


Vice-Admiral  Viscocnt  Enomoto, 

Japanese  Ambassador  sent  to  the  Court 

OF  St.  Petersburg  on  the  Sachalten 

Question. 

This  action  stirred  the  Japanese 
nation  to  indignation.  They  felt  that 
their  territory  was  being  taken  from 
them ;  but  the  recent  experiences  with 
foreign  powers  had  also  taught  them 
that  they  were  not  strong  enough  yet 
to  measure  swords  with  Russia.  They 
sent  however  an  embassy  to  Russia 
w^hich  arrived  at  St.  Petersburg  in  1862, 
Avith  a  view  to^  stopping  farther 
encroachments  by  ~a  delimitation  of 
frontiers  which  would  leave  Japan  in 
secure  possession   of  the  southern   half 


of  the  Island.  The  Russians  however 
treated  the  whole  matter  with  con- 
tempt, declared  that  the  whole  island 
fell  legitimately  into  their  sphere  of 
influence,  and  allowed  the  Japanese 
Embassy  to  return  to  theii  own 
countr3^  In  1867,  a  second  Embass}'- 
was  sent,  which  secured  from  Russia  a 
recognition  of  Japanese  claims  so  far 
as  to  allow  the  island  to  be  occupied 
conjointly  by  Russian  and  Japanese 
subjects  ;  and  eight  years  later,  in 
1875,  a  treat}^  Avas  made  by  Avhich 
Japan  received  from  Russia  the  Kurile 
Islands  -which  never  were  Rvissian 
except  in  name,  and  was  obliged  to 
forego  all  claims  to  Saghalien  which 
now  became  cntriely  Russian.  Thus 
Russia  gained  possession  of  the 
northern  gate  of  the  Japanese  Empire, 
and  the  Japanese,  gaining  experience 
from  their  loss  have  devoted  years 
of  patient  labour  to  the  development 
and  fortification  of  the  island  of  Yezo 
or  Hokkaido,  which  is  now  separated 
from  Russian  territory  only  by  the 
narrow  strait  of  La  Perouse. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  Saghalien 
that  Japan  and  Russia  have  come  into 
collision.  The  Treaty  of  Peking  gave  to 
Russia  the  whole  of  the  Manchurian 
coast  line  between  the  IJssuri  River  and 
the  sea.  It  gave  her  the  magnificent 
harbour  of  Vladivostok,  and  brought 
her  into  close  proximity  to  the  fron- 
tiers of  Korea. 

Korea  remained  closed  to  foreign 
intercourse  much  longer  than  Japan, 
and  it  was  not  until  1876,  the  year 
after  the  cession  of  Saghalien  to  Russia, 
that  the  Japanese,  who  had  always 
had  a  sort  of  hold  upon  tlie  Hermit 
Kingdom  with  -which  they  were  closely 
connected  by  ties  of  religion,  na- 
tionalit}^  and  literature,  succeeded  in 
making  a  treaty  which  opened  the 
port  of  Fusan  to  their  trade.  Chemulpo 
was  opened  in  1880  ;  an  American 
Treaty  of  Commerce  with  Korea  was 
signed  in  1882,  the  British  followed  suit 


24 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


in  1883,  and  the  Russians  in  1884. 
But  Russia  had  long  before  this  made 
a  bid  for  the  domination  of  Korea. 
In  1861,  the  Russian  frigate  Possac//?/^ 
arrived  off  the  island  of  Tsushima, 
a  Japanese  island,  indeed,  but  ^vhich 
commands  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  Korean  Peninsula,  and  there  landed 
a  party  of  Russian  blue-jackets  who 
hoisted  the  Russian  flag  and  proceeded 
to  treat  the  island  as  their  own, 
being  only  dislodged  from  the  place  by 
the  prompt  arrival  of  a  British  Man-of- 
War.  Russian  intrigues  in  Korea  com- 
menced from  the  moment  that  a  Russian 
Legation  was  opened  at  Seoul,  and  the 
British  reader  will  scarcely  need  to  be 


the  piecemeal  dismemberment  of  her 
Empire  to  suit  the  needs  of  Russian 
expansion.  As  long  therefore  as  China 
stood  first  in  the  affections  of  Korea, 
Russia  was  content  to  wait  patiently. 
She  was  busy  with  her  plans  for  the 
Russification  of  such  parts  of  Manchuria 
as  still  remained  to  China,  knowing  that 
with  Manchuria  in  her  hand,  she  could 
annex  Korea  whenever  she  pleased. 

But  when  in  1897,  as  a  consequence 
of  the  China  and  Japan  War,  Korea 
formally  renounced  Chinese  suzerainty, 
and  Japan  proposed  to  occupy  the 
Liaotung  or  Regent's  Sword  Peninsula, 
as  a  standing-place  from  which  she 
might  influence  both  China  and  Korea, 


The  Fort  of  Chemulpo. 


reminded  that  it  was  in  order  to  check 
further  aggression  by  Russia  .that,  in 
1886,  Great  Britain  occupied  a  Korean 
island  known  to  Europeans  by  the 
name  of  Port  Hamilton,  a  place  of 
vantage  from  which  she  did  not  retire 
until  she  had  in  1887  received  a  pledge 
from  Russia  never  to  occupy  Korea. 

Korea  occupied  an  anomalous  posi- 
tion at  this  time.  Hardly  strong  enough 
to  stand  by  herself,  she  vacillated  in 
her  allegiance  between  China  and 
Japan,  both  of  which  claimed  the  su- 
zerainty. With  China  Russians  know 
how  to  deal.  China  has  never  known 
how  to  resist  Russian  intrigues,  or 
threats  and  has  always  acquiesced  in 


then  at  once  all  the  activities  of  Russia 
were  roused,  and  joining  with  France 
and  Germany  she  made  a  solemn  protest 
against  the  occupation  of  the  Liaotung 
Peninsula.  Japan  was  forced  to  give 
way  for  the  moment  yielding  to  force 
majeure,  but  she  did  mean  to  give  up 
the  idea  of  resisting  Russian  aggression 
so  easily  as  that.  She  merely  set 
herself  to  wrork  more  resolutely  for  the 
aim  she  had  put  before  herself. 

An  unfortunate  incident  soon  gave 
Russia  the  opportunity  she  required 
for  interfering  actively  in  the  afiairs  Oi 
the  Hermit  Kingdom.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  war,  Count  Inouye  had 
been  left  as  Japanese  Minister  in  Korea, 


H.    I.    H.    Prince    Higashi-Fushimi. 


H,    I.    H.    Prince    Fushimi. 


H.    I.    fi.    Prince    YamasLina. 


HISTORY  OF  RUSSO-JAPANESE   RELATIONS. 


25 


and  had  introduced  many  useful  reforms  or  military  pressure  from  cither  side. 
into  the  administration  of  that  coun-  "  It  was  set  out  in  one  of  the  final 
try.  But  unfortunately,  he  was  ob-  clauses  that  as  soon  as  the  new  order 
liged  to  return  to  Japan,  and  there  of  things  had  been  accepted,  the  repre- 
scemed  to  be  no  one  left  to  carry  out  sentatives  of  ooth  Russia  and  Japan 
the  firm  policy  which  he  had  so  sen-  should  withdraw."* 
sibly  inaugurated.  Measures 
were  introduced  such  as  the 
order  compelHng  the  Koreans 
to  cut  off  their  top-knots,  which 
only  served  to  irritate  the  people 
against  the  Japanese,  some  of 
whom  behaved  with  conside- 
rable arrogance  towards  the 
Koreans,  as  towards  a  con- 
quered race,  and  the  inevitable 
result  was  disturbance  and  riot. 
The  Queen,  whose  sympathies 
had  alwa.ys  been  pro-Chinese, 
incited  the  Tonghak  bandits  to 
rise  in  insurrection  against  the 
Japanese,  a  counter-insurrection 
broke  out  amongst  the  Korean 
soldiery,  who  murdered  the 
Queen,  and  issued  a  forged  pro- 
clamation which  purported  to 
come  from  the  King,  and  which 
degraded  the  Queen  from  her 
ranks  and  dignities.  A  few 
weeks  later  the  King,  alarmed 
for  his  personal  safety,  fled  for 
refuge  to  the  Russian  Legation, 
and  Russia's  oppoitunity  seem- 
■ed  to  have  come. 

But  the  Japanese  states- 
men at  Tokyo  immediately  re- 
cognized the  gravi  ty  of  the 
situation      and     the     loss      of 

prestige     which     their     country      had  Japan  kept  her  pledge,  and  gradual- 

sustained  through  this  most  regrettable  ly  evacuated  the  country.  Russia's 
incident,  and  at  once  opened  negotia-  interpretation  of  the  Agreement  she 
tions  with  the  Russians,  the  result  of  had  just  concluded  with  Japan  was  as 
which  was  an  agreement  that  for  follows.  She  promptly  marched  a 
the  present  both  countries  should  force  of  200  Cossacks  to  Seoul  "  to 
have  equal  advisery  powers  in  the  protect  the  Legation,"  gave  to  Korea 
fiscal     arrangements     of    Korea,     that     presents   of  arms  and  ammunition  for 

-each  should  retain  the  control  of  certain  the  use  of  the  Army,  offered  the  services 
telegraph  lines  now  existing,  and  that  of  her  officers  for  the  instruction  of  the 
they    should  allow  Korea    to    develop . 

iierself  freely    without    any    constraint  *  Krause.     "The  Far  East."  p.  98. 


Late  General  A^iscount  Kawakami, 

Sue-Chief  of  the  Japanese  General  Staff 

Office  during  the  China  War, 


26 


THE  RUSSO-JAPAKESE  WAR. 


K  orean  troops  and  finally  made  a 
treaty  with  Korea  which  actually 
placed  the  territorial  and  financial  re- 


IXTEIUOR    OF    THE   ROYAT,   PALACE   AT   Si:OUL. 


sottrces  of  Korea  in  Russian  hands,  to 
the  total  exclusion  of  Japan. 

Japan  protested  vigorously  against 
such  breach  of  faith,  and  clearly  let 
Russia  know  that  she  must  either  give 
way  or  fight.  She  chose  the  former 
alternative.    It  is  always  her  policy  to 


the  outbreak  of  the  present  campaign 
must  remember  that  her  statesmen  had 
already  had  more  than    one   taste    of 

Russia's  concilia- 
tory answers.  Rus- 
sia, then,  gave  way 
and  sent  a  soft 
reply,  and  in  April 
1898  was  conclud- 
ed the  treaty  of 
Tokyo,  by  which 
both  countries  un- 
dertook to  recog- 
nize the  indepen- 
dence of  Korea,  to 
refrain  from  any 
attempt  to  appoint 
either  military  com- 
manders or  govern- 
ment officials  in 
that  country,  and 
Russia  in  particular 
bound  herself  to  abstain  from  all  inter- 
ference in  the  industrial  or  commercial 
relations  of  Japan  and  Korea. 

Having  done  this,  she  doubled  her 
guards  along  the  Korean  frontier,  in- 
creased her  Far-Eastern  Squadron,  and 
sent  her  emissaries  into  Korea  in  the 


(^ 


> 


u^f 


t;  y,. 


^i 


'"' ^ '-•*'"" '"-^^4' '5^\'"  ^i:^'^   S:  vtswi-v",-.'  "":''';'—*■■"' 


.-E*' 


:y't,M^ 


Siberian  Cossacks. 


make  her  annexations  by  peaceable 
means  if  possible,  and  when  confronted 
by  a  firm  opposition  will  always  give 
way,  and  then  try  some  pther  avenue 
by  which  quietly  to  obtain  her  end. 
Those  who  blame  Japan  for  her  swift 
action  during  the  critical    days    before 


guise  of  private  citizens  to  acquire  sites- 
for  "  coaling  stations,"  and  in  May 
1900,  actually  obtained  in  the  Korean 
port  of  Masanpho,  in  direct  contraven- 
tion of  her  own  treaty  promises  to 
China  in  1886,  a  large  piece  of  land, 
which,    if    it    had    not    been    for    the 


HISTORY  OF  RUSSO-JAPANESE  RELATIONS. 


27 


energetic  action  of  Japan,  wotild  have  Is  it  in  the  least  to  be  wondered  at 

been  ere  this  a  naval  base  for  the  it,  after  mor'^  than  a  century's  expcri- 
Rnssian  Squadron  in  the  Far  East,  ence  of  Rtissian  perfidy  and  duplicity, 
Masanpho,  situated  at  the  Southern  and  with  abundant  proofs  of  Russia's 
extremity  of  Corea,  would  give  Rvissia  malicious  designs  not  only  against  her 
the  same  commanding  position  \\s-a~vis  neighbours  but  against  herself,  Japan 
of  China,  Korea,  and  Japan,  which  she  has  at  last  resolved  to  put  her  own 
tried  to  get  in  1861  by  her  illegal  just  quarrel  to  the  arbitrement  of 
seizure  of  Tsushima.  Heaven   and    her    own    sharp    sword  ? 

The    Masan- 
pho difficulty  has 
been  throw^n  into 
the  shade  by  the 
question  of  Port 
Arthur,  the  Liao-       ^ 
tung    and    Man- 
churia \vhich 
Russia,  profiting 
by    the    troubles 
of  China  and  the     ^ 
Allied        Powers 
over    the    Boxer 
Insurrection       of 
1900,     and     the 
fact    that,     Eng- 
land   and    Ame- 
rica,     being      otherwise      engaged     in     She  has  shown  to  the  world  a  splendid 
South  Africa  and  Manila,  Japan  would     example  of  patient    forbearance    under 
probably  be  left  without  material  sup-     wrong.     She  fights  now,  knowing  that 
port    from    either    of   these   two  great     she  has  exhausted   all   other  means   of 
nations,     succeeded     in     pushing    into     persuasion,  and  that  the  whole  civilized 
prominence  by  the  occupation  of   Port     world    ought    to    be    with    her    in   her 
Arthur,  the  completion  of  her  Siberian     battle     for      the 
lines  and  her  gradual   Russification  of     humanity. 
Chinese  Manchuria. 


'■'':'  ''■*'f^^^^"'"  '•y'-v' 


The  Foreign  Office  in  Tokyo. 


common     cause 


of 


28 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


2. 
3. 


6. 

7. 


9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 


Official    Documents- 

Currcspondence  regarding  the  Negotiations  between  Japan  and  Russia 

f  <.m  l!8tli  July  191)3  to  6th  February  1904. 

r.:  roll  Komura  to  Baron  Rosen 

Oiti.ial  Statement  by  Baron   Komura    oi 

tlie  two  countries        .... 

Russian  official  commurici\t*o-i 

Japanese  Declaration  ot"  ^\'ul■   . 

Russian  Declaration  of  War 

Chinese   Minister    to    Baron    Komura 


t::c 


on 


the 


n.  Feb.  1004. 
Negotiations   between 
8.  Fe'j.  1904. 


Buron  Komura's  Reply  to  aViove 

Manifesto  of  the  Czar 

Russian  Communique  .... 
Treaty  of  Alliance  between  Japan  and  Korea 
First  Rt  ply  of  the  Japanese  Government  . 
Second  Reply  of  the  Japanese  Government   , 


9. 

10. 

10. 

Neutrality 

13. 


Feb.  1904. 
Feb.  1904. 
Feb.  1904. 
of  China. 
Feb.  1904. 


17.  Feb.  1904. 

18.  Feb.  1904. 
18.  Feb.  li;04. 
23.  Feb.  1904. 

2.  March  1904. 
8.  March  1904. 


1.    Correspondence  regarding  the 

Negotiations  between  Japan 

and  Russia  from  28th  July 

1903  to  6th  February  1004. 

No.    1. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)      Tokyo,  Jtily  28th,  1903. 

The  Japanese  Government  have  ob- 
served with  close  attention  the  develop- 
ment of  affairs  in  Manchuria,  and  they 
viev^  with  grave  concern  the  present 
situation  there.  So  long  as  there  v/ere 
grounds  for  hope  that  Russia  would 
carry  out  her  engagement  to  China 
and  her  assurances  to  other  Powers  on 
the  subject  of  the  evacuation  of  Man- 
churia, the  Japanese  Government  main- 
tained an  attitude  of  watchful  reserve. 
But  the  recent  action  of  Russia  in  for- 
mulating new  demands  in  Peking  and 
in  consolidating  rather  than  relaxing 
her  hold  on  Manchuria  compels  belief 
that  she  has  abandoned  the  intention 
of  retiring  from  Manchuria,  while  her 
increased  activj  ty  along  the  Korean 
frontier  is  such  a?,  to  raise  doubts  re- 
garding th?  lir.iits  of  her  ambition. 
The  unrcbtraincd  permanent  occupation 
of  Manchuria   by  Russia    would  create 


a  condition  of  things  prejudicial  to  the 
security  and  interest  of  Japan.  Such 
occupation  would  be  destructive  of  the 
principle  of  equal  opportunity  and  in 
impairment  of  the  territorial  integrity 
of  China,  But,  what  is  oi  still  more 
serious  moment  to  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, Russia  stationed  on  the  flank 
of  Korea  w^ould  be  a  constant  menace 
to  the  separate  existence  of  that 
Empire,  and  in  any  event  it  would 
make  Russia  the  dominant  power  in 
Korea.  Korea  is  an  important  out- 
post in  Japan's  line  of  defence,  and 
Japan  consequently  considers  the  in- 
dependence of  Korea  absolutely  essen- 
tial to  her  own  repose  and  safety. 
Japan  possesses  paramount  political 
as  well  as  commercial  and  industrial 
interests  and  influence  in  Korea,  which, 
having  regard  to  her  own  security,  she 
cannot  consent  to  surrender  to,  or 
share  with,  any  other  Power.  The 
Japanese  Government  have  given  the 
matter  their  most  serious  consideration 
and  have  resolved  to  approach  the 
Russian  Government  in  a  spirit  of  con- 
ciliation and  frankness  with  a  view  to 
the  conclusion  of  an  understanding  de- 
signed to  compose  questions  w^hich  are 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


20 


at  this  time  the  cause  of  just  and 
natural  anxiety  ;  and  in  the  estimation 
of  the  Japanese  Govcrnmcn  t,  the 
moment  is  opporttme  for  making  the 
attempt  to  bring  about  the  desired 
adjustment. 

The  Japanese  Government,  reposing 
confidenee  in  your  judgment  and  dis- 
cretion, have  deeided  to  place  these 
delicate    negotiations    in    your    hands. 


Baron  Komura, 
Japanese  Minister  Fim  Iorkign  Akkairs. 

It  is  the  wish  of  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment  to  place   their  present  invitation 
to  the  Russian  Government  entirely  on 
an    official    footing,    and    you    are    ac- 
coi'dingly  instructed  to  open   the   ques- 
tion by  presenting  to  Count  Lamsdorff 
a  Note  Verbale  to  the  following  effect : 
'*  The   Imperial  Japanese  Govern- 
ment,    believing    that    the     Imperial 
Russian  Government  share  with  them 


the   desire   to   remove  from   the  i-ela- 
tions  of  the  two  Empires  every  cause 
of  future  misuderstanding,   would  be 
glad     to    enter    with    the     Imperial 
Russian   Government  upon   examina- 
tion   of  the  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
Extreme   East   where    their    intei-ests 
meet,  with  a  view  to  a   definition  of 
their    respective    special    interests     in 
those    regions.     If,    as  is  confidently 
hoped ,     this    suggestion    meets 
approval    in    principle,   the   Im- 
perial Japanese  Government  will 
be   prepared  to   present    to    the 
Imperial    Russian    Government 
their    views    as    to    the    nature 
and      scope     of    the     proposed 
understanding. ' ' 
In    presenting    the    foregoing 
note    to     Count    Lamsdorff,    you 
will  be  careful  to  make  him  under- 
stand    that     our     purposes     are 
entirely     friendly,    but    that    we 
attach    great    importance   to   the 
subject.       You    will    present    the 
note  to  Count  Lamsdorff  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  keep  me  fully  in- 
formed regarding  the  steps  taken 
by    you    under    this    instruction  ; 
and  immediately  upon  the  receipt 
of  an  affirmative  reply  from  the 
Russian     Government,    the     sub- 
stance of   our    proposals    v^^ill   be 
telegraphed  to  you. 


No.     2. 
Mr.  Kurixo  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  July  31st,  1903. 
Received,  August  2nd,  1903. 
(Telegram.) 
Your   Excellency's   telegram  of    the 
28th    instant    vsras    duly    received.      In 
accordance  with    the  instructions   con- 
tained therein,  I  saw  Count  I^amsdorff 
to-day  and,  before  handing  to  His  Ex- 
cellency   the    Note    Yerbale,    I    stated 
substantially  as  follows  : 

"  The  condition  of  affairs  in  the 
Far  East  is  becoming  more  and  more 
complicated,  and  unless  something  be 


30 


THE  RUSvSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


done  at  presnt  with  the  view   of  re- 
moving all  causes  of  misunderstand- 
ing  between  Japan  and  Russia,  the 
relations   of  the  two    countries    will 
increase  in   difficulty,   entailing  noth- 
ing but  disadvantages  to  both  coun- 
tries.     Under  the  circumstances,  the 
Imperial  Government,  fully  animated 
by  a  spirit  of  frankness  and  concili- 
ation, have  decided  to  approach  the 
Imperial  Russian  Government  with  a 
view  to  an-ive  at  an  understanding." 
I    then    handed    to    him    the    Note 
Verbale,  saying  that  I  was  so  instruct- 
ed.     After  he  had   seen  it,   I  expressed 
my  ardent  hope  that  the  Russian  Gov- 
ernment would  share  the  above  view 
in  the  same  spirit.     Count  Lamsdorff 
said    that    he    was    perfectly    satisfied 
with  the  decision  of  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment, for,  as  he  had  said  to  me  very 
often,   an    understanding    betw^een    the 
two    countries    is    not    only    desirable, 
but  is  the  best  policy  ;     should  Russia 
and  Japan  enter  into  full  understand- 
ing, no  one  would    in  futui-e   attempt 
to  sow  the  seeds   of    discord  between 
the  two   countries.      So  far  as  he  was 
concerned,   he  was,   he  said,  in  perfect 
accord  with  the  view  of  the  Japanese 
Government  ;  but  he  wished  to  see  the 
Emperor  on  the  subject  before  a  definite 
answ^er  was  given.      He  expects  to  see 
the' Emperor  next    Tuesday,   and   pro- 
mised   to    give    me  an   answer   on  the 
following  day.     He  added  that  the  Em- 
peror w^ould  surely  approve  the  matter. 


No.     3. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokyo,  Aug.  3rd,  1903. 

In  reference  to  my  telegram  of  the 
28th  July,  the  Japanese  Government, 
after  giving  most  serious  consideration 
to  the  condition  of  affairs  in  those 
centres  where  the  interests  of  the  two 
Powers  meet,  have  decided  to  propose 
the  following  as  the  basis  of  an  under- 
standing between  Japan  and  Russia. 

"  1. — Mutual    engagement     to     re- 


spect the  independence  and  territorial 
integrity  of  the  Chinese  and  Korean 
Empires  and  to  maintain  the  prin- 
ciple of  equal  opportunity  for  the 
commerce  and  industry  of  all  nations 
in  those  countries. 

"  2. — Reciprocal  recognition  of  Ja- 
pan 's  preponderating  interests  in 
Korea  and  Russia's  special  interests 
in  railway  enterprises  in  Manchuria^ 
and  of  the  right  of  Japan  to  take  in 
Korea  and  of  Russia  to  take  in  Man- 
churia such  measures  as  may  be  neces- 
sary for  the  protection  of  their  res- 
pective interests  as  above  defined, 
subject,  however,  to  the  provisions  of 
Article  I  of  this  Agreement, 

"  3. — Reciprocal  undertaking  on 
the  part  of  Russia  and  Japan  not  to 
impede  development  of  those  in- 
dustrial and  commercial  activities 
resjjectively  of  Japan  in  Korea  and 
of  Russia  in  Manchuria,  which  are 
not  inconsistent  with  the  stipulations 
of  Article  I  of  this  Agreement. 

"  Additional  engagement  on  the 
part  of  Russia  not  to  impede  the 
eventual  extension  of  the  Korean  rail- 
way into  southern  Manchuria  so  as 
to  connect  with  the  East  China  and 
Shan-hai-kwari-Newchwang  lines. 

"  4. — Reciprocal  engagement  that 
in  case  it  is  found  necessary  to  send 
troops  by  Japan  to  Korea,  or  by 
Russia  to  Manchuria,  for  the  purpose 
either  of  protecting  the  interests  men- 
tioned in  Article  II  of  this  Agreement, 
or  of  suppressing  insurrection  or  dis- 
order calculated  to  create  internatio- 
nal complications,  the  troops  so  sent 
are  in  no  case  to  exceed  the  actual 
number  required  and  are  to  be  forth- 
with recalled  as  soon  as  their  mis- 
sions are  accomplished. 

"  5. — Recognition  on  the  part  of 
Russia  of  the  exclusive  right  of  Japan 
to  give  advice  and  assistance  in  the 
interest  of  reform  and  good  govern- 
ment in  Korea,  including  necessary 
military  assistance. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


"  6. — This  Agreement  to  supplant 
all  previous  arrangements  between 
Japan  jind  Russia  respecting  Korea." 
In  handing  the  foregoing  project  to 
Count  Lamsdoriir,  you  will  say  that 
it  is  presented  for  the  consideration 
of  the  Russian  Government  in  the 
firm  belief  that  it  may  be  found  to 


sion  of  the  principles  already    recog- 
nized by  the  two  Governments,  Or  of 
conditions  embodied  in    the    engage- 
ments which  the  project  is  designed 
to  supplant. 
The  foregoing  instruction  is  sent  to 
you  in    anticipation  that    the    answer 
to  the  Note  Verbale   presented  by  you 
will  be    favourable  ;    but  you  w^ill 
notact  on  that  instruction  until  you 
receive    further    instructions    which 
will  be  given  after  you   have  com- 
municated to  me  the  answer  to  the 
Note  Verbale. 


No.    4. 
AIr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Aug.  5th,  1903. 
Received,  ,,      6th,      ,, 

(Telegram.) 

Count  Lamsdorff  says  he  is  au- 
thorized by  the  Emperor  to  open 
negotiations  with  me  on  the  sub- 
iect    of  the  Note  Verbale. 


Count  Lamsdorff, 
Russian  Minister  for.  Foreign  Affairs. 

serve  as  a  basis  upon  which  to  con- 
struct satisfactory  arrangement  be- 
tween the  two  Governments,  and  you 
will  assure  Count  Lamsdorff  that 
any  amendment  or  suggestion  he  may 
find  it  necessary  to  offer  will  receive 
the  immediate  and  friendly  considera- 
tion of  the  Japanese  Government.  It 
will  not  be  necessary  for  you  to  say 
much  in  elucidation  of  the  separate 
items  of  the  project  as  they  are  very 
largely  self-explanatory  ;  but  you 
might  point  out  that  the  project 
taken  as  a  whole  will  be  found  to 
be  but  little  more  than  the  logical 
and  essential  development  and  exten- 


No.    5. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
Tokyo,  August  6th,  1903. 
(Telegram.) 

In  reference  to  your  telegrams 
dated    the    1st  and   5th  inst.,  you 
will  state  to  Count  Lamsdorff  that 
the  Imperial    Government  fully  ap- 
preciate   the    friendly    spirit    with 
which  the  Russian  Government  receiv- 
ed the  proposal  of  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment to  enter  upon  negotiations  wnth 
regared  to   an  understanding  between 
the  two  countries,  and  then  present  at 
once  the  project  to  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment   in   accordance  with    instructions 
contained    in   my    telegram   of  the  1st 
instant. 


No.    6. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Aug.  12th,  1903. 
(Telegram.)  Received,      ,,      14th, 

Count  Lamsdorff,   being  now  very 
much    occupied,    could    not  receive  me 


32 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


until  to-day,  wliCTi  I  handed  to  His 
Excellency  the  proposed  projecct  in 
English  in  accordance  with  your  in- 
structions. I  added  that  the  longer 
the  conclusion  of  an  accord  is  postpon- 
ed the  more  difficult  will  it  become,  as 
the  condition  of  affairs  in  the  Far  East 
is  now  getting  more  and  more  com- 
plicated. I  asked  him  to  hasten  the 
matter  as  much  as  possible.  He  said 
he  would  examine  the  project  with 
care. 


are  necessary  and  that  the  _  Japanese 
Government  would  be  prepared  to  give 
fa\ourable  consideration  if  any  sugges- 
sions  should  be  made  by  Count  Lams- 
dor  ff. 


No.  7. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Aug.  24th,  1903. 
Received,      ,,      25th,      ,, 
(Telegam.) 

Count  Lamsdorff"  received  me  yester- 
day by  special  arrangement,  and  I  ask- 
ed his  views  as  well  as  the  attitude  of 
the  Russian  Government  regarding  our 
proposals,  adding  that  the  Japanese 
Government  are  now  impatiently  wait- 
ing for  a  reply.  He  said  that  he  had 
studied  the  project  seriously,  but  that 
the  Emperor  having  been  absent  over  a 
w^eek  on  account  of  the  manoeuvres,  he 
had  been  unable  to  take  any  steps  in 
the  matter  ;  but  he  asked  my  opinion 
about  transferring  the  negotiations  to 
Tokyo  as  there  were  many  details  which 
would  have  to  be  referred  to  Admiral 
AlexiefF.  I  said  to  him  that  the  Jap- 
anese Government  having  confided  the 
matter  to  me,  I  should  prefer  to  proceed 
with  it,  but  that  I  w^as  willing  to  com- 
municate his  opinion  to  you, 

He  stated  that  he  has  already  sent 
copy  of  our  project  to  Port  Arthur  with 
the  view  of  obtaining  the  opinion  of 
Admiral  Alexieff,  After  such  conversa- 
tion, he  said  the  question  of  Japanese 
railway  enterprise  in  Manchuria  would 
be  difficult,  but  upon  all  other  points 
perhaps  the  Russian  Government  would 
be  able  to  come  to  an  understanding. 
I  said  that  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  satis- 
factory understanding,  mutual  conces- 
sions as  w^ell  as  a  spirit  of  conciliation 


No.  8. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)  Tokyo,  Aug.  26th,  1903. 
In  reference  to  your  telegram  of  the' 
24th  instant,  you  will  say  to  Count 
LamsdorfT  that  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment would  prefer  to  continue  negotia- 
tions in  St.  Petersburg,  believing  that 
by  so  doing,  the  work  will  be  greatly 
facilitated.  You  can  add  that  there 
are  no  details  to  be  considereTd  in  con- 
nection with  pending  negotiations, 
which  require  local  knowledge,  and 
that  the  Japanese  Government,  having 
placed  the  negotiations  in  your  hand, 
would  dislike  to  make  any  change. 
You  will  say  to  Count  LamsdorfT  that 
the  Japanese  Government  are  anxious- 
ly avsraiting  a  definite  reply  from  his 
Government  to  their  proposals,  and 
you  will  continue  to  use  every  endeav- 
otir  to  obtain  from  him  such  a  reply 
as  soon  as  possible^ 


No.  9. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Aug.  27th,  1903. 
(Telegram.)   Received,     ,,      28th,      ,, 

I  saw  Count  LamsdorfiF  to-day  on 
the  subject  of  your  telegram  dated  the 
26th  instant.  He  said  he  had  audience 
of  the  Emperor  last  Tuesday,- and  was 
told  that  His  Majesty  desires  very  much 
the  early  conclusion  of  an  entente 
satisfactory  for  both  countries,  and 
expressed  his  wish  to  conduct  the 
negotiations  at  Tokyo  so  as  to  expedite 
the  matter.  ^Then  Count  Lamsdorff 
added  that  the  Emperor  is  to  leave 
here  for  the  country  next  Monday,  and 
then  for  foreign  countries  for  some 
time,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
Ministers  concerned  would  be  absent 
from   St.    Petersburg.       Consequently, 


Calling  of  the 


r.  Reservists  of  the  Imperial  Guard  to  the  Colours. 


OFFICTAI.  DOCUMENTS. 


33 


negotiations  in  Tokyo  would  be  much 
the  ccisier  and  quicker  -way  of  conclud- 
ing the  matter.  I  said,  referring  to  my 
conversation  -with  Count  Lamsdorff  of 
the  23rd  instant,  that  the  proposed 
understanding  involved  mostly  ques- 
tions of  principles  and  politics  rathar 
than  details,  and  consequently  that 
the  continuation  of  negotiations  at  St. 
Petersburg  would  be  proper  and  at  the 
same  time  the  quickest  way  to  arrive 
at  a  satisfactory  understanding.  He 
repeated  what  he  had  just  said  and 
insisted  upon  his   proposition. 

Under  the  circumstances,  I  think  it, 
hardly  possible  to  change  the  course 
uow  proposed  by  Count  LamsdorfiF 
tinder  authority  of  the  Emperor.  I  also 
think  that  negotiations  at  Tokyo 
would  entail  many  disadvantageous 
consequences  ;  and  definite  instruction 
for  the  further  course  is  awaited. 


pie  acceptable  to  the  Russian   Govern- 
ment as  the  basis  of  negotiations. 


No.     10. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
Tokyo,   Aug.   29th,   1930. 
(Telegram.) 

In  reference  to  your  telegram  of 
the  27th  instant,  you  will  say  to  Count 
LamsdorfF  that  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment still  think  that  negotiations  will 
be  facilitated  if  continued  in  St.  Peters- 
burg since  the  negotiations  relate  to 
principles  and  not  details  ;  and  you 
will  add  that  he  and  you  having  been 
duly  authorized  in  the  matter  and  the 
proposals  of  Japan  having  been  pre- 
sented to  him,  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment had  supposed  that  the  scat  of 
negotiations  had  been  agreed  to*  You 
will  accordingly  urge  upon  Count 
Lamsdorff  the  desire  of  the  Japanese 
Government  to  continue  the  negotia- 
tions in  St.  Petersburg,  ar.d  express  a 
hope  that  his  Government  will  recon- 
sider the  question.  You  will  also  say 
that  the  Japanese  Government  presume 
they  are  justified  in  assuming  from  the 
proposal  to  transfer  negotiations  to 
Tokyo,  that  our  proposals  are  in  princi- 


No.     11. 

Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Aug.  31st,  1903. 
(Telegram.)   Received,  Sept.  2nd,      ,, 

I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff  to-day  and 
explained  fully  the  purport  of  your  tele- 
gram of  the  29th instant.  The  substance 
of  his  reply  is  as  follows  : 

He  said  that  the  negotiations 
relate  to  principles,  but  principles 
must  be  decided  upon  exanjination  of 
local  and  practical  questions.  Ac- 
cordingly the  Russian  Government  de- 
sired to  transfer  the  discussions  to 
Tokyo  on  account  of  the  necessity  of 
consultation  with  Admiral  Alexieif, 
and  also  to  manifest  a  sense  of  de- 
ference to  Japan  as  the  proposal  had 
been  made  by  her,  and  that  the  accept- 
ance of  the  proposal  at  St.  Petersburg 
does  not  signify  that  the  seat  of  nego- 
tiations should  be  at  the  same  place. 
He  added  that  the  proposal  to  transfer 
the  negotiations  to  Tokyo  does  not 
necessarily  mean  that  our  proposals 
are  acceptable  to  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment, as  basis  for  negotiations  could 
not  be  determined  without  reference  to 
practical  questions  concerning  which 
Baron  Rosen  and  Admiral  Alexieff  have 
much  better  knowledge  than  he  himself. 

I  urged  as  myopinioi>  that  this  being 
the  most  important  qitestion  of  high 
politics  between  our  two  countries, 
perhaps  the  Emperor  had  much  to 
decide,  and  consquently  it  would  be 
very  convenient  if  the  negotiations  were 
conducted  at  St.  Petersburg,  and 
wished  his  serious  reconsideration  of 
the  question  of  transfer  as  such  re- 
consideration is  much  desired  by  the 
Japanese  Gevernment.  I  objected  also 
to  the  suggestion  of  transfer  on  the 
ground  that  the  question  relates  to 
principles  as  well  as  to  the  direction  of 
international  political  concerns  which 
may  not  be  within  the  powers  conferred 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


upon  Admiral  Alexieff".  If  I  remember 
rightly,  I  said,  I  understand  that  his 
authority  is  limited  to  mere  questions 
of  local  admnistration  He  said  that 
on  this  question  Admiral  AlexiefF  would 
only  he  consulted  and  decide  nothing, 
and  added  that  he,  Count  Lamsdorff, 
is  also  desirous  to  settle  the  question 
as  quickly  as  possible,  and  that  is  the 
reason  Avhy  he  suggested  the  transfer. 
The  Russian  Counter-Proposals  are 
being  prepared  by  persons  having  local 
knowledge,  consequently  the  transfer 
of  negotiations  to  Tokyo  would  ex- 
pedite the  matter.  Should  the  negotia- 
tions be  conducted  at  St.  Petersburg, 
he  would  be  obliged  to  attend  to  the 
matter  personally  with  me  ;  but  this 
autumn  he  has  to  be  long  absent  from 
the  city  on  account  of  his  attendance 
upon  the  Emperor.  In  case  of  his 
journey  to  Vienna  and  Rome,  he  may 
also  visit  a  certain  foreign  coitntry  and 
would  be  liable  to  be  frequently  inter- 
rupted in  the  negotiations.  But  in  case 
of  negotiations  at  Tokyo,  he  coidd 
direct  them  by  telegraph ,  and  tele- 
grams from  Tokyo  could  always  follow 
him  wherever  he  might  happen  to  be  ; 
besides,  he  said,  as  we  know  very  well, 
the  Russian  way  of  conducting  business 
here  is  not  very  expeditious.  At  the 
conclusion,  he  said  he  is  to  have 
audience  of  the  Emperor  to-day,  and 
will  explain  to  him  the  reasons  why  an 
early  understanding  between  the  tw^o 
countries  is  desirable  as  mentioned  by 
me  ;  and  he  promised  to  repeat  to  His 
Majesty  the  special  desire  of  the  Jap- 
anese Government  to  '  conduct  the 
negotiations  at  St.  Petersburg;  but  he 
added  that  no  change  of  view  on  the 
subject  could  be  expected. 


ledged  desire  of  both  Powers  to  arrive 
at  an  understanding  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, the  Japanese  Government  fear 
that  discussions  would  be  greatly  pro- 
tracted if  the  negotiations  were  now 
to  be  transferred  to  Tokyo  without 
some  accepted  basis  for  negotiations  ; 
and  you  will  add  that  the  Japanese 
Government,  having  presented  their  pro- 
posals in  concrete  form  to  the  Russian 
Government,  believe  that  negotiations, 
wherever  conducted,  would  be  greatly 
facilitated  if  the  Russian  Government 
w^ere  primarily  to  announce  whether 
such  proposals  can  in  principle  be 
accepted  as  the  basis  for  negotiations. 
The  Japanese  Government  do  not  under- 
stand that  the  acceptance  of  those 
proposals  as  such  basis  would  exclude 
amendments  that  might  be  regarded 
as  necessary.  On  the  contrary,  such 
acceptance  would  merely  fix  a  definite 
point  of  departure  which  is  desirable 
in  all  negotiations  and  very  important 
in  the  present  case.  You  will  use  every 
endeavour  to  secure  the  desired  an- 
nouncement from  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment. 


No.     12. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kcrino. 
(Telegram.)     Tokyo,  Sept.  2nd,  1903. 

In  reference  to  your  telegram  of  the 
31st  ultimo,  you  will  say  to  Count 
Lamsdorff  that  it  being  the    acknov/- 


No.    13. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  September  5th,  1903. 
Received,  ,,  6th,      ,, 

(Telegram.) 

I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff  yesterday. 
With  the  view  of  preventing  any  mis- 
understanding about  the  sense  of  the 
instruction  contained  in  your  telegram 
of  the  2nd  instant  and  also  with  the 
view^  of  impressing  upon  the  Russian 
Government  the  feeling  of  importance 
placed  by  the  Japanese  Government  on 
the  matter,  I  prepared  a  Note  Verbale 
which  I  handed  to  him.  We  then  had 
a  rather  prolonged  discussion  on  the 
question.  The  substance  of  his  remarks 
is  as  follows  : — 

According  to  his  experience  of  40 
years  in  the  Foreign  Oflice,  negotia- 
tions of  an  international  character  had 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


;u 


always  been  conducted  on  the  pro- 
jiosals  of  one  Power  together  with  the 
reply  of  the  other,  and  it  was  not 
nsual  to  accept  the  proposition  of  one 
Power  as  one  sole  basis  of  negotiations. 
Baron  Rosen  had  already  been  com- 
nianded  by  the  Emperor  to  study 
seriously "^'the  proposition  of  the  Jap- 
anese Govei-nment,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  prepare  and  elaborate  Counter- 
Proposals  in  consultation  wth  Admiral 
Alexieff,  and,  if  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment were  willing  to  enter  into 
negotiation,  to  commence  immediately 
the  pourparlers  adopting  the  proposi- 
tions of  the  Japanese  Government  and 
the  Russian  Counter-Poposals  as  the 
basis  of  negotiations.  I  said  during 
the  discussion  that  if  the  Russian 
Government  Avere  really  animated  by 
a  deiire  to  enter  into  a  satisfactory 
arrangement  with  Japan,  I  should  deem 
it  highly  necessary  that  the  Russian 
Government  should  instruct  their  nego- 
tiators to  adopt  as  the  basis  the 
Japanese  proposals,  or  at  least  the 
essential  principles  thereof  so  as  to 
facilitate  the  attainment  of  the  object 
of  the  negotiations,  for  I  am  incliued 
to  doubt  if  Admiral  Alexieff  is  disposed 
to  enter  into  negotiations  with  Japan 
in  a  spirit  of  conciliation  which  is  of 
prime  necessity  in  order  to  arrive 
at  a  satisfactory  understanding.  He 
said  that  when  he  received  our  project 
there  were  only  two  courses  open  for 
Russia  to  take,  either  to  reject  hnr 
proposals  or  to  enter  into  negotiations 
on  them .  The  Russian  Government 
have  adopted  the  latter  course  ;  this 
does  not,  however,  signify  acceptance 
of  our  project  in  its  entirety  or  in 
principle;  but., having  agreed  to  the 
proposition  to  enter  into  an  entente, 
they  have  decided  to  examine  the 
propositions  and  to  prepare  Counter- 
Proposals  so  that  the  two  might  be 
used  as  the  basis  of  negotiations. 
Besides,  he  said  that  in  our  project  there 
are  certain  clauses  which  could  not  be 


reconciled  with  Russian  interests,  and 
others  which  require  modifications  ;  and 
he  could  not  say  that  the  Russian  Gov- 
ernn.e.it  accepted  otir  proposals  even  in 
principle  as  basis,  but  only  in  conjunc- 
tion with  their   Counter-Proposals. 

Having  exhausted  every  effort  for 
the  attainment  of  the  desire  of  the 
Japanese  Government,  I  am  now  fully 
.convinced  that  it  will  not  be  possible 
to  change  the  course  proposed  by  Count 
Lamsdorff;  and  I  think  that  there  is 
no  other  way  for  Japan  but  to  agree 
to  his  suggestion.  Count  Lamsdorff  is 
to  leave  here  on  the  10th  instant  for 
Darmstadt  to  attend  the  Emperor  of 
Russia. 


No.     14. 
Bakon  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 

Tokio,   Sept.   9th,   1903. 
(Telegram.) 

In  reference  to  your  telegram  of  the 
5th  instant,  you  are  hereby  instructed 
to  inform  Count  Lamsdorff  that  the 
Japanese  Government  consent  to  trans- 
fer negotiations  to  Tokio,  and  vou 
Avill  add  that  the  Japanese  Government 
trust  that  instructions  to  the  Russian 
Minister  at  Tokio  are  of  such  a  charac- 
ter as  to  enable  him  to  present  the 
Russian  Counter-Proposals  without 
delay  and  to  proceed  immediately  with 
the  negotiations. 


No.    15. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Sept.    9th,  1903. 
Received,  ,,        10th,     ,, 

(Telegram.) 

I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff  to-da}-, 
He  said  Baron  Rosen  and  Admiral 
Alexieff  have  already  been  instructed 
by  telegraph,  by  order  of  the  Emperor, 
to  prepare  the  Counter-Proposals  as 
quickly  as  possible  and  to  commence 
negotiations  at  the  earliest  date,  and 
he  does  not  think  it  necessary  to  re- 
peat the  same  instruction. 


36 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


No.    16. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram)    Tokio,  Sept.  24th,  1903. 

Baron  Rosen  left  Tokio  on  the  22nd 
instant  for  Port  Arthur.  Previously  to 
his  departure,  he  called  on  me  and  told 
me  that  he  had  been  instructed  under 
Imperial  order  some  time  ago  to  hold 
himself  ready  to  start  at  once  for  Port 
Arthur,  whenever  necessity  might  arise 
to  do  so,  in  order  to  expedite  the  pre- 
paration of  the  Russian  Counter-Pro- 
posals between  Admiral  AlexieflF  and 
himself,  and  that  he  had  just  received 
from  the  Admiral  a  request  to  repair 
to  Port  Arthur  for  personal  consulta- 
tion on  the  subject.  He  added  that  he 
expected  to  come  back  within  about 
eleven  days. 


No.    17. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)     Tokio,  Oct.     5th,  1903. 

Baron  Rosen  came  back  to  Tokio 
on  the  3rd  instant.  He  called  on  me 
on  the  same  day  and  handed  to  me 
the  following  as  the  Russian  Counter- 
Proposals,  which,  he  said,  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  upon 
joint  presentation  by  Admiral  AlexiefF 
and  himself: — 

1.  Mutual  engagement  to  respect 
the  independence  and  territorial  in- 
tegrity of  the  Korean  Empire. 

2.  Recognition  by  Russia  of  Japan^s 
preponderating  interests  in  Korea  and 
of  the  right  of  Japan  to  give  advice 
and  assistance  to  Korea  tending  to 
improve  the  civil  administration  of 
the  Empire  without  infringing  the 
stipulations  of  Article  I. 

3.  Engagement  on  the  part  of 
Russia  not  to  impede  the  commercial 
and  industrial  undertakings  of  Japan 
in  Korea,  nor  to  oppose  any  mea- 
sures taken  for  the  purpose  of  protect- 
ing them  so  long  as  such  measures 
do  not  infringe  the  stipulations  of 
Article  I. 

4.  Recognition  of  the  right  of  Japan 


to  send  for  the  same  purpose  troops 
to  Korea,  with  the  knowledge  of 
Russia,  but  their  number  not  to  ex- 
ceed that  actually  required,  and  with 
engagement  on  the  part  of  Japan  to 
recall  such  troops  as  soon  as  their 
mission  is  accomplished. 

5.  Mutual  engagement  not  to  use 
any  part  of  the  territory  of  Korea  for 
strategical  purposes  nor  to  undertake 
on  the  coasts  of  Korea  any  military 
works  capable  of  menacing  the  free- 
dom of  navigation  in  the  Straits  of 
Korea. 

6.  Mutual  engagement  to  consider 
that  part  of  the  territory  of  Korea 
lying  to  the  north  of  the  39th  parallel 
as  a  neutral  zone  into  w^hich  neither 
of  the  Contracting  Parties  shall  in- 
troduce troops. 

7.  Recognition  by  Japan  of  Man- 
churia and  its  littoral  as  in  all  respects 
outside  her  sphere  of  interest. 

8.  This  agreement  to  supplant  all 
previous  Agreements  between  Russia 
and  Japan  respecting  Korea. 


No.     18. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)      Tokio,  Oct.  8th,  1904. 

In  reference  to  my  telegram  of  the 
5th  instant,  I  have  begun  discussion 
with  the  Russian  Minister  to  Japan 
taking  our  proposals  and  the  Russian 
Counter-Proposals  as  the  basis  and  with 
a  view  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  recogni- 
tion by  Russia  of  the  fundamental 
principles  laid  down  in  our  proposals. 


No.    19. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Oct.  16th,  1903. 

In  reference  to  my  telegram  of  the 
8th  instant,  negotiations  are  now  going 
on  between  Baron  Rosen  and  myself  re- 
garding the  following  porposals,  which 
I  had  presented  as  amendment  to  the 
Russian  Counter-Proposals  ; — 

Article  II.  Insert  the  phrase  "  in- 
cluding  military  assistance  ^'    between 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  37 

"  assistance  "  and  "to  Korea."  Change  mentstothe  Russian  Counter-Proposals 

the  word  '*  civil  "  into  "  internal."  is  as  follows  : — 

Article  III.  Insert  the  phrase  "  the  Amendments  to  Articles  II  and  YI 
development  of"  between  "impede"  a.ccepted  a.d  referendum,  Article  III  ac- 
and  "  the  commercial."  "  Undertak-  cepted,  and  Article  IV  reserved  for 
ings  "  to  be  changed  into  "  activities,"  further  discussion.  It  is  in  Article  YII 
and  *'  take  "  into  "to  be  taken  "  and  of  our  amendment  to  Article  YII  of  the 
"  them  "  into  "  those  interests."  Russian  Counter-Proposals  that  no 
Article  IV.  Recognition  of  the  right  agreement  could  be  reached,  each  insist- 
of  Japan,  to  send  troops  to  Korea  for  ing  on  the  impossibility  of  accepting 
the  purpose  mentioned  in  the  preceding  the  other's  proposition.  The  conten- 
Article  or  for  the  purpose  of  suppress-  tion  of  the  Russian  Minister  is  : — 1st, 
ing  insurrection  or  disorder  calculated  that  the  Russian  Article  VII  is  the  only 
to  create  international  complications.  compensation  to  Russia  for  the  con- 
Article  VI.  Mutual  engagement  to  cessions  to  be  made  by  her  in  respect 
establish  a  neutral  zone  on  the  Korea-  of  Korea  ;  and  2nd,  that  admission   oi 

Manchuria  frontier  extending the  Japanese  amendments  on  this  point 

kilometres     on    each    side,    into    which  would    be    contrary    to    the    principle 

neutral  zone  neither  of  the  Contracting  always  insisted  on  by  Russia  that  the 

Parties  shall  inroduce  troops   without  question  concerning  Manchuria  is   one 

the  consent  of  the  other.  exclusively  for  Russia  and    China    ad- 

Artile  VII.     To  be  struck   out  and  mitting  of  no  interference  on  the  part 

replaced  by  the  following    three    Arti-  of  any  third  Power. 

cles  : —  Our  contention  is  : — 1st,  that  Japan 

YII.     Engagement    on    the    part  of  does  not  ask  for  any  concession  from 

Russia  to  respect  China's  sovereignty  Russia  with  respect  to  Manchuria,  her 

and  territorial  integrity  in  Manchuria  proposal  being  simply  to  have  confirm- 

and    not    to    interfere    with   Japan's  ed  in  the  Agreement  the  principle  which 

commercial  freedom  in  Manchuria.  has    been    voluntarily    and    repeatedly 

YIII.     Recognition  by  Japan  of  Rus-  declared    by    Russia  ;    and    2nd,    that 

sia's   special  interests    in    Manchuria  Japan  possesses  in  Manchuria  her  treaty 

and   of  the  right   of  Russia    to  take  rights    and    commercial  interests,    and 

such  measurf^s   as  may  be  necessary  she  must  obtain  from  Russia  a  guaran- 

for  the  protection   of  those  interests  tee  for  the  security  of  those  rights  and 

so  long  as  such  measures  do  not  in-  interests  as  well  as  of  the  independence 

fringe  the   stipulations  of  the  preced-  of  Korea  which  would    be  constantly 

ing  Article.  menaced  by  Russia's  definitive  occupa- 

IX.     Mutual    engagement    not    to  tion  of  Manchuria, 
impede  the  connection  of  the  Korean 


railway  and  the  East  China  railway  ^^     21. 

when  those  railways  shall  have  been  ^^^^^  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 

eventually  extended  to  the  Yalu.  (Telegram.)    Tokio,  Oct.  29th,  1903. 

Article  VIII  of  the  Russian  Counter-  j^  reference  to  my  telegram  of  the 

Proposals  to  be  numbered  Article  X.  22nd  instant,  as  the   result    of  further 

discussions,  the  amendment   on  Article 

No.    20.  lY  was  finally  accepted  ad  referendum. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino.  Regarding  Article,  YI,  my  proposal  of 

(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Oct.  22nd,  1903.  fixing   the    extent  of  the  neutral  zone 

The  result    of  discussions  between  at  50  kilometres  on  each  side  of  the 

Baron  Rosen  and  myself  on  our  amend-  frontier  was    accepted  ad   referendum. 


38 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


As  to  Article  VII,  no   agreement  could 
vet  be  reached. 


No.    22, 

Baron  Koml'ra  to  mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Oct.  30tli,  1903. 

I  presented  to  Baron  Rosen  on  the 
30th  instant  the  following  as  definite 
amendpients-  oi'  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment to  the  Russian  Counter-Pro- 
posals : — 

1.  Mutual  engagement  to  respect 
the  independence  and  territorial  in- 
tegrity of  the  Chinese  and  Korean 
Empries. 

2 .  Recognition  by  Russia  of  Ja- 
pan's prepon  derating  interest  in  K  orea 
and  of  the  right  of  Japan  to  give 
to  Korea  advice  and  assistance,  in- 
cluding military  assistance,  tending 
to  improve  the  administration  of  the 
Korean  Empire. 

3.  Engagement  on  the  part  of 
Russia  not  to  impede  the  develop- 
ment of  the  commercial  and  industrial 
activities  of  Japan  in  Korea,  nor  to 
oppose  any  measures  taken  for  the 
purpose  of  protecting  those  interests. 

4.  Recognition  by  Russia  of  the 
right  of  Japan  to  send  troops  to 
Korea  for  the  purpose  mentioned  in 
the  preceding  Article  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  suppressing  insurrection  or 
disorder  calculated  to  create  inter- 
national complications. 

5.  Engagement  on  the  part  of  Ja- 
pan not  to  undertake  on  the  coasts 
of  Korea  any  military  works  capable 
of  menacing  the  freedom  of  naviga- 
tion in  the  Straits  of  Korea. 

6.  Mutual  engagement  to  establish 
a  neutral  zone  on  the  Korea-Man- 
churian  frontier  extending  50  kilo- 
metres on  each  side,  into  which 
neutral  zone  neither  of  the  Contract- 
ing Parties  shall  introduce  troops 
wthout  the  consent  of  the  other. 

7.  Recognition  by  Japan  that  Man- 
churia is  outside  her  sphere  of  special 
interest    and    recognition    by    Russia 


that  Korea  is   outside  her  sphere   oi 
special  interest. 

8.  Recongnition  by  Japan  of  Rus- 
sia's special  interests  in  Manchuria 
and  of  the  right  of  Russia  to  take 
such  meesures  as  may  be  necessary 
for  the  protection  of  those  interests. 

9.  Engagement  on  the  part  of  Ja- 
pan not  to  interfere  with  the  com- 
mercial and  residential  rights  and 
immunities  belonging  to  Russia  in 
virtue  of  her  treaty  engagements 
with  Korea,  and  engagement  on  the 
part  of  Russia  not  to  interfere  with 
the  commercial  and  residential  rights 
and  immunities  belonging  to  Japan 
in  virtue  of  her  treaty  engagements 
with  China. 

10.  Mutual  engagement  not  to  im- 
pede the  connection  of  the  Korean 
railway  and  the  East-China  railway 
w^hen  those  raiWays  shall  have  been 
eventually  extended  to  the  Yalu. 

11.  This  Agreement  to  supplant  ail 
previous  Agreements  between  Japan 
and  Russia  respecting  Korea. 


No.     23. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)  Tokio,  Nov.  1st,  1903. 

Baron  Rosen  called  on  me  October 
31st  and  stated  that  the  definite  pro- 
posals which  I  presented  to  him  as 
amendments  to  the  Russian  proposals 
as  reported  in  my  telegram  of  the  30th 
October  were  beyond  his  instructions 
and  that  he  would,  November  1st, 
telegraph  the  full  text  of  the  said  pro- 
posals to  his  Government  and  ask  for 
further  instx-uctions.  Accordingly  you 
are  instructed  to  see  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible the  Acting  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs  in  the  absence  of  Count  Lams- 
dorff,  and  say  to  him  that  in  prepar- 
ing the  proposals  in  question,  the  Jap- 
anese Government  did  not  fail  to  take 
into  full  consideration  the  wishes  of 
the  Russian  Government.  You  will  in- 
form him  that  in  proposing  a  joint 
engagement  to  respect  the  independence 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS.  ai> 

and  territorial  integrity  of  China  equal-  what  respect  the  Japanese  Government 
\y  with  Korea,  the  Japanese  Govern-  are   considered    to    be    demanding  too 
ment  were  merely  asking  a  reaffirma-  much,  and  I  added  that  we  do  not  ask: 
tion  of  declarations  already  spontane-  anything  more  than  the  recognition  of 
ously  made  by  Russia,  and  when  it  is  existing  treaty  rights  and    immunities 
considered  that  -Russia  is  prepared  to  of  Japan  in  Manchuria.    He  then  stat- 
make    such  an  engagement   respecting  ed   that  Baron  Rosen  had  said  notb-. 
Korea,  the  reason  for  excluding  China  ing  on  the  subject       The  only  difficul- 
is  not  understood.      The  Japanese  Go-  t-y,  he  said,    is  the   connection    of  the 
yernment  are  prepared  to  admit  that  Korean  and  Manchuria  railway.      To 
the  Manchurian  question,  so  far  as  it  my  question  whether  there  are  no  other 
does  not  aifect  their  rights  and  inter-  difficulties,  he  answered  that  the  rail- 
ests,  is  purely  a Russo-Chinese  question;  way   question   is    the    only    difficulty, 
but  Japan  has  extensive  and  important  although  it  had  been  accepted  ad  re- 
rights    and    interests    in    that    region,  ferendum ;    and    in  conclusion   I  asked 
and  the  Japanese  Goverment  think  that  him    to    use  his  best  influence  for  the 
in  declaring  that  Manchuria  is  outside  satisfactory  solution    of  the  question, 
their    sphere    of  special    interest,    they  as  the  Japanese    Government    are  fully 
are  at  least  entitled'  to   ask  for  a  cor-  animated  by  the  spirit  of  conciliation, 
relative    engagement     on    the    part    of  and  I  urged  him  to  advise  Count  Lams^ 
Russia   not  to  interfere  with   the  com-  dorff  in  the  same  sense  and  if  possible 
mercial  and  residential  rights  and  im-  to  approach  the  Emperor  of  Russia  on 
liiunities   belonging  to  Japan  in  virtue  the    question.     He    said    that    he    was 
of  her  treaty  engagements  with  China.  wilHng  to  do  so,  and  added  that  Count 
You    will    in  addition  point   out  that  LamsdorfF  will   return    at   the   end    of 
the  invitation  of  the  Japanese  Govern-  this  week, 

ment  which  originated  the  present  ne-  

gotiations,   had  in  view  a  definition  of  ja^      05 

tlie  special  interests  of  Japan  and  Rus-  -Kr      t^-                   t,            t^ 

i     .     ^.               .           i  K     ^       ^  ^R-  KuRiNO  TO  Baron  Komura. 

sia  m  those  regions  of   the  Far  East  -t)  *      t          at        ^oi   ^r^r^o 

u         ^u     ■   ^       ^*       c  4.^.     ^         TD  Petersburg,  Nov.  13 Lh  1903. 

where  the  mterests  of  the  two  Powers  /.^  1              \  t>      •     j 

X     T^u     T                 n                   .11  (Telegram.)  Received,    „ 

meet.     Ihe    apanese  government  could  t            /^        ^  t          1     rr  xt          ^ 

,                 .  .          -    ,          1      ^  1  S3-W  Count  Lamsdorff  November 

not. have  anticipated  that  the  Russian  10^1        j     -i    j     i.  .i.      1     1     j         -     j 

.^  IJth,  and  asked  whether  he  had  received 

Government,  tn  accepting  that  invita-  „                   r   ^i,  ^  1                  t.-  t.  t  i     j 

',  ,      .  ,               .   ,     1      .    ^        ,  ^   copy    of   the  telegram  which  I  had 

tion,  would  wish — as  might  be  inferred  i,      j  j     4.        r)  •           rw    ^       ^             j 

^          '        '.  ,       ^^r'      ^      ,    .       ^  handed     to      Prince      Obolensky     and 

from     Article     Vll     of     their    Counter-  1,1                      ..•        t,    j  i          ^   i        - 

_               ,                         .          ,  whether  any  action  had  been   taken  m 

Proposals -to    restrict    the    proposed  ^j^^    ^^^^^^        jj^    answered    that    he 

definition  exclusively  to  the  region  in  j^^j  submitted: the  telegram  to  the  Em- 

which  Japan  possesses  special  interests.  p^^^^_    ^^^   ^^^^    ^^^^^^  ^^^  departure 

from  Darmstadt,  he  sent  under  an  Im- 

^O"     24,  perial  order  instructions  to  I/aron  Ro- 

Mr.  Kurtxo  to  Baron  Komura.  sen   to  continue  negotiations  with  the 

Petersburg,  Nov.  3rd,  1903.  Japanese   Government.       I    asked    him 

(Telegram.)   Received,      ,,        „        ,,  whether  it  is  on  the  basis  of  our  last. 

I  saw  the  A-Cfting  Minister  for  For-:  proposal   that    Baron    Rosen   w^as   in-: 

dgn    Affairs    on    the    2nd    November,  structed  to  go  on  negotiating.     Count. 

He  said,    as  his  personal  opinion,  that  Lamsdorff  said  that  Baron  Rosen  had 

Japan    is   making   the    same    demands  been    ordered    by   the    Emperor  to  ex-, 

only  in  different  form  and  that  those  amine  our  last  proposal  with  Admiral" 

demands    are   too   great.      I  asked  in  AlexiefT  and   to    make    modification  if.. 


40 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


necessary,  and  added  that  at  this  mo- 
ment Baron  Rosen  and  Admiral  Alexieff 
must  be  engaged  in  the  preparation  of 
Counter-Proposals.  I  remarked  to 
Count  Lamsdorff  that  according  to 
the  view  of  Prince  Obolensky,  the  con- 
nection of  Korean  and  Manchurian 
railways  is  the  question  that  divides 
the  two  Governments  ;  but  the  Japan- 
ese Government  having  subsequently 
modified  the  article  relating  to  the 
question,  I  cannot  believe  that  it  is  the 
principal  point  on  which  an  agreement 
can  not  be  established.  Count  Lams- 
dorfi"  replied  that  he  thinks  for  his 
part  that  it  is  the  Manchurian  ques- 
tion which  divides  the  parties,  as  he 
had  said  from  the  very  beginning  the 
Russian  (jovernment  consider  always 
that  this  question  is  a  question  ex- 
clusively between  Russia  and  China, 
and  it  must  be  reserved  to  his  Govern- 
ment to  take  all  proper  measures  to 
safeguard  their  very  considerable  inter- 
ests in  Manchuria  by  means  of  an 
arrangement  with  China.  I  explained 
to  him  that  J?ipan  is  ever  ready  to 
recognize  the  special,  and  considerable 
interests  which  Russia  has  in  Man- 
churia, and  that  she  has  no  intention 
whatever  of  trespassing  upon  them  ; 
but  that  Japan  has  a  perfect  right  to 
demand  that  the  independence  and  ter- 
ritorial integrity  of  China  shall -be  res-, 
pected  and  the  rights  and  the  interests 
of  Japan  in  that  region' shall  be  formailyr 
guaranteed.  Count  Lamsdorff  answer- 
ed that  the  objection  j  relates  to  the 
form  rather  than  the  substance  of  the 
proposaL  In.  Manchuria  other  Powers 
also  fhave  rights  and  interests,  and 
Russia  cannot  enter  r  into  special  ar- 
rangement with  each  of  those  Powers 
regarding  Mainchuria.  I  observed  that 
should  the  Russian  Government  be  in 
accord  witH  Japan ;  in )  principle,  it  is 
deeply  to  be  regretted  that  an  under- 
standing cannot  .be  reached,  merely 
because  of  failure  to  find  a  suitable 
formula   by   w^hich    to   bring  the  two 


Governments  to  an  arrangement,  and 
that  I  could  not  but  ardently  ask  him 
to  use  his  influence  to  bring  about  a 
satisfactory  solution  according  to  the 
principles  already  admitted  by  Russia. 


No.    26. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino, 
(Telegram.)      Tokio  Nov.  21st,  1903, 

Baron  Rosen  informed  me  Nov- 
ember 20th,  that  he  received  a  telegram 
November  14th  from  Admiral  Alexieff 
to  the  effect  that  Admiral  Alexieff  had 
already  forwarded  the  Counter-Pro- 
posals to  St.  Petersburg,  Baron  Rosen 
added  that  he  had  not  yet  received 
any  instructions  on  the  subject  of  the 
Counter-Proposals.  Consequently  you 
are  instructed  to  see  Count  Lamsdorff^ 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  after  explain- 
ing to  him  Baron  Rosen's  statements  as 
above,  you  will  say  that  the  Japanese 
Government  are  -anxious  to  proceed  . 
with  the  negotiations  with  all  possible 
expedition  ;  and  you  will  urge  him  to 
exert  his  influence  to  secure  the  early 
dispatch  of  instructions  to  Baron  Rosen 
in  order  that  the  negotiations  may  be 
resumed  and  concluded  wthout  delay. 


No,    27.    J 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komtjra, 
Petersburg,   Nov.    22nd,  1903. 
-         Received,  „        23rd,       „ 

(Telegram.) 

I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff  on  the  22nd 
November.  He  said  that  the  modifica- 
tions are  already  in  the  hands  of  the 
Emperor  ;  but  on  accotrnt  of  the  illness 
of  the  Empress,,  the. former  does  not 
attend  to  any  business  affairs  ;  h^cc 
tjie  delay.  1  asked  liim  to  use  his  best 
endeavours  to  obtain  the  earliest  pos- 
sible Imperial  order  on  the  questions. 
He  said  in  reply  that  it  will  be  better 
for  me  to  write  him  a  note  giving  the 
purport  of  instructions  I  have  i*eceivcd 
from  you  ;  then  he  will  immediately 
send  it  to  the  Emperor.    At  the  end  of 


Nicolas     II,     Emperor    of    Russia. 


OFFICIAL  documi:nts. 


41 


the  conversation  I  asked  whether  it  is 
not  possible  for  me  to  get  som:  informa- 
tion about  the  modifications  proposed 
by  Admiral  AlexieiF.    He  seemed  rather 
puzzled  to  give  a  direct  answer  ;  but 
he  said  that  the  Russian  Government 
are  ready  to  enter   into   immediate   a- 
greement  with  Japan  regarding  Korea, 
even  malting  large  concessions  ;  but  as 
to  Manchuria,  Russia    once  took  pos- 
session of  the  country  by  right  of  con- 
quest ;  nevertheless,    she   is    willing  to 
restore  it  to  China,  'but    with    certain 
guarantees    assuring    security    to   the 
enormous  interests  which  Russia  has  in 
Manchuria.     While  China  is  siill  insist- 
ing upon  her  refusal  to  ^ivc  such  guar- 
antees,   it    is    not    possible    for  Russia 
to  come  to   any    arrangement    with    a 
third  Power  respecting  Manchuria,   as 
tbe  question  is  exclusively  between  the 
two  countries  concerned.     Then  I  said 
that  if  I  accurately  judge  the  nature  of 
our  proposition,  it  is  not  the  intention 
of  the  Japanese  Government  to  interfere 
with    direct    negotiations   between   the 
two  Governments  concerned,  as  ma}-  be 
seen  from  the  first  part  of  Article  VII 
of  our  last  proposition  ;   but  we  only 
wish  the  independence  and  integrity  of 
China   as  repeatedly    declared    on    the 
part    of  Russia    and    security   for  our 
important   interests  in  that    province. 
This  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  interfer- 
ing with  the  affairs  of  the  two  Powers 
concerned,    but    only    to    prevent    mis- 
understanding    between     Russia     aud 
Japan   regarding   the    province   where 
both  Powers  have  some  interest ;  and 
I    added    that  if  in  principle  such    an 
entente  could  in  some  form  or  other  be 
arrived  at,  perhaps  even  negotiations 
between  Russia  and    China   might   be 
more  easily  carried  out.    He  thereupon 
repeated  his  request  for   me  to  write 
him  a  note  as  above  mentioned,  and 
that  I  should  add  my  own  opinion  in 
it,  and  that  he  would  immediately  send 
it  to  the  Emperor.    He  told  me  that 
he   expects   to    have    audience   on    the 


25th  November  at  Skernevice  and  that 
the  note  could  be  sent  to  him  towards 
this  evening.  I  judge  from  the  tone  of 
Count  LamsdorfTs  conversation  that 
the  modifications  proposed  by  Admiral 
Alexieff  will  not  be  favourable  to  our 
proposition  regarding  China  and  Man- 
churia. 


No.    28. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Nov.  281  h,  1903, 

You  report  in  your  telegram  of 
November  22nd  thnt  Count  Lamsdorff 
expected  to  have  audience  of  the  Em- 
peror on  the  25lh  instant.  Accordingly 
you  are  instructed  to  see  Count  Lams- 
dorff as  soon  as  possible  and  ask  him 
wi  at  action  has  been  taken  regarding 
further  instructions  to  Baron  Rosen. 


No.    29. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Nov.  27(h,  1903. 
Received,  „     28th,       ,, 

(Telegram.) 

Count  Lamsdorff  told  me  he  did 
not  see  the  Emperor,  November  25th, 
on  account  of  the  sickness  of  the  Em- 
press. Interior  inflammation  of  her 
right  ear  has  necessitated  an  operation. 
He  said  that  he  immediately  despatch- 
ed to  the  Emperor  my  note  mentioned 
in  my  telegram  of  November  22nd. 


No.    30. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino, 
(Telegram.)      Tokio,  Dec.  1st,  1903. 

The  Japanese  Government  have 
from  the  first  attached  the  highest  im- 
portance to  a  speedy  solution  of  the 
questions  which  form  at  this  time  the 
subject  of  negotiations  between  Japan 
and  Russia  It  seemed  to  them  that 
in  a  matter  of  such  vital  moment  as 
that  which  engages  the  attention  of 
the  Cabinets  of  Tokio  and  St.  Peters- 
burg,  a  qnick  conclusion  was  only 
second  in  importance  to  a  satisfactory 
conclusion.       Consistently    with     that 


42 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


view  the  Japanese  Government  have  at 
all  times  during  the  progress  of  the  ne- 
gotiations made  it  a  specif,!  point  to 
give  prompt  answers  to  all  propositions 
of  the  Russian  Government.  The  nego- 
tiations have  now  been  pending  for  no 
less  than  four  months,  and  they,  have 
not  yet  reached  a  stage  where  the  final 
issuecan  with  certainty  be  predicted.  In 
these  circumstances  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment cannot  but  regard  with  grave 
concern  the  situation  for  which  the  de- 
lays in  negotiations  are  largely  respon- 
sible. You  are  instructed  to  see  Count 
Lamsdorff  as  soon  as  possible  and  place 
the  foregoing  considerations  before  him 
in  such  form  and  manner  as  to  make 
your  representations  as  impressive  as 
possible.  You  will  add  that  the  Japan- 
ese Government  believe  they  are  render- 
ing service  to  the  general  interest  in 
thus  frankly  explaining  to  the  Russian 
Government  the  actual  state  of  things. 


plain  the  urgency  of  the  matter  on  the 
occasion  of  his  avicience  on  the  follow- 
ing Tuesday.  He  th'nks  he  will  then 
be  able  to  send  instructions  to  Baron 
Rosen.  To  my  question  whether  it  is 
not  possible  for  him  to  have  audience 
at  an  earlier  date,  he  said  that  Satur- 
day is  the  fete  of  the  Crown  Prince,  no 
business  is  transacted  on  Sunday,  and 
he  will  be  occupied  with  other  affairs 
on  Monday.  He  promised  to  let  me 
know  the  result  of  his  audience  next 
Wednesday. 


No.    31. 
Mr.  KimiNo  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Dec.  2nd,  1903. 
Received,  ,,      3rd,      ,, 

(Telegram.) 

I  heard  that  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment are  still  repeatedly  communicat- 
ing with  Admiral  AkxiefF. 


No.    32. 

Mr.  Kurtno  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Dec.  4th,  1903. 
Received, 
(Telegram.) 

Count  Lamsdorff  received  me  on 
the  night  of  December  3rd.  I  handed 
him  a  French  translation  of  your  tele- 
gram of  December  1st  together  with 
a  letter  which  I  addressed  to  him  ex- 
pressing fully  the  situation  under  which 
the  Japanese  G o vernment  are  now 
labouring.  He.  said  that  the  question 
requires  consideration  still,  and  he  is  in 
communication  with  Admiral  AlexieflF ; 
but  the  Emperor  is  to  return  December 
Sth,  and  he  said  that  he  will  fully  ex- 


No.    33. 

Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 
Petersburg,  Dec.  9th,  1903. 
Received,         ,,  10th, 
(Telegram.) 

Count  Lamsdorff  told  me  December 
9  th  that  an  Imperial  order  had  been 
sent  yesterday  to  Admiral  Alexieff  and 
Baron  Rosen  to  continue  the  negotia- 
tions in  accordance  with  the  Counter- 
Proposals  of  Admiral  Alexieff,  but  that 
the  Japanese  propositions  have  been 
fully  considered,  I  asked  whether  he 
could  inform  me  of  the  nature  of  the. 
propositions  on  which  Baron  Rosen  is 
authorized  to  continue  the  negotiations. 
He  said  that  they  will  be  officially 
communicated  within  two  or  three  days 
through  Baron  Rosen  to  the  Japanese 
(jovernment. 


No.     34. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Dec.  12th,  1903. 

BAron  Rosen  called  on  me  Decem- 
ber 11th  and,  under  instructions  of  his 
Government,  officially  presented  to  me 
the  following  Counter-Proposals  ot  the 
Russian  Government  in  reply  to  our 
definitive  amendments  as  stated  in  my 
telegram  of  October  30th  : — 

1.  Mutual  engagement  to  respect 
the  independence  and  territorial  in- 
tegrity of  the  Korean  Empire. 

2.  Recognition    by   Russia   of.Ja^: 
pan's     preponderating    interests     in ; 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


43 


Korea  and  of  the  right  of  Japan  to 
assist  Korea  with  advice  tending  to 
improve  the  civil  administration. 

3  Engagement  on  the  part  of 
Russia  not  to  oppose  the  development 
of  the  industrial  and  commercial 
activities  of  Japan  in  Korea,  nor  the 


Mr.  KiRiKO, 
Japanese  Ex-Minister  to  Russia. 

adoption  of  measnres  for  the  protec- 
tion of  those  interests. 

4.  Recognition  by  Russia  of  the 
right  of  Japan  to  send  troops  to 
Korea  for  the  purpose  mentioned  in 
the  preceding  Article,  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  suppressing  insurrections  or 
disorders  capable  of  creating  inter- 
national complications. 

5.  Mutual  engagement  not  to  make 
use  of  any  part  of  the  Korean  ter- 
ritory for  strategical  purposes andnot 
to  undertake  on  the  Korean  coast  any 
military  works  capable  of  menacing 
the  freedom  of  navigation  in  the 
Straits  of  Korea. 


6.  Mutual  engagement  to  consider 
the  territory  of  Korea  to  the  north 
of  the  39th  parallel  as  a  neutral 
zone,  within  the  limits  of  which 
neither  of  the  Contracting  Parties 
shall  introduce  troops. 

7.  Mutual  engagement  not  to  im- 

pede the  connection  of  the 
Korean  and  East  China 
Railways,  when  those  rail- 
ways shall  have  been  ex- 
tended to  the  Yalu. 

8 .  Abrogation  of  all 
previous  Agreements  be- 
tween Russia  and  Japan 
respecting  Korea. 


No.    35. 

Bakon   Komura   to 

Mr.  Kurino. 

Tokio,  Dec.  21st,  1903. 

(Telegram.) 

In  an  interview  with  the 
Russian  Minister,  December 
21st,  I  pointed  out  the 
fundamental  difference  in 
territorial  compass  between 
Japan's  original  proposals 
and  Russia's  new  Counter- 
Proposals,  and  after  fully 
explaining  the  reasons  w^hich 
induced  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment to  believe  it  to  be 
desirable  in  the  general 
interests  to  include  in  the  proposed 
understanding  all  regions  in  the  Ex- 
treme East  where  the  interests  of  the 
t w o  Empires  meet ,  I  expressed  the 
hope  that  the  Russian  Government 
would  reconsider  their  position  regard- 
ing that  branch  of  the  question,  I  also 
informed  him  fully  respecting  the 
amendments  which  the  J  apanese  Govern- 
ment consider  it  necessary  to  introduce 
into  Russians  new  Counter-Proposals. 
Accordingly,  in  order  to  remove  every 
possibility  of  misunderstanding  on  the 
part  of  Russia  respecting  the  attitude 
of  the  Japanese  Government,  you  are 
instructed  to  deliver  to  Count  Lams- 


44 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


dorff  a  Note  Verbale  to  the  foUowin  g 
effect : 

"  The  Imperial  Government  have 
examined  with  great  care  and  atten- 
tion the  new  Russian  Counter- 
proposals of  the  11th  instant.  They 
regret  to  find  that  the  Imperial 
Russian  Government  did  not  see  their 
way  in  those  proposals  to  give  to 
the  compass  of  the  suggested  under- 
standing the  same  territorial  exten- 
sion as  was  deemed  essential  by 
Japan.  The  Imperial  Government, 
in  their  original  invitation  to  the  Im- 
perial Russian  Government  in  August 
last,  endeavoured  to  make  it  entirely 
clear  that  they  desired,  with  a  view 
to  remove  from  their  relations  with 
the  Imperial  Russian  Government' 
every  cause  for  future  misunderstand- 
ing, to  bring  within  the  purview  of 
the  proposed  arrangement  all  those 
regions  in  the  Extreme  East  where 
the  interests  of  the  two  Empires 
mieet,  and  they  cannot  bring  them- 
selves to  the  conviction  that  a  full 
realization  of  that  desire  can  be 
expected  if  a  large  and  important 
portion  of  those  regions  is  wholly 
excluded  from  consideration.  Accord- 
ingly, the  Imperial  Government  feel 
constrained  to  ask  the  Imperial 
Russian  Government  to  reconsider 
their  position  on  the  subject,  and 
they  hope  that  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment will  be  able  to  see  their  way 
to  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  solution 
of  the  question .  The  Imperial  Govern- 
ment also  find  it  necessary  to  ask 
for  the  following  amendments  to  the 
new  Russian  Counter-Proposals  : 

"a.  Article  II  to  read:  "  Recogni- 
tion by  Russia  of  Japan's  prepon- 
derating interests  in  Korea  and  of  the 
right  of  Japan  to  give  Korea  advice 
and  assistance  tending  to  improve 
the  administration  of  the  Korean 
Empire." 

6.  Article  V  to  read :  "  Mutual 
engagement  not  to  undertake  on  the 


Korean  coast  any  military  works 
capable  of  menacing  the  freedom  of 
navigation  in  the  Straits  of  Korea  ;" 
and 

*'  c.    Article  YI  to  be  suppressed. 

**  As  the  principal  part  of  these 
amendments  cannot  be  said  to  be 
in  excess  of  the  modifications  which 
were  agreed  to  ad  referendum  at 
Tokio  and  as  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment couvsider  those  changes  indis- 
pensable, it  is  hoped  that  they  will 
receive  the  ready  agreement  of  the 
Imperial  Russian  Government." 

In  presenting  the  foregoing  to  Count 
LamsdoriF,  you  will  say  that  I  hare 
spoken  to  Baron  Rosen  in  a  similar 
sense,  and  you  will  also  express  the 
desire  for  an  early  response. 


No.    36. 

Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Dec.  23rd,  1903. 
(Telegram.)  Received,    „    24th,       „ 

Upon  receipt  of  your  telegraphic 
instructions,  I  saw  Count  LamsdorfiF 
December  23rd  at  2  p.m.  He  told  me 
he  had  received  a  telegram  from  Baron 
Rosen,  stating  that  the  latter  had 
an  interview  with  you ,  and  that 
particulars  would  follow,  but  such 
particulars  had  not  been  received  yet 
by  him.  When  I  handed  him  the  Note 
Verbale,  he  said  that  he  would  study 
it  together  with  the  report  fi-om  Baron 
Rosen,  and  that  he  w^ould  do  his  best 
to  send  the  Russian  ansvsre^  at  the 
earliest  possible  date  ;  but  lie  added 
that  he  would  have  to  communicate 
with  Admiral  Alexieff-  In  conclusion, 
I  stated  to  him  that  under  the  circum- 
stances it  might  cause  serious  diffi- 
culties, even  complications,  if  we  failed 
to  come  to  an  entente,  and  I  hoped  he 
would  exercise  his  best  influence  so 
as  to  enable  us  to  reach  the  desired 
end. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


45 


No.    37. 

Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komuea. 

Petersburg,  Jan.  1st.  1904. 
(Telegram.)     Received,     „    2nd,      „ 

I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff  January 
1st,'  and  asked  whether  any  action 
had  been  taken  regarding  our  la  st 
propositions.  He  said  they  had  been 
fully  considered  ;  and  he  asked  me  to 
assure  y6u  that  Baron  Rosen  will  soon 
be  instructed  to  proceed  with  the 
negotiations  in  a  friendly  and  con- 
ciliatory spirit,  and  he  added  that  he 
saw  no  reason  why  we  could  not  ar- 
rive at  an  entente. 


*'  In  case  the  above  conditions  are 
agreed  to,  the  Imperial  Government 
woiild  be  prepared  to  include  in  the 
projected  agreement  an  Article  of  the 
following  tenor  : 

"  'Recognition  by  Japan  of  Man- 
churia and  its  littoral  as  being 
outside  her  sphere  of  interests,  whilst 
Russia,  within  the  limits  of  that 
province,  will  net  impede  Japan,  nor 
other  Powers  in  the  enjoyment  of 
rights  and  privileges  acq  ir:d  by 
them  under  existing  treaties  with 
China,  exclusive  of  the  establishment 
of  settlements." 


No.    38. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)       Tokiojan.  7th,  1904. 

Baron  Rosen  handed  to  me  January 
6th  the  following  reply  of  the  Russian 
Government  to  our  last  propositions 
of  December  21st  last  : — 

**  Having  no  objection  to  the  amend- 
ments to  Article  II  of .  the  Russian 
Counter-Proposals  as  proposed  by  the 
Imperial  Japanese  Government,  the 
Imperial  Government  consider  it  nec- 
essary : — 

**  1.  To  maintain  the  original 
wording  of  Article  Y  which  had 
already  been  .  agreed  by  the  Im- 
perial Government,  that  is  to  say. 
'mutual  engagement  not  to  use  any 
part  of  the  territory  of  Korea  for 
strategical  purposes,  nor  to  utider- 
take  on  the  coasts  of  Korea  any 
military  works  capable  of  menacing 
the  freedom  of  navigation  in  the 
Straits  of  Korea.' 

**  2.  To  maintain  Article  VI  con- 
cerning a  neutral  zone  (this  for  the 
very  purpose  which  the  Imperial  Jap- 
anese Government  has  likewise  in 
view,  that  is  to  say,  to  eliminate 
everything  that  might  lead  to  mis- 
understandings in  the  future ;  a 
similar  zone,  for  example,  exists 
between  the  Russian  and  British 
;    possessions  in  Central  Asia). 


No.    39. 

Baron  Komurato  Me.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)    Tokio,  Jan.  13th,  1904. 

You  are  instructed  to  deliver  to 
Qount  Lamsdorff  a  Note  Verbale  to 
the  following  effect  which,  you  will 
say,  is  intended  to  confirm  to  him  the 
views  of  the  Imperial  Government  com- 
municated by  me  to  Baron  Rosen  on 
the    13th  January  : — 

The  Imperial  Government,  in  order 
to  arrive  at  a  pacific  solution  of  the 
pending  questions  and  to  firmly  est- 
ablish the  basis  of  good  relations 
between  Japan  and  Russia,  and  in 
addition  with  a  view  to  protect  the 
rights  and  interests  of  Japan,  have 
given  most  careful  and  serious  considera- 
tion to  the  reply  of  the  Imperial  Rus- 
sian Government  which  was  delivered 
by  His  Excellency  Baron  Rosen  on  the 
6th  instant.  They  have  finally  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  following 
modifications  are  neceSeary,  i.  e.  :— 

1.  Suppression  of  the  first  clause 
of  Article  V  of  the  Russian  Counter- 
Proposals  (presented  to  the  Japanese 
Government  through  Baron  Rosen,  De- 
cember 11th)  that  is  to  say,  **not  to 
use  any  part  of  Korean  territory''  for 
strategical  purposes." 

2,  Suppression  of  the  whole  Article 
(YI)  concerning  establishment  of  a  tieu- 
tral  zone. 


46 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


3,  The  Russian  proposal  concern- 
ing Manchuria  to  be  agreed  to  with 
the  following  raodificatiofts  : 

a.  Recognition  by  Japan  of  Man- 
churia and  its  littoral  as  being  out- 
side her  sphere  of  interest  and  an 
engagement  on  the  part  of  Russia  to 
respect  the  territorial  integrity  of 
China  in  Manchuria. 

b.  Russia  within  the  limits  of  Man- 
churia w^ill  not  impede  Japan  nor 
other  Powers  in  the  enjoyment  of 
rights  and  privileges  acquired  by  them 
under  the  existing  treaties  with  China. 

c.  Recognition  by  Russia  of  Korea 
and  its  littoral  as  being  outside  her 
sphere  of  interest. 

4.  Addition  of  an  article  to  the 
following  effect : — 

Recognition  by  Japan  of  Russians 
special  interests  in  Manchuria  and  of 
the  right  of  Russia  to  take  measures 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  those 
interests. 

The  grounds  for  these  amendments 
having  been  frequently  and  fully  ex- 
plained on  previous  occasions,  the 
Imperial  Government  do  not  think  it 
necessary  to  repeat  the  explanations. 
It  is  sufficient  here  to  express  their 
earnest  hope  for  reconsideration  by  the 
Imperial  Russian  Government. 

It  should  be  further  remarked  that 
the  suppression  of  the  clause  excluding 
the  establishment  of  settlements  in 
Manchuria  is  desired  because  it  con- 
flicts with  stipulations  of  the  new 
Commercial  Treaty  between  Japan  and 
China  In  this  respect,  however,  Japan 
will  be  satisfied  if  she  receives  equal 
treatment  with  another  Power  which 
has  already  acquired  similar  rights  in 
regard  to  settlements  in  Manchuiia. 
The  statement  in  the  Russian  reply 
that  the  Japanese  Government  have 
agreed  to  the  original  wording  of  Ar- 
ticle V  of  the  Russian  Counter-Pro- 
posals is  erroneous,  no  such  agreement 
ever  having  been  expressed  by  the  Im- 
perial Government. 


The  above-mentioned  amendm.ents 
being  proposed  by  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment entirely  in  a  spirit  of  concilia- 
tion, it  is  expected  that  they  will  be 
received  with  the  same  spirit  at  the 
hands  of  the  Imperial  Russian  Govern- 
ment ;  and  the  Imperial  Government 
further  hope  for  an  eariy  reply  from 
the  Imperial  Russian  Government  since 
further  delay  in  the  sokition  of  the  ques- 
tion will  be  extremely  disadvantageous 
to  the  two  countries. 


No.    40. 

Bakon  Komuba  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)       Tokio,  Jan.  23rd,  1904. 

You  arc  instructed  to  sound  Count 
Lamsdorff  respecting  the  probable  nat- 
ure of  Russia's  reply  to  our  last  note 
and  when  the  reply  will  be  delivered. 


No.    41. 

Mr,  Kurtno  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Jan.  25th,  1904. 
(Telegram.)  Received,     „         ,,  „ 

In  reference  to  your  telegram  of 
23rd  instant,  I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff 
January  24th  and  asked  his  views  in 
regard  to  our  last  proposals  and  also 
how  soon  the  Russian  answer  could 
be  given.  He  w^as  not  inclined  to  enter 
into  details,  but  said  that  there  are 
certain  points  to  which  he  could  not 
agree.  He  expects  to  lay  his  views 
before  the  Emperor  next  Tuesday,  Jan- 
uary 26th,  and  he  hopes  to  be  able 
to  send  an  answer  before  long. 

M.  de  Hartwig  whom  I  saw  this 
afternoon,  told  me  that  the  Depart- 
ment of  Foreign  Affairs  is  yet  in  com- 
munication with  Admiral  Alexiefi*,  and 
he  cannot  say  how  soon  an  answer 
can  be  sent  to  Japan. 


No.    42. 
Baron  Komura  Te  Mr.  Kurtno. 
(Telegram.)     Tokio,  Jan.  26th,   1904. 

As  the  situation  admits  of  no  in^ 
definite  delay  in  the  settlement  of  the 
questions    involved,    you    will    seek^an 


Japanese  Troops  on  the  War  "to  tlie  Front. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


47 


interview  with  Count  Lamsdorff  at 
the  earliest  opportunity  and  state  to 
him  as  an  instruction  from  j^our  Gov- 
ernment that  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Imperial  Government  a  further  pro- 
longation of  the  present  state  of  things 
being  calctilated  to  accentuate  the  grav- 
ity of  the  situation,  it  is  their  earnest 
hope  that  ihjy  will  be  honoured  with 
an  early  reply,  and  that  they  wish  to 
know  at  what  time  the}'  may  expect  to 
receive  the  reply. 


Taron  Rosen, 
Russian  Ex-minister  to  Japan. 

No.    43. 
Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Jan.  26th,  1904.' 
(Telegram.)    Received,     „      27th,      „ 

In  r^^ference  to  your  telegram  of 
the  26th  instant,  the  Russian  Minister 
for  Foreign  Affairs  said  that  the  Min- 
isters of  War,  Marine,  and  other  au- 
thorities concerned  are  to  meet  on  the 
28th  January  for  the  consideration  of 
the  question,  and  that  their  decision 
will  be  submitted  to  the  Emperor  for 
sanction,  and  he  remarked  that  it  had 
been  the  intention  of  Admiral  Alexieff  to 
come  here  ;  but  that  that  idea  was  now 
abandoned,  and  his  opinion  will  soon 
be  received  by  telegraph.      Under  these 


circumstances,  he  says,  he  is  unable  to 
give  the  exact  date  when  the  reply  will 
be  given  :  but  hg  can  say  it  will  not 
be  much  delayed.  He  said  that  he  had 
received  reports  from  official  sources  to 
the  effect  that  Japan  had  sent  a  con- 
siderable number  of  troops,  munitions, 
and  war  materials,  to  Korea,  and  asked 
me  whether  I  could  give  any  explana- 
tion regarding  it.  I  simply  answered 
that  I  knew  nothing  of  such  facts,  and 
regretted  not  being  able  to  give  him 
any  explanation.  He  added  that  such 
■action  on  the  part  of  Japan  causes  a 
very  bad  impression,  while  the  tw^o 
Governments  are  engaged  seriously  in 
such  important  negotiations.  Telegraph 
me  for  my  information  w^hether  the 
repoi'ts  are  true,  and  if  so,  the  details. 


No.    44. 

Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
(Telegram.)  Tokio,  Jan.  28th,  1904. 
In  reference  to  your  telegram  of 
26th  instant,  you  will  see  Count  Lams- 
dorff at  an  early  opportunity  and  say 
to  him  that  3'ou  have  been  authori^ced 
to  deny  positively  the  statement  that 
Japan  has  sent  to  Korea  a  considerable 
number  of  troops,  munitions,  and  war 
materials.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  no 
troops  have  recently  been  sent  to 
Korea  nor  any  ammunitions  have  been 
sent  beyond  the  amount  -required  for 
the  ordinary  use  of  the  Japanese  troops 
stationed  in  Korea.  You  will  then 
ask  him  whether  he  is  not  able  to 
acquaint  you,  for  your  own  informa- 
tion, -with  the  nature  of  the  decision 
taken  at  the  proposed  conference  of 
the  Ministers  on  the  28th  January, 
and  whether  he  can  indicate  the  ap- 
proximate date  on  which  the  Russian 
reply  is  to  be  given. 


No.    45. 
Mr,  Kurino  to  Baron  Komlra. 

Petersburg,  Jan.  28th,  1904. 
(Telegram.)  Received,     „     29th,       „ 
Count  LamsdorflF  is  satisfied  with 


48 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the  explanation  contained  in  your  tekr 
gram  of  to-day.     As  to   the    question 
regarding  the  concentration  of  Russian 
troops  near  the  Yalu,  he  does  not  believe 
it  to  be  true,  and  he  remarked  that  such 
newspaper  reports  are  very  regf^ttable. 
I   tried   to    obtain   information  about 
the  decision  of  to-day's  meeting.     He 
said  that  it  is  not  possible  for  him  to 
say  anything  concerning  it  as  it  will 
not  be  sent  to  the  Emperor,  and  that 
until  the  respective  Ministers  have  been 
received  by  the  Emperor  respecting  the 
question,  nothing  can  be  said  definitely. 
^He  stated  that  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis 
and  the  Minister  of  Marine  are  to  be 
received  in  audience  next  Monday,  and 
the  Minister    of  War    and.  himself  on 
Tuesday ;    and    he    thinks    an    answer 
will  be  sent  to  Admiral  Alexieff  on  the 
latter  day.     1  pointed  out  the  urgent 
necessity  to  accelerate  the,  despatch  of 
an  answer  as  much  as  possible,  because 
.further    prolongation    of   the    present 
condition  is  not  only  undesirable  but 
rather   dangerous.     I   added   that   all 
the  while  the  world  is  loud  with  ru- 
mours and  that  I  hoped  he  would  take 
special  steps  so  as  to  have  an  answer 
sent  at  an  earlier  date  than  mentioned. 
He  replied  that  he  knows  the  existing 
condition  of  things  Very  vvell,  but  that 
the    dates    of  audience  being  fixed  as 
abovementioned,  it    is    not    now    pos- 
sible to  change  them  ;  and  he  repeated 
that    he    vdll  do  his  best  to  send  the 
reply  next  Tuesday. 


say  to  Count  LamsdorlF  that  being' 
fully  convinced  of  the  serious  disad- 
vantage to  the  two  Powers  concerned 
of  the  further  prolongation  of  the  pre- 
sent situation,  the  Imperial  Government 
hoped  that  they  might  be  able  to  receive 
the  reply  of  the  Russian  Government  ear- 
lier than  the  date  mentioned  by  Count 
Lamsdorff.'''  \s  it,  however,  appears 
that  the  receipt  of  the  reply  at  an 
earlier  date  is  not  possible,  the  Imperial 
Government  wish  to  know  whether 
they  will  be  honoured  with  the  reply 
at  the  date  mentioned  by  Count  Lams- 
dorff,  namely,  next  Tuesday,  or  if  it 
is  not  possible,  what  will  be  the  exact 
date  on  which  the  reply  is  to  be  given." 
If  Count  LamsdorfF  specifies  the 
day  on  which  the  reply  is  to  be  given, 
/you  wll  see  him  on  that  day  and  ask 
him  to  acquaint  you  with  the  exact 
nature  of  the  reply.  | 


.  No,    46. 

^  Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Ku^ino. 
(Telegram.)     Tokio,  Jan.  30th,  1904. 

In-  reference -to  your  -telegram  of 
January  28th,  •  you  are  instructed  to 
see  Count  LamsdorfF  at  the  earliest 
opportunity  andsLtate^to  him  substan- 
tially in  the  following-  sense  :— 

"  Having  reported  to  your  Govern- 
ment that  the  Russian  i  Government 
would  probably  give  ■  a  reply  on  next 
Tuesday,  you  liave  been- instructed  to 


No.    47. 
Mr.  Kukino  to  Bakon  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Feb.  1st,  X904. 

Received,         „         „         „ 
(Telegram.) 

Regarding  your  telegram  of  the 
301h  January,  I  saw  Count  Lamsdorff 
in  the  evening  January  31st.  He  says 
he  appreciates  fully  the  gravity  of  the 
present  situation, and  is  certainly  desir- 
ous to  send  an  answer  as  quickly  as 
possible  ;  but  the  question  is  a  very 
serious  one  and  is  not  to  be  lightly 
dealt  with.  'In  addition,  the  opinions 
of  the  Ministers  concerned  and  Admiral 
Alexieff  had  to  be  brought  into  har: 
mony  ;  hence  the  natural  delay.  As  to 
the  date  of  sending  an  answer,  he  Says, 
it  is  not  possible  for  him  to  give  the 
exact  date  as  it  entirely  depends  upon 
the  decision  of  the  Emperor,  though 
he  will  not  fail  to  use  his  efiforts  to 
1  urry  the  matter. 


No.    48. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
Tokio,  Feb.  5th.  1904.  2.15  p.m. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


49 


(Telegram.) 

Further  prolongation  of  the  present 
situation  being  inadmissible,  the  Im- 
perial Government,  have  decided  to  ter- 
minate the  pending  negotiations  and 
to  take  such  independent  action  as  they 
may  deem  necessary  to  defend  their 
menaced  position  and  to  protect  their 
rights  and  interests.  Accordingly  you 
are  instructed  to  address  to  Count 
Lamsdorff,  immediately  upon  receipt 
of  this  telegram,  a  signed  note  to  the 
following  effect : — 

'*  The  Undersigned,  Envoy  Extraor- 
dinary and  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
of  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Japan, 
has  the  honour,  in  pursuance  of  in- 
structions from  his  Government,  to 
address  to  His  Excellency  the  Minis- 
ter for  Foreign  Affairs  of  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias  the 
following  communication  : — 

*'  The  Government  of  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  of  Japan  regard  the  in- 
dependence and  territorial  integrity  of 
the  Empire  of  Korea  as  essential  to 
their  own  repose  and  safety,  and  they 
are  consequently  unable  to  view  with 
indifference  any  action  tending  to 
render  the  position  of  Korea  insecure. 
*'  The  successive  rejections  by  the 
Imperial  Russian  Government  by 
means  of  inadmissible  amendments,  of 
Japan's  proposals  respecting  Korea, 
the  adoption  of  which  the  Imperial 
Government  regai-dedas  indispensable 
to  assure  the  independence  and  ter- 
ritorial integrity  of  the  Korean  Empire 
and  to  safeguard  Japan's  preponder- 
ating ^^^  interests  in  the  Peninsula, 
coupled  with  the  successive  refusals  of 
the  Imperial  Russian  Government  to 
enter  into  engagements  to  respect 
China's  territorial  integrity  in  Man- 
churia which  is  seriously  menaced  by 
their  continued  occupation  of  the  pro- 
vince, notwithstanding  their  treaty 
engagements  with  China  and  their 
repeated  assurances  to  other  Powers 
possessing  interests  in  those  regions, 


have  made  it  necessary  for  the  Im- 
perial Government  seriously  to  con- 
sider what  measures  of  self-defence 
they  are  called  upon  to  take. 

"  In  the  presence  of  delays  which 
remain  largely  unexplained  and  naval 
and  military  activities  which  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  reconcile  with  entirely  pacific 
aims,  the  Imperial  Government  have 
exercised  in  the  depending  negotia- 
tions, a  degree  of  forbearance  which 
they  believe  affords  abundant  proof 
of  their  loyal  desire  to  remove  from 
their  relations  with  the  Imperial  Russ- 
ian Government  every  cause  for  future 
misunderstanding.  But  finding  in 
their  efforts  no  prospect  of  securing 
from  the  Imperial  Russian  Govern- 
ment an  adhesion  either  to  Japan's 
moderate  and  unselfish  proposals  or 
to  any  other  proposals  likely  to  estab- 
ish  a  firm  and  enduring  peace  in  the 
Exrtenic  East,  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment havt  no  other  alternative  than 
to  terminate  the  present  futile  nego- 
tiations. 

"  In  adopting  that  course  the  Im- 
perial Government  reserve  to  them- 
selves the  right  to  take  such  indepen- 
dent action  as  they  may  deem  best  to 
consolidate  and  defend  their  menaced 
position,  as  w^ell  as  to  protect  their 
established  rights  and  legitimate  in- 
terests. 

*'  The  Undersigned." 


No.    49. 
Baron  Komura  to  Mr.  Kurino. 
Tokio,  Feb.  5th,  1904.  2.16p.m. 
(Telegram.) 

Yoti  are  instructed  to  address  to 
Count  Lamsdorff  a  signed  note  to  the 
following  effect  simultaneously  with  the 
note  mentioned  in  my  previous  tele- 
gram : — 

"  The  Undersigned,  Envoy  Extraor- 
dinary and  Minister  Plenipotentiary 
of  Ili's  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Japan, 
has  the  honour,  in  pursuance  of  in- 
structions  from    his  Government,  to 


so 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


acquaint  His  .Excellency  tlie  Minister- 
for  Foreign  Affairs  of  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  of  all  the  Russias  that 
the  Imperial  Government  of  Japan, 
having  exhausted  without  effect  every 
means  of  conciliation  with  a  view  to 
the  removal  from  their  relations  with 
the  Imperial  Russian  Government  of 
every  cause  for  future  complications 
and  fiiiding  that  their  just  representa- 
tions and  moderate  and  unselfish  pro- 
posals in  the  interest  of  a  firm  an  J 
lasting  peace  in  the  Extreme  Eitst 
are  not  receiving  the  consideration 
which  is  their  due,  have  resolved  to 
sever  their  diplomatic  relations  wath 
the  Imperial  Russian  Government 
which  for  the  reason  named  have 
ceased  to  possess  any  value.  ,  ^ 

"In  further  fulfilment  of.the  com- 
mand of  his  Government,  the  Under- 
signed has  also  the  honour  to  an- 
nounce to  His  Excellency  Count 
Lamsdorff  that  it  is  his  intention  to 
take  his  departure  from  St.  Petersburg 
with  the  staff  of  the  Imperial  Lega- 
tion on date. 

**  The  Undersigned,  etc.,  etc." 


is  willing  to  make  every  possible  con^ 
cession,  she  does  not  desire  to  see  Korea 
utilized  for  strategic  purposes  against 
Russia  knd  believes  it  useful  for  the 
consolidation  of  good  relations  with 
Japan  to  establish  by  common  Ac- 
cord a  buffer  region  between  confines 
of  direct  influence  and  action  of  the 
two  countries  in  the  Far  East.  The 
above  is  expressed  entirely  as  his  per- 
sonal opinion, .  and  I  can  not  say 
whether  the  same  is  the  substance  of 
the  above-mentioned  answer,  though 
it  seems  to  be  very  probable. 


No.    51. 

Mr.  Ktjrino  to  Baron  Komura.  ; 

Petersburg,  Feb.  6th,  1904.  5.57  p.m. 

Received,  ,,     7th,         ,,.  5.45. a.m. 

(Telegram) 

In  reference  to  your  two  telegrams 
of  yesterday's  date,  I  presented  to  Count 
Lamsdorff  to-day  at  4  p.m.  the  notes 
as  instructed.  I  shall  withdraw  from 
here  wdth  my  staff  and  students  on  the 
10th  instant. 


No.    50. 

Mr.  Kurino  to  Baron  Komura. 

Petersburg,  Feb.  5th,  1904.  5.05  a.m. 

Received,         ,,        ,,      5.15  p.m. 
(Telegram.) 

In  compliance  w^^h  the  request  of 
Count  Lomsdorff,  I  went  to  see  him 
at  8  p.m.  February  4th,  He  told  me 
that  the  substance  of  the  Russian  an- 
swer had  been  just  sent  to  Admiral 
Alexieff  to  be  transmitted  to  Baron 
Rosen.  He  added  that  Admiral  Alexieff 
may  happen  to  introduce  some  changes 
so  as  to  meet  local  circumstances  ;  but 
in  all  probability  there  will  be  no  such 
changes.  He  then  stated  as  his  own 
opinion  that  Russia  desires  the  principle 
of  independence  and  integrity  of  Korea 
and  also  of  necessity,  the  free  passage 
.qf  the  Korean  Straits.    Though  Russia 


2. 


Earon  Komura  to  Taron 
Rosen. 


On  the  6th  Feb.  Baron  Komura 
conveyed  a  formal  intimation  to  Baron 
Rosen  in  the  sense  that : — 

Whereas  the  Japanese  Government 
had  made  every  effort  to  arrive  at  an 
amicable  settlement  of  the  Manchurian 
question  with  Russia,  the  latter  had 
not  evinced  any  disposition  to  recipro- 
cate this  peaceful  purpose.  Therefore 
Japan, could  not  continue  the  diplomatic 
conferences.  She  was  regretfully  com- 
pelled to  take  independent  action  for 
the  protection  of  her  rights  and  in- 
terests, and  she  must  decline  to  accept 
the  responsiblity  of  any  incidents  that 
might  occur  in  consequence. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


51 


3      Official  Statement  by  Eavon 

Komura  on  the  Negotiations 

between  tlie  two  countries. 

It  being  indispensable  for  the 
welfare  and  safety  of  Japan  to  main- 
tain the  independence  and  territorial 
integrity  of  Korea  and  to  safeguard 
her  paramount  interests  therein,  the 
Japanese  Government  find  it  impossible 
to  view  with  indifference  any  action 
endangering    the    position    of  Korea ; 


Marshal  Marqu:s  Yamagata, 

whereas  Russia,  notwithstanding  her 
solemn  treaty  wth  China  and  her 
repeated  assurance  to  the  Fowers, 
not  only  continues  in  occupation  of 
Manchuria  but  has  even  taken  aggres- 
sive measures  on  Korean  territory. 
Should  Manchtiria  be  annexed  to  Rus^ 
sia,  the  independence  of  Korea,  would 
naturally  be  impossible. 

The  Japanese  Government,  thefe- 
fore»  being  desirous  of  securing  perma- 
nent peace  for  East  Asia  by  means  of 


direct  negotiations  with  Russia  with 
a  view  to  arriving  at  a  friendly  ad- 
justment of  mutual  interests  in  both 
Manchuria  and  Korea,  where  their 
interests  meet,  commuuicated  towards 
the  end  of  July  last  such  desire  to  the 
Russian  Government  and  invited  their 
adherence.  To  this  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment expressed  wiUing  assent.  Accord- 
ingly, on: the  12th  of  August  last,  the 
Japanese  Government  proposed  to  the 
Government  of  Russia,  through  their 
Representative  in  St.  Petersburg,  the 
basis  of  agreement  which  was  substant- 
ially as  follows  : — 

1. — Mutual  engagement  to  respect 
the  independence  and  territorial  integrity 
of  the  Chinese  and  Korean  Empires. 

2. — Mutual  engagement  to  maintain 
the  principle  of  equal  oj)portunity  for 
the  commerce  and  industry  of  all 
nations  in  those  countries, 

3. — Reciprocal  recognition  of  Ja- 
pan's preponderating  interests  in  Korea 
and  Russia's  special  interests  in  railwav 
enterprises  in  Manchuria  and  mutual 
recognition  of  the  respective  rights  of 
Japan  and  Russia  to  take  measures 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  the 
above  mentioned  interests  in  so  far  as 
the  principles  of  Article  I.  are  not  in- 
fringed. 

4. — Recognition  by  Russia  of  the 
exclusive  right  of  Japan  to  give  advice 
and  assistance  to  Korea  in  the  interest 
of  reform  and  good  government. 

5. — Engagement  on  the  part  of 
Russia  not  to  impede  the  eventual 
extension  of  the  Korean  railway  into 
southern  Manchuria  so  as  to  connect 
with  the  East  China  and  the  Shang- 
haikwan  Newchwang  lines. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  Japanese 
Government  originally  that  the  con- 
ference should  take  place  directly 
bet"ween  their  representative  and  the 
Russian  authorities  at  St.  Petersburg 
so  as  to  facilitate  the  progress  of  the 
negotiations  and  expedite  as  much  as 
possible  the  solution  of  the   situation; 


52 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


But  as  the  Russian  Government  abso- 
lutely refused  to  do  so  on  the  plea  of 
the  Czar's  trip  abroad  and  for  several 
other  reasons,  it  was  unavoidably 
decided  to  conduct -the  negotiations  in 
Tokyo.  ::h  ;  ; 

And  it  was  not  until  the  3rd 
October  last  that  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment presented  their  counter-proposals; 
and  in  them  she  declined  to  engage  to 
tespect  the  sovereignty  and'  territorial 
integrity  of  Cliina  and  to  stipulate  the 
maintenance  of  the  principle  of  equal 
opportunities  for  the  commerce  and 
industry  of  all  nations  in  ^China,    and 

>  requested  Japan  to  declare  Manchuria 
and  its  littoral  as  being  entirely  outside 
her  sphere  of  interest.  4  She  further 
put  several  restrictions  ;  upon  Japan's 
freedom  of  action  in  Korea ;  for 
instance,  while  recognizing  Japan's 
right  to  despatch  troops,  when  neces- 

'  sary  for  the  protection  of  her  interests 
in  Korea,  Russia  refused  to  allow  her 
to  use  any  portion  pf  Korean  territory 
for  strategical  purposes.  In  fact  Russia 
went  so  far  as  to  propose  to  establish 
a  neutral  zone  in  the  Korean  territory 
north  of  the  39th  parallel. 

The  Japanese  Government  utterly 
failed  to  see  why  Russia,  who  professed 
to  have  no  intention  of  absorbing- 
Manchuria,  should  be"  "disinclined-  to 
insert  in  thc^  Convention  a -clause  in 
complete  harinony  with',  her  own  re- 
peatedly declared  principle  of  respecting 
the  sovereignty  and  territorial  integri- 
ty of  China  >  Furthermore  this  refusal 
of  the  Russian  Government  has  im- 
pressed the  Japanese  Government  all 
the  more  with  the  nccc?sity  of  the 
insertion '  of  that  clause  „  Japan  has' 
important  commercial  interests  fn  Man- 
churia and  entertains  no  small  hopes' 
of  their  further  development  and  politi- 
cally she  has  even  greater  interests 
there  by  reason,  of  its  relations  with 
Korea,  so  that  she  could  not  possibly 
recognize  Manchuria  as  being  entirely 
outside  her  sphere  of  interest. 


These  reasons  decided  Japan  to 
absolutely  reject  the  Russian  proposal 
in  this  respect.  Accordingly  the  Jap- 
anese Government  explained  the  above 
views  to  the  Russian  Government  and 
at  the  same  time  introduced  otfte'r 
necessary  amendments  in  the  Russian 
counter-proposals. 

They  fiirther  proposed,  with  regard 
to  a  neutral  zone  that,  if  one  was  to 
be  created,  it  should  be  established  on 
both  sides  of  the  boundary  line  between 
Manchuria  and  Korea  with  an  equal 
width,  say,  of  fifty  kilometres.  After 
repeated  discussions  at  Tokyo  the  Jap- 
anese Government  finally  presented  to 
the  Russian  Government  their  definitive 
amendments  on  the  30th  Oct.  last. 
The  Japanese  Government  tten  frcqnemt- 
ly  urged  the  Russian  Governnu^t-fbr 
a  reply,  which  was  again  delayed  and 
was  only  delivered  on  the  11th  Deceni- 
ber.  In  that  reply  Russia  suppressed 
the  clauses  relating  to  Manchuria  so 
as  to  make  the  proposed  convention 
entirely  Korean  ;  and  maintained  her 
original  demand  in  regard  to  the  non- 
emyloyment  of  the  Korean  territory 
for  strategical  purposes  as  well  as  the 
neutral  zone. 

But  the  exclusion  of  Manchuria 
from  the  proposed  convention  being 
contrary  to  the  original  object  of  these 
negotiations  which  was  to  remove  the 
causes  of  conflict  between  the  two 
countries  by  a  friendly  arrangement  of 
their  interests  in  both  Manchuria  and 
Korea,  the  Japanese  Government  asked 
the  Russian  Government' to  reconsider 
the  question,  and  again ■  proposed  the 
removal  of  restriction  as  to  the  use 
of  Korean  territory  anci  the  entire 
suppression  of  the  neutral  ione  on  the 
ground  that  if  Russia  is  opposed  to 
have  it  established  in  Manchtiria,  it 
should  no  more  be  established  in  Korea, 

The  last  reply  of  Russia  was  re- 
ceived in  Tokyo  on  the  6th  January 
last.  In  this  reply,  it  is  true,"  Russia 
proposed     to     agree     to      insert      the 


^2^"^> 

>^-^ 

r  VN, 

■V. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


53 


following  clause  in  the  proposed  agree- 
ment : — 

Recognition  by  Japan  of  Manchtiria 
and  its  littoral  as  being  outside  her 
sphere  of  interest,  whilst  Russia  within 
the  limits  of  that  province  will  not 
impede  Japan  nor  other  Powers  in  the 
enjoyment  of  rights  and  privileges  ac- 
quired by  them  under  existing  treaties 
with  China,  exclusive  of  the  establish- 
ment of  settlements. 

But  this  was  proposed  to  be  agreed 
to  only  upon  the  condition  of  maintain- 
ing the  clauses  regarding  a  neutral 
zone  in  Korean  territory  and  non- 
employment  of  Korean  territory  for 
strategical  purposes ;  conditions  the 
impossibility  for  Japan  of  accepting 
which  had  already  been  fully  explained 
to  them. 

It  should  further  be  observed  that 
no  mention,  was  made  at  all  of  the 
territorial  integrity  of  China  in  Man- 
churia, and  it  must  be  self-evident  to 
everybody  that  the  engagement  as 
now  proposed  by  Russia  to  be  agreed 
to  would  be  of  no  practical  value  so 
long  as  it  is  not  accompanied  by  a 
definite  stipulation  regarding  the  terri- 
torial integrity  of  China  in  Manchuria, 
since  treaty  rights  being  only  co-existing 
with  sovereignty,  eventual  absorption 
of  Manchuria  by  Russia  would  annul 
at  once  those  rights  and  privileges 
acquired  by  the  Powers  in  Manchuria 
by  virtue  of  treaties  with  China. 

Therefore  the  Japanese  Government 
deemed  it  indispensable  to  obtain 
Russia's  agreement  to  the  territorial 
integrity  of  Manchuria  ;  and  decided 
upon  suppression  of  the  restriction  on 
the  establishment  of  settlements  which 
is  in  conflict  with  a  supplementary 
treaty  of  Commerce  and  Navigation  be- 
tween Japan  and  China.  They  have 
further  decided  with  regard  to  Korea  to 
adhere  to  their  amendments  as  there 
was  absolutely  no  room  for  concessions. 
On  these  lines  they,  on  the  13th 
January  last,  renewed  their  request  to 


the  Russian  Government  to  reconsider 
the  question,  and  have  since  frequently 
urged  them  for  a  reply.  But  the 
Russian  Government,  so  far  from  for- 
warding it,  did  not  even  indicate  any 
date  for  it. 

The  Japanese  Government  have 
throughout  been  actuated  by  a  principle 
of  moderation  and  impartiality  and 
have  demanded  from  the  Russian 
Government  no  more  than  the  recogni- 
tion of  a  principle  which  has  been 
repeatedly  and  voluntarily  announced 
by  Russia  herself,  while  the  Russian 
Government  have  persistently  refused 
to  accede  thereto  and,  while  unduly 
delaying  on  the  one  hand  their  replies, 
whenever  they  had  to  make  one,  have 
on  the  other  hand  augmented  their 
military  and  naval  preparations.  In 
fact  a  large  Russian  force  is  already  on 
the  Korean  frontier. 

The  Japanese  Government  while 
animated  by  a  sincere  desire  for  peace, 
have  been  exercising  the  utmost  degree 
of  patience,  but  now  they  are  reluct- 
antly compelled  by  the  action  of  Russia 
to  give  up  all  hopes  of  reconciliation 
and  to  break  off  their  negotiations. 


4.    The  Russian  Official 
Communication. 

9  Feb.  1904. 
Last  year  the  Tokyo  Cabinet, 
under  the  pretext  of  establishing  the 
balance  of  power,  and  a  more  settled 
order  of  things  on  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific,  submitted  to  the  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment a  proposal  for  a  revision  of 
the  existing  treaties  with  Korea  Rus- 
sia consented,  and  Viceroy  Alexieff  was 
charged  to  draw  up  a  project  for  a 
new  understanding  with  Japan,  in 
co-operation  with  the  Russian  Minister 
at  Tokyo,  who  was  intrusted  with  the 
negotiations  with  the  Japanese  Govern- ^ 
ment.  Although  the  exchange  of  views 
with  the  Tokyo  Cabinet  on  this  subject 
was  of  a  friendly  character,  Japanese 
social  circles  and  the  local  and  foreign 


54 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


press  attempted  in  every  way  to 
produce  a  warlike  ferment  among  the 
Japanese  and  to  drive  the  Government 
into  an  armed  conflict  with  Russia. 
Under  the  influence  thereof  the  Tokyo 
Cabinet  began  to  formulate  greater 
and  greater  de- 
mands   in     the    

negotiations,  at 
the  same  time 
taking  most  ex- 
tensive measures 
to  make  the 
country  ready 
for  w^ar. 

All  of  these 
circumstances, 
of    course,     dis- 
turbed   Russia's 
equanimity,  but 
they  induced  her 
to      also      take 
military    and 
naval  measures. 
Nevertheless,   to 
preserve      peace 
in  the  Far  East, 
Russia,  so  far  as 
her  ■     incontest- 
able rights  and  ° 
interests  permi  t- 
ted,     gave     the 
necessary  atten- 
tion    to   ,.the^[^ 
demands  of  the 
Tokyo   Cabinet, 
and         declared  f 
herself  ready  to 
recognize      Jap- 
an's    privileged 
commercial   and 
economic     posi- 
tion  ^     in        the 
Korean  peninsu- 


and  integrity  were  guaranteed  by 
previous  understanding  with  Japan, 
and  by  .treaties  with  other  Powers, 
Russia  insisted  on  three  points  : 

First-^On    the    mutual     and     con- 
ditional guarantee  of  this  principle. 


AiiMrK  \i.    \i, :  .1,.;  r, 
This  Rus  ian  X'icekoy  of  the  I'ar  East. 


la,  with  the  concession  of  the  right  to 
protect  it  by  military  force  in  the  event 
of  disturbance  in  that  countrv.  At  the 
same  time,  while  rigorously  observing. 
the  fimdaniental  principle  of  her  policy 
regarding  Korea,   whose   independence  . 


Second— On  an  understanding  to 
use  no  part  of  Kor^a  for  strategic 
purposes,  as  the  au::horiy.ation  of  such 
action  on  the  part  of  any  foreign 
power  was  directly  opposed  to  the 
principle  of  the  indq>emb::ce  of 'Korea. 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


55 


Third — On  preservation  of  the  full 
freedom  of  navigation  of  the  Straits 
of  Korea. 

The  project  elaborated  in  this 
sense  did  not  satisfy  the  Japanese 
Government,  which,  in  its  last  pro- 
posals, not  only  declined  to  accept  the 
conditions,  which  appeared  as  the 
guarantee  of  the  independence  of  Korea, 
but  began  at  the  same  time  to  insist 
on  provisions  to  be  incorporated  in  a 
project  regarding  the  question  of  Man- 
churia. Such  demands  on  the  part  of 
Japan,  naturally,  were  inadmissible, 
the  question  of  Russia's  position  in 
Manchuria  concerning,  in  the  first  place, 
China,  but  also  all  the  Powers  having 
commercial  interests  in  China. 

The    Imperial    Government,    there- 
fore,    saw    absolutely    no    reason    to 
include  in  a  special  treaty  with  Japan 
regarding  Korean  affairs  any  provision 
concerning  territory    occupied  by  Rus- 
sian troops.     The  Imperial  Government, 
however,  did  not  refuse,  so  long  as  the 
occupation    of   Manchuria   lasted,    to 
recognize  both  the  sovereignty   of  the 
Emperor  of   China  in   Manchuria  and 
also  the  rights  acquired  there  by  other 
Powers  through  treaties    -with   China. 
A  declaration  to  this  effect  had  already 
been  made  to  the  foreign  Cabinets.    In 
view  of  this,  the  Imperial  Government, 
after    charging    its    representative    at 
Tokyo  to  present  its  reply  to  the  last 
proposal  of  Japan,  was  justified  in  ex- 
pecting   the    Tokyo     Cabinet    to    take 
into    account    the    considerations    set 
forth  above,  and  that  it  would  appre- 
ciate the  wsh  manifested  by  Russia  to 
come  to  a  peaceful  understanding  with 
Japan.      Instead  of  this  the  Japanese 
Government,    not    even    awaiting    this 
reply,  decided  to  break  off  negotiations 
and    to    suspend    diplomatic  relations. 
The  Imperial  Government,  while  laying 
on  Japan  the  full  responsibility  for  any 
consequences      of     such     a     course    of 
action,  will  await  the  development  of 
events,    and    the   moment   it   becomes 


necessary  will  take  the  most  decisive 
measures  for  the  protection  of  its 
rights  and  interests  in  the  Far 
East. 


5.    Japanese  Declaration  of 
Aar. 

loth  Feb.  1904. 

We,  by  the  Grace  of  Heaven, 
Emperor  of  Japan,  seated  on  the  Throne 
occupied  by  the  same  Dynasty  firom 
time  immemorial,  do  hereby  make  Proc- 
lamation to  all  our  loyal  and  brave 
subjects  as  follows  : — 

We  hereby  declare  war  against 
Russia  and  We  command  Our  Army 
and  Navy  to  carry  on  hostilities  against 
that  Empire  with  all  their  strength, 
and  We  also  command  all  Our  compe- 
tent authorities  to  make  every  effort, 
in  pursuance  of  their  duties  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  their  powers,  to  attain 
the  national  aim  w^ith  all  the  means 
within  the  limits  of  the  law  of  nations. 

We  have  always  deemed  it  essential 
to  international  relations  and  made  it 
Our  constant  aim  to  promote  the 
pacific  progress  of  our  Empire  in  civil- 
ization, to  strengthen  our  friendly  ties 
with  other  States,  and  to  establish  a 
state  of  things  which  would  maintain 
enduring  peace  in  the  Extreme  East 
and  assure  the  future  security  of  Our 
Dominion  without  injury  to  the  rights 
and  interests  of  other  Powers.  Our 
competent  authorities  have  also"  per- 
formed their  duties  in  obedience  to  Our 
will,  so  that  Our  relations  with  the 
Powers  have  been  steadily  growing  in 
cordiality.  It  w^as  thus  entirely  against 
Our  expectation  that  We  have  unhappily 
come  to  open  hostilities  against  Russia. 

The  integrity  of  Korea  is  a  matter 
of  constant  concern  to  this  Empire, 
not  only  because  of  Our  traditional 
relations  w^ith  that  country,  but  be- 
cause the  separate  existence  of  Korea 
is  essential  to  the  safety  of  Our  Realm. 
Nevertheless  Russia,  in  disregard  of  her 


56 


:HE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


solemn  treaty  pledges  to  China  and  her 
repeated  assurances  to  other  Powers, 
is  still  in  occupation  of  Manchuria,  and 
has  consolidated  and  strengthened  her 
hold  upon  those  provinces  and  is  bent 
upon  their  final  annexation.    And  since 
the  absorption  of  Manchuria  by  Russia 
would  render  it  impossible  to  maintain 
the  integrity  of  Korea  and    would  in 
addition  compel  the  abandonment  of  all 
hope    for    peace    in  the  Extreme  East, 
We  determined  in  those  circumstances 
to   settle  the   questions  by  negotiation 
and  to  secure  thereby  permanent  peace. 
With  that  object  in  view.  Our  compe- 
tent authorities,  by   Our    order,    made 
proposals  to  Russia,  and  frequent  con- 
ferences were  held  during  the  course  of 
six  months.      Russia,    however,    never 
met  such  proposals  in  a  spirit   of  con- 
ciliation,   but    by    her    wanton    delays 
put  off  the  settlement  of  the  question, 
and  by  ostensibly  advocating  peace  on 
the  one  hand    while  she    was    on    the 
other  extending  her  naval  and  mihtary 
preparations,  sought  to  accomplish  her 
own  selfish  designs. 

We  can  not  in  the  least  admit  that 
Russia  had  from  the  first  any  serious 
or  genuine  desire  for  peace.  She  has 
rejected  the  proposals  of  Our  Govern- 
ment ;  the  safety  of  Korea  is  in  danger; 
the  vital  interests  of  Our  Empire  are 
menaced.  The  guarantees  for  the  future 
which  We  have  failed  to  secure  by 
peaceful  negotiations,  We  can  now  only 
seek  by  an  appeal  to  arms. 

It  is  Our  earnest  wish  that  by  the 
loyalty  and  valour  of  Our  faithful 
subjects,  peace  may  soon  be  permanent- 
ly restored  and  the  glory  of  Our  Empire 
preserved. 


In    our    solicitude    for    the    main- 
tenance of  peace,  which  is  dear  to  our 
heart,  we  made  every  exertion  to  con- 
solidate tranquillity  in   the   Far  East. 
In  these  peaceful  aims  we  signified  as- 
sent to  the  proposals   of  the^  Japanese 
Government    to    revise    agreements  re- 
garding Korean  affairs  existing  between 
the  two  governments.     However,  the 
negotiations  begun  upon    this    subject 
were  not  brought  to  a  conclusion,  and 
Japan,  without  awaiting  the  receipt  of 
the   last    responsive    proposals  of  our 
Government,  declared  the  negotiations 
broken    off    and    diplomatic   relations 
with  Russia  dissolved. 

Without  advising  us  of  the  fact 
that  the  breach  of  such  relations 
would  in  itself  mean  an  opening  of  war- 
like operations,  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment gave  orders  to  its  torpedo  boats 
to  suddenly  attack  our  squadron  stand- 
ing in  the  outer  harbour  of  the  fortress 
of  Port  Arthur.  Upon  receiving  reports 
from  the  Viceroy  in  the  Far  East  about 
this,  we  immediately  commanded  him 
to  answer  the  Japanese  challenge  with 
armed  force. 

Making  known  this  our  decision, 
^  we,  with  unshaken  faith  in  the  Almighty 
and  with  a  firm  expectation  of  and  re- 
liance upon  the  unanimous  willingness 
of  all  our  loyal  subjects  to  stand  with 
us  in  defence  of  the  fatherland,  ask 
God's  blessing  upon  our  stalwart  land 
and  naval  forces. 

Given  at  St.  Petersburg,  January 
27, 1904,  A.D.  (new  calendar,  February 
9,  1904),  and  in  the  tenth  year  of  our 
reign,  written  in  full  by  the  hand  of 
His  Imperial  Majesty,  Nicholas. 


6.    Russian  Declaration  of  War 

loth  Feb,  1904. 
By  the  grace  of  God  we,  Nicholas 
II,  Emperor   and   autocrat    of  all  the 
Russias,   etc.,   make  known  to   all  our 
loyal  subjects  : 


7.    Chinese  Minister  to  Baron 

Komura  on  the  Neutrality 

of  China. 

Feb.  13th,  1904. 
Japan  and  Russia  have  broken  off 
their    peaceful    relations ;     but    China 
being  on  friendly   tcmis  with  the  two 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


57 


countries,  her  Government,  attaching 
great  importance  to  the  relations  of 
good  neighbourhood  and  in  obedience 
to  the  Imperial  Command,  have  taken 
steps  for  the  observance  of  the  rules 
of  neutrality  and  ordered  the  author- 
ities of  each  and  all  provinces  to 
strictly  t^  observe  them.  The  local 
authorities  have  also  been  instructed 
to  keep  tranquillity  in  their  respective 
districts  and  to  extend  protection  to 
the  commercial  and  Christian  popula- 
tion. Moukden  and  Hsing  King  being 
the  sites  of  the  Imperial  Mausoleums 
and  Palaces,  the  Governor-General 
concerned  has  been  given  strict  instruc- 
tions to  guard  them  with  the  greatest 
vigilance. 

The  towns,  villages,  and  official 
buildings  in  the  Three  Eastern  Provinces 
as  well  as  the  persons  and  properties  of 
their  inhabitants  shall  not  be  damaged 
or  injured  by  the  belligerents.  The 
Chinese  troops  stationed  in  those 
provinces  shall  not  attack  the  troops 
of  the  belligerent  countries  nor  shall  the 
latter  be  allowed  to  attack  the  former. 
A  garrison  has  been  despatched  by 
the  Pciyang  Commissioner  to  such 
districts  lying  west  of  the  Liao  as 
Avere  already  evacuated  b}^  Russia.  In 
the  various'  provinces  as  well  as  in 
Outer  and  Inner  Mongolia  the  rules  of 
neutrality  are  to  be  carried  out,  so 
that  troops  of  the  two  belligerents 
may  not  intrude  thereupon  ;  and  in 
case  they  have  crossed  the  boundary 
line  China  will  take  the  measures  for 
repelling  them.  Such  steps  on  the  part 
of  China  shall  however  not  be  taken 
as  m.aking  a  rupture  in  the  friendly 
relations.    \. 

In  Manchuria,  however,  there  are 
localities  still  in  occupation  by  foreign 
troops  and  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
power  of  China,  where  the  inforce- 
ment  of  the  rules  of  neutrality  will, 
it  is  feared,  be  impossible. 

The  Three  Eastern  Provinces  as 
well   as   the   rights    pertaining    thereto 


shall  remain  under  China^s  sovereignty 
whichever  side  may  gain  the  victory, 
and  shall  not  be  occupied  by  either  of 
the  Powers  now^  at  war. 

The  above  is  being  communicated 
to  representatives  of  Foreign  Powers 
in  Peking.  At  the  same  time  you  are 
instructed  to  make  the  same  declara- 
tion to  the  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs  of  the  Government  to  which 
you  are  accredited. 


8.    Baron  Komura's  Reply  to 

the  Above. 

Feb.  17th,  1904. 

The  Imperial  Government,  desiring 
to  avoid  as  far  as  possible  a  disturb- 
ance of  the  peaceful  condition  of  affairs 
which  now  prevails  in  China,  will,  in 
all  parts  of  the  Chinese  territory  ex- 
cepting the  regions  occupied  by  Russia, 
respect  the  neutrality  of  China  so  long 
as  Russia  does  the  same,     x         ,_^\ 

The  rules  of  war  vv'hich  govern  the 
Imperial  forces  of  Japan  in  the  field, 
do  not  permit  the  wanton  destruction 
of  property.  Accordingly  the  Imperial 
Chinese  Government  may  rest  assured 
that  the  Mausoleums  and  Palaces  at 
Moukden  and  Using  King  and  the 
public  buildings  of  China  everywhere,, 
will  be  secure  from  any  injury  not 
attributable  to  the  action  of  Russia. 

Futhermore  the  rights  of  Chinese 
officials  and  inhabitants  within  the 
zone  of  Military  operation,  will,  in 
their  persons  and  property,  be  fully 
respected  and  protected  by  the  Imperial 
forces  so  far  as  military  necessity 
permits.  In  the  event,  however,  they 
should  extend  aid  and  comfort  to  the 
enemy  of  Japan,  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment reserve  to  themselves  the  right 
to  take  such  action  as  the  circum- 
stances require. 

It  only  remains  to  say  in  conclu- 
sion that  the  present  war  is  not  being 
w^aged  by  Japan  for  the  purpose  of 
conquest,  but  solely  in  defence  of  her 


58 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


legitimate  rights  and  interests  and 
consequently  that  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment have  no  intention  to  acquire 
territory  as  a  result  of  the  conflict,  at 
the  expense  of  China. 

The  Imperial  Government  also  wish 
the  Imperial  Chinese  Government  to 
clearly  understand  that  whatever 
action  may  be  taken  by  them  on 
Chinese  territory  which  is  made  the 
theatre  of  war,  will  be  the  result  of 
military  necessity  and  not  in  impair- 
ment of  Chinese  sovereignty. 


9.    Manifesto  of  the  Tsar. 

18th  Feb.  1904.  y 
Eight  days  have  passed  since 
Russia  has  been  burning  with  indig- 
nation against  an  enemy  which  has 
suddenly  broken  off  negotiations  and 
whose  aim  it  was  to  obtain  a  slight 
success  in  the  long  desired  war  by  a 
treacherous  attack.  The  Russian  na- 
tion with  natural  impatience  is  wishing 
for  a  speedy  revenge  and  expects  new^s 
from  theFarEast  with  feverish  anxiety. 
The  unity  arid  power  of  the  Russian 
nation  remove  doubts  that  Japan  w^ill 
receive  chastisement  for  her  treachery 
and  for  having  challenged  Russia  to 
war.  While  our  Sovereign  desired  to 
maintain  peace,  the  circumstances  of 
the  outbreak  of  hostilities  .  compel  us 
to  wait  with  patience  for  news  concern- 
ing the  success  of  our  troops,  v\rhich 
can  not  be  received  before  decisive 
action  is  taken  by  the  Russian  army. 
The  wide  distances  of  the  territory 
attacked  and  the  desire  of  the  Emperor 
to  maintain  peace,  w^ere  the  reasons 
for  the  impossibility  of  making  far 
reaching  preparation  for  war  before- 
hand. It  will  not  take  much  time  to 
give  Japan  signal  defeats  worthy  c* 
the  powei^-'  of  Russia,  while  Russia 
will  be  careful  not  to  shed  unneces- 
sarily the  blood  of  her  children  in 
inflicting  chastisement  on  a  nation 
"which  well  deserves  it  and  which  has 


challenged  Russia  in  an  arrogant 
manner.  She  must,  however,  wait  for 
events  with  patience  in  the  certainty 
that  our  army  will  revenge  the  attack 
a  hundredfold.  The  operations  on  land 
still  lie  in  the  distant  future.  We  can 
not  receive  news  from  the  seat  of  war 
very  quickly.  Unnecessary  shedding  of 
blood  is  not  worthy  of  the  power  and 
greatness  of  the  Empire  of  Russia. 
Our  fatherland  shows    so    much    unity 


,    .       .General  Kuropatkin, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Russian  Army 
IN  THE  Far  East. 


and  willingness  to  make  sacrifices  in 
the  national  cause  that  all  correct 
news  arriving  from  the  seat  of  war 
shall  be  immediately  published  to  the 
whole  nation. 


10.    Russian  Communique. 

With  regard  to  the  breach  of 
diplomatic  relations  and  the  outbreak 
of    war    between    Japan    and    Russia, 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


59 


anothei*  communique  was  published  by 
the  Russian  Government  on  the  20th 
February.  In  that  communique  it  is 
first  stated  that  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment received  the  last  Japa.nese  pro- 
posals on  the  16th  January,  and  then, 
giving  its  o-wn  version  of  the  course 
since  pursued  by  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment, and  how  matters  progressed 
during  some  days  before  the  rupture  of 
diplomatic  relations  between  the  two 
Powers,  the  communique  declares  in 
conclusion  that  the  Japanese  Govern- 
ment, by  making  attacks  on  Russian 
war  vessels  and  merchant  ships  on  the 
8th,  9th,  and  10th  February,  repeatedly 
committed  acts  inconsistent  with  the 
principles  of  the  law  of  nations,  as  a 
breach  of  diplomatic  relations  does  not 
by  any  means  signify  the  opening  of 
hostilities,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
11th  of  February  that  the  declaration 
of  war  on  the  part  of  Japan  was  issued. 


11.    Treaty  between  Japan 
and  Korea. 

February  23rd,  1904. 

The  following  is  the  authorized 
English  text  of  the  Protocol,  signed  at 
Seoul,  on  February  23rd,  1904  :— 

Mr.  Hayashi,  Envoy  Extraordinary 
and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  of  His 
Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Japan,  and 
Major-General  Yi  Tchi  Yong,  Minister 
of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs  ad  interim 
of  His  Majesty  the  Emperor  of  Korea, 
being  respectively  duly  empowered  for 
the  purpose,  have  agreed  upon  the 
following  Articles  : — 

Article  I.  For  the  purpose  of 
maintaining  a  permanent  and  solid 
friendship  between  Japan  and  Korea 
and  firmly  establishing  peace  in  the 
Far  East,  the  Imperial  Government  of 
Korea  shall  place  full  confidence  in  the 
Imperial  Government  of  Japan  and 
adopt  the  advice  of  the  latter  in  regard 
to  improvements  in  administration. 


Article  II.  The  Imperial  Govern- 
ment of  Japan  shall  in  a  spirit  of  firm 
friendship  ensure  the  safety  and  repose 
of  the  Imperial  House  of  Korea. 

Article  III.  The  Imperial  Govern- 
ment of  Japan  definitively  guarantee 
the  independence  and  territorial  integri- 
ty of  the  Korean  Empire. 

Article  lY.  In  case  the  welfare  of 
the  Imperial  House  of  Korea  or  the 
territorial  integrity  of  Korea  is  en- 
dangered by  aggression  of  a  third  Power 
or  internal  disturbances,  the  Imperial 
Government  of  Japan  shall  immediately 
take  such  necessary  measures  as  the 
circumstances  require  and  in  such  cases 
the  Imperial  Government  of  Korea  shall 
give  full  facilities  to  promote  the  action 
of  the  Imperial  Japanese  Government. 

The  Imperial  Government  of  Japan 
may,  for  the  attainment  of  the  above 
mentioned  object,  occupy,  when  the 
circumstances  require  it,  such  places  as 
may  be  necessary  from  strategical 
points  of  view. 

Article  Y".  The  Governments  of  the 
two  countries  shall  not  in  future, 
without  mutual  consent,  conclude  with 
a  third  Power  such  an  arrangement 
as  may  be  contrary  to  the  present 
Protocol. 

Article  YT.  —  Details  in  connection 
with  the  present  Protocol  shall  be  ar- 
ranged as  the  circumstances  may  require, 
between  the  Representative  of  Japan 
and  the  Minister  of  State  for  Foreign 
Affairs  of  Korea. 


12.     First  Reply  of  the 
Japanese  Government. 

February  22nd,  1904. 
The  Russian  Government  have,  in 
their  communiques  of  the  18th  and  20th 
February,  charged  Japan  with  having 
treacherously  obtained  a  slight  victory 
by  a  sudden  attack  upon  Russia,  which 
was  bent  upon  maintaining  peace,  and 
asserted  that  since  the  rupture  of 
diplomatic  relations  can  never  be  looked 


60 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


upon  as  the  opening  of  hostilities,  -and 
since  Japan  did  not  issue  her  declaration 
of  war  until  the  11th,  she  was  guilty 
of  a  flagrant  breach  of  the  principles  of 
International  Law  in  making  as  early 
as  the  8th  February  most  unwar- 
rantable attacks  on  Russian  men-of-war 
and  merchant  ships. 

That  Russia  had  never  entertained 
any  sincere  desire  for  peace  may  be 
clearly  seen  from  the  facts  that  she 
persistently  refused  throughout  the 
whole  course  of  the  negotiations  to 
meet  the  proposals  made  by  Japan  in 
a  conciliatory  spirit,  and  that  by 
w^anton  delays  she  put  oiF  the  settle- 
ment of  the  question,  while  at  the  same 
time  she  was  busily  extending  her  naval 
and  military  preparations.  In  confirma- 
tion of  these  facts  may  be  given  her 
warlike  preparations  in  the  Far  East 
since  April  last,  when  she  failed  to  carry 
out  her  promised  second  evacuation  of 
Manchuria. 

Increase  in  Naval  Strength. 

No.  Tonnage. 

Battle-ships 3  38,488 

Armoured  Cruiser..  1  7,726 

Cruisers  5  26,417 

Torpedo  Destroyers  7  2,450 

Gun-boat 1  1,334 

Mine-ships  2  6^000 

Total  19  82,415 

In  addition  to  these,  Russia  sent 
destroyers  in  section  by  rail  to  Port 
Arthur.  The  work  of  putting  those 
vessels  together  was  hurried  up  and 
seven  of  them  have  been  already  com- 
pleted. Furthermore,  two  vessels  of  the 
Volunteer  Fleet  were  armed  at  Vladivo- 
stok and  hoisted  the  Russian  naval 
ensign. 

She  further  ordered  out;  one  battle- 
ship, three  cruisers,  seven  destroyers 
and  four  torpedo-boats  (total  tonnage 
amounting  to  about  30,740),  w^hich 
might  have  joined  the  Russian  squadron 
already  in  the  Far  East,  had  not  certain 
ulterior  cirumstances  compelled  Russia 


to  recall  them,  and  these,  if  added  to 
the  others,  would  make  the  aggregate 
increase  113,000  tons. 

Increase  in  land  forces  : — 

Since  the  29th  June  last  when,  on 
the  pretext  of  a  trial  transportation 
on  the  Siberian  railway,  Russia  sent  to 
China  two  infantry  brigades,  t-wo 
artillery  battalions,  a  body  of  cavalry 
and  militarytrain,  Russiahas  continued 
to  dispatch  troops  to  the  Far  East, 
and  at  the  beginning  to  the  present 
month  their  total  augmented  strength 
was  over  40,000,  and  plans  were  being 
made  for  sending  out  if  necessary  over 
200,000  more. 

She  has  at  the  same  time  been 
engaged  day  and  night  in  strengthen- 
ing the  fortifications  at  the  naval  pOrts 
of  Port  Arthur  and  Vladivostok,  build- 
ing forts  at  Htinchun,  Liaoyang  and 
other  strategical  points,  and  forwarding 
arms  and  ammtmition  to  the  Far  East 
by  the  Siberian  railway  and  the  Vokin- 
teer  fleet  ;  and  in  the  middle  of  October 
last,  a  train  of  14  cars  hurriedly  left 
Russia  laden  with  the  equipment  of  a 
field  hospital. 

It  is  therefore  quite  evident  that 
Russia  had  not  the  least  inclination 
for  friendly  settlement,  but  solely  sought 
by  military  preponderance  to  force 
Japan  into  submission. 

The  military  activity  of  Russia 
became  from  the  latter  part  of  January 
to  the  beginningof  February  still  furthei* 
intensified.  On  the  12th  January  about 
two  battalions  of  infantry  and  a 
detachment  of  cavalry  were  dispatched 
firom  Port  Arthur  and  Dalny  to  the 
northern  frontier  of  Korea  ;  and  on  the 
28th  of  the  same  month,  an  order  to 
prepare  for  war  was  given  by  Admiral 
Alexieff  to  the  forces  which  were 
stationed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Yalu  ; 
and  on  the  1st  February,  the  com- 
mander at  Vladivostok,  under  orders 
of  his  Government,  requested  the  Japan- 
ese Commercial  Agent  at  that  port- 
that,  as  a  state  of  siege  might  at  any 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


61 


moment  be  proclaimed  there,  he  would 
make  his  nationals  prepare  to  withdraw 
to  Habarovsk.  At  Port  Arthur,  all  the 
powerful  war-ships,  except  a  battle-ship 
then  under  repair,  steamed  into  the 
open  sea,  while  troops  advanced  in 
large  forces  from  Liaoyang  towards 
the  Yalu.  Who  can  then  say  that 
Russia  had  no  warlike  intentions  or 
that  she  was  unprepared  for  war  ? 
Japan,  seeing  that  the  situation  had 
become  so  critical  that  it  admitted  of 
no  further  delay,  was  compelled  to- 
break  off  the  abortive  negotiations  and 
decided  to  take  necessary  steps  for 
self-protection.  The  responsibilitv  for 
the  challenge  to  war  rests,  then,  not 
with  Japan  but  solely  with  Russia. 

Finally  on  the  6th  February  Japan 
announced  to   Russia    her    decision    to 
terminate  pending  negotiations  and  that 
she  would  take  such  independent  action 
as  she  might  deem  best  to  defend  her 
position    menaced    by    Russia    and    to 
protect     her     established     rights     and 
legitimate  interests,  and  that  she  would 
sever     her     diplomatic     relations    and 
withdraw    her    Legation.      The    term 
"independent  action  "  naturally  includes 
the  opening  of  hostilities.   Even  suppos- 
ing that   Russia  was  unable  to  under- 
stand it  in  that  sense,  that  is  of  course 
no  reason  why  Japan  should,  in  Russia's 
place,      be      held     responsible    for    the 
misinterpretation.  Again,  itis  the  unani- 
mous  opinion   of  international   jurists 
that    a    declaration   of  war  is  not  an 
indispensable  pre-requisite  to  the  open- 
ing  of  hostilities.     Indeed    it  has  been 
the  common  practice  in  recent  wars  to 
declare  war  subsequently  to  the  opening 
of  hostilities.     Japan's    action   is   not 
therefore    open    to    the   least   criticism 
from  the    standpoint    of  international 
law.     It    must   certainly    be    confessed 
that   the    charge    sounds   rather    odd, 
coming   as    it    does    from   the    lips    of 
Russia  ;    for   there    are   not  only  very 
many  historical  instances  of  that  coun- 
try   herself    instantly     taking    hostile 


action  without  declaring  war,  but  in 
1808  she  invaded  Finland  even  before 
the  rupture  of  their  diplomatic 
relations.    * 


Count  Inotte, 
Special  Envoy  to  the  Court  of  Seoul  in  1805. 

12-    Second  Reply  of  Japanese 

Government. 

March  2nd,  1904. 

The  Russian  Government  has  cir- 
culated among  the  Po-vsrers  a  note 
alleging  several  acts  in  violation  of  inter- 
national law  against  Japan  with 
respect  to  Korea  and  stating  that  the 
declaration  of  the  Korean  Government 
in  future  will  have  no  validity.  The 
following  is  the  resume  of  the  Russian 
accusation  : — 

1. — Prior  to  the  opening  of  hosti- 
lities, the  Japanese  troops  landed  in 
Korea,  the  Government  of  which  had 
proclaimed  neutrality. 

2— On  the  8th  Feb.,  three  days 
prior    to    the    declaration    of  war.    a 


62 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Japanese  squadron  >vhich  was  staying 
at  Chemulpo,  a  neutral  port  of  Korea, 
unexpectedly  attacked  two  of  our  w^ar- 
ships,  which  were  placed  in  such  a 
position  that  they  were  unable  to  know^ 
of  the  rupture  of  negotiations  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  had 
intentionally  stopped  the  delivery  of 
our  telegram  sent  through  the  Danish 
cable,  and  had  destroyed  the  telegraph 
lines  owned  by  the  Korean  Government. 

3 . — The  Japanese  Government  in 
defiance  of  the  rules  of  International 
Law,  captured  several  of  our  merchant- 
men within  the  neutral  ports  of  Korea 
at  the  moment  when  hostilities  were 
about  to  be  opened. 

4. — The  Japanese  Government, 
through  the  Japanese  Minister  at  Soul, 
declared  to  the  Korean  Emperor  that 
Korea  should  hereafter  be  placed  under 
Japanese  administration,  and  gave  a 
warning  that  should  the  Emperor 
disregard  this  declaration,  Japanese 
troops  would  occupy  the  palace. 

5. — The  Japanese  Government 
through  the  French  Minister  at  Soul, 
sent  a  note  to  the  Russian  Minister 
there,  ordering  that  the  latter,  together 
with  the  members  of  the  Russian  Lega- 
tion, should  withdraw  from  Korea. 

The  Japanese  Government  has  re- 
plied to  this  note.  The  Government 
says  it  does  not  see  any  necessity  at 
this  juncture  to  express  concern  regard- 
ing the  opinions  or  declarations  of 
Russia,  but  as  the  ignoring  of  the 
accusations  may  convey  a  wrong  inj- 
pression  to  neutral  Powers,  it  is 
considered  the  right  and  duty  of  the 
Japanese  Government  to  refute  the 
allegation.  The  Government  therefore 
propose  to  answer  the  accusation 
contained  in  the  five  items  of  the  Russian 
declaration  to  the  Powers.  Its  answer 
is  as  follows  : — 

1. — The  Imperial  Government  admit 
that  Japanese  troops  landed  in  Korea 
before  the  declaration  of  war  was 
issued,  but  not  before  a  state  of  vsrar 


actually  existed  between  Japan  and 
Russia.  The  maintenance  of  the  inde- 
pendence and  territorial  integrity  of 
Korea  is  one  of  the  objects  of  the  war, 
and  the  despatch  of  troops  to  the 
menaced  territory  was  a  matter  of 
right  and  necessity,  which  had  the 
distinct  consent  of  the  Korean  Govern- 
ment. The  Imperial  Government  draw 
a  sharp  distinction  between  the  landing 
of  Japanese  tjroops  in  Korea  in  the 
actual  circumstances  of  the  case  and 
the  sending  of  large  bodies  of  Russian 
troops  to  Manchuria  without  the 
consent  of  China,  while  peaceful  nego- 
tiations were  still  in  progress. 

2 — The  Imperial  Government  declare 
that  the  allegations  under  this  number 
are  untrue.  The  Imperial  Government 
did  not  stop  the  delivery  of  Russian 
telegrams  by  the  Danish  cable,  neither 
did  they  destroy  the  Korean  Govern- 
ment's telegraphic  communication. 
Regarding  the  alleged  sudden  attack 
on  Feb.  8th  on  two  Russian  men-of- 
war  in  the  port  of  Chemulpo,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  say  that  a  state  of  war 
existed,  aud  that  Korea  having  given 
her  consent  to  the  landing  of  Japanese 
troops  at  Chemulpo,  the  harbour  of 
Chemulpo  had  ceased  to  be  a  neutral 
port  at  least  as  betw^een  the  belligerents. 

3. — The  Imperial  Government  have 
established  Prize  Courts  with  fall 
authority  to  pronounce  finally  upon 
the  question  of  the  legality  of  seizures 
of  merchant  vessels.  Accordingly  it 
would  manifestly  be  out  of  place  for 
the  Imperial  Government  to  make  any 
statement  regarding  the  assertion  under 
this  number. 

4. — The  Imperial  Government  also 
declare  the  charge  under  this  number 
to  be  absolutely  and  wholly  without 
foundation  in  fact. 

5. — The  Imperial  Government  deny 
the  accuracy  of  the  statement  under 
this  number.  No  demand  either  direct 
or  indirect  was  addressed  by  the  Japan- 
ese Government  to  the  Russian  Minister 


OFFICIAL  DOCUMENTS. 


63 


to  retire  from  Korea.  On  the  lOtli 
February  the  French  Charge  d'Affaires 
called  on  the  Japanese  Minister  and 
informed  him,  as  he  did  afterward  in 
writing,  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the 
Russian  Minister  to  leave  Korea  and 
asked  the  opinion  of  the  Japanese 
Minister  on  the  subject.  The  Japanese 
Minister  replied  that  if  the  Russian 
Minister  w^ould  withdraw  in  a  peaceful 
manner,  taking  with  him  his  staff  and 
Legation  guard,  he  would  be  fully 
protected  by  Japanese  troops.  He  did 
so  w^ithdraw  of  his  own  free  will  on 
the  12th  February,  and  an  escort  of 
Japanese  soldiers  was  furnished  him  as 
far  as  Chemulpo. 


In  this  connection  it  may  be  re- 
marked that  the  Russian  Consul  at 
Fusan  remained  at  his  post  as  late  as 
28th  February.  It  is  reported  that  he 
was  compelled  to  stay  so  long,  in 
absence  of  instructions  which  the  Rus- 
sian Minister  apparently  did  not  care 
to  give  his  Consul  before  his  departure. 
When  it  w^as  made  known  that  necessary 
instructions  had  at  last  reached  the 
Russian  Consul  and  that  he  desired  to 
leave  Fusan  as  soon  as  possible,  the 
Japanese  Consul  in  the  same  port  offered 
him  every  facility  for  his  departure, 
and  his  passage  to  Shanghai  through 
Japan  was  arranged  by  the  latter. 


Poem  recited  by  Miss  Iyy  MacDonald,  daughter  of  Sir  Claude 
MacDonald,  H.  B.  M.'s  Minister  to  Japan  at  an  Enter- 
tainment  GIVEN   IN   aid    of   THE    DISTRESSED    FAMILIES    OF 

Japanese  Soldiers  and  Sailors  in  the  Hall  of 

THE  Higher  Commercial  School,  Tokyo, 

April  9th,  1904. 


1.  I  am  just  a  little  English  maid, 

As  plain  as  you  like,  but  solid  and  staid, 
A  blue-eyed,  red-cheeked,  elf. 
But  I've  not  come  here  to  praise  myself 
(Though  I'm  worthy  of  praise  beyond  a 

doubt) : 
I  want  you  to  look  away,  and  see 
The  things  I  am  going  to  talk  about, 
Instead  of  me. 

2.  Lnf)k  here's  a  woman  :  she's  wrinkled  and 

old; 
Her  face  is  furrowed,  her  hands  are  cold, 
She  has  only  one  dress,  the  rest  are  sold, 
Her  fire  is  out,  she  has  no  food. 
And  there  she  sits  in  mournful  mood; 
Her  only  son  has  gone,  you  see, 
To  fight  far  off  for  his  dear  countree. 
And  she's  none  upon  earth  to  whom  to 

flee, 

But  you  and  me. 

3.  And  there,  again,  is  a  wife,  alone 

In  her  silent  house  ;  her  husband's  gone  ; 
The  heavy  cares  of  the  house  oppress 


Her  sad,  brave,  heart ;  and  at  her  knee 
Gather  the  bairns,  in  much  distress, 
Hung'ring,  at  least  for  a  loving  caress  : — 
For  husband  and  father  have  gone,  you 

see, 
To  fight  far  off  for  their  dear  countree, 
And  they've  none  upon  earth  to  whom 

to  flee. 

But  you  and  me, 

4.    You  and  me,  and  God  above. 

Who  has  put  in  our  minds  the  thought 

of  love. 
And  love  means  to  open  the  door  of  the 

heart 
To    our   brethren   in   sorrow,    and   give 

them  a  part 
Of  all  that  we   have:    They've   given, 

you  see. 
Their  best,  as  a  gift,  ungrudging  and  free, 
To   fight   to    the   death   for    their    own 

countree — 
Now  what  does  God  ask  from  you  and 

me? 


64 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Relative  Strength  of  Japan  and  Russia. 


^N  the  eve  of  the  outbreak 
of  the  -war,  there  -were  not 
a  fe-w  who  considered  it 
the  height  of  temerity  and 
folly  for  a  small  country 
like  Japati  to  attack  what 
is  in  geographical  area  the  largest 
Empire  of  the  world.  Even  now,  in 
the  37th  yeai^'of  Meiji,  when  the  resolve 
of  Japan  once  more  to  take  her  place 
among     the    civilized     nations    of  the 


Those  who  looked  below  the  surface 
have  known  better,  ,  They  have  dis- 
covered that  in  the  hidden  recesses  of 
the  Japanese  heart  there  lay  a  strong 
virility  of  character,  a  strength  of  will, 
and  a  clearness  of  aim,  combined  with 
a  readiness  to  sacrifice  self  to  the  at- 
tainment of  great  national  purposes, 
which  made  any  future,  however  great,^ 
a  possibility,  and  there  have  never  been 
wanting  prophets  who  have  predicted 

that  Japan 
would  by  leaps 
and  bounds 
raise  herself  to 
a  high  place 
among  the  na- 
tions.    ■ 

To  such 
persons,  the 
thought  of  a 
conflict  bet-vs.'een 
Japan  and  Rus- 
sia did  not 
seem  to  be  ab- 
surdly impos- 
sible. It  is  true 
that  mere  num- 
bers w^ere  a- 
gainst  Japan  in 
every  count,  so 
that  the  fore- 
casts of  a  mere 
world  is  at  least  fifty  years  old,  (and  statistician  would  go  against  her  under 
never  has  any  nation  showed  greater     all  circumstances. 


:>IMJi^^;^- 


A  View  near  Fujiyama, 
Japanese  Sacred  Mountain. 


determination  and  perseverance  in 
following  up  a  resolve  than  Japan  has 
in  this  instance)  there  are  yet  many 
in    Europe    'and    America    who    look 


*'  The  man  w^ho  judges  things  by 
weight,  bulk,  and  dollars  may  w^ell 
wonder  at  Japanese  temerity.  To 
Japan,  w^ith  her  147,000   square  miles, 


upon   her    as    a  country  w^here  child's  Korea,  with  82,000  square  miles,  bears 

play  reigns  supreme,  a  country  of  cherry  the  same  proportion  that  Mexico  bears 

blossoms,  chrysanthemums,  and  ^efsiia,  to    the    United    States.       To    Russia, 

where  life  passes  from  day  to  day  in  a  with      8,666,000      square      miles,      it 

round    of  simple    pleasures    and  fairly  naeans  less    than    Southern    California 

innocent  amusements.  to    the    United   States.        Considering 


THE  RELATIVE  STRENGTH  OF  JAPAN  AND  RUSSIA. 


65 


the  increase  in  Russia's  area  in 
the  last  hundred  years,  Manchuria, 
with  366,000  square  miles,  represents 
scarcely  five  years'  regular  work  at 
land-grabbing. 

Russia's  population  is  140,000,000; 
Japan's,  44,000,000.  In  Russia,  to 
the  square  mile  there  are  15  persons  ; 
in  Japan,  296.  Russia's  annual  expendi- 
ture is  roughly,  $1,000,000,000  Japan's 
$135,000,000.  Russia's  army  cost 
$150,000,000  a  year,  Japan's  $19,000,- 


nations  and  the  most  Oriental  of  Oc- 
cidental nations.  But  they  do  not  tell 
the  whole  story." 

Quite  true.  Mere  statistics  "  do 
not  tell  the  whole  story."  They  cer- 
tainly tell  a  part  of  it,  and  for  those 
who  delight  in  such  things  we  have 
appended,  in  a  tabulated  form,  a  com- 
parative view  of  the  fighting  powers 
of  the  two  countries  (see  Appendix.). 
J  Our  purpose,  however,  in  this  chapter 
is    to   attempt   to   show    that    Japan 


rl" 


— —  ■  u^ 


Yasukunt  Jtnja  (Patriots'  Shrine)  at  Tokyo. 


000.  On  a  peace  footing  the  Russian 
army  has  1,000,000  officers  and  men  ; 
the  Japanese,  175,000.  On  a  war  foot- 
ing, the  Russian,  4,600,000,  and  the 
Japanese,  675,000.  In  other  words, 
Russia  has  to-day  regularly  under  arms 
325,000  more  officers  and  men  than 
the  total  of  Japanese  regular  and 
reserves. 

These  are  amazing  figures.  They  add 
i:)icturesqueness  to  a  contest  of  strength 
between  the  most  Occidental  of  Oriental 


possessed  at  the  commencement  of  the 
war  certain  qualities,  and  virtues  w^hich 
put  her  on  a  level  with  her  antagonist 
in  spite  of  the  comparative  smallness 
of  her  material  resources  of  men  and 
money. 

Amongthefirstrequisitesof  a  nation 
that  is  destined  to  play  a  great  role 
in  the  world  is  a  feeling  of  patriotism. 
Patriotism,  it  may  be  said,  is  the 
religion  of  Japan.  The  spirits  whom 
Japan  worshipSj  whether  in  the  family 


66 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


or  in  the  state  are  its  own  ancestors, 
and  one  of  the  most  striking  ceremonies 
of  the  religions  life  of  the  country  is 
the  great  festival  of  the  Yasukvnijhy'a, 
with  its  homage  paid  to  the  manes  of 
the  soldiers  who  have  died  in  honour 
of  their  country.  In  this  worship,  and 
in  the  spirit  of  religious  patriotism 
which  it  evokes, — a  spirit  which  has 
been  zealously  fostered  by  the  teachers 
of  the  ancient  Bushido  or  "  Way  of 
the  knights, '  '—the  whole  nation  is 
united    as  a  man,   and  no 


her  borders  no  discontented  Poles  and 
Finns,  no  Nihilists,  no  Anarchists,  no 
Siberian  Exiles.  What  is  more  ;  Japan 
has  never  been,  like  Russia,  a  menace 
to  surrounding  nations.  She  ca:u 
devote  the  whole  of  her  energy  and 
strength  to  the  war  in  which  she  is 
now  engaged. 

The  subjoined  sentences  taken  from 
the  writings  of  men   who    have  made 


A  Japanese  Infantry  Company  on  the  March. 


Japanese  would  hesitate  in  choosing 
between  a  ^breach  of  patriotism  or 
death. 

The  result  of  this  feeling  of  religious 
patriotism  has  been  that  while  the 
military  authorities  could  count  with 
certainly  on  the  bravery  and  devotion 
of  the  armies  on  the  field  of  battle, 
the  central  Government  could  lay  aside 
all  care  as  to  any  disaffection  or 
disloyalty  at  home.  The  nation 
■  is  as  a  unit,  and  ■  here  the  Japanese 
Government  has  a  great  advantage 
over    the  Russian.     Japan   has  within 


Japan  the  object  of  observation  and 
study,  are  by  no  means  exaggerated. 
Henry  Norman  says  : 

*'As  rapidly  as  Germany  when  Yon 
Moltke  telegraphed  'Krieg  mobil',  the 
army  was  ready.  Force  after  force 
was  despatched  with  a  secrecy,  a 
simplicity,  a  celerity,  and  a  com- 
pleteness which  few  European  nations 
could  equal  ;  the  reserves  came  to  the 
colors  with  mechanical  precision,  and 
this  time  literally  not  a  gaiter  button, 
in  Marshal  Leboeufs  famous  phrase, 
w^as     lacking    from    their     equipment. 


THE  RELATIVE  STRENGTH  OF  JAPAN  AND  RUSSIA. 


G7 


The  Jap  has  good  marching  legs  and 
makes  the  most  of  them.  Light,  well- 
knit,  active,  he  gets  over  the  ground 
at  amazing  pace.  Moreover,  he  starts. 
When  the  allies  were  marching  to  the 
relief  of  the  Legations,  it  was  always 
the  Japanese  who  got  tip  early  in  the 
morning  and  w^ere  well  under  way 
before  the  British  had  opened  an  eye. 
As  the  Jap  marches  so  he  fights. 
Says  George  Lynch,  who  watched  him 
with  the  allies  in  China  :  "  It  is  simply 
"wonderful    how     quickly     they    move. 


their  zeal.  When  Japan  is  threatened 
a  great  wave  of  emotion  sweeps  over 
the  land.  It  reaches  the  veriest  back- 
waters of  national  life  War  songs  are 
sung  on  the  streets.  Even  the  poor 
subscribe  to  the  war  fund.  Little  chil- 
dren send  gifts  to  the  troops.  So 
keen  is  the  anxiety  to  serve  that  those 
who  are  refused  enlistment  not  infre- 
quently kill  themselves.  Hearn  vouches 
for  a  dozen  instances  during  the 
Chinese  war,  in  which  officers  or  com- 
mon soldiers,  incapacitated  by  illness, 


ToKiwA  Gakko, 
One  of  the  Public  Primary  Schools  in  Tokyo. 


They  seem  to  do  everything  at  the 
double."  It  is  the  speed  not  of  nerv- 
ousness, but  of  downright  eagerness. 
They  fight  for  fighting's  sake.  When 
they  charge  they  break  into  a  brisk, 
impatient  trot,  chanting  in  steptime, 
"  Itchi-nih,  itchi-nih,"  ''  one-two,  one- 
two,"  to  balance  them  for  the  final  run, 
which  they  deliver,  shouting  with  a 
great,  glad  alacrity.  Never  were  such 
hilarious  fighters.  Says  Lynch  :  ''  My 
goodness,  how  they  did  enjoy  it!" 
Patriotism,  not  ferocity,  is  back  of 


or  detailed  to  home  dvitj,  declined  to 
support  so  wretched  an  existence,  and 
promptly  made  away  with  themselves. 
A  lieutenant  who  dared  not  leave  his 
little  daughter  at  home  alone  quietly 
stabbed  that  child  and  went  to  the 
front." 

Another  element  of  success  which 
Japan  has  in  her  favour  is  the  intel- 
ligence of  her  men.  No  country  in  the 
world  possesses  a  system  of  education 
as  complete  as  that  of  Japan.  Japan 
has  every  reason  to  boast  of  her  magni- 


*^ 


68 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ficent  chain  of  schools  from  the  lowest 
elementary  village  school,  to  the 
Universities  which  are  already  be- 
ginning to  distinguish  themselves  by 
the  solid  work  which  is  being  done  by 
their  graduates.  All  of  them  are  good, 
all  are  up-to-date,  and  what  is  more, 
all  of  them  are  improving  from  day  to 
day.  The  system  has  already  borne 
good  fruit. 

"  Though  Japan  has  only  one-third 
the  population  of  her  rival,  she  pub- 
lishes as  many  books  every  year;  and, 
despite  the  concentration  of  her  popu- 
lation, which  permits  of  the  wide 
circulation  of  her  city  dailies,  she  pub- 


.i^J^-i 


A  Japanese  ToRPFDo-BoAT. 

lishes  as  n:ianY  newspapers.  The 
percentage  of  her  people  who  can  read 
and  write  is  about  equal  to  that  of  the 
New  England  States.  In  schools  and 
colleges  she  has  5,000,000  pupils  and 
students,  or  one  in  every  nine  of  the 
population,  where  Russia  has  only  one 
in  every  thirty-five.  In  fact,  Japan,  with 
her  44,000,000  people,  probably  has 
more  subjects  w^ho  can  read  and  write 
than  Russia  with  her  140,000,000." 

The  intelhgcnce  of  the  Japanese 
soldier  and  sailor  makes  him  to  be, 
individually,  vastly  superior  to  his 
Russian  foeman.  While  the  Russian 
private  can  very  seldom  read  or  write, 
and  obeys  orders  mechanically  without 


understanding  them,  the  Japanese  as 
a  rule  not  only  knows  what  he  lias 
to  do,  but  why  he  has  to  do  it, 
and  we  have  already  seen  in  the 
excellency  of  Japanese  gunnery  and 
the  intrepid  skill  which  Japanese 
seamen  have  shown,  in  handling  tor- 
pedo-boats and  destroyers,  that  their 
superior  education  and  intelligence  is 
of  great  value  to  them,  and  goes  far 
to  equalizing  the  otherwise  great 
disparity  between  the  two  nations. 

Nowhere  is  this  intelligence  with 
its  consequently  increased  efficiency  more 
clearly  seen  than  in  the  medical  services 
of  the  Army  and  Navy. 

"A  good  soldier 
^.  is   twice    as    valu- 

/~^-  able  if  he  has  good 

,      care,    and  this,   a- 
mong  other  things 
■'-.      military,    the  Jap- 
anese have  learned. 
Everything   which 
r^oes  to  make   for 
the  efficiency  of  the 
troops    is    scrupu- 
lously attended  to. 
The  rations  are  of 
the    simplest — rice, 
dried  fish,  soy,' and 
sometimes    meat — 
but  they     are    al- 
always  the  best   ot 
medical    corps    could 
give     points     to     Europe.        Japanese 
camps    are    singularly    free    from    con- 
tagious   disease,    and    the    army    phy- 
sicians    have    done    valuable     pioneer 
work  in  bacteriology.    As  for  the  hos- 
pitals, no  one  can  say  enough  in  their 
praise.     *'  I    came    upon    the   Japanese 
Field    Hospital    Corps,"    says    George 
Lynch,     "a  little  army  in  itself,  with 
the    most    beautifully    complete    equip- 
ment   I    have    ever    seen.      There    is 
nothing   to    compare    with    it   in    any 
other    army.    Light,  neat,   serviceable, 
there  was  not  an  inch  of  space  wasted, 
nor  an   ounce  of  unnecessary  w^eight" 


w^ays    ample    and 
their  kind.      The 


THE  RELATIVE  STRENGTH  OF  JAPAN  AND  RUSSIA. 


09 


The  army  surgeons  are  men  of  im- 
mense skill,  with  a  truly  Japanese 
delicacy  of  touch,  and  steadiness  of 
eye  and  nerve  and  hand.  Surgeon 
Major-General  Taylor,  of  the  British 
Royal  Medical  Corps,  is  responsible 
for  the  statement  that  during  the 
Chinese  War  not  a  life  was  lost  on  the 
Japanese  side  that  the  medical  service 
Could  have  saved. 

The  army  medical  staff  is  seconded 
by  the  Red  Cross  Society  of  Japan, 
which  sends  surgeons,  apotheca- 
ries, nurses,  clerks,  cooks,  and 
even  "  instrument  sharpeners  "  to 
the  seat  of  war,  while  it  esta- 
blishes hospitals  and  sanatoriums 
for  the  convalescent  at  home. 

As  for  administrative  detail, 
Japan  manages  that  with  the 
nicety  of  clockwork.  The  trans- 
port is  unbelievably  perfect.  Jap- 
anese camp  stuff  packs  into  one- 
third  less  space  than  the  outfit  of 
any  other  army,  and  it  always 
turns  up  on  time.  The  commis- 
sariat is  wonderfully  efficient. 
The  Intelligence  Department  has 
sown  the  whole  East  with  its 
spies.  Its  maps  are  miracles  of 
accuracy.  The  field  telegraph, 
though  its  poles  are  bamboo,  is 
every  bit  as  practical  as  if  manag- 
ed by  Europeans.  The  engineers 
and  sappers  do  their  work  in 
masterlyfashion.  Nothing  iswant- 
ing  to  make  the  Japanese  army 
a   powerful  fighting  machine." 

Other  observers  of  Japan  have 
observed,  in  the  superior  honesty  of 
Japanese  military  and  naval  admini- 
stration, and  in  the  greater  sobriety 
of  the  Japanese  soldier,  two  potent 
factors  in  the  equalizing  of  the  chances 
of  war  between  the  two  nations. 

"  To  the  world  at  large,"  says  one 
writer,  "  the  Russo-Japanese  War  will 
be  a  great  object  lesson  in  what 
might  be  called  utility  of  official  honesty 
as     opposed    to    official    graft.     In  the 


days  when  Hastings  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  British  power  in  India  ;  in 
Wellington's  and  Nelson's  time,  indeed, 
the  standard  of  honesty  was  much 
lower  than  it  is  to-day  in  the  British 
services.  Graft  in  the  Russian  army 
and  navy  is  a  matter  of  course.  When 
the  allies  were  in  Peking,  if  the  Russian 
general  bought  supplies  he  always  had 
20  per  cent  (which  went  to  himself) 
added  to  the  regular  bill." 


Japanese  ist  Class  Army  Surgeon  in 
War  Uniform. 

"The  consequence,"  says  another, 
''  of  the  corruption  so  prevalent  in  the 
Russian  service  is  a  deterioration  in  the 
executive  strength  of  the  administra- 
tion, especially  in  distant  parts  of  the 
Empire  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
comparative  failure  of  Russia  in  warlike 
operations  during  the  last  200  years — 
which  is  certainly  due  to  no  want  of 
courage  or  of  brain  power — may  be 
partly  attributable  to  the  looseness  in 


70 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


fiuaucial  matters  traditional  in  the 
Russian  services.  If  this  be  so  in  the 
past,  the  future  antagonism  of  Russia 
may  fairly  reckon  on  a  potent  ally  in 
the  lapse  of  Russian  officials  from  the 
paths  of  virtue. 


"In  addition  to  corruption  there  is 
the  national  failing  of  drunkenness. 
The  Russians  to-day  are  as  drunken 
as  the  English  were  100  years  ago. 

'*  In  a  naval  battle,  success  depends 
on  the  efficiency  of  a  chain  in  which  the 


"  Hundreds  of  cases  "will  assuredly  soundness  oi"  every  link  is  equally  ini- 
occur  on  the  outbreak  of  war  and  the  portant.  A  drunken  engineer  in  the 
mobilization  of  the  army  and  navy,  in  engine-room  of  a  Russian  battleship  or 
which  the  administration  -will  break  the  incompetence  of  a  petty  officer  in 
do-wn  solely  in  consequence  of  the  past  charge  of  a  turret  gun  may  change  the 
dishonesty  or  the  officials."  fortunes  of  a  fleet  action. 

"  Whatever  faults  are 
possessed  by  the  Japanese, 
few  people  have  ever  seen 
a  drunken  Jap.  The  pre- 
sent writer  has  witnessed 
forty  or  fifty  men  from  the 
Russian  royal  yacht  lying 
drunk  in  the  streets  oi 
Copenhagen.  Corruption 
and  inebriety  will  leave 
their    mark    on    the    out- 


break of  v^ar  with  the 
Japanese. 

"  There  is,  further,  the 
Oriental  tendency  to  delay. 
Russia  is  as  bad  as  Spain 
in     this     respect.  The 

bureaucratic  system  exists 
not  for  the  efficient  per- 
formance of  the  public 
service,  but  for  the  advan- 
tage of  the  official.  Rus- 
sia is  never  ready  except 
in  diplomacy. 

'*  When  Japan  cuts  the 
Siberian  raiKvay  and  Port 
Arthur  and  -  Vladivostok- 
are  "  Ladysmithed/'  the  defects  oi 
Russian  organization  will  be  revealed. 
Separated  from  their  base,  essential 
stores  will  be  lacking.  The  feeding  of 
even  50,000  troops  will  be  impossiulc, 
and  even  if  the  single  track  Siberian 
administration  will  certainly  never  railway  were  kept  open  it  would  be 
break  down  through  official  corruption,  impossible  to  supply  more  than  190,000 
But  there  are   other  points  in  Japan's     troops." 

favour,     w^hich     deserve     careful    con-  A  word  should  also  be  said  as  to 

sideration,  the  geographical  conditions  of  the  con- 


Japanese  Soldiers  at  Meal. 

No  nation  is  absolutely  free  from 
dishonesty,  and  there  have  probably 
been  cases  of"  graft  "  and  "squeezes" 
amongst  Japanese  officials ;  but  flagrant 
cases  have  been  few  and  far  between, 
and  the  Japanese  military  and    naval 


i  i^'^i' 


THE  RELATIVE  STRENGTH  OF  JAPAN  AND  RUSSIA. 


71 


tlict.  And  here,  again,  we  will  follow 
the  plan  which  w^e  adopted  at  the 
beginning  of  this  chapter,  of  letting 
the  past  speak  for  itself.  We  are  not 
wishing  to  give  our  own  views  so 
much  as  to  show  how,  before  the  war 
had  actually  broken  out,  the  situation 
appeared  in  the  eyes  of  observant  on- 
lookers. We  therefore  revert  again  to 
the  newspaper  clippings  which  we  have 
been   collecting  for  some    time    with  a 


distances,  at  the  same  time  requires 
that  those  great  distances  be  patrolled. 
With  the  sea  clear  of  the  enemy's 
ships,  transports  can  go  and  come, 
guarded  by  a  cruiser  or  by  only  their 
ow^n  rapid-fire  guns.  Port  Arthur  it- 
self is  less  than  three  days  by  steamer 
from  Japan.  Transports  can  bring 
their  supplies  from:  the  home  base  with- 
out interference,  while  one  stick  of 
dynamite    wovild  be  sufficient  to   blow 


View  of  Fort  Arthur. 


view  to   an   occasion  like  the  present, 
and  take  the  following  from  a  Canadian 
paper    dated    January    21.    1904,    and 
so     actually    before     the     outbreak    of; 
hostilities. 

"  The  old  idea  that  the  army  that 
must  cross  the  seas  to  fight  was  at  a 
disadvantage  might  be  entirely  explod- 
ed by  a  Japanese  campaign.  To  the 
student  of  military  transportation  the 
South  African  War  had  two  striking 
results.  The  first  was  the  rapidity 
with  which  Great  Britain,  though  two 
weeks  distant  by  sea,  was  able  to 
throw  her  troops  into  the  Transvaal. 
The  second  was  the  heavy  forces  re- 
quired to  defend  a  railroad  that  lay 
in  the  enemy's  copintry.  Three-fourths 
of  Kitchener'i  army  was  engaged  in 
keeping  the  lines  of  communication  in- 
tact, with  only  one-fourth  left  for 
fighting.  The  railroad,  which  seems  to 
make  transit  in  war  easy  over  great 


up  a  railroad  bridge,  which  might  not 
be  re^^aired  for  a  week. 

In  the  days  of  Napoleon  chitting  the 
line  of  communication  meant  captur- 
ing a  convoy  or  bringing  a  sufficient 
force  to  bear  to  prevent  the  fowarding 
of  supplies.  A  half-dozen  cavalrymen 
could  not  tear  up  the  very  highway 
by  which  the  wagons  traveled  as  they 
can  to-day.  The  forces  at  Port  Arthur 
must  draw  their  supplies  from  Russia 
if  the  Japanese  blockade  them  on  the 
sea.  ^A  first  premise  is  the  guarding 
of  the  1,800  miles  of  railroad  in  Man- 
churia itself.  China  has  30,000  well- 
trained  troops  under  Japanese  officers. 
These  already  lie  on  the  Russian  flank. 
Japan  can  supply  them,  or  whatever 
irregulars  may  serve  -with  them,  with 
skilful  leadership.  I'hey  are  enduring  ; 
they  can  march  rapidly  ;  that  can  live 
off  the  country. 

If    China     should   join  hands    with 


73 


THE  RUSSO-TAPi^JNESE  WAR. 


A  Railway  Station  in  Manchuria. 

Japan  it  means  that  not  less  than  msans,  moreover,  that  Japan  may  land 
75,000  Russian  troops  will  be  needed  in  friendly  territory  and  march  upon 
to     guard     the     railroad     alone ;      it     Port  Arthur  from  the  flank.    To  those 

who  have  observed  the 
mobility  and  the  spirit  of 
Japanese  columns  in  an 
actual  campaign,  the  ag- 
gressive unity  of  their  or- 
ganization in  contrast 
■with  the  phlegm  and  go- 
as-you-please-methods  of 
the  Russian,  the  placing 
of  Russia  on  the  defensive 
in  Manchuria  seems  easy  ; 
for  Japan  can  certainly 
land  500,000  men  ^  on 
the  Liao-tung  Peninsula 
before  Russia  can  bring 
half  as  many  from 
Moscow." 

And  then,  all  men  felt, 
would  come  the  turn  of 
the  Russian  to  show  w^hat 
stuff  he  was  made  of. 
Russia  has  alw^ays  known 
how  to  make  a  splendid 
and  stubborn  defence.  The 
memories  of  the  Crimean 
War  are  still  alive  in  Eu- 
rope, and  the  spirit  that 
animated  the  heroic  defen- 
ders of  Sebastopol  is  cer- 


RUSSIAN  NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 


THE  RELATIVE  STRENGTH  OF  JAPAN  AND  RUSSIA. 


73 


tainly  not  yet  dead,  and  when  the 
Russian  infantryman  conies  to  lying 
"behind  breastworks,  then  all  modern 
conditions  tell  in  his  favor.  One  man 
with  a  magazine  rifle  in  a  trench  is 
worth  at  least  six  outside.  If  the 
Russian  physique  is  too  ponderous  to 
seize  quickly  and  act  quickly  on  op-^ 
portunities  for  advance,  if  the  general 
is  not  inclined  to  charge  until  after  he 
has  had  his  tea,  the  same  quality  makes 
him  hold  doggedly  to  any  position  he 
has  once  occupied. 

What  comes  after  this,  is  the  con- 
cern of  another  chapter.  Our  present 
purpose  has  been  accomplished,  and  we 
have  given  our  readers  to  the  best  of 
our  ability  our  reasons  for  supposing 
that  apart  from  material  considerations 
the  tw^o  nations  were,  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  hostilities,  very  evenly  matched. 


Comparative  Strength  of  Japan 
and  Russia  before  the  out- 
break of  the  War. 

1.    Navy. 

JAPAN  RUSSIA 

Battleships  1st  Class  6  15 

„            2nd  Class     i  5 

Coast    Defence  Ships      2  13 

Armoured  Cruisers 8*  8 

Protected  Cruisers,  2nd  Class.  .      10  7 

„  <^         ,;         3rd  Class  .  .       8  5 

Unprotected  Cruisers  9  3 

Torpedo-vessels    i  9 

Toqjedo-boat  destroyers     17  50 

TorpedL -boats 67  162 


*  Including  the  JViss/nn  and  Kasui^a. 
f  Russia    had    besides    6    Battleships    and    2 
Submarines  Building. 


Building. 

Protected  Cruiser?,  2nd  Class .  2  sf 

„              „         3rd  Class.  .  I  2 

Tcrpe4o-boat  destroyers     2  6 

Torpedo-boats  18  7 

When  we  remember  that  Russia 
is  always  bound  to  keep  a  part  of  its 
fleet  in  European  waters,  while  its 
Black  Sea  fleet  is  unable  to  pass  through 
the  Dardanelles,  it  will  be  easily  seen 
that  in  actual  Naval  Strength  in  the 
Far  East  the  two  countries  were  very 
evenly  balanced.  Japan's  proximity  to 
her  Naval  base  gave  her  further  ad- 
vantage over  her  rival. 

2.  Army. 

Japan.  Grand  Total  (including 
Reserves  and  Landwehr),  686  Batta- 
lions, 26  companies,  99  squadrons, 
1116  guns,  11,735  officers,  348,109, 
men,  and  84,460  horses. 

Russia.  Officers,  56,500,  men, 
2,855,000,  Territorial  Reserves 
(Landwehr),  about  2,700,000. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  transport 
anything  like  this  number  of  troops 
to  Eastern  Siberia,  or  to  feed  them 
there,  even  supposing  Russia  to 
have  the  complete  command  of  the 
sea.  It  was  believed  that  in  December 
.  1903,  the  Viceroy  at  Port  Arthur 
had  under  his  immediate  orders  a 
force  of  64  battalion  of  rifles,  and  16 
of  infantry,  making  80  battalion  in 
all.  The  Reserve  troops  and  Man- 
churian  guards  are  said  to  have 
numbered  28,000  at  the  end  of  1903- 

3.  Revenue. 

JAPAN  RUSSIA 

Revenue.               £28,243,300  213,1,6,000. 

Expenditure.          28,175,350  197,838,000. 

Foreign  Debt.       .56,350,C9Q  -r  690,107,000. 

Population.             44,805,937  130,000,000. 


-vA/^— Vj^ 


m 


^^■f(C 


74 


THE  Rl|SSO-JAPA^ESE  WAR. 


Outbreak  of  the  War. 


iHE  insolent  provocation  and  even  the  existence  of  Japan.  Rus- 
with  which  Russia  de-  sian  diplomacy,  peaceful  in  appearance, 
ferred  giving  an  answer  aimed  at  nothing  but  aggression.  To 
to  the  simplest  questions  seize  and  to  take  possession,  to  establish 
pu,t  to  her  by  Japan,  and  herself  in  a  position  of  supremacy 
the      constant     additions     wherever   her   hands  "could  reach,  and 

which  she  made  to  her   military    and     whenever     opportunity     allowed—this 

seemed  to  be  the  ceaseless 
struggle  and  ambition  <. . 
the  great  northern  Power. 
For  Japan,  her  own 
w^elfare  w^as  bound  u|7 
with  the  preservation  o^ 
peace  throughout  the  Far 
East,  and  this  could  only 
be  secured  so  long  as  the 
independence  and  integrity 
of  China  and  Japan  could 
be  maintained.  She  there- 
fore continued  her  long, 
protracted  negotiations 
with  Russia,  with  the 
utmost  patience  and  for- 
bearance, and  it  was  not 
until  she  was  compelled 
to  do  so  by  the  con- 
temptuous attitude  c. 
Russia  that  she  at  last 
resolved  to  break  her 
amicable  relations  with 
that  country,  and  resort 
to  those  other  measures 
for  protecting  her  own 
interests  which  she  had 
referred  to  in  unmistake- 

''  Vice-admiral  Baron  Yamamoto,  ^^^^    terms    in    her     last 

Japanese  Minister  of  Marine.  message    to  the'  Court  of 

St.  Petersburg. 

naval  forces  in  Manchuria,  Korea  and  

Eastern    waters,     served    to    convince 

Japan  that  Russia  had  no   desire  for  a  The  First  Movements. 

solution    by    peaceful    methods    of  the  On     February    6th,    the    Japanese 

important    questions    which    w^ere    of    United    Squadron    under    the    general 

such  vital  interest  to  the  future  welfare,     command    of    Vice-Admiral    Togo    left 


The  \arv'ag  set  on  fire  bjiier  owncveyv  to  prevt^ai  captLU^e  a1  r'hMaiJpo. 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


75 


Saseho,  one  of  the  Naval  Stations  in 
Kiushu.  On  arriving  in  Korean  waters, 
the  Squadron  sighted  in  the  far  distance 
a  merchant  vessel  ^vhich  was  soon 
chased  and  captured.  The  prize  turned 
out  to  be  the  Russian  steamer  Rossia 
and  her  name  was  hailed  by  the  men 
in  the  Squadron  as  an  omen  of  success 
in  ihj  war,  and  the  shout     "Russia  is 


for     Port    Arthur    and    the 
Chemulpo. 


other    for 


The  Engagement  at  Chemulpo. 

It  was  about  5  p.m.  on  the  8th  of 
February  that  the  Detached  Squadron 
under  the  command  of  Rear-Admiral 
Ur\t    arrived    off    Chem  ilpo    escorting 


"ly 


tip*'  *■ 


-I 


Departure  of  the  Japanese  UNrrEo  Squadron  from  Saseho. 


taken,'*     "  Russia    is    captured  "    was 
heard  on  all  sides. 

On  the  7th,  the    Squadron    arrived 

at  a  certain  place  and  ascertained  that 

the  majority    of  the  Russian  fleet  were 

outside    the    harbour  at  Port  Arthur, 

and     t  he     Varyag-    and     Korcc  tz      at 

Chemulpo.    A    detachment    was    made 

and,      commanded     by     Rear-Admiral 

Uriu,   proceeded  for  Chemulpo  in  order 

to     cover  the  landing   of  the  Japanese 

troops  at  that  port.      Before  parting, 

the    Commander-in-Chief  signalled    his 

congratulations  and    good  wishes,    to 

which  Rear-Admiral   Uriu  returned   his 

thanks,  and  then,  amid   the  enlivening 

strains  of  bands,   they    separated,    one 


Japanese  transports.  Shortly  after  their 
arrival,  the  Chiyoda  came  out  to  meet 
the  Squadron  and  reported  the  feasibili- 
ty of  landing  the  troops  at  that  port 
in  spite  of^  the  presence  of  the  two 
Russian  warships.  Thereupon,  the 
Squadron  approached  the  entrance, 
at  which  the  Russian  gunboat  Korcctz 
came  out  and  fired  on  the  Japanese 
torpedo  flotilla  which  in  turn  shot  two 
torpedoes  against  the  assailant  but 
missed  the  mark. 

The  next  moment,  the  Russian  ship 
put  back  apparently  in  great  alarm. 
She  was  instantly  followed  by  the 
torpedo-boats  which  took  up  positions 
all  round  the  two  Russian  ships  in  such 


76 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


a  way  as  to  be  able  to  blow  them  tip 
at  a  moment's  signal.  At  8  p.m.,  all 
the  transports  began  to  land  their 
troops.  There  was  no  molestation  from 
the  Russians,  and  the  task  was  success- 
fully accomplished  by  the  appointed 
time.    There  were  in  the  harbour  at  the 


Squadron  requesting  him  to  withdraw 
from  the  harbour  by  1  p.m.,  and  at 
the  same  time  signalled  to  the  foreign 
warships  in  the  harbour  to  change 
their  moorings*  Rear-Admiral  Uriu  also 
took  steps  to  issue  a  circular  among 
the     foreign     C onsuls     in    that    port 


The  Japanese  1st  Class  Cruiser  Asama, 


time,  the  British  cruiser  Talbot^  the  U. 
S.  cruiser  Vdckshurg,  the  French  cruiser 
Pascal,  the  Italian  cruiser  Elbaj  -with 
the  two  Russian  vessels  already  men- 
tioned. On  the  morning  of  the  9th, 
Reai--Admiral  Uriu  sent  an  official  note 
to    the    Commander    of   the    Russian 


through  the  Japanese  Consul,  informing 
them  that  a  naval  fight  would  take 
place  in  and  about  the  harbour  after  4 
p.m.  the  same  day.  At  about  noon, 
the  Russian  warships  came  out  of  the 
harbour  and  were  soon  encountered 
by  the  Japanese  Squadron.  ^ 


The  AVAR'S- AG,  TvussTAN  Cruiser  de-troyed  by  the  Japanese  Squadron 

AND    SUNK    OFF   ChEML'LPO. 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


77 


A  fierce  engagement  ensued  for  about 
35  minutes.  A  shot  from  the  Japanese 
ships  carried  away  the  mast  and  de- 
stroyed the  forebridge  of  the  Varyag, 
causing  much  injury  and  many  casual- 
ties. The  Koreetz,  which  had  been 
badly  injured,  blow  up,  and  the  Varyag 
finding  herself  outnumbered,  made  an 
attempt  to  escape  under  the  Yuen-tao 
Island,  where  she  was  set  on  fire  and 
burnt  till  next  morning.  It  is  supposed 
by  many    that  the  Koreetz  also  was 


on  the  Italian  warship.  Some  es- 
caped to  the  shore  where  they  were 
taken  prisoners.  Two  Russian  officers 
were  among  the  injured.  Captain  Behr 
of  the  cruiser  Varjrag^^  was  killed  by  a 
piece  of  a  shell  which  hit  one  of  her 
bridges.  The  wounded  Russian  officers 
and  crew,  78  in  all,  were  taken  to  the 
Branch  Office  of  the  Japanese  Red 
Cross  Society  at  Chemulpo  and  had 
been  cared  for.  But  on  account  of  the 
insufficient  number  of  nurses,  the  Japan- 


EXPLOSION  OF  THE   KOREETZ  AT  CHEMULPO. 


purposely  blown  up  to  prevent  her 
from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Jap- 
anese. This  was  also  the  fate  of  the 
transport  Sungari  which  was  carrying 
a  cargo  of  coal  and  other  contraband 
of  war  and  which  was  sunk  by  her 
own  crew.  The  Japanese  ships  sustained 
no  damage,  and  there  was  not  a  single 
casuality  of  any  kind.  The  Russian 
casualities  were  over  100.  2S  injured 
men  were  taken  on  board  the  French 
crtdser  Pascal  and  about  30  on  the 
British  warship   Talbot^    and  the  rest 


ese  physicians  and  women  at  the 
Korean  port  volunteered  their  services 
and  their  best  on  behalf  of  the  wounded. 
The  French  Minister  at  Seoul  proposed 
to  take  the  survivors  of  the  ill-fated 
Russian  men-of-war  and  transport 
Sungari  to  Chefoo  on  parole,  to  which 
the  Japanese  Government  consented  on 
the  following  conditions  :  1st,  the 
survivors  should  be  sent  to  Shanghai : 
2ndly,  Russia  should  engage  not  to 
let  them  come  north  of  Shanghai  until 
the  end  of  the  War. 


78 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Engagement  at 
Port  Arthur. 

The  Unijed  Squadron  tinder  the 
Goinmand  of  Yice-Admiral  Togo  spent 
the  night  of  the  7th  in  reconnoitring. 
The  sea  ran  high,  but  by  dawn  on  the 
8th  it  tiirned  quite  fine  and  calm.  The 
Squa  dron  proceeded  some  distance 
toward  Port  Arthur  and  at  a  certain 
point 'left  the  destroyers.  Before  the 
separation  the  Commander-in-Chief 
signalled  "  Blow  up  the  enemy's  squa- 
dron !     I  wish  you  success  I  "  to  which 


enemy  from  a  distance,  cruised  slpwly 
round  under  the  cover  of  darkness,,, 
until  they  were  near  to  the  Russians, 
the  torpedo-bo^ts  meanwhile  follow^ing 
slowly  and  cautiousaly  in  their  wake. 
WHcn  they  came  so  near  to  the  Russian 
ships  that  the  latter's  lights  through  the 
port  holes  gave  a  distinct  idea  of  size 
and  form,  and  that  the  Russians  could 
be  seen  preparing  their  guns,  the  Japan- 
ese gunners  commenced  a  rapid  and 
deadly  fire  upon  the  enemy,  which 
threw  the  Russians  into  a  violent  con- 
fusion.      The    enemy,     however,     soon 


The  Japanese  ist  Class  Batti.eshtp,  Mikasa. 


the  destroyers  gave  suitable  replies  and 
departed  with  cheers.  The  detachment 
of  the  flotilla  that  went  to  Talienwari 
found  no  Russian  vessels  in  that  neigh- 
borhood and  returned  at  once  to  the 
rendezvous,  but  those  sent  to  Port 
Arthur  found  the  enemy  lying  outside 
the  harbour  as  they  had  been  led  to 
exf  e:t.  They  also  saw  two  scout  boats 
steaming"  toward  the  east  and  then  ttir- 
ning  back.  It  was  a  dark  ni^ht.and  the 
destroyers,  instead  of  opening  fire  on  the 


recovered  from  the  shock"  and  a  hot 
cannonade  continued  for  some  time, 
Meanw^hile  under  the  shower  of  shot 
and  shell,  some  torpedo-boats  made  a 
swift  movement  forward  towards  the 
entrance  of  "the  harbour  and  there 
waited  for  a  favorable  chance  of  attack- 
ing the  enemy  with  torpedoes.  The 
chance  was  not  long  in  coming.  The 
Russians  were  apprehensive  that  the 
enemy  might  take  advantage  of  the 
darkness  to  torpedoe  their  battleships 


Rear-Admiral  Uryxt, 

WHO  CONDUCDED  THE  NAVAL  BATTLB 

AT  Chemulpo. 


OUTBREAK  ,0F  THE  WAR. 


79 


Vice-Admtral  Stark, 

Ex-Commander-in-Chief  of  TirE  Russian 

Squadron  in  the  Far-East. 


and  deeming  discretion  to  be  undei" 
such  circtinistances  the  better  part  of 
valor,  the  Cezarevitch  and  Retvizan 
veered  round  and  made  for  the  entrance 
of     the    harbour.  _^^_^___ 


their  torpedoes,  nearly  all 
of  which  had  some  effect 
upon  the  enemy. 

The  Russian  torpedo- 
boats  and  destroyers  took 
no  part  in  this  engagement 
but  remained  inside  the 
harbour.  The  forts  fired 
many  shots,  but  none  of 
them  took  effect.  The  Jap- 
anese flotilla  sustained  no 
loss  or  injury.  The  two 
injured  battleships  blocked 
the  entrance  to  the  harbour 
and  the  rest  of  the  Russian 
warships  were  obliged  to 
remain  outside  all  night. 

In  the  meanwhile  the 
Japanese  Squadron  had^ 
been  on  the  qui  vive  all 
night  for  news  from  the 
flotilla  at  Poft  Arthur,  and 
at  dawn  on  the  following 
day  a  detachment  was 
despatched  to  Port  Arthur 
to  reconnoitre.  On  the 
way,  the  Chitose  met  the 
steamer  Fucho^v  carrying 
the  Japanese  residents  from  Port  Arthur 
to  Chefoo,  and  learned  from  her  that 
at  least  tw^o  Russian  warships  had  been 
disabled,  whereupon  Vice-Admiral  Togo 


In  a  moment,  the 
Japanese  dis- 
charged their  tor- 
pedoes with  dead- 
ly effect,  and  the 
two  battleships 
sunk  in  shalloAV 
w^ater  near  the 
entrance  to  the 
harbour.  The 
armoured  cruiser 
Pallada  was  also 
attacked  and  dis- 
abled. The  other 
tor  pedo-boats 
then  advanced  and 
quickly  discharged 


•.-';.".;„«>£*• 


The  Japanese;  ist  Class  Batileshif,  IJatsl'SE. 


80 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


■■r*^m^,m.,  ■..AM 


The  Japanese  ToRr-EDO-BoAT-DESTROVER,  Shiranui. 


at    once    decided    to    make    a   general  news  -was  brought  that  the  enemy  were 

attack  upon  the  enemy  with  the  whole  in  sight.    Just    a,   few    minutes    more, 

of  his  Squadron.  enough  for  a  loyal  toast  in  champagne 

By   11.    a.    m.    everything   was    in  for  Emperor  and  country,  and  then  the 

readiness,     and    tiffin    had    just     been  Admiial's  Flagship    Mikasa  "  found  " 

served  in    the    Admiral's    cabin    when  the   enemy    at    a    distance    of    10,000 

metres.       A 


PORT    ARTHUR 


CHANC 
village 


y 1  go  reus 
c  a  n  n  o  nad- 
i  n  g  now 
commenced, 
the  Rus- 
sians firing 
from  ships 
and  forts, 
to  which  the 
Japan  e  s  e 
answered 
w^ith  their 
starboard 
guns,  until 
a  f  e  w 

m  i  n  u  t  e  :j 
after         12 
when    colu- 
mns        o  t 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


81 


thick  black 
smoke  from  some 
of  the  Russian 
vessels  showed 
that  they  were 
on  fire.  The 
Russians  now  re- 
tired in  con- 
fusion, and  the 
.  Japanese  ceased 
firing  at  1  p.  m. 
and  drew  off  into 
Korean  waters. 

Every      shot 
from    the    12-in. 


The  Russian  Armoured  Cbuisee,  Bayan. 


guns  of  the  Mikasa  told  in  this  engage-  plates  on  their  hulls.  The  Japanese 
ment  ;  most  of  the  Russian  shots  on  gunnery  was  excellent  ;  every  shot 
the  contrary  fell  short  of  the  mark,  the  told,  and  the  gunners  and  seamen 
shots  from  the  forts  causing  some  loss  stood  by  and  clapped  their  hands  with 
of  life  on  the  Japanese  vessels,  though  delight  as  they  saw  their  shots  take 
not  heavy  enough  to  pierce  the  armour     effect.      It  was  observed  with  pleasure 

that     His      Imperial     Highness 

Lieut. -Commander  Prince  Yama- 

shina  personally  directed  one  of 

the     12-in.   guns   on  board    the 

Mikasa,  and  that  each  shot  hit 

its  mark.     The  Asahi,  Yashima, 

and  Azuma  were  not  hit  at  all. 

The    casualties    were  very  few. 

Lieut.    Matsumura    on  the  Mi- 

kasa     was    severely    wounded  ; 

Chief  Gunner  Yamanaka  on  the 

Fujiy  and  Midshipman  Kajimura 

on  the  Hatsuse  were  killed.     As 

an  illustration  of  the  temper  of 

the  men,   we  may  instance  the 

sailor    whose    right    hand    was 

shot  off.    He  at  once  picked  up 

the  severed  member  with  his  left 

hand,   and  walked    off    with  it 

to  see  the  doctor.    Midshipman 

Kajimura  also,  though  terribly 

mutilated  by  a  shot  which  had 

cut    him    almost    in    two,   with 

the  utmost  sangfroid  requested 

the  bystanders  kindly   to    pick 

up  the  fragment  of  his  person 

which  lay  scattered  about   the 

deck  where  he  was  wounded. 


Kear- Admiral  NasiiiwA. 


82 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Damage  done  to  tlio 
Eussian  Fleet. 

Admiral  AlcxicfiPs  report  to 
his  Government   of  the    results 
of  the  above   fighting  was  to 
the    effect  that    four  ships,  viz, 
the    Polta  ra ,     Diana ,    A  skolj\ 
and  Novik  were  damaged  below 
the    water-line.      The  Retvha:i 
received  serious  injuries  in   her 
bow    and    in    trying    to    enter 
the    harbour    ran    aground    at 
Tiger's    Tail.      The  Cezarevitch 
and  Pallada  were  also  serious- 
ly   injured    and    rendered    hors 
de  combat.     All  the  above  in- 
juries vsrere  received  during  the 
night    attack    of    the    torpedo- 
boats  and  destroyers.     During 
the    engagement  on  the  follow- 
ing day,   the   Russian  flagship, 
Petropaulovsk    received    exten- 
sive injuries  near  her  port-bow, 
while    the    Askold,    which    had 
already  been  injured  the  night 
before,    was    pierced  by  a  shell 
just  aft  of  her  funnels,  and  bv 
another '  in    her     engine-room, 
whilst  a  third  carried  away  one 
of  her  fighting  tops.    The  cruiser  Diar.a 
was  so  badly  mauled  during   the   fight 


'liiK  KusiiAN  l^T  Class  Battle  Ship,  Cezarevitch. 


Kear-Admiral  Dewa, 
commanding  a  japanese  si^vadron. 

that  half  her  hull    was    submerged,    a 
shot    having    entered    her    below    the 

water  line  near 
the  stern.  This 
report  was 
brought  by  the 
S.  S,  WenchoWy 
which  left  Port 
Arthur  on  the 
14th.  Her  Cap- 
tain reported 
that  the  fighting 
had  lasted  for 
about  four 
hours.  When 

fche  left,  three  of 
the  damaged 
warships  were 
at  the  Inner 
Berth,    the    rest 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


83 


of  the  Squadron,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Rctvisan,  being  in  the  western 
Harbour.  Two  torpedo-boats  had 
been  in  collision  and  both  had  sunk. 


I  he  Second  Attack  on  Port 

Ar!hur. 

On  the  13th  of  February,  in  a 
blinding  snowstorm,  with  heavy  winds 
and  seas,  the  Japanese  torpedo  flotilla 
once  more  proceeded  to  Port  Arthur. 
Unfortunately,  owing  to  darkness  and 
stress  of  weather,  the  flotilla  got 
separated,  but  two  of  the  boats,  the 
Hayatori    and     Asagirl     reached     the 


the  amount  of  the  damage  done,  "but," 
wrote  Admiral  Togo  in  his  report, 
"there  is  no  doubt  that  the  enmey 
were  thrown  into  a  panic."  Indeed, 
the  moral  effect  produced  by  such  a 
daring  feat  must  have  been  immense. 
According  to  later  advice,  the  vessels 
injured  were  the  Petropaulovsk  and 
the  Sebastopol,  both  of  which  were 
crippled. 


The  El 3 eking  of  Port  Arthur. 

The  next  undertaking  of  the  Jap- 
anese Squadron  was  an  attempt,  which 
was   however    not    very    successful,   to 


The  Russian  ist  Class  Battle  ■  Ship,' I\et  vis  an. 


entrance  of  the  harbour.  Early  on  the 
14th,  the  Asagiti,  under  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  forts  and  also  from  the  ships 
on  sentinel  duty,  approached  one  of  the 
Russian  vessels  that  was  lying  in  the 
harbour  getting  up  steam,  fired  one 
torpedo  at  her  and  another  at  one  of 
theguardships,  and  steamed  safely  back 
to  the  rendezvous.  At  .about  5  a.  m. 
the  JJayatorf  steamed  in,  and  finding 
two  warships  lying  near  the  entrance, 
discharged  a  torpedo  at  one  of  them, 
and  ^fter  ascertaining  that  it  had 
actually  exploded,  steamed  out  again. 
It  was  too  dark  for  the  crews  of  these 
two  plucky  vessels  to  ascertain  exactly 


.  block  up  the  entrance  to  the  harbour 
of  Port  Arthur.  The  attempt  w^as  or- 
iginally fixed  for  the  21st  of  February 
but  rough  weather  compelled  a  delav 
of  twenty-four  hours  in  the  execution 
of  the  project. 

By  the  first  and  second  attacks 
made  by  the  Japanese  Squadron,  the 
Russians  had  been  compUlcly  de- 
moralized and  their  warships  had  sus- 
tained considerable  damage  so  that 
they  now  remained  sheltered  inside  the 
harbour.  They  would  not  come  out, 
but  two  or  three  gunboats  were  seen 
steaming  here  and  there  about  the 
entrance  to  the  harbour.      Now  there 


84 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


appeared  to  be 

Japanese   and 

block  the  entrance  in 


a  fine  chance  for   the 

so   it    was  planned   to 

such  a  -way  as 

to   shut  in   all  the   Russian   warships 


-parting,  farewell  ceremonies  were  held 
on  board  those  warships  from  which 
these  brave  men  volunteered  their 
set  vice, 
inside  the  harbour  and  then  pour  shell  #  On  board  the  battleship  Asawa, 
over  theih  from  outside.  For  this  Captain  Yashiro  took  a  large  silver 
purpose,  ^ve  Japanese  transports,  Ten-  cup  presented  to  him  by  H.  I.  H,  the 
shinmaru    (2,943    tons),  Hqkokamaru     Crown  Prince,  and  filling  it  with  water 

;'  ^    V,   (it  being  an  old  Japanese 

custom  to  drink  water  on 
the  occasion  of  permanent 
parting  between  the  near- 
est relatives)  spoke  to  the 
volunteers  in  the  following 

words  ; 

.  "  In  sending  you  now 
oh  the  duty  of  blocking 
the  harbour  entrance  of 
Port  Arthur,    which  af- 
fords you  one  chance  out 
of  thousands  to    return 
alive,  I  feel  as  if  I  w^ere 
sending  my  beloved  sons. 
But  if  I  had  one  hundred 
sons,  I  would  send  them 
all   on  such    a  bold  ad- 
venture as  this,  and  had 
I  only  one  son  I  should 
wish    to    do    the    same 
with  him.      In   perform- 
ing   your   duty,    if  you 
happen  to  lose  your  left 
hand,    work    with  your 
right  J  if  you    lose  both 
hands,  work  with  both 
feet ;    if  you    lose    both 
feet,    work    with     your 
head,  and  faithfully  carry 
*         out  the  orders  of  your 
commander,    I  send  you 
to  th«   place   of   death, 
and   I    have   no    doubt 
that    you    are    quite    ready    to    die. 
However,   I  .do  not  mean  to  advise 
you  to  despise  your  life  nor  to  run 
needless  risks  iii   trying  to  establish: 
a  great  name.      What  I  ask  you   all 
is  to  ex;ecute  your  duty  regardless  of 
your  life.      The    cup  of  vvater  I  give 
you  now  is  not  meant  to  give  you 


Rear- Admiral  Misu, 

Who  conducted  a  Japanese  Squadron  at  the 

Naval  Battle  off  Port  Arthur. 


(2,766  tons),  Jinsenwara  (2,331  tons), 
Buyomaru  (1,163  tons),  and  Bushu- 
maru  (1,249  tons)  were  selected  to  be 
-sunk  at  the  entrance  by  explosion  from 
within.  On  the  19th,  these  five  vessels 
were  manned  by  77  volunteer  officers 
and  crew,  under  the  command  of  Com- 
jtnandcr  Arima  of  the  Mikasa.    Before 


:3 


O 


a 
a 

a 
a 

o 
t-l 

•  r-l 


U 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


85 


encouragement  but  to  constitute  you 
as  representatives    of  the  bravery  of 
the  Asama.    A  great  shame  it  would 
be  if  our  men  needed  Dutch  courage 
to   go    to   the   place  ,of    death!      I 
look  forward  to  a  joyous  day  when 
I   see   you  again  coming  back  with 
success.    Submit  your  life  to,  the  will 
of  Heaven  and  calmly  perform  your 
onerous    duty." 
On   the    22nd,  the   five 
vessels  moved  on,  led  by  a 
flotilla     of    destroyers    and 
arrived  outside  the  harbour 
of  Port  Arthur  on  the  24th, 
at  2  a.m.    The  scouting  by 
the    destroyers     found     no 
Russian    vsrarships    outside 
except  one  with  two  masts 
w^hich  was  at  once  attack- 
ed, but  fled  away  without 
much  damage. 

At  2,30, a.m.,  the  vessels 
rushed     forward      rapidly, 
under  a   hot    fire  from   the 
enemy's      guns      and      the 
flashes     of    strong    search- 
lights     directed       towards 
them  from  four  points.    The 
first  of  them,   the  Tenshin- 
maru^  an  old  vessel  belong- 
ing   to    the    Nippon    Yusen 
Kaisha,  got  a  little  out  of 
its  course  in  its  efforts  to 
avoid  the  search  lights,  and 
ran  aground  on  the  eastern 
shore     of     I^a  o-tieh  -  shan . 
The    next    in    the    line,  the 
Biiyomara   was  more    suc- 
cessful.   She  passed  wthin 
400  metres  of  the  Tenshin- 
marUj  a  little  more  toward 
the  open  sea,  and  was  there  blown  up 
by  her  crew.      Next,  the  Hokokumaru 
advanced  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
the  light  house  at  the    mouth    of   the 
harbour,   and  there,   turuing  her   bow 
in  a  N.  N.  W.   direction,  ran  aground,^ 
The   Jinsenmaru   was    sunk  some   2V2 
chains  S.E.  by  E.  of  the  Hokokumaru 


while  the  Bushumaru  got  stranded 
on  the  shore  of  Man-tou-shan.  The 
torpedo-boats  stood  by  during  the 
whole  of  this  operation,  and  in  spite 
of  the  heavy  fire  firom  the  enemy's 
guns,  succeeded  in  rescuing  the  crews 
of  the  sunken  vessels.  There  were  no 
casualties,  only  three  men  being  slightly 
wounded. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  the  Japau- 


Captain  Yashiro, 
Commander    of    the    Asama. 


ese  that  the  attempt  to  blockade  the 
harbour  of  Port  Arthur  was  not 
entirely  successful  ;  but  it  served  to 
se<:ure  the  naval  prestige  of  Japan,  as 
well  as  to  show  the  daring  recklessness 
of  her  sailors.  Hundreds  of  men  from  • 
every  ship  in  the  quadron  volunteered 
for  the  adventurous  task,  and  one  man. 


86 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


it  was  noticed,  wrote  his  application 
with  his  own  blood. 

About  10  a.  m.  the  s^me  morning, 
the  whole  of  the  Japanese  Squadron 
arrived  off  Port  Arthur  and  at  once 
began  -to  reconnoitre.    A  few  shots  were 


fire   upon    the  Japanese    ships,    which 
replied'  for   a    short  time,    when   the 
Russians  retired  tow^ards  the  harbour 
and   the   Japanese    ceased    firing.     No 
serious    damage    seems   to    have    been 
done  on  either  side ;  and  according  to 
an     official    report    from 
Vice-Admiral      Togo ,      it 
seemed     as     though     the 
Russians   w^ere   trying   to 
"  lure   the  Japanese   to  the 
'  vicinity    of   the    entrance 
where  they  would  be  ex- 
'  posed  to  danger  not  only 
'  from  the  "  cross   fire   from 
the  forts,    but   also    from 
'  the  submarine  miiies  which 
are  known  to  have    been 
laid  "  dowTi    in  that    area. 
It  should  be  "added    that 
during     this     engagement 
two     Russian   ^destroyers 
were    seen    coming     from 
the  south  of  Lao^tieh-shan 
towards  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour.       One    of    them 
escaped,   but  the  other,  a 
vessel   with   four   funnels, 
was    pursued    to    Pigeon 
Bay,  and  there  completely 
destroyed. 


Vice-Admiral  Kamimura. 

exchanged  with  the  Russian  cruiser 
Novik  which,  with  some  destroyers, 
was  seen  steering  toward  the  harbour 
from  the  direction  of  Lao-tieh-shan. 
Destroyers  were  also  sent  to  Pigeon 
Bay  and  Dalny.  They  did  not  however 
meet  with  any  hostile  ships  there.  The 
Russians  seemed  to  be  all  in  the  vicinity 
of  Port  Arthur  where  firing  went  on 
pretty  continuously. 

On  the  25th,  about  9  a.m.,  'the 
Bayatiy  Askold  and  Novik,  lying  outside 
the  harbour,   opened    a    long    distance 


The  Bombardment  of 
Vladivostok. 

A  Japanese  Squadron 
consisting  of  seven  w^ar- 
ships  under  the  command  of  Vice- 
Admiral  Kamimura  arrived  off  Askold 
Island  at  noon  on  the  6th  of  March. 
Askold  Island  lies  near  to  ^ the  entrance 
of  the  harbour  of  Vladivostok,  and 
the  Japanese,,  on  arriving  off,  the  island 
slackened'' their,  speed,;  and- proceeding 
slowly  and  cautiously  approached  the 
mainland,  in  the  vicinity- of  the  port, 
but  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  Rus- 
sian batteries^  ^It  was- an  intensely 
cold  day,  the  ther^rfjj^eters  on  board 
registered    31°    belov^^  freezing'  (Centi- 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


87 


VIjADIVOSTOR 


Statute  Mi  I 


PORT  VLADIVOSTOK 


batteries 
were  busily 
communi- 
cating with 
each ..  other 
by  means  of 
wi  r  e 1 e  s  s 
telegraphy. 
When  the 
Japanese 
found    that 


the 
siatis 
not 
pond, 


Rus- 

did 

res- 

they 


CBassii^ghhx 


grade),   the   waves   which   dashed  over 
the     decks     instantly    froze,     and    the 
whole  sea  for  a  distance  of  5,000  metres 
from  the  shore  was  a  solid  field  of  ice. 
The  distant  mountains   and  hills  w^ere 
white  w^ith   snow,   and  formed  a  back 
ground  against  which  the  dark-coloured 
lighthouse  on  Askold  Island  stood  out 
clear  and  distinct.     The  fleet  now   ap- 
proached as  near  to   the   forts   as   w^as 
possible,    the    leading    vessel    breaking 
the  ice,  and  the  others  followii^g  in  her 
wake,   until    they    found    their    further- 
progress  st.opped  by    the   Russian    bat- 
teries  on  either  side,    whereupon  .they 
changed  their  course    a    little,    steered 
towards    the    forts    which    they    knew 
from  previous  reconnoitring  to  be  the 
weakest,  and  then  fired. 

Their  fire,  however,  elicited  no 
response  fi-om  the.  enemy.  The  bat- 
teries fired  .  at  seemed  to  be  .mere 
earthworks,  unprovided  with'  guns,  and 
though  troops  were  seen  around  the 
batteries  in  the  inner  harbour,  these 
also  remained  silent,  possibly  because 
they  did  not  consideV  the  Japanese 
vessels  to  be  within  reach'  of -their 
guns.  The  Japanese  could  see,'  however, 
that    the    Russian    signal-towers    and 


ceased  firing 
and  with- 
drew about 
2.4-0  p.  m. 
No  sooner 
did  they  begin  to  do  so  than  a  Rus- 
sian vessel  of  the  Bo^atyr  type,  steamed 
out  of  the  harbour  to  watch  their 
movements,  follow^ed  by  forir  other 
ships  which  were  seen  from  the  rear 
vessel  of  the  Japanese.  Squadron. 

As   night   came    on,   the  Japanese 


Captain  Matsumoto, 
Commander  of  the  Yakumo. 


88 


THE  RUSSO7JAPANESE  WAR. 


feared  an  attaclc  from  torpedo  boats,  out  of  the  harbour  ;  and  at  length, 
and  accordingly  steamed  to  a  safe  dis-  the  Japanese,  concluding  that  they  had 
tance  where  they 


/ 


spent  the  night. 
The  next  morn- 
ing at  dawn , 
they  divided  the 
Squadron  into 
two  parts,  send- 
ing one  division 
to  America  Bay 
and  the  other  to 
make  a  rapid 
survey  of  several 
points  of  stra- 
tegic importance. 
The  two  divisions 
met  again  off 
Askold  Island  and 
made  another  de- 
monstration be- 
fore the  port,  but 

to  no  purpose.     The  forts  kept  silence,      succeeded  in    intimidating  the  enemy, 
and  the  Russian  ships  refused  to  come     steamed  away  along  the  Siberian  coast, 

watched  for  a  short  time  by  one 
of  the  Russian  cruisers  which  poked 
its  nose  out  of  the  harbour  as 
soon  as  the  Japanese  had  got  to  a 
safe  distance. 


The  Japanese  ist  Class  BaItleship,  Asahi. 


Lieut. -Commander  Matsunaga, 
Commander  of  the  Asashto. 


Another  Attack  on  Port 

Arthur. 

On  the  10th  March,  the  Japa- 
nese United  Squadron  under  Yice- 
Admiral  Togo  proceeded  again  to 
Port  Arthur  to  make  another  at- 
tack on  the  Russian  fleet  in  that 
port.  Tw^o  Japanese  flotillas  of 
destroyers  also  arrived  outside  the 
harbour  a  few  minutes  after  mid- 
night, reconnoitred  the  outer  port, 
and,  finding  no  enemy  there,  lay 
to  and  waited  for  the  day.  The 
second  flotilla,  however,  succeeded, 
in  spite  of  a  hot  fire  firom  the 
forts,  in  putting  down  a  few  mines 
in  vaiious  parts  of  the  harbour. 
At  4.30  a.  m.  the  first  flotilla  came 
across  six  Russian  destroyers  to  the 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


89 


■south  of  Lao-tieh-shan,    and   engaged 

them     in     an     almost    hand    to    hand 

•conflict   which    lasted    for    about     20 

minutes.       In  this  fight,  the    AsasMo, 

Kasumi,   and  Akatsuki  got  so  close  to 

the  Russians  that  the  sides  of  the  ships 

were     almost    touching    one    another, 

and  so  hot   was  the   fire    directed  by 

the  Japanese  on    four    of  the   Russian 

■destroyers,  that  the  engines    on    some 

of  them  were  injured,  fire  broke  out  in 

various  places,   and  the  agonized  cries 

of  wounded  and  injured  men  could    be 

heard.    The  injuries  sustained    by   the 

Russians 


sighted  by  the  other  flotilla,  for  only 
four  of  them  had  been  in  action  ;  but 
they  -were  not  destined  to  escape,  for 
the  Japanese  at  once  closed  with  them, 
and  after  a  hot  engagement,  which 
lasted  over  an  hour,  one  of  them  was 
disabled,  while  the  other  managed  to 
get  away.  The  Sazanami,  at  once 
took  the  disabled  Russian  (the  Steregu- 
stchi)  in  tow,  but  the  sea  being  rough 
and  the  Russian  leaking  badly,  the 
hawser  parted,  and  the  attempt  to 
carry  her  off  had  to  be  abandoned. 
The  survivors  of  the  crew   (there  were 


were  enor- 
mous, but 
they  manag- 
ed to  escape, 
w^hile  the 
Japanese 
had  by  no 
means  come 
off  scot-free. 
The  latter 
had  15  men 
wounded 
-and  killed, 
including 
Engineer  Mi- 
namizawa  ; 
on  the  other 
side,  the  los- 
ses must 
have  been 
far  more    severe. 


"-^■^^■y^^ 


The  Japanese  Torpedo-boat  Destroyer,  Akatsuki. 


Four    men    on  the  only  four  left)  were  therefore  taken   as 

Akatsuki   were    scalded    to    death    by  prisoners  on  board  the  Sazanami,   and 

the  steam  escaping  from  an  auxiliary  the    Stcregustchi,    with    the    Japanese 

boiler  pipe  which  had  been  injured   by  flag  flying,    went    down    about    10.15 

a  shot  from  the  enemy ;  but  fortanately  a.  m.     The  Russians  from  the  forts  saw 

none  of  our  sliips  was  so  badly  injured  her  go  down,  but  seeing  the  Japanese 

as  to  be  unfit  for  service.  flag    on  her,  concluded  that  it  was   a 

At    7    a.    m.,    the    second  flotilla,  Japanese  destroyer  that  had  sunk,  and 


which  had  by  this  time  finished  laying 
the  mines  in  the  outer  harbour,  was 
preparing  to  withdraw,  when  it  eaw 
two    Russian    destroyers    coming  from 


so  reported  the  matter.  In  this  action 
the  losses  of  the  Japanese  were  com- 
paratively slight  ;  two  men  were  killed 
and     four     wounded     on     board      the 


seaward,  and  making  for  the  inner  destroyers  Sazanami  and  Akchono;  a- 
'harbour.  These  two  must  have  formed  mong  the  wounded  was  Sub-Lieutenant 
j)lrt    of    the    six    Russian    destroyers     Shima.    In    the    hottest    part    of  the 


90 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


fight,  one  of  the  Japanese  seamen  led 
by  Sub-Lieutenant  Yamazaki  jumped 
on  to  the  Steregustchi's  deck  and  hoist- 
ed a  Japanese  flag.  After  the  ship 
was  captured,  the  scene  on  the  deck 
^vas  terrible  to  see,  the  Russian  corpses 
being  piled  up  here  and  there,  whilst 
the  hull,  was  pierced  by  Japanese  shot, 
and  looked  like  a  large  bee-hive. 


COMMANDER   TSUCHIYA, 
COMMANDING    A    FLOITILA    OF    DESTROYERS, 


While  this  engagement  -was  still 
going  on,  the  cruisers  Novik  and 
Boyarin  came  out  of  the  port  to  assist 
their  destroyers,  but  turned  tail  on 
seeing  that  the  Japanese  cruisers  were 
also  standing  by  to  help  their  own 
ships  in  case  of  need. 

Meanwhile  the  Japanese  Squadron 
had  arrived  off  Port  Arthur  about  8  a. 
m.,andhad  stood innearto  the  entrance 
of  the  harbour  in  order  to  protect  the 
destroyers.     They  had  then  turned  to- 


wards Lao-tieh-shan,  and  had   opened 
fire  on  the  harbour,   the  bombardment 
lasting  from  10  a.m.  to  1.40  p.m.   Some 
of  the  cruisers  which  were  sent  forward 
to    ascertain    the    amount   of   damage 
done    by    the    bombardment    reported 
that,   apparently,   the  shells  had  fallen 
exactly  in  the  right  places,  for  maga- 
zines had  been  exploded,  batteries  knock- 
ed   to     pieces,     and    buildings     and 
other  structures  demolished:  general- 
ly,   the  damage  had  been   immense. 
The  shore  batteries  fired  occasionally 
during  the  day,  but  without  doing 
any    mischief  to  the  Japanese. 

On  the  same  day,  some  of  the 
Japanese  ships  bombarded  and  des- 
troyed the  Russian  structures  on 
the  Island  of  San-shan-tao,  near 
the  entrance  of  the  harbour.  The 
Takasago  and  Chihaya  also  recon- 
noitred along  the  coast  to  the  west 
of  Port  Arthur.  They  did  not  find 
any  traces  of  the  enemy's  presence,, 
but  they  discovered  a  Russian  tor- 
pedo-destroyer which  had  escaped 
during  a  previous  action  and  gone 
ashore  near  Pigeon  Ba3^  She 
proved  to  be  the  Vnushitelni  and 
■was  now  lying  under  the  water 
with  only  her  masts  and  funnels 
.showing. 

The  Japanese  Squadron  discon- 
tinued the  bombardment  at  2  p.m^ 
and  w^ithdrev^r. 


The  Fifth  Attack  on  Port 
Arthur. 

With  regard  to  the  fifth  attack  on^ 
Port  Arthur  by  the  Japanese  Squadron^ 
the  following  ofiicial  report  from  Vice- 
Admiral  Togo,  Commander-in-Chief  or 
the  United  Squadron,  was  published  by 
the  Naval  Department  on  March 
24th  :— 

*'  The  United  Squadron  acting  as 
previously  planned,  two  flotillas  of  des- 
troyers proceeded  to  the  outside  roads- 


Naval  batjxe  off  Pokt  Akihuk. 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


91 


of  Port  Arthur  and  accomplished,  be-        SeCOnd  Attempt  to  Block  Port 

tween  the  night  of  the  21st  and   the 

dawn   of  the  22nd    inst.,    the  mission  Arthur. 

assigned   to    them.      Although    during  The   following    report    from    Vice- 

Ih.s    time    they   were  under   fire    from     Admiral  Togo,   Commander-in-Chief  of 

the    enemy,     no 

damage         was 

inflicted        on         ^ 

them.   The  main         i  i 

Squadron     with         '  "' 

cruisers    arrived- 

off  Port  Arthur 

at  8  a.m.  on  the 

22nd.  A  portion 

of  the  Squadron 

proceeded  to 

Pigeon  Bay,  and 

the  Fuji  and  I'a- 

shima        av  e  r  e 

ordered         to 

bombard         the 

inner      harbour. 

During  the  bombardment  the  enemy's     the  United    Squadron,    on    the    second 


The  Japanese  Tortedo  bo.vt  uestkoyeu  Sazanami. 


squadron  gradually  issued  from  the 
port,  and  at  about  2  p.m.,  orders  to 
cease  firing  were  given.  The  Russian 
fleet  numbered  ^yq^  battleships,  four 
cruisers,  and  10  destroyers.  The  enemy 
manoeuvred  under  cover   of  the  forts, 


attempt  to  block  Port  Arthur,  was 
published  by  the  Naval  authorities  on 
March  29th:— 

"The  United  Squadron,  sailing,  for 
Port  Arthur  on  March  26,  again  car- 
ried   out    the    plan     of    blocking     the 


apparently  with  the  intention  of  luring  enemy's  port,  at  3.30  the  following- 
our  fleet  within  range  of  the  batteries,  morning.  Four  transports,  used  for  the 
Failing  in   this,   the  enemy's   squadron      purpose,   under    cover  of  torpedo-boat 

and  torpedo-boat 
destroyer  flotillas , 
reached  the  outside 
of  the  entrance  to 
the  harbour,  and 
in  spite  of  the 
enemy's  search- 
lights,  had  ap- 
proached to  wthin 
two  miles  of  the 
entrance,  when  they 
■were  discovered  by 
the  enemy. .  The 
opened  fire,  many  of  their  shots  falling  land  batteries  on  both  sides  as  well 
near  the  Fuji,  but  cur  fleet  sustained  as  the  patrol  ships  immediately  opened 
no  damage.  By  3  o'clock  the  whole  a  hot  fire  upon  them.  In  spite  of  this, 
of  our  vessels  had  withdrawn."  our  transports  forced  their  way  one 
by      one    into     the      channel      at     the! 


The  Japanese  Torpedo-boat  Desteoyer  Siiinonome. 


92 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR.. 


mouth    of  the  harbour.      The   leading 
boat,  the  Chiyo  Mara,    anchored*  and 
blew     herself     tip     on     the     western 
side  of  Golden  Hill,    half  a  chain    off 
the  coast.     The  next,  the  Fukui  Mara, 
advanced  a  little  farther  past  the  port 
side  of  the  Chiyo,   and  was  about  to 
cast  anchor,  when  she  w^as  struck  by 
a  torpedo    launched  by   a  hostile  des- 
troyer.    The  mine  on  the  Pukui  Mara 
was  then    exploded  by    her  crew    and 
.she  sunk  on  the  spot.     She  was  follow- 
ed by  the     Yahiko    Mara,  which  was 
sunk  in  a  similar    manner  on    the  left 
of  the  Fukai  Maru.    The  last  of  the  ves- 
sels, the  Yoneyama  Mara,  proceeded  to 
her  allotted  position,   and  though    she 
collided  with  a  Russian  destroyer,  kept 
her    onward    course,     past    the    Chiyo 
Mara    and  the    Fakai   Maru,    already 
sunk,    to    the    middle    of  the    channel, 
where  she  anchored.    At  that  moment 
she  was  torpedoed  by  the  enemy,  the 
impact  turning  the  vessel  to  the  coast 
on    the  left,    and  she    sank  lengthwise 
across    the    channel    with     her    bows 
pointing    to    the    left.     The    calm    and 
intrepid  manner  with  which  the  block- 
aders  performed  their  task  leaves  noth- 
ing to  be  desired;  nay,  their  conduct 
is  more  than  praiseworthy.      The  only 
cause  for  regret,  however,  is  that  the 
passage  of  the  harbour  was  not  satis- 
factorily sealed,   a  gap  still  i-emaining 
between    the     Yahiko    Mara    and    the 
Yoneyama  Mara.    The  execution  of  the 
present  attempt  was   at  their  own  re- 
quest   entrusted    to    the    officers    and 
engineers  who    had  taken    part  in  the 
former  one,   but  the  pettj^   officers   and 
others  engaged  in    this  occasion  were 
not  those  who  formed  the  crews  in  the 
previous  attempt.    The  casualties  were: 
Commander    Tajceo  Hirose,    Petty   Of- 
ficer Magoshichi  Sugino,  and  another 
petty   officer  and  a  blue-jacket,   killed ; 
Sub-Lieut.  Hatsuzo  Shimada  seriously 
wounded,  and  Lieut.  Yoshita  Masaki, 
First  Class  Engineer  Tomitaro  Kvirita, 
and    six    men    slightly    wounded.    The 


rest    of  the    men   were  rescued  by  the 
destroyers  and  torpedo-boats. 

"The  manner  in  which  Commander 
Hirose  and  Petty  Officer  Sugino,  who 
were   on  board  the  Fukui  Maru,   met 
their  fate  was  very  heroic.    When  the 
vessel  was    about  to  cast  anchor,  the 
latter    proceeded    to    the    hold    to    fire 
the  mine,  when  the  vessel  was  torpedo- 
ed, and  it  is  presumed  that  the  gallant 
man  was  killed   on  the  spot.      In  the 
meantime   Commander   Hirose   ordered 
the  rest  of  his  mm  to  take  to  a  boat, 
but  noticing  the  absence  of  Petty   Of- 
ficer Sugino,   he  searched  for  him  three 
times,    but    was    finally    compelled    to 
leave    the    vessel,    which    v^as    rapidly 
sinking.     The   Commander  entered  the 
boat,     which    was    retiring    under    the 
enemy's    fire    when   a  shell    struck  the 
intrepid    officer    on    the    head    and  his 
body    was    swept    overboard,    leaving 
only  a  small  fragment   of  his  remains 
in    the    boat.     The    Commander,   who 
was  always  an  exemplary  officer,  has 
by  his  gallant  behaviour  now  left  be- 
hind   an    imperishable    example  to    all 
posterity. 

"With  regard  to  the  protection 
and  rescue  of  the  blocking  parties,  the 
torpedo-boat  flotillas  bore  the  brunt 
of  the  w^ork  and  carried  out  their  mis- 
sion, amid  the  enemy's  fire,  till  after 
dawn.  Special  praise  is  due  to  the 
Aotaka  and  Tsubarne,  which,  on  their 
arrival  at  a  point  about  one  mile  off 
the  harbour  mouth,  escorting  the  block- 
adcrs,  were  encountered  by  one  of  the 
Russian  destroyers  and  inflicted  so 
serious  a  damage  on  the  latter  that 
she  retired,  the  quantity  of  steam  is- 
suing from  her  showing  that  her 
engines  had  been  struck.  According 
to  the  observations  of  our  retiring 
boats,  a  Russian  warship  appeared  to 
be  lying  in  a  disabled  condition  at  the 
foot  of  Golden  Hill. 

"In  spite  of"  the  fact  that  our  two 
flotillas  were  under  the  enemy's  fire 
till   past   dawn,    no   damage  whatever 


OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR. 


_93 


"  ■■■■.jf:i^^S5>i.^,  -i^ 


rA    aw 


was  inflicted  upon  them.  With  regard  reports  that  the  four  steamers  sunk 
to  the  rescue  of  the  blocking  parties,  b}'  the  Japanese  fleet  in  the  attempt 
the  Tsubame  took  in  the  crews  of  the  to  bottle  up  the  harbour  of  Port 
Chiyo  Mara  and  Yahiko  Maru,  the  Arthur  on  the  27th  March  were  the 
Kasasagi  and  Kari  the  crew  of  the  Yoncyania  Mavu  (2,693  tons),  owned 
Yoneyama  MarUy  wl>o  had  retired  in  by  Messrs.  Itaya  &  Co.,  of  Uraga,  the 
three  boats,  and 
the  Kasumi  that 
of  the  Fukui 
Marur 

The  destroy- 
ers and  torpedo- 
boats  engaged  in 
this  affair  w^ere: 
destroyers,  the 
Shirakumo,  Ka- 
sumi ^  Asashiwo^ 
Akatsuki,  Ika- 
zvchij  Akebono, 
Oboroy  Inazuma, 
UsugumOy  Saza- 
namiy  and  Shino- 
nome;  torpedo- 
boats,  the  Kari,  Aotaka,  Hato,  Tsu-  Chiyo  Maru  (1,746  tons),  the  property 
hame,   Kasasagi^   and   Manazuru.  of  Mr.  Minesaburo  Imahiro,  the  Fukui 

Maru   (2,943  tons),  belonging  to   Mr, 

THE  STEAMERS  USED  FOR   BLOCKING        Gonuyemon    Ukon,     and    the     Yahiko 
PORT  ARTHUR.  MarUy  owned  by    Mr.  M.  Kikusaburo 

A  Saseho  dispatch  of  the  28th  inst.,      Oaki. 


"""'T.'^fin;' 


TlIR    jArANESE   TORIF.DO  POAT   DFSTR(tYF.R    AkE'IONO. 


AT  THE  WAK. 

Her  children  play  about  her  feet ; 

Their  childish  cries  sound  from  afar 
To  one  whose  ears  can  only  greet 

The  distant  echo  of  the  war. 

Her  little  girl,  his  "boya"  dear, 

Clings  to  her  dress  and  asks  in  vain 

For  "  papa,"  whom  that  listening  ear 
Still  follows  in  the  army's  train. 

Across  the  sea  she  follows  him, 

Takes  part  in  every  battle  fought, 

And  through  the  field,  with  eyes  strained  dim, 
Still  finds  him  whom  she  sought. 

She  follows  him  across  the  seas— 

With  joy  and  pain  her  soul's  replete— 
Kejoices  in  his  victories, 

And  shrinks,  foreboding,  from  defeat.    > 

Gaze  far  afield,  Oh  strange,  sweet  eyes  I 
Until  at  last,  by  love's  sad  art, 

Thou  fiudest  him  where  low  he  lies, 

A  bullet  through  his  dauntless  heart. 


94 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Fighting  on  Land. 


Collision  near  Pheng-yang. 


:N  Feb.  28th,  a  troop  of  a- 
hout  40  mounted  Cossacks 
■were  seen  near  Pheng-yang 
chasing  4  Japanese  scouts 
■who  "were  hastening  to- 
wards the  northern  gate  of  the  to^wn. 
The  Cossacks  approached  to  within 
700  metres  of  the  gate,  fired  a  few 
shots  and  then  retired. 


Japanese  Infantry  Lieutenant  in  War 
Uniform. 


Collision  near  Pak-chhon. 

Another  collision  bet^ween  Japanese 
and  Russian  scouts  took  place  near 
Pak-chhon,  55  miles  N.  of  Pheng-yang 


on  March  8.  The  Japanese  numbered 
4  men,  including  one  officer,  the  Rus- 
sians ■were  some  thirty  men  in  all.  At 
first  the  Russians  retired,  followed  up 
by  the  Japanese;  but  ■when  they  dis- 
covered the  small  number  of  their 
pursuers,  the  Russians  turned  round, 
and  forced  the  Japanese  to  retire. 
During  the  retreat,  one  of  the  troopers, 
K.  Tadokoro,  had  his  horse  shot  under 
him,  and  his  comrades,  much  against 
their  will ,  -were  compelled  to  leave 
him  to  his  fate.  When  last  seen,  he 
■was  fighting  desperately  with  the 
enemy,  evidently  with  the  object 
of  covering  the  retreat  of  his 
friends,  and  the  next  day  his 
headless  body  -was  brought  into 
the  Japanese  camp  by  some 
Koreans. 


The  First  Land  Engagement. 

Shortly  before  noon  on  March 
28,  a  body  of  Japanese  Infantry 
and  Cavalry  encountered  a  force 
of  some  700  Russians  near  the 
south  gate  of  Cheng-ju.  The  Rus- 
sians got  the  worst  of  it,  and 
retired,  leaving  Cheng-ju  to  the 
Japanese.  At  1.15  p.m.  on  the 
same  day,  a  Japanese  Infantry 
force  attacked  some  Russians 
about  two  miles  N.E.  of  Cheng-ju 
and  drove  them  back  in  the  direc- 
tion of  "Wiju.  The  Japanese  losses 
■were  Lieutenant  Kano,  one  N.  C. 
O.,  and  three  men  killed;  and  two 
officers  and  ten  men  wounded. 

From  papers  and  documents 
picked  up  by  our  cavalry  after 
the  engagement,  it  has  been  ascertained 
that  the  Russian  troops  engaged  be- 
longed to  the  1st  Chitinski  Regiment 
of  Trans-Baikal  Cossacks. 


FIGHTING  ON  LAND. 


95 


The  Sad  Fate  of  Major  Togo. 

A  gentleman  named  Watanabe, 
who  was  residing  at  Liao-yang  at  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  and  has  since 
returned  to  Japan,  has  given  us  the 
following  particulars  relative  to  Major 
Togo.  Mr.  Watanabe  called  at  the 
Japanese  Consulate  at  Wiju  on  Feb. 
14,   where  he  heard   of  the  victory  at 


ings  were  given  in  vain ,  he  turned 
round  himself  and  accompanied  Major 
Togo's  party.  Near  Mount  Paing-ma 
they  fell  in  with  some  Russians,  who 
were  about  to  fire  on  them ;  but 
the  Major  advanced  quietly,  told  them 
who  he  was,  asked  them  some  ques- 
tions about  the  topography  of  the 
country,  and  proceeded  to  Wiju  where 
he  was  allowed  to  remain  unmolested 


■:^:.i*J*j*.%* 


RUSSTAN    FOLDIF.RS    AND    MaNCHURTAN    NATIVES. 


Chemulpo,  and  was  told  that  a  tele- 
gram had  come  for  Major  Togo  to 
be  detained  at  Wiju.  About  3  miles 
further  on,  he  met  Major  Togo 
on  his  road  to  Wiju  with  two  gens- 
darnies  and  two  female  interpreters, 
and  v.arncd  him  of  the  dar.gcr  of  pro- 
cccdii't!  fnrtl:cr,  as  Wiju  was  bv  this 
time*  alreaclv  in  the  hands  of  the  Rus- 
sians.    Fi.siding  however  thnt  his  warn- 


for  three  days.  Here  Watanabe  ap- 
parently left  him,  and  on  the  17th  the 
house  in  which  Major  Togo  and  the 
rest  were  staying  was  surrounded  and 
the  whole  party  were  made  prisoners. 
It  is  rumoured  that  the  Major  com- 
mitted suicide  shortly  after  his  arrest, 
on  his  way  to  Moukden,  and  that  the 
others  were  executed. 


96 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


A  Russian  Squadron  fires  on  Defenseless 

Merchantmen- 


HE  ships  which  procured 
for  themselves  such  unen- 
viable notoriety  are  the 
Rossm{12,lS0tons)Grom- 
boi  (12,336  tons),  Rurik 
(10,925  tons)  and  Bogatyr  (65700 
tons).  These  four  vessels  form  the 
Russian  Squadron  at  Vladivostok,  and 
made  a  descent  upon  our  coast  shortly 
after  the  commencement  of  hostilities. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  about 
10  a.  m.  the  steamer  Nnkonoura 
Maru  with  2,000  bags  of  i-ice  and  four 
passengers  left  Sakata  for  Otaru,  being 
followed  some  three  hours  later  by  the 
Zensho Maru  vihich.  also  carried  rice  and 
17  passengers  and  was  likewise  bound 
for  Otaru.  The  next  morning  the  two 
vessels  were  in  sight  of  each  other, 
and  were  quietly  pursuing  their  way 
w^hen  they  sighted  the  four  war-ships 
about  11  a.  m.  The  weather  was 
thick  and  they  could  not  at  first  make 
out  what  ships  they  were,  but  half  an 
hour  later  they  had  got  so  near  that 
they  could  distinguish  the  flags,  and 
discovered  that  they  were  Russians. 
They  were  absolutely  unprepared  for 
what  followed.  The  Russians  suddenly 
fired  on  the  Zensho  Maru  and  when 
that  turned  to  escape,  the  whole  of 
the  squadron  turned  upon  the  Nakono- 
ura  Maru  and '  sunk  her.  They  then 
took  up  the  pursuit  of  the  Zensho 
Maru,  which  however  managed  to 
escape  owing  to  a  sudden  squall  w^hich 
covered  her  from  pursuit. 

This  exploit  filled  the  Jajianese  with 
indignation.  The  Russians  do  not 
seem  to  have  signalled  to  the  steamers 
to  heave  to  for  examination,  but  fired 
without     provocation     and     without 


giving  warning,  and  the  spectacle  of 
four  great  ships  attacking  two  small 
coasting  vessels  of  710  and  170  tons, 
and  sinking  one  of  them,  wthout 
giving  her  innocent,  non-combatant 
crew  a  chance  of  saving  their  lives,  is 
one  which  fortunately  is  not  often  seen 
in  the  warfare  of  humane  nations. 

The  Japanese  press  has  been  loud 
in  its  righteous  condemnation  of  an 
act  of  such  \vanton  cruelty,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  public  opinion  of 
civilized  countries  will  be  unanimous 
in  passing  a  condemnatory  verdict.  , 
We  give  a  few  extracts  from  Japanese 
papers  on  this  subject.  The  reader 
will  see  from  them  that  this  is  not  the 
only  act  of  inhumanity  of  w^hich  Japan 
has  had  to  complain,  and  that  Japan 
has  constantly  striven  to  exhibit  all 
possible  courtesy  and  humanitv  in  her 
conduct  of  this  painful  War. 

*'  The  Yomiuri"  says  :  The  present 
war  is  a  war  of  civilization  against 
barbarism.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
sinking  by  the^  Russian  fleet  of  a 
Japanese  merchant  steamer,  together 
with  the  maltreatment  of  home-coming 
Japanese  civilians  at  Port  Arthur,  and 
contrast  them  with  the  painstaking 
manner  in  which  our  authorities  pro- 
vided for  the  absolute  safety  of  the  Rus- 
sian Minister,  Consuls,  and  others  de- 
parting for  their  country,  and  are  look- 
ing after  the  prisoners  of  w'ar,  especially 
the  wounded  in  Korea.  The  Nakono- 
ura  Maru  affair  was  .nore  than  a 
mere  case  of  maltreatment,  it  was  one 
of  fiendish  savagex-y  and  depravity, 
enough  to  make  even  the  most  cold- 
blooded person  grind  his  teeth.  Judg- 
ing from  what  has   so  far    transpired, 


A  RUSSIAN  SQUADRON  FIRES  ON  DEFENCELESS  MERCHANTMEN.  97 


it  is  to  be  expected  that  as  Rus- 
sia's humiliation  on  land  and  sea 
increases,  the  Russians  will  more  and 
more  betray  their  latent  savagery. 
As  for  us  Japanese,  we  have  our  own 
principles  to  guide  us,  and  there  is  no 
need  for  us  to  repay  barbarism  with 
barbarism. 

Yet  the  Russian  Squadron  was 
wicked  enough  to  commit  so  fiendish 
a  act.  Even  supposing,  for  the  sake 
of  argument,  that  the  steamer,  from 
her     inability    to    interpret    a     signal 


"The  Jiji":-What  can  not  be 
overlooked  is  the  sinking  of  a  small 
Japanese  steamer  by  the  Russian 
Squadron.  Russia  may  plead  that  the 
vessel  was  fired  at  because  it  had 
attempted  to  escape,  but  this  plea  can 
obviously  not  hold  water  when  the 
resisting  strength  of  a  merchantship 
of  only  710  tons  is  compared  with  that 
of  the  Squadron.  Thei-e  is  no  need  of 
disputing  this  point.  We  simply  wish 
to  draw  the  attention  of  enlightened 
outsiders  to   a  crime  which  flagrantly 


Sinking  of  the  Nakonoura-maru. 


of  "  heave  to  "  which  the  Sqtiadron 
may  have  made,  continued  on  her  way, 
does  that  justify  her  assailants  in 
chasing  and  sinking  her  ?  Do  the  laws 
of  nations  and  the  unwritten  rules  of 
humanity  allow  such  proceedings  ? 
Are  the  Russians  really  barbarians, 
northern  Goths  or  Vandals,  insensible 
to  shame  and  justice,  and  even  defiant 
of  God  ?  If  they  are,  they  might  be 
forgiven  even  this  atrocious  action, 
but  if  not,  then  nothing  can  extenuate 
their  crime. 


violates  the  usages  of  war  and  the 
principles  of  humanity. 

"  The  Tokyo  Asahi  "  : — Could  any 
thing  be  more  barbarous  than  for  four 
formidable  warships  to  pursue  and 
sink  a  small  steamer  ? 

But  enough  of  Japanese  opinions. 
We  are  glad  to  note  that  as  European 
and  American  papers  come  to  hand, 
they  all  concur  in  condemning  the  act 
as  cowardly  and  brutal,  and  in  every 
way  unworthy  of  a  civilized  people  even 
in  time  of  War. 


-^^^X^ 


98 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Arrival  of  the  Nisshin  and  Kasuga. 


iHESE       two        armoured  premature  rumours  of  the  outbreak  of 

cruisers,       purchased      by  hostilities,     made      all     haste     to    get 

Japan  from  the  Argentine  through  the   Canal,  and  reached    Suez 

Republic  shortly  before  the  on  the  16th,  being  accompanied  by  the 

outbreak   of  the  war,   ar-  British  Cruiser  King  Alfred. 

rived  safely  at  Yokosuka  on  February  From  Suez  they  had  an  uneventful 

the    16th,    to    the  intense  joy    of  the  voyage,  touchingat  Aden  and  Colombo, 

people.      The  Nisshin  was  commanded  and  reaching  Singapore  on  the   2nd  of 

by  Capt.   Hugh  H.   Paynter,   and    the  February  where  they  experienced  their 

Kasugahj  Capt.  J.F.  Lea.  There  were  first  difficulty,  from  a  strike   of  coolies, 

on  board  the  two  vessels,  seven  Japa-  This  difficulty  was,  however,  overcome 

nese  officers,  who    happened    to    be  in  through    the    kindness    of    an    English 

firm   and    of    the 


Japanese  firm  of 
Mitsui  and  Co., 
and  they  left  after 
a  short  delay 
having  received 
orders  from  Japan 
to  steer  straight 
for  Yokosuka. 
A  violent  storm 
which  they*  met 
with  on  the  way 
caused  them  to 
part  company  for 
a  time,  but  they 
both  arrived 
safely  at  Yoko- 
suka within  a 
few  hours  of  each 
England,  France,  or  Germany,  at  the  other,  on  the  16th  February, 
time,    and    the  crews,   some    240    men  When  the  news  came  that  they  had 

in     all,     were     composed     of    English     been  sighted,  the  joy  at  Yokosuka  and 
bluejackets  and  Italian  engineers.  throughout    the    country  was  intense. 

Leaving    Genoa,  Jan.  9th,  they  ar-     Admiral    Inouye,    the    Port    Admiral, 
rived  at  Port  Said  on  the  14th  of  the     with  his    staff  went    out  to    welcome 


■.'-<it^':^z  ■'-— 


Japanese  Cruiser,  Nisshin. 


same  month.  Here  they  found  the  Rus- 
sian Cruiser  Aurora  with  seven  destro- 
yers, and  being  informed  that  the 
Oslabiya -was  shortly  expected  while  the 
Dmitri  Donskoi  w^as  already  in  the 
Canal,   and  reading  in  the  newspapers 


their  coming  at  Kannonsaki  Point, 
and  the  Tokyo  /-^Welcoming  Com- 
mittee were  on  the  Pier  at  Yokosuka. 
to  receive  them,  while  the  whole  town 
was  brilliant  with  flags  and  bunting. 
No  one  who  knows  the  hospitable 


THE  ARRIVAL  OF  THE  NISSIIIN  AND  KASUGA. 


9'^ 


character   of  the  Japanese  people  will  the  time   came  for  them  to   retm'ii   to 

be  surprised   to   hear  that  the  citizens  their    own    countries    they    left   Japan 

of  Yokosuka,  Yokohama,     and    Tokyo  with  the  comfortable  feeling  of  having 

vied  with  each  other  in  the  enthusiastic  earned    and  received  the  nation's  gra- 

receptions  tendered  to  the  captains  and  ti^udc. 
crews   of  these  two  vessels  ;  and  when 


THE  OFFICER'S  SON. 
(Fkom:  Shonen  Sekai,  March,  1904.) 


My  Father's  an  officer  in  the  Reserve  and 
isn't  on  service  now ; 

But  he's  a  soldier  and  .I'm  his  son,  as  very- 
one  will  allow  ? 

He  went  all  through  the  China  fought 
along  with  the  best, 

And  now  he  wears  the  Golden  Kite  a- 
glittering  on  his  breast. 

Since   Father  retired   we   have   no   more  a 

charge  in  the  stall, 
But  his  sword   and   Murata   rifle  are  there, 

in  an  honoured  place  on  the  wall ; 
And  we  don't  have  time  to  adorn  the  room 

with  branches  of  flowers  fair. 
But    his    uniform's    in    that    Chinese    box 

that  stands  in  the  corner  there. 

Whene'er    the    call    comes    go    to  the  wor, 

he'll  take  liis  sabre  down, 
And  get  his  uniform   out  of  the   box,  and 

be  ready  to  march  into  town  ; 
He  says  he  just  longs  for  the  time  to  come, 

and  in  this  I  fully  agree ; 
The  sooner  war  comes,  the  better  'twill  be, 

for  liim  and  also  for  me. 

One  clay  1  asked  Father,    as  we  looked    at 

the  picture-books,  on  the  shelf, 
AVhich  he    thought   was   the   braver   man, 

Yoshiiye  or  himself; 
But  Father  only  smiled  and  said  he  couldn't 

exactly  tell, 
^o  I'm  in  doubt ;    but  Father  is  brave  and 

that  I  know  full  well. 

Sometimes  he  rolls  his  coat-sleeves  up,  and 

lets  me  look  at  the  scar 
Of    the  bullet-wound  he  got  in  his  arm  in 

the  dreadful  China  war ; 
It  hit  him  right  in  the  arm,    it   did;   yet; 

Father  never  turned  pale, 
But  marched  right  on,  and    fought  away — 

Oh!    I  love  to  hear  the  tale. 

And  when    he's    iu  merry    mood    at  night, 

he  takes  me  up  on  his  knee. 
And  tells  me  all    their    brave    exploits    on 

land  and  on  the  sea. 
And  as    I    listen  my  heart  grows    big,  and 

how  I  long  for  the  time 
\\''hen    I'm    grown    up    and    can   go  to  the 

wars,  like  Father  in  his  prime! 


Then,  if  I  cry,  he  laughs  at   me,  and  tells 

m»,  if  you  please, 
That   I'm    not   a   man   at   all    as   yet,  and 

certainly  not  Japanese. 
Russians  cry,  and  Chinamen   cry, — he   says 

it  to  annoy : 
He  knows  I  hate  Russians  and  hate  Chinese. 

I'm  it  Japanese  soldier's  boy. 

Just  not  I  have  a   fine  toy  sword   which  I 

carry  when  at  play ; 
But  when  the  war    breaks  out    I    mean    to 

put  my  toys  away. 
I'm  going  to  buy  a  proper  sword,  and  slash 

away  at  the  foe. 
When   I  go  to    the    war    with  Father — I'll 

give  him  blow  for  blow. 

Last  night  a  gentleman  came  to  the  house, 

and  told  me  lots  and  lots. 
About  the  Russians — the  thievish  sneaks — 

and  all  their  wicked  plots. 
I  hate    ilie    Russians :    they    took   from   us 

the  Island  of  Saghalien, 
And  made  us  give  up  the  Liaotung,  where 

our  soldiers  once  had  been. 

And    now    they're    after    Manchuria,     and 

would  like  Korea,  too. 
There's  just  no  keeping  the  peace  with  them, 

there's  nothing  else  to  do 
(So  the  gentleman  said)  but  fight  and  fight ; 

and  in  this  I  quite  agree ; 
Just    look    at    my    arms,   my  great  strong 

arms.     The  sooner  the  better  for  me. 

But  I  say,  this  is  nice !    Hurrah  !  Hurrah ! 

Here's  Father  coming  out, 
And    he's    got    his    uniform    on,    and    his 

sword  :  he's  going  to  the  war  no  doubt. 
If  Father  goes,  I'm  going  to But  there! 

I  will  not  cry : 
I  hate  those  Russians and    I    want 

But  I'm  not  a  baby,  not  I. 

I'm  not  going  to  cry,  and  when  I'm  a  man 

you'll  let  me  go  to  the  war, 
Dear  Father,  with  you,    and    I'll   be  good, 

and  never  cry  any  more, 
Yes,  I'll  let  you  go,  like  a  good  little  boy, 

but  I'm  sure  that  you  will  agree 
The  sooner  I  grow  up  the  better  'twill  be, 

for  you,  dear  Father,  and  me. 


100 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


War  Time  Anecdote 


o> 


The  Imperial  Princes  of  Japan. 

H,  I.  H.  the  Crown  Prince  belongs, 
by  virtue  of  his  exalted  rank,  to  both 
services .  There  are,  besides , 
four  Princes  of  the  Imperial 
Blood  in  the  service  of  the 
Navy.  H.  I.  H.  Prince  Arisu- 
gawa  holds  the  rank  of  a  Vice- 
Admiral  ;  Prince  Higashi  Fushi- 
mi  is  a  Commander,  while 
Prince  Yamashina  and  the 
young  Prince  Fushimi  are 
Lieutenant-Commanders.  These 
princes  all  observe  the  strict 
discipline  of  the  Navy  exactly 
like  the  ordinary  officers  of  the 
same  grade,  and  no  special  . 
privileges  are  allowed  them  on 
account  of  their  birth.  When 
Port  Arthur  was  attacked  on 
Feb.  9th,  Prince  Higashi  Fushi- 
mi was  serving  on  board  the 
ChitosCj  whilst  Prince  Yama- 
shina, on  the  YakumOy  directed 
his  gun  with  a  skill  which 
elicited  the  warmest  commen- 
dations from  his  Captain  at 
the  conclusion  of  the  action. 


the    corresponding    institution   for  the 
daughters   of  the  nobility. 

Admiral    Togo  had   for    some  time 
been    stationed    at    the   naval    port   of 


The  Household  of  Vice- 
Admiral  Togo. 

The  household  of  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  Japanese 
United  Squadron  consists  of 
his  wife  Madame  Tetsuko  Togo 
(eldest  daughter  of  Viscount 
Kaicda),  his  two  sons,  Hyo, 
and  Minoru,  and  one  daughbcr, 
Yachiyo.  There  is  also  a  rela- 
tive of  the  name  ot  Arimura 
who  assists  in  the  house-keep- 
ing. The  sons  both  attend  the 
Peers'    School,    and    daughter, 


"There"  He  tointed  ou 

drh-ling  his  men". 


T  "  Is  THE  Trtxce 


WAR   TIME  ANECDOTES. 


101 


Maizuru  when  he  received  the  informa- 
tion of  his  appointment  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  United  Squadron.  On  his 
way  to  his  new  appointment  he  visited 
his  home  which  is  situated  in  the 
Kojimachi  district  of  Tokyo,  but  only 
for  three  days,  and  then  in  spite  of  the 
weakness  caused  by  an  attack  of  cold 
from  which  he  had  not  get  recovered, 
he  hastened  on  to  his  new  post.  "  I 
always  get  wellat  sea,"  he  said  naively. 
At  Sasebo,  he  received  a  visit  from 
Arimura,  who  had  been  travelling  in 
Kvushu.  He  was  then  on  board  the 
Mikasa,  still  pale  from  his  illness,  but 
calm  and  happy.  On  being  asked  if  he 
had  any  message  for  his  home  he  said 
'*  Nothing  in  particular.  Tell  them  that 
I  am  well  and  happy,  ai»d  that  they 
must  not  distract  me  by  sending  letters." 
Then  he  pointed  to  a  swarthy  officer 
who  was  busily  drilling  his  men  on 
the  deck,  and  told  Arimura  that  it 
was  Prince  Higashi  Fushimi. 

He  has  sent  no  letters  to  his  home. 
His  wife  and  family  are  living  quietly 
at  home,  preparing  for  the  worst  and 
hoping  for  the  best.  They  have  dis- 
missed all  their  servants  and  do  the 
work  of  the  house  themselves.  The 
eldest  son  rides  down  on  his  bicycle 
every  day  to  the  Naval  Department 
to  get  news  of  his  father,  and  there 
is  great  joy  in  the  family  when  he  comes 
home  with  joyful  news  such  as  a  suc- 
cessful attack  on  Port  Arthur,  or  the 
destruction  of  a  Russian  ship. 


Japanese  wrestling.  At  15  years  of 
age,  he  came  to  Tokyo  with  his  family 
and,  in  time  he  entered  the  Naval 
College.  Some  years  after  graduat- 
ing from  the  College,  he  was  appoint- 
ed as  Naval  Attache  to  the  Japanese 
Legation  in  Russia  and,  during  his 
five  years '  service  there ,  acquired  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  internal  state 
of  Russia,  in  consequence  of  his  intimate 
friendship  with  the  Russian  officers  and 
officials  ;  so  his  reports  home  were  all 
very  useful  and  important.  On  his  way 
back  to  Japan,  after  his  appointme.it 


The  Late  Commander 
Takeo  Hirose. 

Commander  Takeo  Hirose,  who 
died  bravely  during  the  second  blockade 
of  Port  Arthur,  was  a  native  of  Bungo 
Province  in  Kyushu.  He  was  the 
second  son  of  Shigetake  Hirose  and 
his  elder  brother  is  Captain  Katsuhiko 
Plirose,  Commander  of  the  Oshima. 
As  a  boy  he  was  very  fond  of  riding 
and  a  noted  champion  of  the    art    of 


The  Latk  Co?.iMA\i)KR  Hirose. 

was  over,  he  crossed  Siberia  and 
Manchuria  and  investigated  the 
geographical  features  all  along  his  road. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  war.,  he 
was  among  the  first  to  be  sent  to  the 
campaign,  and  w^hen  our  77  resolute 
marines  made  their  first  attempt  to 
block  the  mouth  of  Port  Arthur  on 
February  24'th,  he  -svas  Commander  of 
the  Hokoku  Marn.  In  this  daring 
deed,  he  showed  extraordinary  braver}-. ' 
When  his  ship  the  Hokoku  Maru  ap- 
proached the  mouth  of  Port  Arthtu% 
the  four  searchlights  on  land  flashed 
upon  the  vessel  so  that  the  eyes  of  the 


102 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


103 


crew  were  all  but  dazzled  and  an 
intense  fire  from  the  enemy's  forts  on 
all  sides  poui'ed  upon  their  heads  like 
heavy  rain.  But  in  spite  of  the  difficulty 
and  danger,  his  vessel  pushed  on  into 
the  mouth  of  the  harbour  and,  when 
she  reached  the  right  point  and  every- 
thing was  ready  for  the  explosion,  the 
whole  crew  jumped  into  a  boat.  But 
finding  that  he  had  left  his  sword 
in  the  vessel,  Hirose  calmly  went 
up  again  to  fetch  it.  Just  as  he  got 
back  to  the  boat,  fire  broke  otit  in 
the  hold  of  the  vessel,  then  an  explo- 
sion, and  the  Hokoku  Maru  sank 
in  the  deep  water.  Thc.i  the  crew 
began  to  row  back  with  all  their  might 
in  the  shower  of  bullets  from  the 
Retvisan  and  forts,  Hirose  and  his 
men  being  iill  safely  rescued  by^  the 
torpedo-boat  Hayabusa.  i 

The  second  blockade  of  Port 
Arthur  was  carried  out  on  March  27th 
and  Cottimander  Hirose  was  again  one 
of  the  h  roes.  At  this  time  he  was  the 
commander  of  the  Fukui  Maru  and,  his 
ship,  with  the  three  other  ships  Chiyo 
Maru,  Yahiko  Maru  and  Yoneyama 
Maru,  approached  a  point  about  2 
miles  distant,  in  spite  of  the  enemy's 
searchlights,  at  3.30  a.m.,  under  a 
vigorous  fire  from  the  forts  and 
torpedo-craft  of-  the  enemy.  But  the 
crew,  determined  to  accomplish  the. 
blocking,  pushed  on  and  entered  the 
channel  at  the  mouth  of  the  harbour. 
Here  the  Eukui  Maru,  with  Comman- 
der Hirose  on  board,  was  struck 
by  a  torpedo  from  a  Russian  destroyer, 
exploded,  and  sank.  Hirose  made  his 
crew  remove  to  a  boat  and  when  he 
came  to  the  boat  last,  could  not  find 
AY  arrant  Officer  Sugino  ;"  so  he  went 
thrice  back  to  the  sinking  ship  and 
searched  for  him  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 
But  as  he  could  not  find  him  and  the 
waves  began  to  wash  the  upper  deck 
of  tht  ship,  he  jumped  into  the  boat 
which  began  to  row  back  when  sudden- 
ly a  shot  pierced  his  brain  and  his  body 


was  throw^n  into  the  deep,  leaving  only 
a  fragment  of  flesh  in  the  boat.  How 
brave  and  honourable  was  h!s  death  ! 
How  faithful  was  he  in  the  fulfilment 
of  Lis  adventurous  service  and  how 
he  loved  his  men  in  the  moment  of 
danger  ! 

He  was  grave  and  silent,  and 
abhorred  spirits.  While  a  student  at 
the  Naval  College,  he  was  famous  for 
his  bravery  and  sternness  among  his 
schoolmates.  He  was  36  years  old, 
but  he  w^as  a  bachelor,  and  his  opinion 
was  that  a  wife  is  not  necessary  for 
a  military  or  naval  man.  Though  his 
character  was  so  brave  and  stern,  he 
had  some  literary  tastes  and  we  are 
told  that  the  songs  now  being  sung  in 
Sasebo  were  composed  by  him. 

On  the  day  of  his  honourable  death 
i.e.  March  27th,  he  was  decorated 
with  the  Third  Class  Order  of  the 
Golden  Kite  and  the  Fourth  Class 
Order  of  the  Rising  Sun. 


The  r.ATE  Lieut- CoMJiANDER 
\z:  '  "    Yamanaka. 

The  lat3  Lieut-Commander 
Yamanaka. 

Lieut-Commander  Yamanaka,  Chief 
Gunner  on  board  the  Fvji,  met  with 
an   honourable    death  during  the  first 


104 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


naval  engagement  off  Port  Arthur. 
His  wife,  Hiaako,  who  is  left  to  mourn; 
his  loss,  with  her  son  of  3  years  old, 
named  Takeshi,  is  a  daughter  of  Mr, 
Tsuchiya,  the  Inspector  of  Machinery 
of  the  Imperial  Navy. 

Yamanaka  was  a  native  of  Ehime 
Prefecture,  where  his  father  had  been 
once  a  high  ofHcial,  but  afterwards  met 
with  commecial  reverses  in  Kobe.  He 
was  at  this  time  seven  or  eight  years 
old,  and  from  his  twelfth  year  w^ls 
brought  up  by  relatives  iia  his  native 
province  from  whom  he  received  his 
early  education.  He  always  looked 
forward  to  a  naval  career,  graduated 
from  tlie  Naval  College  in  his  21st  year, 
and  advanced  gradually  to  the  rank  of 
Lieut.-Commander. 

A  very  silent  man,  and  one  who 
rarely  engaged  in  general  conversation 
with  outsiders,  nor  even  with  his 
intimate  acquaintances  ;  he  was  never- 
theless quite  ready  with  his  pen,  and 
his  letters  to  his  father-in-law,  which 
sometimes  filled  ten  feet  of  Japanese 
writing  paper,  were  always  lively  and 
amusing. 

His  body  w^as  cremated  at  Sasebo, 
and  his  ashes  were  honourably  buried 
in  the  Aoyama  Cemetery  at  Tokyo. 


late  Second-Lieutenant 
Miura. 

Second  Lieutenant  Yofu  Miura, 
acting  Section  Commander  on  the  Fuji, 
who  met  with  an  honourable  death 
at  Port  Arthur,  w^as  born  at  Mito, 
Ibaraki  Prefecture  in  the  11th  year  of 
Meiji  (1878),  and  entered  the  Naval 
College  in  1898.  After  graduation  he 
became  a  midshipman,  and  receiving 
promotion  in  due  course,  was  iserving 
on  board  the  Asama  as  2nd  Lieutenant, 
with  special  charge  of  the  wireless  tele- 
graphy, v^hen  she  went  to  England 
for  the  King's  Coronation.  On  his 
return,  he  w^as  placed  on  the  Fuji,  'and 
was  appointed  acting  Section  Com- 
mander on  the  31st  December  last.' 


He  was  very  sedate,  and  yet  knew-- 
how  to  be  lively  ou  occasion.      Somei 
friends    w^ho     visited     him    at    Sasebo; 
report  that  they  found  him    extremely 
lively,  and  in  the  .highest    spirits,    but^ 


The  Hate  Second-Lteutenant  Miura. 

at  the  same  time  most  abstemious, 
and  determined  not  to  injure  his  health 
by  excess  of  any  kind.  He  wanted  to 
place  all  his  faculties,  as  vigorous  as 
possible,  at  the  dis|)Osition  of  his 
country.  ,  ,  - 

He  was  a  most  promising  officer  and 
his  early  death  is  much  lamented,  not 
only  in  the  service,  but  also  in  his  native 
province.         , 


Midshipman  Kajimura. 

Cut  almost  in  two,  by  a  piece  of 
shell,  while  standing  by  his  gun,  on 
board  the  Hatsuse  .during  the  engage- 
ment at  Port.  Arthur,  poor  Kajimura 
refuged  to  be  carricd'ofF  toJ:he  hospital, 
and  protested; against  having  his  boots 
removed,  saying,  "  I  must  go  back  to 
fight."  They  were  almost  his  last 
words  ;  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  had 
gone. 

He  was  a  native  of  Fukuoka  Pre- 
fecture, and  having  early  exhibited  a 
desire  to  enter  the  Navy,  was   sent  to 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


105 


Tokyo  to  take  his  preliminary  studies 
at  the  Kaijo  School,  Hibi^^a.  Entering 
the  Naval  College  at  Etajima  in  1900, 
he  passed  out  with  credit  in  December 
of   last   year,    and  had    started    on  a 


- 

^^ 

ii 

s^ 

*?f 

1  ■■? 

•■# 

ii 

The  Late  Midshipman  Kajimura. 

cruise  on  board  the  training  ship  Itsu- 
kushima,  -when  the  news  of  the  war 
recalled  him  to  his  country.  He  was 
24  years  of  age,  and  had  just  joined 
the  Hatsuse. 


Commander  Gunkichi  Nagai. 

This  officer  has  distinguished  him- 


self by  the  intrepidity  and  skill  with 
which  he  has  handled  the  flotilla  of 
torpedo-boat  destroyers  during  the 
trying  winter  attacks  on  Port  Arthur. 
During  the  war  with  China,  he  was  as  a 
Lieutenant  in  command  of  the  torpedo 
boat  Kotaka,  and  forcing  his  way 
through  the  obstructions  placed  by  the 
Chinese  at  the  entrance  of  Wei-hai-wei, 
entered  that  harbour,  and  succeeded 
in  sinking  the  Chinese  war-ship  Ping- 
yuan.  Pie  was  shortly  afterwards 
promoted,  and  joined  the  Kwo-hei, 
one  of  the  ships  captured  from  the 
Chinese,  -as  Navigating  officer.  The 
Kwo-hei  wSiS  not  fortunate.  She  was 
sent  to  Formosa,  and  while  cruising 
along  that  dangerous  coast,  was  struck 
by  a  typhoon  and  wrecked.  When  all 
hope  of  saving  the  vessel  was  lost, 
the  Captain  (Fujita)  and  officers,  de- 
termined to  meet  their  death  in  a 
manner  becoming  the  dignity  of  the 
Japanese  Navy  and  assembling  the 
crew  on  deck,  went  do-wn  along  with 
their  ship,  amidst  lovid  cheers  for  Em- 
peror and  Countr^^ 

t.agai,  however,  was  more  fortu- 
nate than  the  rest.  When  the  ship 
went  down,  he  managed  to  keep  him- 
self above  water,   and  by    the   aid    of 


Wrecking  of  the  Kwo-hei  and  Commander  Nagai. 


106 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


planks  contrived  for  four  days  to  drift 
on  the  surface,  until  finally- he  Reached 
a  small  island  on  the  coast  of  Formosaj 
where  he,  was  found  some  time  after 
by  the  ship  sent  out  by  the  Government 
to  search  for  the  ill-fated  K,wo-hei. 

He  is  serving  in  the  present  war 
as  commanding  officer  of  the  tor;.cdo- 
boat  destroyer  flotilla. 


Sergeant-Major  Ono. 

This  brave  warrant  officer  was 
severely  wounded  in  both  legs  by  frag- 
ments of  the  same  shell  which  killed 
Lieut. yCommanderYamanaka  on  board 
the  Fuji.  He  wa«  at  once  put  on 
board  the  Genkai  Maru  and  sent  to 
Sasebo ;  but  before  he  could  be  taken 
into  the  hospital  the  left  l^g  had  al- 
ready begun  to  putrefy,  while  the 
right  leg  had  lost  all  feeling.  In  spite" 
of  all  the  efforts  of  the  surgeons  and 
,  the  tender  nursing  of  his  wife  and 
'  children,  he  died,  on  Feb.  16th,  twenty- 
four  hours  after  admission  to  the 
hospital.- 

A  native  of  Okayama  Prefecture, 
he  was  42  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
in  the  Navy  since  1884,  serving  on 
board  the  Iwaki,  Akitsushima  and 
other  ships.  He  had  served  with  dis- 
tinction in  the  war  with  China,  but 
was  not  present  at  the  Boxer  Expedi- 
tion as  he  had  been  sent  that  year  to 
Germany  to  help  in  bringing  out  the 
Yakumo.  His  one  great  regret  in 
d3ang  was  that  he  had  seen  so  little 
of  the  fighting.    This  he  said  repeatedly. 

His  wife  behaved  with  great  forti- 
tude—as a  sailor's  wife  should. 

His  funeral  was  held  on  February 
17th,  along  with  that  of  the  others  who 
died  in  the  battle,"  and  his  ashes  were 
afterwards  ^  removed  to  the  Naval 
"Cemetery  at  the  village  of  Hiyu  and 
buried  there. 


Second-Class  Sergeant  HayasM. 

When    volunteers    were    called   for 
the  dangerous  task  of  sinking  vessels 
at  J:he  entrance  to  the  harbour  of  Port 
Arthur,  more  than  2000  men  at  once 
offered  themselves  for  thevwork..    One 
of   these    men,-    Monlpei    Hayashi,    a 
Second-class   Sergeant    on    board    the 
Mikasa  made  an  incision  in  his  finger 
and    wrote    his    request    in    his    own 
blood.     The   son   of  a  small  farmer  in 
the  Province   of  Mino,   nothing  would 
content     him     but     to     abandon     his 
father's    acres    and    take    to    the  -sea, 
though  his  insufficient  education  made 
it  very  difficult  for  him  to  pass  the  neces- 
sary   examination.      At    last,    by  dint 
of    saving  his    money    to    buy   books, 
and  much    midnight    oil,^  he  succeeded 
(29th  of  Meiji,   1896)  in   passing  the 
entrance  examination,   and  entered  the 
Yokosuka  Naval  Barracks  for  training 
as  a  warrant  officer.     Two  years  later, 
he  went  to  England  as  one  of  a. crew 
to  bring  out  a  new  warship.     In  1900, 
he  saw  a  good  deal  of '  service  during 
the   Boxer  troubles,   and   on  returning 
entered  the  Torpedo   Training  School, 
which  he  left  as  a  Third  Class  Sergeant 
in   1902.      Last   December  he    got    an- 
other step,   and  joined  the  Mikasa  as 
2nd  Class  Sergeant.     Before  sailing  for 
the  war    he  sent    a    farewell  letter  to 
his  mother,  in  which  he  told  her  that 
he  had  arranged  to  have  the  whole  of 
his  pay  sent  to  her  during  his  absence, 
and  announced  his  readiness  and  that 
of  his  officers  and  comrades  to   die  in 
battle  for  their  country,     Hayashi  has 
always    been    a    very    good    son    and 
brother,  and    on  his   return  from   the 
attempt    made  to    block  the    entrance 
to  the  harbour,   he  wrote  to  his  home 
as  follows: — 

"When  I  wrote  to  you  the  other 
day  from  the  Tenshin  MarUj  I  told 
you  that  I  expected  to  die  at  4  a.m. 
on  the  24th,  but,  quite  beyond  our 
expectation,  not  one  of  the  77  men 
engaged  in  that   perilous  undertaking 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


101 


was  killed  or  wounded.    The  poor  old     permission  to  go  again.     In  that  case, 


Terlshin  Maru,  which  was  commanded 
by  Commander  Ryokitsu  Arima,  was 
discovered  by  the  enemy's  search-lights 


this  may  possibly  be  the  last  letter  I 
shall  write  to  you." 


«  I  A^r  READY  TO  DIE  FOR  THE  COUNTRY.  '* 


is  we  were  steering  under  Liao-tich- 
ihan  about  4  a.m.  on  the  24th,  and 
we  at  once  became  a  target  for  the 
shells,  which  came  round  us  like  hail, 
two  of  them  hitting  us  amidships  and 
bursting.  The  Captain  pushed  on, 
however,  in  spite  of  the  danger,  but 
at  last  we  ran  aground  and  sank 
before  we  had  reached  the  point  we 
had  been  steering  for.  We  could 
scarcely  hold  back  our  tears  when  we 
found  that  our  efforts  had  been  in 
vain.  I  am  in  excellent  health  and 
spirits,  and  the  next  time  volunteers 
are    wanted,   I    mean    to    try  and    get 


Damon  and  Pythias, 

It  was  at  the  Kokura  Garri- 
son, that  some  of  the  Train  Corps 
men  were  being  sent  to  the  front, 
whilst  others  were  to  be  left  be- 
hind. A  first  class  private,  Nakao 
by  name,  came  suddenly  to  his 
Corporal,  Sugitani  Jotaro,  drag- 
ging in  a  comrade.  "I  am  a 
bachelor,"  he  said,  '*and  can  go 
without  any  anxiety,  while  my 
friend  has  a  wife  and  three  child- 
ren dependent  on  him.  Let  me  go 
in  his  stead.*'  But  the  other 
would  not  hear  of  it.  "  It  is  true 
that  Nakao  is  a  bachelor,"   said 


*<  I  AM    A  BACHELOR  J    LET   ME  GO 
TO   THE  FRONT." 


103 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


he,  "hut  he  is  an  only  son,  and  his 
parents  have  no  one  but  him  to 
care  for  them.  I  will  go  rather  than 
let  him  leave  his  parents."  Both  men 
■were  deeply  moved,  and  so  was  the 
corporal,  who  knew  not  how  to  de- 
cide. At  last  he  said ;  "I  am  the 
superior,  Nakao",  and  I  order  you 
to  remain  behind."  And  with  that 
he  walked  out  of  the  room  to  avoid 
any  remonstrance  from  the  other 
man. 


A  Patriotic  Mother. 

Nomoto  Masaki  is  a  lance-corporal 
in  Reserve  of  the  Imperial  Guards  who 
earns  his  living  as  an  itinerant  vendor 
of  medicines.      His    home   is  with  his 


it  was  during  one  of  these  long 
trips  the'^  order  came  for  him  to  join 
the  colours.  The  mother  promptly 
went  to  the  district  office,  obtained  ft 
few  hours  of  grace  for  her  son,  raised 
48  sen  by  the  sale  of  a  few  kitchen 
utensils,  and  started  off  to  search  for 
Masaki  in  one  direction,  while  the 
younger  son  went  off  in  another.  The 
search  was  fruitless,  so"'  she  pawned 
some  clothes  for  a  yen  and  went  on 
searching  steadily  until  she  found  him 
at  a  remote  village  in  Chiba  Prefec- 
ture, and  brought  him  back  to  Tokyo, 
a  little  late  it  is  true,  but  not  too 
late  to  be  forgiven.  Her  last  gift  was 
a  lock  of  hair,  and  an  old  book  on 
military  tactics,  with  which  and  with 
her  blessings  she  sent  him  forth  to 
his  country's  battles. 


A  Boy-Patriot. 

During  the  last  two  or 
three  weeks,  a  boy  named 
Tetsusuke  Nakano  has  been 
selling  cakes  in  the  streets 
after  school  hours,  much 
to  the  astonishment  of  the 
good  people  of  the  village 
of  Tanabe,  where  he  lives. 
The  astonishment  changed 
to  admiration  when  they 
found  that  the  motive  of 
it  all  had  been  to  get  some" 
money  to  contribute  to  the 
War  Fund,  and  that  he  sent 
to  the  authorities  the  sum 
of  one  yen  which  he  had 
thus  earned  by  trading. 


mother  and 
younger 
brother  in 
the  Honjo 
district  of 
Tokyo.  His 
itinerancy 
sometimes 
took  him  far 
afield,     and 


"This  lock  of  my  hair  ^v^.L 

PROTECT  YOU. 


Oranges  and  Patriotism. 

Major  Shimidzu  of  the 
Fortress  Artillery  Training 
School  at  Uraga  says  that 
on  his  return  the  other  day 
from  some  snow  practice 
which  he  had  been  having 
with  his  men,  the  train  was 
invaded    at    Yamakita    by 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


109 


a    number  of  men   -who    had   received      Shimizu,  intended  to  contribute  10,000 
the    ordei'   for  mobilization   and   -wete      yen  I    And  yet  it  -was  quite  true.     Her 


"  Let  us  buy  up  all  his  oranges.'' 


hurrying  to  join  their  regiments.  His 
attention  was  directed  to  a  young 
man  in  a  third  class  carriage  who 
looked  much  troubled;  and  on  enquir- 
ing into  the  cause  of  the  trouble  he 
found  it  to  be  this.  The  man  had 
been  to  Odawara  to  buy  oranges  and 
was  on  his  way  to  Numazu 
where  he  was  going  to  peddle 
them,  when  he  heard  of  the 
■mobilization  order.  There  was 
no  time  for  him  to  go  on  to 
Numazu,  but  what  was  he  to 
do  with  the  oranges— four  fine 
baskets  full  of  them  ?  Patriotic 
passengers  soon  had  relieved 
him  of  his  whole  stock  at 
handsome  prices. 


husband  had  amassed  a  considerable 
fortune  as  keeper  of  the  famous  Sanno- 
miya  Temple,  and  bequeathing  it  to 
his  wife  on  his  death-bed  had  charged 
her  to  do  her  duty  by  her  country 
whenever  a  need  for  it  should  arise, 
^"he  deemed  the  present  emergency  was 


A  Widow's  Mite. 

One  day  last  February,  an 
old  woman,  evidently  belonging 
to  the  lower  middle  class,  pre- 
sented herself  at  the  Kobe 
Town  Hall  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  contribution  to  the 
War  Fund.  She  was  flirnished 
with  the  proper  form  to  be  filled 
up,  and  on  receiving  it  back 
the  ofiicer  w-as  intensely  as- 
tonished to  find  that  this  poor 
old    lady,    whose  name   is    Sei 


<'My  last  act  must  be  oxe  of 
patriotism." 


110 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Patriotism  of  a  Criminal. 

Yoneichi     Endo,     a     carpenter    hj 


a  crisis  that  called  for  her  best  offer-  man  to  spend  the  money  in  a  last 
ings,  and  she  had  therefore  coitie  to  treat  for  himiself,  but  in  vain.  **  If  I 
contribute  her  mite  to  her  country's  may  not  give  it  to  the  Patriotic  Fund, 
war  chest.  at  least,  I    will  give  it  to  some  good 

purpose,"    he   exclaimed,    and   begged 

the  Governor  to  give  the  money  in 
his  name  to  the  distressed  family  o; 
some  man  who  had  gone  to  the  war, 
trade,\vas  lying  under  sentence  of  death  and  his  body  to  a  Medical  College  for 
for  burglary  with  violence,  and  murder,  scientific  dissection ;  and  when  the 
at  the  Ichigaya  Prison  in  Tokyo.  In  Governor  had  promised  to  carry  out 
such  cases  it  is  the  custom  of  the  Japa-  his  wishes,  he  walked  quietly  to  the 
nescLawnot  to  notify  a  prisoner,  more     scaffold  to  meet  his  fate. 

than   a  few  minutes  previously,  of  the  

hour  fixed  for  the  execution.  When  the 
time  fixed  for  Endo's  death  came,  the 
Governor  sent  for  him  to  announce  the 
hour  of  his  death,  and  added  that,  as 
there  was  in  his  hands  a  small  sum  of 


^  Wounded  Russians  on  board 
the  Hakuai  Maru. 

The  wounded  Russians  in  the 
Temporary  Hospital  of  the  Red  Cross 
money  (2  Yen)  which  had  been  entrust-  Society  at  Chemulpo  were  taken  on 
ed  to   him  hv   the  prisoner's  relatives,     board     the     Society's    Hospital     Ship 


he  (the  prisoner)  woiild  be  allowed  to 
buA'  with  it  any  dish  he  chose  for  his 
last  meal.  This  privilege  Endo  declined 
with  thanks.  He  had  heard  from  new- 
comers   that    war    had    been    declared 


Hakuai  waru  on  March  8th,  andai-rived 
the  following  morning  at  Moji,  the 
same  vessel  carrying  84  Japanese 
wounded  for  the  Kokura  Reserve 
Hospital.  The  Russians  were  very  mtich 


against  Russia  and  he  desired  his  last     afraid  at  the  thought  of  going  to  the 
act  to  be  one  of  patriotism.    He  asked     enemy's    country,    and  fears  were  not 
the       Governor 
therefore  to 

give  the  money 
as  a  contribu- 
tion to  the 
Patriotic  Fund, 
The  Governor 
was,  however, 
afraid  that  a 
criminal  would 
not  be  allowed 
to  subscribe  to 
the  Patriotic 
Fund,  for  in 
Japan  no  man 
under  a  crimi- 
nal sentence  is 
allowed  even  to 
bear  arms  for 
his  country. 
He  therefoi-e  a- 
gain  urged   the 


The  Japanese  Hospital  Ship  Hakuai-Marit. 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


Ill 


allayed  when  they  heard  that  they 
were  to  have  the  Japanese  as  their 
shipmates  ;  but  the  acttiaUties  of  the 
voj^age  soon  eonvinced  that  their  fears 
were  groundless,  exchanges  of  tobaeco 
soon  cemented  a  comradeship,  and  by 
the  time  they  reached  Moji,  they  were 
genuinely  sorry  to  part  company  with 
them.  They  were  sent  onto  Matsuyama 
for  treatment,  having  first  received  from 
Air.  M.  Yoshikawa  the  necessary  in- 
structions respecting  treatment,  clothes, 
residence  and  privileges  of  free  com- 
munication. 


The  wounded  Russians  arrive 
at  Matsuyama. 

The  Hakuai  maru  arrived  at 
Nagahama  on  the  11th,  and  the 
wounded  Russians  were  then  handed 
over  to  the  care  of  the  Ehim^  Branch 
of  the  Red  Cross  Society,  each  man 
being  presented  with  a  packet  of 
picture  post-cards  of  the  ship,  as  a 
memento  of  their  journey.  They  were 
then  sent  in  the  charge  of  the  chief 
surgeon  of  the  ship,  Dr.  Iwai,  and 
nurses,  and  in  the  guard  of  the  police, 
by  train  to  Alalsuyama,  where  they 
arrived  at  11.  42  a.m. 

Two  of  the  wounded  Russians  are 


the  sons  of  rich  men  who  had  con- 
tributed over  300,000  roubles  to  the 
Russian  War  Fund .  They  have  promised, 
as  soon  as  the  war  is  over,  to  bring 
their  families  to  Japan  to  thank  their 
new  friends  for  the  kindness  of  their 
treatment. 


Mr.  Iwai,  Chief  Doctor  on  Loard 

THE  HaKUAI-MaRU. 


The  Eussian  Government 

thanks  the  Japanese 

Red  Cress  Society. 

On  February  27th,  Mr.  Mimasu, 
Manager  at  Chemulpo  of  the  Japanese 
Red  Cross  Society  wrote  to  Count 
Matsukata,  President  of  the  Society, 
as  follows  : — 

"  M.  Berteati,  Acting  Consul  of 
France  in  Seoul,  informs  me  that  the 
Russian  Government  is  very  grateful  to 
the  Society  for  its  treatment  of  the 
Russian  wounded  at  the  Temporary 
Hospital  at  Chemulpo,  and  desires  as  a 
mark  of  its  appreciation  to  pay  all  the 
expenses  of  the  Hospital  and  nursing 
at  Chemulpo.  If  this  is  impossible,  it 
desires  to  contribute  an  equivalent  sum 
as  a  contribution  to  the  Funds  of  the 
Society.  Please  send  instructions.  Am 
glad  to  add  that,  thanks  to  the  skill 
and  care  of  the  doctors  and  nurses,  the 
patients  are  all  doing  well,  even  those 
whose  eases  at  first  seemed  hopeless 
being  on  the  road  to  recovery.  Further 
details  in  letter  posted  today."  Count 
Matsukata's  reply  was  follows: 

"  Please  communicate  to  M.  Berteau 
that  we  are  deeply  sensilDle  of  the 
goodwill  of  the  Russian  Government, 
but  regret  that  we  cannot  accept  their 
proposal  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
Hospital  treatment  ;  but  that  we 
shall  willingly  accept  a  special  contribu- 
tion to  the  Funds  of  the  Society." 

We  may  add  that  the  Russian 
Government  has  since  signified  its  in- 
tention of  subscribing  2,000  yen  to  the 
Society  through  the  French  Consul  at 
Seoul. 


112 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


A  Short  History  of  the  Japanese 
Red  Cross  Society. 


The  Establishment  of  the 
Hakuaisha. 

society  -witli  the  above 
name,  which  means  the 
Philanthropic  Association, 
was  organized  in  the  10th 
year  of  Meiji  (1877), 
during  the  Civil  War  in  Kagoshima, 
and  was  the  actual  progenitor  of  the 
present  Red  Cross  Society.  The  Kago- 
shima Civil  War  lasted  from  February 
to  September  in  that  year,  and  being 
fought, with  great  desperation  on  both 
sides,  the  numbers  of  killed  and  wound- 


at  the  time  Members  of  the  Senate,  and 
after  consultation  with  one  or  two 
kindred  spirits  among  the  nobility, 
Josho  Matsudaira,  Tadaoki  Sakurai, 
and  others,  inaugurated  the  Hakuaisha 
on  the  model  of  similar  relief  associa- 
tions in  Europe. 

Having  organized  themselves  into 
a  society,  the  promoters  of  the  Haku- 
aisha next  approached  the  Head 
Quarters  of  the  Army  sent  to  put  down 
the  rebellion,  and  on  the  1st  May 
1877  received  formal  permission  to 
commence  their  operations,  which  they 
did  at  once,  tendering  their  services  to 
the  Imperialists  and  rebels  alike. 


Front  -View  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  Society 

AT  IlDAMACHI,   ToKYO, 


ed,  both  Imperialists  and  rebels,  were 
very  large.  Two  gentlemen,  the  late 
Count  Tsunetami  Sano,  who  was 
afterwards  a  Member  of  the  Council, 
and  Viscount  Yuzuru  Ogyu,  now  Presi- 
dent of  the  Decorations  Board,  have  the 
honour  of  having  first  conceived  the 
scheme  of  sending  relief  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  in  this  war.    They  were  both 


11.    Change  of  Name,  and  AfBlia- 

tion  with  the  Red  Cross 

Society. 

The  Hakuaisha  did  not  dissolve 
itself  on  the  conclusion  of  the  Civil 
War,  though  its  original  purpose  had 
then  been  accomplished.  Its  promoters 
determined     that     the     work     of    the 


Dowager  Princess  Komatsn,  Patroness  of  the  Association  of  Volunteer  Nurses. 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  THE  JAPANESE  RED  CROSS  SOCIETY.    113 


Society  should  be  made  permanent, 
and  that  they  shoiild  work  in  times 
of  peace  in  preparing  medical ,  aid  for 
the  times  of  war ;  and  when  a  few 
years  later  (in  1886)  the  Japanese 
Government  gave  in  its  adherence  to 
the  Geneva  ConTention,  the  Members  of 
the  Hakuaisha  revised  their  Constitu- 
tion and  By-Laws  in  such  a  way  as 
to  enable  them  to  affiliate  themselves 
to  the  Red  Cross  Society.  The  Society 
was  now  placed,  under  the  exalted 
Patronage  of  their  Majesties,  into 
direct  connection  w^ith  the  Army  and 
Navy  Departments  and  also  with  the 
Imperial  Household.  Its  name  was 
changed  to  the  Red  Cross  Society  of 
Japan ,  and  affiliation  to  the  Inter- 
national Red  Cross  Society  speedily 
followed.  In  December  1901  it 
was  incorporated  as  a  "  legal 
person  ",  in  accordance  with  the 
pr  >visions  of  the  Japanese  Civil 
Code.  In  the  following  year, 
the  Society  received  official  re- 
cognition, and  the  revised  Regu- 
lations of  the  Society  were  pub- 
lished with  the  Imperial  Sanction 
in  Rescript,  No.  223.  The  Society 
celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  anniv- 
ersary in  December  1902,  on  which 
occasion  more  than  100,000 
members  £.3sembled  in  Tokyo. 


besides    making    other    generous   con- 
tributions from  time  to  time. 


IV. 


Organization :  Head  Office, 
and  Local  Branches. 


The  business  of  the  Society  is  in 
the  hands  often  Managers,  chosen  from 
the  Permanent  Cotmcil.  A  President 
and  two  Yice-Presi dents  are  chosen 
from  the  number  of  the  Managers, 
but  their  appointment  must  have  the 
Imperial  Sanction.  The  Permanent 
Council  consists  of  thirty  members, 
residing  in  Tokyo,  w^ho  are  elected  by 
the  Society  at  its  Annual  General  Meet- 
ing. Three  Inspectors  are  likewise 
elected  at  the  same  Annual  General 
Meeting. 


III.    Imperial  Favours. 

Her  Majesty  has  always  made 
it  a  point  to  be  present  at  the 
General  Meetings  of  the  Society, 
and  the  members  owe  her  a  deep 
debt  of  gratitude  for  many  va- 
luable suggestions  with  regard 
to  the  management  of  the 
Society*s  business,  and  to  frequ- 
ent visits  of  sympathy  paid  to 
the  Hospital.  The  Imperial 
Family  have,  for  many  years 
now,  annually  contributed   10,000  yen 

for  the    Hospital,    and    5,000    yen  for  The   following  are   the    present    of- 

thc    patients,    oiit    of   personal    funds,     ficers  of  the  Society. 


Count  MatsukatA, 
President  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  Society. 


114- 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


General    Director  :— H.  I.  H.  Prince     ly  undertaken  in   that   island   for  the 

Kanin.  suppression       of     insurrections,      was 

President :— Count  Masayoshi  Ma-     101,423.    Of  these  1484  were  prisoners. 

tsukata. 

Vice  Presidents  : — Baron  Yoshikata 

Hanabusa  ;  Baron  Takeb  Ozawa. 

The  Local  Branches  follow  the  lines 

of  the  administration.     There  is  a  local 

Branch    in    every    Prefecture,    and    the 

Prefectural    Governor     is     always     ex 

afficio  Chairman  of  the  Branch. 


V.    Membership. 

The  Membership  is  of  three  kinds: — 
Honorary,  Special,  and  Regular.  Each 
class  has  its  own  badge,  and  special 
badges  of  honour  are  given  to  those 
who  have  rendered  special  services  to 
the  Society.  Membership  badges  are 
not  giyen_  until  the  names  of  the  new 
members  have  been  reported  to  His 
Majest}'  ;  the  confering  of  Badges  of 
Honour  requires,  in  every  case,  the 
Imperial  Sanction.  The  Badges  may 
be  worn  on  public  occasions  like 
decorations. 

,  In  December  1887  (when  the  name 
of  the  Society  was  changed)  there  were 
only  about  2,100  members  ;  the  latest 
reports  give  a  membership  of  894,760. 


VI.    The  Work  of  the  Society. 

During  the  China-Japan  War,  1587 
persons  were  employed  by  the  Society 
in  the  work  of  nursing  and  medical 
relief.  These  persons  assisted  '  the 
Military  Sanitary  Corps  in  their  work, 
at  home,  in  the  Reserve  Military 
Hospitals  established  at  Hiroshima 
and  nine  other  places,  and  abroad,  at 
the  various  Etape  and  Fixed  Field 
Hospitals  in  Korea  and  China.  They 
also  served  on  board  Hospital  ships 
and  on  transports  in  attending  on 
v/ounded  and  invalid  troops.  The  total 
number  of  patients  cared  for  in  Tokyo 
and  elsewhere  during  the  war,  includ- 
ing those  in  the  Etape  Hospitals  in 
Formosa,  during  operations  subsequent- 


'  .         Baron  Hanabusa, 
Vice-President  of  the  Japanese 
Red  Cross  Society. 


The  work  of  the  Head  Office  during 
the  same  period  was  as  follows  : — 

Sending,  free  of  cost,  many  thous- 
ands of  gifts  and  presents  from  all 
parts  of  the  country  to  soldiers  in  the 
field. 

Entertaining  troops  on  their  way 
to  the  front,  and  welcoming  them  on 
their  return. 

Visiting  patients  in  Hospitals,  both 
in  Japan  and  on  the  field. 

During  the  operations  in  North 
China  in  the  summer  of  1900,  the 
Society  was  represented  by  491  persons, 
engaged  in  the  Military  Hospital  at 
Hiroshima,  as  well  as  at  Taku, 
Tientsin ,  Tung-chow ,  Shan-hai-kwan 
etc.  Two  vessels,  the  Hakuai  Maru 
and  Kosai  Maru,  w'cre  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Society,  and  many  patients 
were  thus  conveyed  between  Taku  and 
Hiroshima.       The     total     number     of 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OF  THE  JAPANESE  RED  CROSS  SOCIETY.    115 


persons  relieved  was  11,348,  including 
245  Frenchmen  and  4  Austrians, 


Baron  Ozawa, 

Vice-President  of  the  Japanese 
Red  Cross  Society. 


The  relief  work  of  the  Society- 
has  not  however  been  limited  to  the 
care  of  sufferers  in  war.  Japan  is  a 
volcanic  country,  and  as  such  is  liable 
to  natural  catastrophes  of  a  most 
terrible  kind,  such  as  are  almost  un- 
known in  countries  more  favourably 
situated.  During  the  thirty  years 
■u'hich  have  elapsed  since  the  first  or- 
ganization of  the  Society  the  country 
has  been  visited  by  two  or  three  great 
earthquakes,  and  one  tidal  wave  of 
appalling  proportions,  to  say  nothing 
of  hurricanes,  famines,  pestilences,  and 
fires.  In  all  these  calamities  the  Red 
Cross  Society  has  always  been  ready, 
whenever  required,  to  stretch  forth  a 
helping  hand. 


VII.    The  Preparation  of 
belief  Material. 

Before  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
with  China  neither  the  Staff  of  the 
Society  nor  the  stock  of  materials  in 
hand  were  ^adequately  prepared  for  the 
strain  of  a  sndden  emergency.  The 
Society,  however,  gathered  experience 
as  it  worked,  and  by  degrees  evolved 
a  methodical  and  sufficient  organization 
not  only  at  the  Head  Office,  but  also 
at  the  various  Branches  throughout 
the  country. 

According  to  the  latest  reports, 
the  Society  has  on  its  books  the  fol- 
lowing personnel. 

Doctors     (including     14    Super- 
intendents)     291. 

Apothecaries 45. 

Nurses  1920. 

Sick-Attendants   (males)...   7G3. 

Probationary  Nurses   457. 

At  the  same  time,  the  material 
resources  of  the  Society  were  reported 
as  follows  ; — 


Baron  Hashimoto, 

Surgeon  General  and  Chief  DocroR  of 

THE  Red  Cross  Hospitai,. 


116 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Hospital  Ships 2. 

Medical  Cases 398. 

Instruments,  surgical  etc.   1774. 

Stretchers 496. 

Patients'    Clothes      and 

Bedding 52,438 

Nurses'       Clothes       and 

Bedding 27,199 

Aliscellaneous  articles 2,060. 


VIII.    The  Society's  Hospital. 

This     important     Institution    was 

*irst    established    in    1876    tinder    the 

lame  of  the   Hakuaisha   Hospital,  in 


time  of  peace,  hut  it  is  an  understoo^^. 
thing    that    in    the    ey^nt    of   war  the- 
Hospital   shall    be   at   once   placed  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Military  Authorities 
as  a  MiHtary  Reserve  Hospital.    It  was 
so  used  during  the  China-Japan  War. 


Relief  at  Chemulpo. 

The  care  of  the  Russian  seamen 
wounded  in  the  action  at  Chemulpo 
has  been  undertaken  by  the  Special 
Japanese  Committee  of  the  Red  Cross 
Society  in  Japan,  aided  by  theChemulfjo 
Ladies'  Relief  Association.    On  Feb.  13, 


Interior  op  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  Society's  Office  at  Iidamacht,  Tokyo. 


lidamachi,  Tokyo.    It  changed  its  name 
with    the    Society,    and   was    removed 
to    a    piece    of  land   belonging  to    the 
Crown,  at  Shibuya.    The  new  Hospital, 
which  was  much  larger  than  its   pre- 
decessor, was  completed  in  May  1891. 
Attached     to    the    Hospital     is    a 
Training  School  for  nurses  and  medical 
attendants  who  are  thus  fitted  for  the 
special  work  of  the  Society  in  times  of 
-war  and  catastrophe.     In  order  to  give 
the  students  opportunities  of  practical 
work,  ordinary  patients  are  received  in 


twenty  four  Russian  sailors  were  re- 
ceived into  the  English  Church  Hospital 
at  Chemulpo,  kindly  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Japanese  authorities, 
and  their  comforts,  have  been  virell 
looked  after,  thanks  very  largely  to  the 
sympathetic  assistance  of  the  Foreign 
Community  at  the  port. 

The  Russians  were  at  first  disposed 
to  shrink  from  their  Japanese  doctors 
and  nurses,  but  kindness  soon  broke 
down  the  barriers,  and  in  a  ver^--  few 
days  after  their  arrival  it  was  observed 


A  SHORT  HISTORY  OP  THE  JAPANESE  RED  ^  CROSS  SOCIETY.  117 


with  pleasure  that  the  conYalesceiit 
patients  were  offering  their  aid  to 
the  nurses  in  the  treatment  of  the 
others. 

The  Chief  Surgeon  of  the  Naniwa, 
Dr.  Yamamoto,  was  especially  sent  to 
the  Hospital  by  Rear-Admiral  Uryu  to 
enquire  after  the  wounded  and  bear 
them  the  Admiral's  message  of  sympa- 
thy, an  act  of  courtesy  which  -was  much 
appreciated  and  duly  acknowledged  by 
the  wounded  seamen. 

The  Russians  in  the  Hospital  were 
as  follows  :— 

2  warrant  officers,  1  clerk,  1  engineer, 
4  gunners  (of  whom   one  has  died),    1 


drummer,  11  seamen,  2  firemen,  1  cook 
and  1  diver. 


Hospital  Ships. 

Japan  has  notified  to  Russia, 
through  the  intermediary  of  the  United 
States,  that  in  accordance  with 'the 
provisions  of  Arts.  I  and  II  of  the 
Geneva  Convention,  the  following  vessels 
have  been  appointed  as  Hospital  Ships 
for  the  relief  of  sick,  wounded,  and  ship- 
wrecked persons  : —  viz.  the  Saikyo 
Mara  and  Kobe  Maru,  chartered  by 
the  Japanese  Government,  and  the 
Hakuai  Maru  and  Kosai  Mam  belong- 
ing to  the  Red  Cross  Society. 


IMA  TOKI  NARU  ZO. 


1.  Wide  as  the  firmament  above 
Stands  over  us  our  country's  love; 
While  deeper  far  than  Ocean's  bed 
Our  Sovereign's  Mercy  doth  us  stead. 

Your  gratitude  now  would  you  show? 

Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


4.  Heroes,  that  all  along  our  shore, 
Lest  the  foe  his  armies  pour 
Into  our  isles,  stand  sentinel, 
Do  you  duty  brave  and  well. 

The  hour  of  danger  would  you  know  ? 

Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


2.  Patriot  Soldiers,  sword  ia  hand, 
In  grim  array  of  war  that  stand, 
Sworn  to  defend  your  country's  right, 
With  steeled  hearts,  and  fists  clenched  tight, 

Your  loyal  bravery  would  you  show  ? 

Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


5.  Trusty  seamen  of  the  fleet, 

Would  you  know  when  best  to  meet 
Your  foe  with  storm  of  shot  and  shell 
From  every  floating  citadel, 

From  guns  above,  and  guns  below? 

Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


3.  Man's  life  is  but  a  little  space, 
In  fifty  years  he's  run  his  race: 
Sooner  or  later  he  must  die. 
With  chivalry  and  loyalty 

To  death  for  Japan  would  you  go? 
Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


6.  Would  you  know  when  best  to  hurl, 
Through  stormy  night  and  running  swirl 
The  grim  torpedo,  dealing  death? 
Would  you,  holding  fast  your  breath, 

Deal  the  swift  and  silent  blow? 

Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


7.  Now's  the  time  for  deeds  of  fame: 
Small  your  country,  great  her  name. 
Beat  and  watch,  endure  and  toil, 
Think  of  duty,  not  of  spoil : 
Strike,  and  Heaven  direct  yom  blow 
Ima  toki  naru  zo. 


118 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Associations  for  Relief-Work. 


OME  of  the  many  Associa- 
tions existing  in  Japan  for 
the  care  of  the  sick  and 
-wounded  in  w^ar,  and  the 
relief  of  the  families  of 
soldiers  and  sailors,. in  the  field,  \vhich 
have  lost  their  breadwinners,  are  the 
follo"wing : — 


Marchioness  Eiko  Nabeshima, 
President  of  the  Association  of  Volun- 
teer Nurses. 

I.  The  Association  of  Volunteer 
Nurses,  which  was  first  organized  in 
the  20th  year  of  Meiji  (A.D.  1887), 
draws  its  members  from  the  Imperial 
Princesses,  the  Court  Circle,  and  the 
wives  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  the 
present  General  Director  and  President 


being,  H.I.H.  Princess  Kanin,  and  the 
Marchioness    Nabeshima.      iThe    mem- 
bers  of  the  Association  make  it  their 
duty   to    study   nursing   so    as   to   be 
ready  for  practical  service  in  time   of 
war.      During   the    China-Japan    War 
the  members  of  the  Association  made 
bandages  for  the  use  of  the  Army  and 
Navy  Medical  Departments,  and  served 
as  nurses  in  the  Reserve  Hospitals  in 
Tokyo  and  Hiroshima ;  and  again,  at 
the  time   of  the  operations  in  North 
China,  they  raised  funds  for  presents 
to  the  sick  and  wounded,  both  Japa- 
nese and  foreign,  who  w^ere  visited  by 
their  representatives  in  the  Hospitals 
at  Hiroshima  and  other  places.    The 
Head  Office  of  the  Association  is  at 
the  Red    Cross  Society's  buildings  in 
Tokyo,  and  there  are  at  the  present 
time  32  local  Branches    in    different 
'    parts  of   the  country.     The  present 
membership  of  the  Association  is  as 
follows  :— Head    Office,    427,    Local 
Branches,  4300. 

II.    The  Ladies'  Patriotic  Associa- 
tion draws  its  members  from  the  same 
circles  as  the   above,  and  has  for  its 
object  to  relieve  the  families  of  those 
who  have   died  in  action  or    during 
military  service,  and  to  care  for  those 
who  are  permanently  disabled.     The 
General  Director  of  the  Association  is 
H.I.H.   Princess  Kanin,  and  the  Presi- 
dent, Princess  Hisako  Iwakura.     The 
Main  Office  is  in  Tokyo,   and  there  is 
a  Local  Branch  in  each  Prefecture. 

The  Association  has  lately  received 
the    following    contributions    from  the 
members  of  the  Imperial  Family. 
H.I.M.  the  Emperor     .     .  yen  7000 
H.I.M.  the  Empress     .    .    „     5000 
T.I.H.  the  Crown  Prince 
,    and  Crown  Princess.    .    ,,     2500 


Princess  Kanin»  Patroness  of  the  Ladies'  Patriotic  Association. 


ASSOCIATIONS  FOR  RELIEF-WORK. 


119 


/    y 


The  General  Meeting  of  the  Association 
was  held  on  March  27th,  1904,  at  Ip.iii. 
at  the  Residence  of  the  General  Director, 
H.I.H.  Princess  Kanin,  and  -was  at- 
tended, in  spite  of  rainy  weather,  by 
over  1000  memhers. 

Her  Imperial  Highness,  in  the  course 
of  her  opening  address,  expressed  her 
gratification  at  seeing  so  many  mem- 
bers present  at  this  the  third  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  Ladies'  Patriotic  As- 
sociation, and  alluded  to  the  great 
honour  which  the  Association  had  re- 
ceived in  being  made  the  recipient  of 
the    Imperial     Bonn  ty .      This    bounty 


Princess  Iwakura, 

President  of  the  Ladies'  Patriotic 

Association. 

made  it  incumbent  on  the  members  of 
the  Association  to  work  with  redoubled 
energy  at  the  charitable  and  patriotic 
undertakings  of  the  Association. 

Princess   Iwakura,   as   President   of 
the  Association,  having  made  a    suit- 


able reply  to  Her  Highness*  address, 
Major  General  Sei  Sato  made  a  report 
on  the  work  of  the  Association  and  the 
state  of  its  finances,  and  the  meeting 
was  closed  at  4  p.m.  after  having 
listened  to  speeches  by  Commander 
Ogasawara  and  Baron  Kiyoura,  Minis- 
ter of  Agriculture-  and  Commerce. 

III.  The  Imperial  Relief  Association 
for  Soldiers  and  Sailors  was  established 
by  nobles  and  prominent  gentlemen  in 
Tokyo  with  the  same  objects  as  the 
two  above  Associations.  The  presi- 
dent is  H.I.H.  Prince  Arisugawa,  the 
Vice  Presidents,  Counts  Matsukata  and 
Inoue.  It  is  situated  in  Tokyo  and  its 
originators  have  already  contributed 
more  than  1,000,000  yen.  The  Sub- 
scription List  is  headed  by  munificient 
donations  of  yen  100,000  from  Their 
Majesties,  10,000  from  H.I.H.  the 
Crown  Prince,  5,000  from  H.  I.  H. 
Prince  Arisugawa,  President  of  the  As- 
sociation, and  3,000  from  all  the  other 
Imperial  Princes,  some  of  the  further 
principal  subscriptions  being  as  fol- 
lows : — 

yen 
30,000   Prince  Sfaimazu  Tadashige. 

Mori  Motoaki. 
10,000       „        Tokugawa  lesato. 
„       Marquis  Tokugawa  Girei. 
,,  ,,        Tokugawa  Mosho. 

,,  ,,        Hosokawa  Gosei. 

20,000       ,,        Maeda  Toshitame. 
10,000       ,,        Asano  Chokun. 

,,        Nabeshima  Chokudai. 
,,       Count   Matsukata  Masayoshi, 
„  ,,        Inoue  Kaoru. 

50,000  Baron  Iwasaki  Hisa^^a. 

,,        Mitsui  Hachiroemon, 
,        Shibusawa  Eiichi. 
Yasuda  Zenjiro. 
Furukawa  Junkichi. 
Sumitomo  Kichizaemon. 
Okura  Kihachiro. 
Akaboshi  Yanosuke. 
Fujita  Denzaburo. 
Konoike  Zenemon, 


10,000 
30,000 


20,000 


120 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Volunteer  Relief- Work  for  the 

Mariners. 

The  wives  of  the  Japanese  naval 
officers  also  have  combined  to  raise 
money  and  contribute  £).rticles,  in  order 
to  give  comfort  for  the  naval  officers 
and  men  in  the  campaign.  The  origin- 
ators of  this  work  are  Mesdames 
Tomiko  Takagi,  Shigeko  Urvu,  and 
Haruko  Saito. 


The  Students  of  the  Peeresses' 
School. 

The     students     of     the     Peeresses' 
School,  we  are  told,  have  suggested  to 


their  teachers  to  do  soine  service  for 
the  country  during  the  w^ar  and  it 
was  determined  under  the  permission 
of  the  Imperial  Household  Department 
that  they  should  make  bandages  for 
the  use  of  the  army  and  navy.  Every 
afternoon  when  school  is  over,  426 
students  dressed  in  snow-white  and 
under  the  command  of  50  teachers, 
are  earnestly  working  to  make  5,000 
rolls  of  bandages.  All  the  students 
of  the  school  are  daughters  or  sisters 
of  nobles  and  gentlemen  of  high  rank, 
and  among  them  there  are  young 
Imperial  Princesses,  who  are  .  also 
taking  their  part  in  the  work.  The 
work  will  be  finished  in  a  few  days. 


TO  THE  NATIONS. 

The  Sun  is  rising^  fiercely  bright, 

Its  bannerj  see,  how  proud  it  flies 
In  red  and  white  before  our  eyes 

From  mast-head,  peak,  and  battled  height. 

The  Sun  is  rising :  born  in  gloom, 

Midst  thunder  claps  and  cannon's  roar, 
Midst  clouds  of  smoke,  and  din  of  war 

A  new  day  opens,  big  with  gloom? 

What  day  is  this  that  dawns  so  soon  ? 

A  day  of  sorrow,  grief,  and  pain  ? 

A  day  of  loss,  to  end  in  gain. 
Storms  at  day-break,  fair  sky  at  noon. 

A  new  day^  dawns :  the  nations  cry, 
As  though  some  peril  lurkfid  here. 
!  The  Sun,  whose  rising  beams  ye  fear, 

May  prove  a  Dayspring  from  on  high. 


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THE  IMPERIAL  DIET, 


121 


The  Imperial  Diet. 


HE  House  of  Representatives 
was  dissolved  on  the  28th 
of  December  of  last  year, 
on  accotmt  of  the  hostility 
displayed  by  some  of  its 
members  and  the  attack  made  at  its 
first  meeting  on  what  the  members 
considered  to  be  the  humiliating  way 
n  which  the  Cabinet  was  conducting 
the  negotiations  with  Russia  on  the 
subject  of  Manchuira.  The  outbreak 
of  the  War  necessitated,  therefore,  the 
immediate  election  of  a  new  Parlia- 
ment to  enable  the  Government  to 
obtain  the  support  of  the  nation  and 
the  necessary  votes  of  supplies  for  the 
War,  and  writs  were  therefore  at  once 


as  to  enable  all  the  members  to  unite 
in  supporting  the  Government.  Peace 
at  home  is  one  of  the  essentials  for  a 
successful  war  abroad,  and  the  new 
Diet  met  with  a  full  purpose  of  au- 
thorizing whatever  measure  the  Gov- 
ernment might  demand. 

The  Members  of  the  New  House 
of  Representatives  met  for  the  first 
time  on  March  18th,  and  organized  them- 
selves by  electing  Mr.  Matsuda,  (Con- 
stitutionalist) and  Mr.  Minoura 
(Progressive)  to  the  offices  of  President 
and  Vice-President  respectively.  The 
following  day,  another  informal  Meet- 
ing was  held,  at  which  both  these 
gentlemen  thanked  the  House    for    the 


The  House  of  the  RErRESENXATivES  at  Tokyo. 


issued  for  a  new  election.  The  new  Parlia- 
ment was  chosen  under  very  different 
circumstances,  which  produced  a  very 
different  spirit  to  that  which  had 
characterized  its  predecessor,  and  the 
parties  in  the  Diet  readily  agreed  that 
all  party  differences  should  be  sunk  so 


honour  done  them,  the  President  in 
par  ticular  dwelling  on  the  spirit  of 
impartiality  and  loyalty  which  he  hoped, 
would  characterize  the  proceedings  of 
the  House  and  of  the  Chair. 

The    official    opening    of    the     Diet 
took  place  on  March  20th.  His  Majesty 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


proceeded  according  to  custom  to  the 
House  of  Peers,  accompanied  by  H.  I. 
H.  the  Crown  Prince,  and  delivered 
before  the  members  of  both  Houses  the 
following  Speech  from  the  Throne  : — 

"We  hereby  open  the  Imperial  Diet 
and  inform  the  members  of  the  Houses 
of  Peers  and  of  Representatives  that  it 
gives  Us  profound  satisfaction  that 
Our  relations  with  the  Treaty  Powers 
are  steadily  grownng  in  cordiality  and 
good  understanding. 

"  Prompted  by  a  desire  to  maintain 
permanent  peace  in  the  Eastern  Orient, 
Our  Government,  by  Our  command, 
entered  into  negotiations  with  Russia, 
but  We  regret  that,  owing  to  a  want 
of  sincerity  on  the  part  of  Russia  in 
her  peaceful  professions,  We  have  been 
compelled  to  appeal  to  arms.  That 
step  having  been  taken,   there   can    be 


no  pause  until  the  object  of  the  war 
is  achieved.  Our  forces  in  the  presence 
of  hardship  and  suffering  are  displaying 
loyalty  and  valour  and  we  trust  that 
all  the  people  of  Our  Empire  will 
co-operate  in  perfect  unity  to  enhai.ce 
the  country's  glory. 

"  We  have  directed  Our  Ministers  to 
submit  certain  urgency  ordinances  and 
drafts  of  law"  having  reference  to  the 
situation,  and  we  look  to  you  to 
comply  with  Our  purpose  by  bringing 
to  your  deliberations  a  spirit  of  har- 
mony and  conciliation." 


Mr.  Matsuda, 
THE  New  President  of  the  House  of 

Representatives. 


The  House  of  Representatives  met 
on  the  same  day.  The  President 
submitted  a  draft  of  the  Reply  to  the 
Throne  which  was  referred  to  a  Com- 
mittee of  nine  persons.  After  a  short 
adjournment,  the  Committee  presented 
its  Report  on  the  Reply  which  was 
then  adopted  by  the  House. 
It  was  as  follows  :— 

"We,  Your  Majesty's  ser- 
vants of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives with  all  humility 
tender  our  thanks  for  Your 
Majesty's  condescension  in 
opening  the  Diet  in  person  and 
in  honouring  us  with  a  graci- 
ous Speech.    ' 

"  It  is  the  steadfast  aim  of 
the  Empire  to  preserve  peace 
in  the  Far  East.  But  Russia 
has  shown  herself  deficient  in 
any  sincere  respect  for  peace, 
and  has  violated  the  solemn 
pledges  given  by  her  to  China 
as  well  as  the  assurances  she 
repeatedly  addressed  to  the 
Powers.  W^e  are  thoroughly 
satisfied  that  Your  Majesty 
has  declared  war  against  Rus- 
sia. The  Empire's  expedition- 
ary forces  are  winning  success 
in  battle  after  battle,  and  are 
operating  with  loyalty  and  val- 
our. That  is  due  to  the  virtues 
of  Your  Illustrious  Majesty. 


'  •  .  'f-'L 


THE  IMPERIAL  DIET. 


123 


S 


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en 

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X 

o 
o 
E- 

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Pi 

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en 


O 
2 

a 

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o 

H 

U 


'->' 


124 


THE,  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


"  We,  Your  Majesty's  servants,  will 
respectfully  endeavour  to  discharge 
our  legislative  duties  in  conformity 
with  Your  Majesty's  instructions." 


The  Reply  of  the  House  of  Peers, 
'which  met  on  the  21st  of  March,  was 
as  follows  : — 

"  With  profound  humility,  we,  Your 
Majesty's  humble  servants  in  the  House 
of  Peers,  beg  to  express  our  gratitude 
for  the  fact  that ,  w^hile  at  present 
the  Imperial  influence  is  daily  increas- 
ing and  the  national  prestige  is  month 
by  month  being  enhanced,  the  relations 
between  the  Empire  and  the  foreign 
Powers  are  growing  in  cordiality. 
This  Empire,  vsrith  a  view  to  preserving 
the  peace  of  the  Far  East,  lately  opened 
negotiations  w^ith  Russia.  But  owing 
to  the  lack  of  a  sincere  desire  to 
maintain  peace  on  the  part  of  Russia, 
an  appeal  to  arms  has  become  inevita- 
ble. We  are  strongly  impressed  that  it 
is  due  to  the  illustrious  virtue  of  Your 
Majesty  that  since  the  outbreak  of  war 
our  officers  and  men  in  the  front  have 
displayed  their  valour  and  bravery  and 
that  the  news  of  successive  victories 
are  reaching  us.  We  are  also  grateful 
to  Your  Majesty  for  Your  Majesty's 
condescension  in  opening  the  Diet  in 
person  and  in  granting  us  a  gracious 
Address  with  regard  to  the  important 
question  of  the  day.  ,  It  shall  be  our 
humble  efforts,  in  conformity  w^ith  Your 
Majesty's  august  wishes,  to  discharge 
our  duties,  with  a  spirit  of  harmony 
and  co-operation,  in  order  to  bring 
about  the  brilliant  conclusion  'of  the 
war." 

The  draft  was  unanimously  adopted. 
Prince  Nijo  then  moved  that,  in  pur- 
suance of  the  example  set  by  the 
session  of  the  Diet  held  at  Hiroshima 
on  the  occasion  of  the  Chinese  w^ar,  the 
House  should  dispense  with  the  election 
of  the  Chairman  of  the  -whole  House 
and  the  members  of  the  Standing  Com- 
mittees and  that    those    persons    who 


held  these  positions  in  the  preceding 
session  should  be  reinstalled.  The  mo- 
tion was  carried  unanimously. 

The  House  then  adjourned  to  enable 
the  President  to  proceed  to  the  Im- 
perial Palace  in  order  to  tender  to  His 
Majesty  the  above  Reply  to  the  Ad- 
dress from  the  Throne. 

On  the  reassembling  of  the  House, 
Prince  Tokugawa  reported  that  on 
receipt  of  the  Reply,  His  Majesty  was 
pleased  to  grant  him  the  following 
Address  : — 

"  We  appreciate  the  courtesy  of  the 
House  of  Peers." 

The  Address  was  received  with  pro- 
found obeisance  by  the  members  of  the 
House. 

Marquis  Kuroda  introduced  the 
following  resolution  : — 

"  The  Imperial  Navy  now  on  active 
duty  has,  in  spite  of  the  bitter  cold 
and  other  manifold  hardships,  proceed- 
ed to  the  enemy's  stronghold  and  won 
repeated  victories  by  brave  and  ener- 
getic fighting,  so  that  we  may  expect 
the  control  of  the  seas  shortly  to  fall 
into  our  hands.  The  loyalty  and 
courage  of  the  Imperial  Navy  cannot 
be  sufficiently  apppreciated.  TheHouse 
of  Peers  hereby  eulogizes  the  illustrious 
services  of  the  Imperial  Navy  and  wishes 
it  further  glory." 

The  resolution  adopted,  the  House 
rose  at  11.40  a.  m. 


On  March  23rd,  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives sat  at  1  p.m.  Mr.  Matsuda, 
the  President,  occupied  the  chair.  There 
was  a  full  attendance  of  Ministers  of 
State  and  members.* 

He  reported  that,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  presentation  to  the  Emperor  of 
the  House's  Reply  to  the  Address 
from  the  Throne,  His  Majesty  was 
pleased  to  grant  him  the  following 
gracious  Message  : — 

"  We  appreciate  the  cordiality  of 
the  Hottse  of  Representatives." 


THE  IMPERIAL  DIET. 


125 


This  report  was  received  by  the 
members  standing. 

Count  Katsura,  the  Premier,  then 
delivered  the  following  speech  : — 

"  Gentlemen  ,— At  this  session  of  the 
Diet,  which  has  been  summoned  on  this 


General  Count  Katsqra, 
Prime  Minister  of  Japan. 

unparalleled  moment  in  the  annals  of 
"  our  country,  I  count  it  a  great  honour 
to  have  the  privilege  of  sharing  with 
you  the  duties  of  upholding  the  noble 
policy  of  His  Gracious  Majesty. 

"  The  maintenance  of  permanent 
peace  in  the  Extreme  Orient,  and  the 
consolidation  of  the  position  of  the 
Empire,  by  means  of  promoting  friend- 
ly relations  with  the  Treaty  Powers, 
and  respecting  their  legitimate  rights 
and  interests,  is  the  estabhshed  national 
policy  of  the  Empire.  But  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  schemes  and  actions  of 
Russia  in  Manchuria  and  Korea  were 
wholly  incompatible  with  this  policy, 
the  Imperial  Gevernment,  by  the  com- 
mand of  His  Majesty,  engaged  from 
July  last  in  negotiations  with  the  Rus- 
sian   Government.      Russia,    however, 


not  only  failed  to  meet  our  proposals 
with  sincerity,  but  also  continued  all 
the  more  to  defiantly  resort  to  actions 
which  were  calculated  to  injure  our  na- 
tional rights.  Hence,  Japan,  in  self- 
defence,  w^as  compelled  to  terminate  the 
negotiations,  and  take  independent  ac- 
tion ;  and  it  is  confidentlv  believed  that 
already  all  the  world  has  fully  recog- 
nized the  justice  and  patience  uniformly 
exercised  by  the  Japanese  Government 
in  carrying  on  those  negotiations, 
anxiously  desirous  of  a  peaceful  solution , 
and  mindful  of  the  woeful  consequences 
which  war  brings  upon  mankind. 

"  Gentlemen,  in  the  present  situation 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  subjects  of 
His  Imperial  Majesty  all  over  the  coun- 
try are  of  one  mind  in  their  endeavour 
to  secure  in  obedience  to  His  Majesty's 
will  a  speedy  restoration  of  peace  by 
gaining  such  a  conclusive  victory  as  to 
attain  the  object  of  the  w^ar.  The  Go- 
vernment, in  order  to  meet  the  require- 
ments of  a  belligerent  state,  have  formed 
a  financial  programme ;  and  by  Im- 
perial command  have  already  laid  be- 
fore the  Diet  the  Budget  and  various 
projects  of  laws.  As  to  the  course  of 
diplomatic  negotiations  and  the  finan- 
cial programme,  the  respective  Minis- 
ters of  State  concerned  will  address  you; 
and  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  Go- 
vernment that  you  will  after  candid 
deliberation  give  a  speedy  assent  to 
these  measures. 

"  Gentlemen,  I  w4sh  to  rejoice  with 
you  at  the  reports  that  our  loyal  and 
valiant  forces  have  since  the  opening 
of  hostilities  achieved  glorious  suc- 
cesses by  braving  innumerable  hard- 
ships. Here  in  this  Diet  you  are  al- 
ready the  recipients  of  a  most  gracious 
addressfrom  the  Throne;  and  with  your 
co-operation,  I  trust  to  be  able  to 
humbly  respond  to  His  Majesty's 
wishes  with  a  single  eye  to  upholding 
the  great  undertakings  of  the  nation 
engaged  in  war." 

Baron  Komura,  Minister  of  Foreign 


hp'^ 


126 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Affairs,  also  addressed  the  House  re- 
viewing the  course  of  the  negotiations 
with  Russia.     He  said  : — 

'*  Gentlemen, — It  is  a  great  honour 
to  me  to  make  a  brief  statement  before 
this  House  regarding  the  course  of 
negotiations  between  Japan  and  Russia 
from  the  commencement  to  their 
termination.  These  negotiations  lasted 
for  more  than  half  a  year  and  are  of  a 
most  complicated  nature.  Now  1  will 
try  to  briefly  explain  to  you,  Gentlemen, 
the  main  points  of  these  negotiations. 

When,  upon  the  sudden  outbreak 
in  North  China  of  the  Boxer  troubles 
in  1900,  the  Powers  sent  forces  to 
Chihli  for  the  relief  of  their  Representa- 
tives and  nationals  and  were  taking 
action  in  harmonious  co-operation, 
Russia  despatched  a  large  armv  into 
Manchuria  and  finally  took  possession 
of  the  whole  of  that  province.  She 
repeatedly  declared  at  the  time  that 
this  despatch  of  troops  w^as  simply  for 
suppressing  the  Chinese  insurgents  and 
that  she  was  determined  to  respect  the 
sovereignty  and  territorial  integrity  of 
China  in  Manchuria,  and  that  con- 
sequently her  occupation  of  that 
province,  which  was  the  result  of 
inevitable  circumstances,  was  intended 
to  be  merely  temporary.  Nevertheless 
on  more  than  one  occasion  she  tried 
to  induce  China  to  conclude  a  treaty 
of  a  nature  tending  to  impair  China's 
sovereignty  and  incompatible  with  the 
treaty  rights  of  the  Powers.  Accord- 
ingly, on  each  occasion  the  Imperial 
Government  warned  both  Russia  and 
China,  and  Russia  finally  Concluded  in 
April,  1902,  a  convention  providing 
for  the  restoration  of  Manchuria.  In 
accordance  with  the  stipulations  of  the 
convention,  Russia  commenced  to 
prepare  for  the  restoration,  and  in  fact 
a  partial  evacuation  had  already  been 
cfTected,  when  in  April  last  year  there 
-was  a  sudden  change  in  her  attitude, 
and  not  only  w^ere  the  withdrawal  of 
her   forces   from    Manchuria   and    the 


restitution  of  the  administration  to 
China  suspended,  but  also  various 
additional  conditions  were  demanded 
from  China.  This  action  is  believed  to 
have  been  due  to  divided  counsels  in 
Russian  Government  circles  regarding 
the  solution  of  the  Manchurian  ques- 
tion, and  to  the  subsequent  ascendency 
of  the  party  in  favour  of  permanent 
occupation. 

The  development  of  affairs  in  Aian- 
churia  received  the  most  careful  atten- 
tion at  the  hands  of  the  Imperial 
Government.  The  maintenance  of  the 
independence  and  territorial  integrity 
of  Korea  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
to  the  safety  and  repose  of  this  Empire 
and  is  in  fact  our  traditional  policy  ; 
while  in  the  event  of  the  absorption 
of  Manchuria  by  Russia,  the  separate 
existence  of  Korea  would  be  constantly 
menaced  and  the  firm  establishment  of 
peace  in  the  Far  East  would  become 
impossible.  The  Imperial  Government, 
therefore,  having  regard  to  the  future 
well-being  of  the  Empire,  deemed  it 
necessary  for  consolidating  the  peace 
of  the  Extreme  East  and  for  securing 
the  rights  and  interests  of  the  Empire 
to  open,  as  soon  as  possible,  negotia- 
tions with  Russia  w^ith  £l  view  to  a 
friendly  definition  of  the  interests  of 
the  two  countries  in  Manchuria  and 
Korea  w^here  those  interests  meet,  and 
thereby  to  remove  every  cause  of  future 
conflict  between  Japan  and  Russia. 
The  Japanese  Government,  therefore, 
instructed  their  Representative  at  St. 
Petersburg  on  July  28th,  1903,  to 
bring  their  wishes  to  the  attention  of 
the  Russian  Government  and  to  request 
the  latter *s  concurrence.  The  Russian 
Government  willingly  assented,  and 
the  Russian  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs 
announced  that  he  had  obtained 
Imperial  authority  to  open  negotiations 
on  the  subject.  Accordingly,  on  the 
12th  August  last,  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment presented  to  the  Russian  Govern- 
ment   through   their   Minis  !cr    at   St. 


THE  IMPERIAL  DIET. 


127 


Petersburg,  as  a  basis  of  negotiations, 
proposals  vSiibstantially  as  follows  : — 

1.  Miitual  engagement  to  respect 
the  independence  and  territorial  in- 
tegrity of  China  and  Korea. 

2.  Mutual  engagement  to  maintain 
the  principle  of  equal  opportunity  for 
the  commerce  and  industry  of  all 
nations  in  China  and  Korea. 

3.  Reciprocalrecognition  of  Japan's 
preponderating  interests  in  Korea  and 
Russia's  special  interests  in  railway 
enterprises  in  Manchuria,  and  mutual 
recognition  of  the  respective  rights  of 
Japan  and  Russia  to  take  measures 
necessary  for  the  protection  of  the 
above  mentioned  interests  so  far  as 
they  do  not  conflict  with  the  principle 
of  Article  I  and  Article  II. 

4.  Recognition  by  Russia  of  the 
exclusive  right  of  Japan  to  give  advice 
and  assistance  to  Korea  in  the  interests 
of  reform  and  good  government. 

5 .  Engagement  on  the  part  of 
Russia  not  to  impede  the  eventual 
extension  of  the  Korean  railway  into 
southern  Manchuria  so  as  to  connect 
with  the  East  China  and  the  Shan- 
haikwan-Newchwang  lines. 

About  ten  days  after  the  presenta- 
tion of  the  proposals  of  which  the 
above  are  essential  points,  the  Russian 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  suddenly 
suggested  the  transfer  of  the  seat  of 
negotiations  to  Tokyo.  The  Imperial 
Government,  however,  not  only  from 
the  consideration  that  the  progress  of 
the  negotiations  would  be  facilitated 
by  conducting  them  at  the  Russian 
capital,  but  also  in  view  of  the  changes 
effected  in  the  Russian  administrative 
organization  in  Manchuria  and  the 
erection  of  a  viceroyalty  of  the  Far 
East,  apprehended  that  the  transfer 
of  tlie  seat  of  negotiations  to  Tokyo 
would  not  conduce  to  a  satisfactory 
understanding.  They  accordingly  re- 
peatedly objected  to  the  proposed 
transfer,  but  the  Russian  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs  was  insistent,  assigning 


as  tie  reason  for  his  attitunde  the 
Czar's  contemplated  trip  abroad,  etc. 
Again,  when  the  Imperial  Government 
requested  the  Russian  Minister  for 
Foreign  Affairs  to  accept  in  principle 
our  proposals  as  a  basis  of  negotiation, 
he  only  agreed  to  take  them  in  con- 
junction with  the  Russian  counter- 
proposals as  such  basis.  The  Imperial 
Government,  deeming  it  disadvant- 
ageous to  delay  any  longer  the  opening 
of  discussions ,  agreed  at  length  to 
transfer  the  seat  of  negotiations,  and 
requested  the  Russian  Government  to 
present  as  soon  as  possible  their 
counter-proposals.  It  was  not  until 
nearly  a  month  later,  the  3rd  October, 
that  the  said  counter-proposals  vvrere 
presented. 

In  those  counter-proposals,  Russia 
while  having  no  objection  to  engage 
to  respect  the  independence  and  ter- 
ritorial integrity  of  Koi-ea,  declined 
to  extend  the  same  engagement  to 
China,  and  so  far  from  consenting  to 
recognize  the  principle  of  equal  opportu- 
nity for  the  commerce  and  industry  6f 
all  nations  in  that  country,  requested 
Japan  to  acknowledge  Manchuria  and 
its  littoral  as  entirely  outside  her  sphere 
of  interest.  She  further  proposed 
various  restrictions  upon  Japan's 
freedom  of  action  in  Korea;  for  instance, 
while  recognizing  Japan's  right  to 
despatch  troops,  when  necessary,  for 
the  protection  of  her  interests  in  Korea, 
Russia  demanded  previous  notice  in 
case  of  such  despatch,  and  she  refused 
to  allow  Japan  to  use  any  portion  of 
Korean  territory  for"  strategical 
purposes.  She  went  so  far,  in  fact,  as 
to  propose  to  establish  a  neutral  zone 
covering  all  Korean  territory  north  of 
the  39th  parallel,  that  is  to  say,  more 
than  one  third  of  the  entire  Korean 
Empire. 

But,  as  the  maintenance  of  the 
sovereignt}^  and  territorial  integrity  of 
China  in  Manchuria  is  absolutely 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  the  inde- 


128 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


pendcnce  of  Korea  and  as  such  mainte- 
nance was  none  other  than  a  principle 
which  had  been  voluntarily  and  re- 
peatedly declared  by  Russia  herself, 
and  moreover  as  it  -was  considered 
necessary  to  keep  uninjured  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  all  the  Powers 
concerned,  upon  the  strength  of  the 
Russian  engagement  to  respect  treaty 
rights,  the  Imperial  Government  d:'cided 
to  .maintain  to  the  end  their  proposal 
on  that  subject,  and  necessary  amend- 
ments to  other  Articles  were  also  made. 
For  instance,  the  imposition  of  any 
restriction  on  Japan  in  sending  troops 
to  Korea  should  be  struck  out.  A 
neutral  zone,  if  it  was  to  be  created, 
should  be  established  on  both  sides  of 
the  boundary  line  between  Manchuria 
and  Korea  with  the  same  extent  either 
way— i.e.  hfty  kilometres  on  each  side. 
With  these  amendments,  several  inter- 
views took  place  with  Baron  Rosen 
from  the  6th  October  last,^  and  as  the 
result  of  repeated  discussions,  in  which 
some  of  our  amendments  were  accepted 
while  as  to  others  no  agreement  was 
arrived  at,  our  definitive  amendments 
were  presented  to  Baron  Rosen  on  the 
30th  of  that  month  and  the  Russian 
Government  were  asked  to  consider 
them.  Although  we  frequently  pressed 
for  an  ans^ver,  the  Russian  reply  was 
again  greatly  delayed  and  it  only 
reached  us  on  the  11th  December.  This 
embodied  the  2nd .  Russian  counter- 
proposals. If  the  regret  of  the  Imperial 
Government  at  such  delay  was  deep, 
their  disappointment  at  the  contents 
of  the  reply,  when  it  was  received,  was 
still  more  profound,  for  in  it  the  clauses 
relating  to  Manchuria  w^ere  completely 
suppressed,  thus  restricting  the  proposed 
convention  entirely  to  Korea,  while  on 
the  other  hand  the  original  demands 
regarding  the  neutral  zone  and  the  non- 
employment  of  Korean  territory  for 
strategical  purposes  were  again  revived. 
But  the  object  of  the  convention  was, 
as    above    stated,    the    removal   of  all 


causes  of  future  conflict  by  a  definitive 
settlement  of  all  questions  between  the 
countries  at  points  where  their  interests 
meet,    and   if  Manchuria   were  placed 
outside  the  purview  of  the  arrangement, 
and    a    moiety    of  the   problem   were 
thus   to   remain    unsolved,    the   result 
would  plainly  be  at  variance  with  the 
aims  for  which  the  negotiations  were 
inaugurated.   Consequently,  on  the 21st 
of  December  last,  the  Imperial  Govern- 
ment asked  the  Government  of  Russia 
to    reconsider    their    position    on    the 
subject  of  Manchuria,  and  again  request- 
ed, with  respect  to  Korea,  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  restrictions  as   to  the  em-  . 
ployment  of  Korean  territory,  and  they 
also  proposed  the  entire  deletion  of  the 
clause    relating    to    a  neutral  zone,   as 
it  was  considered  that,  if  Russia  would 
not  agree  to  its    extension    into    Man- 
churia,   it  would    be  only  fair  not    to 
create  it  in  Korea,  ':^^-' 

The  Russian  Government  gave  their 
reply  on  the  6th  of  January,  in  which 
they  still  adhered  to  their  original 
proposals  as  regards  Korea,  and  on 
condition  that  those  proposals  were 
accepted  by  the  Imperial  Government 
they  offered  to  agree  to  the  insertion 
of  a  clause  stipulating  that  Russia 
would  not  impede  the  enjoyment  by 
Japan  and  other  Powers  of  the  rights 
and  privileges  acquired  under  existing 
treaties  with  China.  This  at  first  sight 
might  seem  to  be  a  concession  on  the 
part  of  Russia  regarding  Manchuria, 
but  in  reality  it  was  not  so,  for  Russia 
made  it  conditional  on  certain  proposi- 
tions regarding  Korea  to  which  Japan 
could  never  agree.  Again  no  stipula- 
tions -were  to  be  made  as  to  the  ter- 
ritorial integrity  of  Manchuria  and  the 
above  mentioned  clause,  unaccompanied 
by  assurances  concerning  territorial 
integrity,  would  be  practically  valueless. 
Accordingly,  the  Imperial  Government, 
recognizing  the  absolute  necessity  of 
causing  Russia  to  engage  herself  to 
respect  the  territorial  integrity  of  Man- 


THE  IMPERIAL  DIET.  129 

churia,  -and    finding     no    margin    for  Imperial  Government  entertained  a  most 

further  concession  in   regard  to  Korea,  sincere  desire,  for  peace,  yet,  in  the  face  of 

decided  to  firmly  insist  upon  their  amend-  such  circumstances,  they  could  not  avoid 

ments,  and  once  more  requested  on  the  deciding,  after  a  full  and  careful  s.urvey 

13th  January  last    reconsideration    by  of  thesituation,tobreak  ofi"thenegotia- 

the  Russian  Governmemnt.  They  subse-  tions  with  Russia  and  to  take  all  neces- 

quently  repeatedly  instructed  the  Japan-  sary    measures    for     self-defence.       Ac- 

ese  Minister  at  St.   Petersburg  to  ask  cordingly,  on  the  5th  of  Feb.,  they  issued 

for  a  reply.     The  Russian  Government,  telegraphic  instructions  to  the  Japanese 

however,     did    not   give    any    answer,  Minister  at  St.  Petersburg  to  announce 

neither    did    the    Russian    Minister  for  to   the  Russian    Government    that  the 

Foreign  Affairs,  in   his    interview  with  Imperial    Government    had  terminated 

Mr.   Kurino    held   so  late  as  the  31st  negotiations  relative    to   the  proposed 

January,   afford   even   an  indication  as  Russo-Japanese  convention,   that    they 

to  the   date  whereon   the  reply  would  would    take    such    independent    action 

be  presented.  as  they  might  d:em  best  to  defend  and 

Upon  the  whole,  while  the  Imperial  consolidate  their  menaced  position  and 

Government  invariablv  met    Russia  in  to  protect  their  established  rights  and 

a"  conciliatory  and  frank   spirit,  in  the  legitimate    interests,     and     that    they 

hope  of  arriving   at   a  speedy  solution  would  sever  diplomatic  relations  with 

of  the  situation  by  yielding  to  Russia's  Russia    and   withdraw   their  Legation. 

wishes  so  far  as  they  could  do  so  with-  In  accordance  with   those  instructions 

out    impairing    the    vital    interests    of  onr  Minister    at    St.   Petersburg  made 

Japan,  Russia  always  unduly  delayed  her  the    communication    on    the    6th    Feb- 

replies,  or  proposed  such  amendments  as  ruary  last. 

were  altogether  inconsistent  with  the  Such  is,  Gentlemen,  a  brief  account 

idea    of  an    amicable  settlement,   thus  of  the  negotiations  with  Russia.      As 

making  the  situation  more  and   more  for  the  details,   the   document  just  pre- 

complicated.   Besides  Russia,  while  pro-  sented  to  the  Diet  will   afford    you  full 

fessing  peaceful   intentions   on  the   one  information." 

hand  made  on  the  other  great  naval  and  Baron  Komura  left  the  rostrum 
military  preparations,  despatching  all  amid  hearty  applaiise. 
her  most  powerful  war-vessels  to  the  Baron  Sone,  Minister  of  Finance, 
Extreme  Orient  and  sending  military  said  he  wished  to  speak  on  the  war 
reinforcements  tens  of  thousands  strong  finances.  The  Government  had  drawn 
to  Manchuria  and  the  neighbouring  up  the  financial  measures  which  it  be- 
regions.  Unusually  great  activity  was  lieved  would  best  preserve  the  honour 
shown  by  her  in  purchasing  and  trans-  and  interests  of  the  Empire.  He  asked 
porting  arms,  ammunition,  stores  and  the  members  to  approve  of  these  bills 
coal  to  the  same  region,  so  that  it  was  and  to  give  post  facto  approbation 
placed  beyond  the  range  of  doubt  that  to  the  financial  measures  carried  out 
Russia  had  no  sincere  desire  for  con-  by  virtue  of  Article  70  of  the  Con- 
ciliation and  only  aimed  at  compelling  stitution.  He  also  said  it  was  regret- 
us  to  yield  to  her  designs  by  force  of  table  that  the  nation  should  be  called 
arms.  E.  pe.ially  towards  the  end  of  upon  to  bear  so  heavy  a  burden;  but 
January  the  warlike  activities  of  Russia  at  the  same  time  the  Government  had 
were  so  far  accelerated  that,  had  Japan  curtailed  its  expenditure  as  much  as 
permitted  any  further  procrastination,  possible,  and  this  he  asked  the  mem- 
the  Empire  would  certainly  have  been  bers  to  take  into  consideration. 
placed  in  serious  danger.    Although  the  All  the  bills,    46  in  number,    were 


.130 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


given  over  to  the  consideration  of  the  and  Navy,  and  a  Bill  for  establishing 
respective  committees,  to  be  nominated  Mortgage  Rights  on  the  Registered 
by  the  President.  The  House  rose  at  National  Bonds,  and  gave  post-facto 
2.20  p.m.  approval   to    the    Imperial    Ordinance 

No.  291,  of  1903 
(relating  to  the 
Soul-Fusan  Rail- 
way) ,  Imperial 
OrdinanceNo.  19, 
of  1904  (relating 
to  the  Field  Post 
Service),  the  Dis- 
bursements, inde- 
pendent of  the 
?Budget,  relating 
to  the  Extraor- 
dinary Affairs, 
and  the  Law  of 
Maritime  Defence. 
Mr.  Fukuchi, 
Chairman  of  the 
Committee  ap- 
pointed to  con- 
sider two  congra- 
March  25,  House  of  Represent-  tulatory  messages  to  the  Navy,  report- 
atives  sat  at  1  p.m.  ed  that  the  Committee  had  drafted  a 

Mr.  Matsuda,  the  President,  occu-  new  resolution  aud  submitted  it  to 
pied  the  chair.  After  various  reports  the  House.  Although  no  new  mean- 
had  been  presented,  Licut.-Gen.  Tera-  ing  had  been  conveyed  in  the  draft, 
uchi,  Minister  of  War,  briefly  explain-  the  latter  was  composed  in  the  highest 
ed  the  Bill  for  Amending  the  Pension  literary  style,  and  reflected  great  credit 
Law,  the  first  reading  of  which  opened  on  Mr.  Fukuchi,  the  chairman,  who  is 
the  order  of  the  day.  He  said  that  the  greatest  dramatic  writer  in  Japan 
the    Government    deemed    it    necessary     to-day. 

to    relieve    those    at    the    front    of    all  Before  the  adoption  of  the  resolu- 

care  and  anxiety  regarding  their  pri-  tion,  however,  Mr.  Osamu  Watanabe, 
vate  affairs  in  order  that  they  might  member  from  Ehime-ken,  supported  by 
the  better  discharge  their  duties  to  the  other  members,  asked  the  Minister  of  the 
country.  With  this  object  in  view,  the  Navy  to  furnish  theHousewithparticul- 
Govemment  proposed  the  amendment  ars  of  the  actions  of  the  Navy  on  which 
of  the  Pension  Law,   submitted  to  the     they  were  about  to  pass  the  resolution. 


The  House  of  Peers  at  Tokyo. 


consideration  of  the  House.  A  special 
committee  to  consider  the  bill  was 
then  appointed. 

By    the     omission    of    the    formal 
reading,    the    House    passed    the    Bill 


Vice- Admiral  Baron  Yamamoto, 
Minister  of  the  Navy,  who  was  greeted 
with  applause,  said  that  the  oflicial 
reports  of  the  naval  actions  had  been 
published,  and  he  believed  the  members 


relating    to    the    Disbursement    of  Ex-  were    acquainted    with    their    outline, 

traordinary   Affairs   Expenses,   the  Bill  The  war  was  as  yet  at  its  beginning, 

for   instituting  a   Special    Account    for  and  it  was  impossible  to   disclose  the 

the  War  E::penses  covering  the  Army  naval    tactics    at    the    present    stage. 


THE  IMPERIAL  DIET. 


131 


How  Japan  and  Russia  had  come  into 
conflict  had  been  minutely  explained 
by  the  Foreign  Minister,  and  he  did 
not  wish  to  repeat  it.  But  diplomacy 
and  the  Navy  were  so  closely  connect- 
ed that,  during  the  time  the  diplomatic 
situation  was  assuming  grave  aspects, 
the  Naval  Office  had  also  to  be  on  the 
alert.  The  speaker  asked  the  House 
to  remember  that  the  Navy  Office  had 
to  pay  keen  attention  to  the  fleet  and 
its  equipment.  The  fleet  had  been  con- 
centrated at  Sasebo  and  organized  for 
time  of  war.  The  Russian  naval  forces 
in  the  Far  East,  taken  together  with 
the  ships  coming  from  Europe,  were 
stronger  than  the  Japanese  fleet,  as 
v^as  shown  by  figures.  To  equalize 
matters,  the  Government  purchased 
two  warships  from  the  Argentine  Re- 
public. As  soon  as  our  country  was 
compelled  to  resort  to  arms,  His  Ex- 
cellency Admiral  Togo  left  Sasebo  on 
February  6  to  attack  the  enemy's 
fleet  in  the  Yellow  Sea.  The  Minister 
regretted  he  could  not  furnish  fuller 
particulars  of  the  actions  of  our  fleet. 
But  the  enemy  was  forestalled  and 
serious  damage  inflicted  on  their  ships. 
It  was  impossible,  however,  for  our 
Naval  officers  to  ascertain  the  extent 
of  the  damage  sustained  by  the  enemy ; 
but  it  was  almost  certain  that  the 
battleships  Retvisan  and  Cesarevitch 
and  the  cruiser  Pallada  were  seriously 
damaged.  According  to  the  official 
report  received  on  Thursday,  ^Yt  Rus- 
sian battleships  and  four  cruisers  were 
able  to  leave  Port  Arthur,  showing 
that  the  damages  originally  inflicted 
had  been  considerably  repaired.  The 
fact  that  they  remained  under  the 
protection  of  the  forts  was  no  indica- 
tion of  their  inability  to  fight.  On 
the  contrary,  the  Japanese  Navy  had 
to  be  cautious  of  the  enemy's  tactics. 
It  was  a  universally  recognized  prin- 
ciple of  naval  warface  that  a  naval 
port  could  not  be  successfully  blockad- 
ed unless  the  investing  fleet  was  twice 


as  strong  as  the  enemy.  In  order  to 
be  successful  there  was  further  need 
on  our  part  for  deliberate  and  skilful 
tactics.  The  Minister  concluded  by 
stating  that  no  Japanese  warship  had 
so  far  been  placed  horsde  combat. 

A  member  then  proposed  that  the 
resolution  be  passed  unanimously, 
which  was  done,   amid   applause. 

Yice-Admiral  Baron  Yamamoto,  in 
reply,  said  he  believed  the  officers  and 
men,  whp  were  fighting  under  great 
difficulties  at  the  front,  would  be 
deeply  impressed  by  the  resolution 
passed  by  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, which  represented  the  voice  ol 
the  united  nation.  He  would  have 
much  pleasure  in  forwarding  at  once 
the  resolution  to  the  Combined  Fleet. 
He  was  in  sympathy  with  the  House 
in  trusting  that  our  officers  and  men 
would  overcome  all  the  difficulties  ly- 
ing before  them.  In  conclusion  he 
thanked  them,  on  behalf  the  govern- 
ment, for  the  resolution. 

The  House  then  passed  the  Govern- 
ment Bill  for  Amending  the  Law  of 
Public  Works  of  Formosa,  and  rose  at 
2.15  p.m. 

On  March  26th,  27th,  and  28th, 
the  two  Houses  were  busily  occupied 
with  discussing  all  the  necessary  bills 
regarding  the  Temporary  Special  Taxes 
and  others  all  of  which  were  practical- 
ly passed  with  little  or  no  modifica- 
tions just  as  they  were  introduced  bv 
the  Government.  In  short,  the  Diet 
approved  the  Government's  proposals 
of  raising  from  various  sources  a  new 
income  of  yen  576,000,000. 

On  March  29th,  the  last  day  oi 
the  session,  Mr.  Hara,  the  Constitu- 
tionist's  leader,  after  the  order  of  the 
day  had  been  ended,  proposed  the  fol- 
lowing resolution: — 

''The  Imperial  Rescript  declaring 
war  against  Russia  is  fair  and  just, 
being  the  outcome  of  the  august  wishes 
to  promote  peace  in  the  Far  East. 
Who    among    His     Majesty's    subjects 


132 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


would  not  try  to  obey  the  Iiuperial 
wishes  with  all  their  might  and 
energy  ?  The  House  of  Represent- 
atives, in  accordance  with  the  nation's 
will,  has  voted  all  the  war  funds  that 
the  Government  demanded,  in  order 
that  the  war  may  be  prosecuted.  The 
war  has  only  just  begun,  and  although 
our  fleet  has  already  been  able  to 
score  great  successes,  it  will  be  long 
before  the  final  victory  vsrill  be  won 
and  peace  in  the  Far  East  re-estab- 
lished. The  House  ^  will  not  grudge 
to  vote  the  money  for  carrying  out 
the  war.  It  at  the  same  time  earnest- 
ly hopes  that  the  Ministers  of  State 
will  not  fail  in  their  duty  of  properly 
advising  the  Throne  for  the  speedy 
realization  of  the  object  of  the  war. 
We  specially  make  this  resolution  in 
order  to  clearly  show  the  wishes  of 
the  nation." 

The    resolution    w^as    unanimously 
adopted. 


Count  Katsura,  the  Premier,  in 
reply  to  the  resolution,  said  that  the 
Government,  in  obedience  to  His  Majes- 
ty's wishes,  would  try  not  to  deceive 
the  hopes  of  the  House  of  Represent-^ 
atives. 

On  the  follow^ing  day,  the  ceremony 
of  closing  the  Diet  was  held  in  the 
House  of  Peers,  when  the  Imperial 
Rescript  read  as  follows : — 

"We  announce  to  each  and  every 
member  of  the  House  of  Peers  and  the 
House  of  Representatives  that  the  Im- 
perial Diet  is  closed  to-day.  We  highly 
appreciate  your  exertions  in  having 
discharged  your  functions  with  deliber- 
ation in  conformity  vrith  Our  wishes, 
regarding  the  urgent  measures  in  con- 
nection with  the  present  war." 

The  Premier  handed  the  scroll  of 
the  Rescript  to  Prince  Tokugawa, 
President  of  the  House  of  Peers.  The 
proceedings  then  terminated. 


GENERAL  NEWS. 


133 


General  News. 


Marquis  Ito,  Special  Envoy 
to  Korea. 

As  the  result  of  the  Japanese-Korean 
Treaty  signed  at  Seoul  on  P'ebruary 
23rd  1904,  Marquis  Ito,  Special  Envoy 
to  Korea,  and  his  suite  left  Tokyo  on 
March  13th  and  arrived  at  Kobe  on 
the  following  day,  where  they  took 
the  Hongkong  Maru,  and  passed  the 
Shimonoseki  Strait  at  6  p.m.  on  the 
loth.  When  off  Mutsure  Island,  tl  e 
signal  tower  on  the  island  signalled, 
"  As  far  as  -we  can  see  there  is  no 
danger  in  sight  and  we  sincerely  wish 
you  a  safe  voyage;"  and  at  1  a.ni, 
on  the  16th,  passing  below  the  Kan- 
zaki  Signal  Tower  of  Tsushima  she 
received  a  signal  from  Mr.  Tsunoda 
Commander  of  the  Takeshiki  Naval 
Port,  expressing  his  wish  that  the 
Envoy  might  have  a  safe  voyage,  for 
which  the  Envoy  signalled  his  thanks. 
Thus  at  11  a.m.  on  the  17th  the  ship 
safely  reached  Chemulpo ,  where  the 
Reception  Committee  of  the  Korean 
Government,  Mr.  Hayashi,  Japanese 
Minister  to  Korea,  and  other  Japanese 
officers  and  officials  at  Seoul  and 
Chemulpo,  received  the  Marquis  Ito 
and  his  staff  on  board.  After  anchor- 
ing, a  part  of  the  staff  members  landed 
at  once;  but  the  Envoy  landed  after 
lunch  and  entered  the  Japanese  Con- 
sulate. There  they  were  greeted  by 
Min  Young-hwan,  the  Chief  of  the 
Reception  Committee  of  the  Korean 
Government,  and  many  other  high 
Korea  a  officials,  and  after  a  short 
repose,  went  to  the  station.  The  Im- 
perial State  carriage  was  provided  for 
the  use  of  the  Envoy  on  the  railway, 
and  he  arrived  at  Seoul  with  his  suite 
at  4  p.m. 

On  the  18th  at  2.30  p.m.  H.I.M. 
the    Emperor   and    II.I.H.    the    Crown 


Prince  of  Korea  gave  Marquis  Ito  a 
public  audience  at  the  Imperial  Palace, 
and  the  Envoy,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Tsuzuki  and  other  members  of  his 
suite,  presented  his  credentials  from 
the  Japanese  Emperor. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th,  the 
Ministers  of  all  the  powers,  and  high 
Korean  officials,  paid  their  visits  to 
the  Envoy,  which  in  the  afternoon  he 
returned.  After  the  20th,  he  was  very 
busy  with  visitors  and  meetings,  and 
was  admitted  to  a  private  audience 
on  the  21st,  and  to  a  second  for  leave- 
taking  on  the  25th.  At  the  first  pri- 
vate audience  His  Majesty  himself 
gave  him  a  high  Order,  while  to  the 
members  of  his  suite  proper  decorations 
were  sent  after,  they  had  returned  t6 
their  hotels.  At  the  second  private 
,  audience,  he  and  his  suite  had  the 
honour  of  lunching  and  conversing  for 
two  hours  with  the  Emperor  and 
Crown  Prince,  and  this  is  the  first 
instance  of  the  Emperor  himself  sitting 
down  with  foreigners  to  table.  More- 
over, when  the  time  for  leaving  came, 
His  Majesty  accompanied  him  down- 
stairs to  his  palanquin.  On  the  26th, 
the  day  of  his  departure  for  home, 
from  six  in  the  morning,  he  received 
visits  from  the  Korean  Ministers,  for- 
eign Ministers,  and  prominent  Japanese. 
At  3.30  p.m.  he  went  in  a  palanquin 
specially  provided  by  the  Korean 
Court,  to  the  station,  where  he  was 
met  by  Prince  Wi  Yang,  the  represent- 
ative of  the  K  orean  Emperor,  and 
other  distinguished  personages,  includ- 
ing Mr;  Hayashi  and  the  members  of 
his  staffj  and  Japanese  naval  and  mili- 
tary officers,  and  at  3.40  p.m.  the 
whole  party  left  Seoul  for  Chemulpo 
on  the  Imperial  car  which  had  been 
placed  at  the  Envoy's  disposal.  At 
noon  on  the  27th  they  left  Chemulpo 


134 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


by  the  Hongkong  Mara,  being  accom- 
panied on  board  by  Mr.  Hayashi,  Mr. 
Min,  Chief  of  the  Korean  Reception 
Committee,  and  several  other  promi- 
nent Japanese  and  Koreans  \vho  took 
their  last  leave  just  as  the  ship  was 
about  to  start.  They  arrived  at 
Sasebo  at  8  a.m.  on  the  29th,  and  at 
Tokyo  at  3  p.m.  on  April  1st,  via  Moji 
and  Kobe. 


Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  First 
American  Treaty. 

On  March  31st,  at  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  Hall, 
Kanda,  a  large  meeting  was  held  in 
commemoration  of  the  half  centenary 
anniversary  of  the  opening  of  the 
country  by  Commodore  Perry.  The 
spacious  hall  was  packed  to  overflow- 
ing, one  side  of  the  floor  being  occupied 
by  a  large  party  of  American  gentle- 
men and  ladies.  On  the  platform  were 
their  Excellencies  Count  Matsukata, 
Count  Okuma,  Count  Inouye,  and  Mr. 
Griscom,  the  American  Minister,  Mr, 
Saburo  Shimada,  M.P.,  Bishop  McKim, 
Bishop  Moore,  Mr.  Ebara,  M.P.,  Dr. 
De  Forest,  and  Mr.  Honda,  the  two 
last-named  gentlemen  acting  alternate- 
ly as  Chairman. 

The  meeting  opened  with  a  prayer 
by  Mr.  Honda.  He  was  followed  by 
Mr.  Soroku  Ebara,  M.P.,  who  in  a 
brief  speech  alluded  to  the  importance 
of  the  historic  event  in  commemoration 
of  which  the  meeting  was  held.  Among 
other  things  he  observed  that,  although 
Japan  had  for  over  two  centuries  been 
sleeping,  it  was  not  the  slumber  of  a 
feeble  and  sickly  people,  but  that  it  w^as 
the  energy-giving  slumber  of  a  vigorous 
and  healthy  nation. 

MR,  SHIMADA's  speech. 

Mr.  Saburo  Shimada,  M.P.,  said 
that  the  event  which  they  were  com- 
memorating on  the  present  occasion 
was  pregnant  with  far-reaching  mean- 
ing for  the  future  not  only   of   Japan 


but  of  Asia,  and'  not  only  of  Asia  but 
of  the    world    at    large.      The    treaty 
which  had  been   signed  at   the  village 
of  Yokohama  half  a  century  ago  was 
a  very  simple  document.     It  was  not 
a  treaty  of  commerce,  but  a  treaty  of 
unique  character,   whose  principal  con- 
cern was  the  relief  of  the  shipwrecked 
and    such    other    matters   of  a    purely 
humanitarian    nature.       In    this,     the 
eminent  American  sailor  entrusted  with 
this  difficult  mission  displayed  a  rare 
sagacity  and  a  wonderful  insight  into 
the  real  character  of  the  obstacles  ly- 
ing in  the  path  of  the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment   of  those    days.      Perry    thus 
succeeded  in  opening  the  door  of  seclu- 
sion so  long  and  so  jealously  kept  shut 
by  Japan.     From  this  dated  a  series  of 
memorable    events   of  the  utmost    im- 
portance in  the  history  of  Japan, — the 
restoration    of  administrative    powers 
to    the    Imperial  Court,    the  abolition 
of  feudalism,   and  those  reforms  which 
culminated  in    the  establishment   of  a 
constitutional     form    of    Government. 
During  all  these  years   of  steady  pro- 
gress,   Japan   had  always   enjoyed  the 
invariable  sympathy  and  active  assist- 
ance   of  the    Government    and    people 
of  the  United  States.     The  trans-Pacific 
Republic  by  introducing  Japan  to  the 
world, ^continued    the    speaker, —  had 
given  Japan  the  proud  position  of  be- 
ing a  harmoniser  and  middleman    be^ 
tween  the  West  and  East.    Japan  had 
herself  experienced  a  severe  conflict   of 
old  and  new  ideas,    and  no   doubt  in 
her   endeavours  to  introduce   Western 
civilization  to  the  rest  Oi  Asia  a  similar 
difficulty  would  have  to  be  encounterT 
ed.      But    Mr.   Shimada  felt   sure  that 
the  wise  Providence  would  help  Japan 
in  the  discharge  of  her  important  mis- 
sion as  it  had  wonderfully  helped  her 
thus  far.      Then  after  going  into  some 
historical  details  about  the  conclusion 
of  the  memorable  treaty  of  March  31st, 
1854,   Mr.  Shimada  wished  to  call  at- 
tention to    an  interesting   incident    to 


GENERAL  NEWS, 


135 


whicli  Japan  owed  the  advantage 
and  pleasure  of  having  the  United 
States  as  her  first  and  unassisted  intro- 
ducer to  the  world.  Commodore  Perry 
had  been  preceded  by  the  Russian 
envoy,  Poutiatine,  whose  overtures  had 
been  totally  rejected  by  the  Shogun's. 
Government.  Poutiatine  subsequently 
met  Perry  at  Nawa  in  Okinawa  (Loo 
Choo),  and  Poutiatine  suggested  to 
Perry  that  joint  pressure  on  the 
Japanese  Government  should  be  applied. 
This  proposal  was  wisely  rejected  by 
the  sagacious  American  officer,  who 
was  confident  of  succeeding  where 
others  had  failed.  Be  the  reason  what 
it  may  why  he  decided  not  to  act  in 
common  with  the  Russian,  the  result, 
said  Mr.  Shimada,  was  happy  to 
Japan,  who  thus  had  the  fortune  of 
being  ushered  to  the  world  by  the 
justice-loving  Republic  of  North  Ame- 
rica. The  speaker  then  referred  to  the 
heavy  debt  of  gratitude  Japan  owed 
to  Townsend  Harris,  whose  friendly 
counsels  saved  her  from  many  pitfalls  in 
the  path  of  foreign  intercourse,  notably 
in  the  matter  of  the  prohibition  of  the 
importg.tion  of  opium.  Another  instance 
of  Japan^s  indebtedness  to  America 
cited  by  Mr.  Shimada  was  Oguri's  mis- 
sion to  the  States,  which  was  sent  over 
by  the  Shogunate  Court  in  response  to 
American  advice  in  1859.  [The  date 
was  given  by  Mr.  Shimada  as  1860, 
but  this  is  a  mistake,  as  was  pointed 
out  by  the  next  speaker.  Count  Okuma.] 
According  to  all  accounts,  it  was  certain 
that  every  attention  and  facility  was 
accorded  it.  In  illustration  of  how- 
solicitous  the  Americans  were  for 
the  comfort  and  pleasure  of  the  party, 
Mr.  Shimada  Stated  that,  according 
to  the  diary  kept  by  Miyake,  an 
official  in  the  suite  of  the  Envoy,  the 
party  were  treated  to  a  Japanese 
dinner  at  Washington  !  The  speaker 
was  happy  to  be  able  to  say  that  the 
attention  paid  to  the  party  was  not 
thrown  away,  for  it  was  from  the  mem- 


bers of  this  mission  that  there  arose  a 
man— the  late  Count  Katsu— who  did 
much  in  organizing  the  Japanese  Navy, 
and  other  and  perhaps  greater  man— 
the  late  Mr.  Fukuzawa — who  did  more 
than  any  other  man  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  education  and  the  spread  of 
liberal,  enlightened  ideas.  Then  coming 
to  later  times,  Mr.  Shimada  called  at- 
tention to  the  fact  that  American 
citizens  were  most  prominent  among 
those  foreigners  who  assisted  in  the 
reorganization  of  the  various  branches 
of  Japanese  administration.  He  also 
referred  to  the  sympathetic  attitude  in- 
variably maintained  by  America  in  re- 
gard to  the  question  of  the  abolition 
of  extra-territoriality.  Neither  did  he 
omit  to  mention  with  gratitude  that 
it  was  America  who  led  the  other 
Powers  in  withdrawing  their  post 
offices  from  our  treaty  ports.  Mr.  Shi- 
mada then  proceeded  to  ask  the  ques- 
tion— "  Why  is  it  that  China,  which  has 
been  in  contact  with  the  West  much 
longer  than  we  have,  still  lags  behind 
us  ?  Why  is  it  that  while  China  has 
been  and  is  suffering  from  a  serious 
religious  trouble, — namely,  conflicts  be- 
tween adherents  of  Christianity  and 
non-converts,^apan  is  quite  free  from 
such  trouble?"  Many  causes  doubt- 
less conspired  to  this  singular  result. 
But  on  the  present  occasion,  the 
speaker  naturally  confined  himself  to 
one,  namely,  the  superior  personal 
character  of  those  who  first  represent- 
ed Occidental  civilization  in  the  fields 
of  religion  and  education.  And  many 
of  these  lofty-minded  persons  hailed 
from  the  great  Republic  on  the  other 
side  of  the  Pacific.  Who  did  not 
gratefully  cherish  the  memories  of  men 
likeYcrbeck,Hepburn,  Williams,  Thomp- 
son, Griffith,  Brown,  and  Clarke  ? 
The  Americans  would  doubtless  say 
that  they  had  only  done  their  duty, 
but  Mr.  Shimada  rightly  insisted  that 
the  Japanese  should,  and  did,  all  the 
same  feel  keenly  thankful    for   the   un- 


136 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ceasing  sympathy  and  assistance  given 
them  by  the  Americans.  Lastly,  the 
speaker  referred  to  a  pecuHar  bond  of 
affinity  that  unites  the  Japanese  with 
the  Americans  and  the  English,  namely, 
the  bond  of  a  common  type  of  civiliza- 
tion. Japan,  he  said,  had  definitely 
identified  herself  with  the  Anglo-Saxon 
type  of  civilization,  which  was  charac- 
terised by  its  love  of  freedom,  equality, 
and  progress.  This  was  in  one  sense 
the  result  of  a  geographical  necessity. 
One  of  the  very  reasons  of  America's 
sending  out  Perry  to  knock  at  our 
door  of  seclusion  had  been  the  opening 
of  the  Pacific  coast,  which  had  brought 
America  face  to  face  with  Japan  across 
the  sea.  This  geographical  intimacy 
would  be  immensely  increased  on  the 
completion  of  the  Isthmian  Canal.  He 
concluded  with  the  prophecj'-  that  the 
friendship  that  had  so  naturally  and  so 
auspiciously  been  cemented,  and  which 
had  produced  in  the  past  such  splendid 
results,  would  be  fruitful  of  more 
splendid  events  in  the  future. 

Viscount  Okabe,  on  behalf  of  the 
Beiyu  Ky okai ,  said  a  few  words  of 
congratulation  befitting  the  occasion. 

At  this  point  much  interest  was 
aroused  by  the  singing  by  the  Ameri- 
cans present  of  the  same  hymn  which 
Commodore  Perry's  party  had  sung 
in  the  Bay  of  Yedo  fifty  years  ago. 

COUNT   OKUMA's  speech. 

Count Okuma  now  rose,amidstloud 
and  prolonged  clapping  of  hands.  After 
a  few  preliminary  remarks,  the  noble 
speaker  said  that  during  200  years  or 
more  of  our  history  previous  to  the 
advent  of  the  Tokugawa  dynasty  Japan 
had  been  a  country  of  open  doors.  Our 
forefathers  had  always  welcomed  alien 
civilizations  and  alien  races,  the  result 
being  the  growth  of  a  people  of  mixed 
race  and  mixed  civilization.  Why  then 
the  seclusion  of  more  than  two  centuries 
under  the  Tokugawa  regime  ?  Stern  cir^ 
cumstances,  said  the  illustrious  speaker, 


compelled   Japan   to    this    unfortunate 
course.     For    a    long    period    prior    to 
the   closing    of  her   doors  Japan   had 
been  in  free  and  unfettered  intercourse 
with  various  Western  nations,  especial- 
ly   with    Spain    and    Portugal .     That 
intercourse    led    to     the     introduction 
of  a    new    religion,    which    made    such 
rapid  progress  that  tradition    put    the 
number  of  converts  at  several  millions 
within  a  hundred  years.     The  first  re- 
ligious propagandists  were  men  of  rare 
nobility  of  character.     But    they    were 
soon  followed  by  men  of  inferior  qual- 
ity.   These  began  to  meddle  with  poli- 
tics.   People  began  to  suspect  that  the 
real  object  of  missionary  work  was  to 
conquer    the    country.     The  home  go- 
vernments at  Lisbon  and  Madrid  might 
possibly  have  been  of  any  evil  designs, 
but  their  missionaries  in  the  Far  East 
behaved    in    such    a    manner  that    the 
rulers    of  Japan    came  to    the    conclu- 
sion   that    the    object  and  presence  of 
foreign    missionaries    was    inimical    to 
the  peace  and  tranquillity  of  the  coun- 
try.   At  the  time  Japan    adopted    this 
policy,  it  so  chanced  that  Europe  was 
also  grappling  with  a  religious  trouble. 
It  was    the    harrassing    period    of  the 
Thirty    Years'    War.      Continuing,   the 
C ount    observed    that ,    regrettable    as 
was  the  shutting  of  our  doors,  our  iso 
lation  of  200  years  w^as  not  altogethei* 
without    advantages.      lyeyasu  was  a 
wonderful  statesman.    Mainly    as    the 
result   of  his    foresight    and    prudence, 
the  country  enjoyed  a  profound    peace 
for  over  tw^o  centuries — a  peace  which 
favoured  the  revival  of  letters,  develop- 
ment of  commerce,    and    in    general    a 
^vonderful    increase    of  national    pros- 
perity.    Moreover  during  the  seclusion 
of  216  years,  Japan  was  not  altogether 
out  of  touch  with  the  West.     The  light 
of    Western    civilization    was    all    this 
while  penetrating   Japan    through    the 
little     port    of    Nagasaki,    where    the 
Dutch,  alone  of  all  Occidental   nations, 
were    permitted    to    reside    and    trade. 


GENERAL  NEWS.  137 

The  result  was  the" spread  of  the  know-  ing     a     primary     school     boy     for     a 

ledge  of  medicine,    astronomy,    botany  university  course  would   demand.    The 

and  other  branches  of  Western  learning  treaty   arranged    under    the    wise  care 

among  the  people  long  before  the  advent  of  this    man    was    terminable    in    ten 

of  Perry.    Preparations  had  thus  been  years,    a    provision    absent     in     later 

steadily    made    during    the    period    of  treaties,  and  in   other  respects    it  was 

seclusion    for    the    reception    with    ad-  the  best   treaty  Japan    ever    concluded 

vantage    of  the    full   flood  of  Western  before  the  final  Revision.     Referring  to 

civilization.     As  to  the  historical  details  the     Oguri    Mission    to    America,     al- 

about  the  conclusion  of  the  first  treaty  ready     alluded     to     by     the     previoiis 

with  America,  which  definitely    opened  speaker,     Count     Okuma    stated    that 

the  country,  and  as  to  the  subsequent  the  extraordinary   degree   of  attention 

relations  between  Japan   and   America,  shown    them    on    the    other    side    was 

Count     Okuma    did    not    think    it    at  proved  by  the  fact    that   Congress   at 

all     necessary    for    him    to     dwell    at  Washington  voted  $50,000  as  expenses 

length,  as  the  subject  had  already  been  for  entertainingthem  as  national  guests. 

exhaustively  treated  by    the    preceding  One  of   the   many    beneficial    results  of 

speaker.      All    that    remained    for    him  this  mission   -was  the   discovery  which 

was    to    supply     what    Mr.     Shimada  its  members  made  of  the  importance  of 

had  omitted    to    touch    or    to    expand  studying    the    English    language.      At 

what     he     had     dismissed    in    a     few  that     time      Dutch      was      the      only 

pregnant    words.     It    seemed    to    him  prevalent   European   tongue  cultivated 

that  attention  had  long  been    directed  in  Japan.     All    this    "was    changed    im- 

in  America  to  this  country  before  Perry  mediately  upon  the  the  return  home  of 

Avas  sent.     During  the   70  or  80  years  Oguri   and    his    suite,    who    set    about 

before  that  mission    left   America,    the  encouraging  the  study  of  English.     The 

Pacific    coasts    had    been    touched    by  Count  had  no  doubt  that  the  adoption 

more   than    50    Japanese    fishing    craft  of    English    as    our    standard    foreign 

washed  away  by  storms.     In    contem-  language  had  wide  reaching  effects  on 

plating  at    this    distance    of  time    the  the  mental  bias   of  the  people  and  the 

remarkable  success  with  which  Perry's  character     of     national     development. 

mission     was      crowned,      the      Count  The  opening  of  the  country  was  follow- 

thought  it  necessary    to    look    at    the  ed  by  a  very  troublous  period  full  of  un- 

personahty   of  that  eminent   American  toward    events,    but    the    good    seeds 

officer.    The  success,    he    thought,  was  brought  home  by  that  Oguri  Mission 

in    a    large    measure   due  to   his   saga-  bore   their  fruits.      The    second  impor- 

city  and  his  high  sense    of  justice  and  tant  Mission,  which  received  almost  as 

freedom.     It  was  fortunate    for   Japan  "i^^h  attention  in  America  and  which 

that  a  man  of  his  unique  qualifications  was     destined    to    bear    equally    good 

had  been  sent  by  the  American  Govern-  results,    was    that    of  the   late  Prince 

ment,  for  otherwise  Japan's  awakening  Iwakura.      With    him    were    men    like 

might  possibly  have  been  more  or  less  Okubo,  Kido  and  Ito.     Among  other 

deferred.    Referring  to  the  remarkable  instances  of  Japanese  indebtedness  to 

patience     shown     by     another     great  Americans,  the  speaker  referred  to  the 

American,  Townsend  Harris,  in  initiat-  fact  that  during  thirty-two  out  of  the 

ing    the     officials     of    the     Shogunate  thirty-seven  years  of  the  present  reign, 

Government  into  the  elementary  princi-  our   Foreign    Office    had    always    had 

pies   of    international    intercourse,    his  the  benefit  of  the  able  and  loyal  services 

task,    the    Count    said,    demanded    as  of  American  Advisers.     First  to  serve 

much  patience  as  an  attempt  at  coach-  us  in  that  capacity  was  Mr.  Smith,  a 


138 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


well-known  international  lawyer.  It 
■was  during  his  tenure  of  office  that 
the  now  historic  seizure  of  the  Peruvian 
ship  carr^ang  slaves  and  their  release 
at  Yokohama  took  place.  He  was 
succeeded  by  House  and  Le  Gendre, 
and  finally  the  Foreign  Office  was  for- 
tunate enough  to  secure  the  services  of 
Mr.  Denison  who  after  a  distinguished 
service  of  20  years  still  remained  at 
his  important  post.  That  Americans 
had  always  beeen  connected  with 
Japan's  foreign  policy  was,  said  the 
speaker,  sufficiently  interesting  and  sig- 
nificant to  deserve  mention  on  the 
present  occasion.  In  the  last  war  with 
China,  Japan  hadreasonto  feel  thankful 
for  the  sympathetic  attitude  of  the 
American  Representatives  at  Tokyo 
and  Peking.  Japan  was  now  unfor- 
tunately entangled  in  war  with  a  big 
Power.  In  this  war  she  represented 
the  aims  and  aspirations  of  the  civilized 
world — more  especially  in  connection 
with  the  maintenance  of  the  principle 
of  the  open  door.  Japan  had  to  draw 
her  sword  to  s^veep  away  a  great 
obstacle  in  the  path  of  the  practical 
carrying  out  of  that  principle.  Japan's 
success  in  this  struggle  would  therefore 
be  the  success  of  the  common  policy  of 
the  commercial  Powers. 

RELIEF  FUND  PROPOSED  AND 
ADOPTED. 

The  Chair  hitherto  occupied  by  Mr. 
Honda  being  now  taken  by  Dr.  De 
forest,  the  latter  introduced  the Rt.  Rev. 
John  McKim,  who  spoke  as  follows: — 

"  The  event  that  we  commemorate 
to-day  is  unique  in  the  experience  of 
individuals  and  of  nations.  A  friend- 
ship forced  at  first  upon  an  unwilling 
and  suspicious  people  is  now  gratefully 
received  and  w^armly  reciprocated.  The 
persistent  pressure  brought  by  Commo- 
dore Perry  for  admission  to  Japan  gave 
outlet  to  I'egenerating  forces  which  had 
been  seething  in  the  minds  of  Japanese 
patriots  for  several  generations.  It 
vsras  a  day  on  which  a  nation  w^as 
bom  anew.  It  gave  fruition  to  the 
hopes  of  thousands  of  the  noblemen  of 
old.  An  Empire  standing  for  centuries 
in  splendid  isolation  was  received  into 
the  comity  of  nations,  and  while 
treasuring  the  glories  of  the  past  pressed 


forward  to  grasp  the  grandest  possi- 
bilities   of    the    future.       Oriental     by 
arbitrary  lines   of  longitude,  Japan  is 
Occidental  in  her  ideals  and  aspirations. 
Civil  and  religious  freedom  are  guarante- 
ed   to    every   Japanese    subject    under 
the  constitution.      All  men    are    equal 
before    the    law.      We  foreigners    who 
have  lived  among  you  for  many  years, 
my     Japanese    friends,     have    watched 
with  ever  increasing  respect  and  admir- 
ation   your    intelligent    discrimination 
in   selecting  all  of  the  good  the  w^orld 
has  to  offer  and  which  by   adaptation 
an  d     assimilation     you     have     made 
your    own.    How    can    we    Americans 
best    commemorate    in    some    tangible 
and  practical  form  this  fiftieth  birthdaj'^ 
of  New  Japan  ?    Mr.  Chairman,  in  this 
connection    I    have    a    proposition    to 
offer.   The  Japanese  people  have  already 
erected      one     monument     in      Perry's 
memory,   a  stone  pillar  on  the  lonely 
strip  of  beach  at  Kurihama.    I  propose 
that    w^e    Americans    now    perpetuate 
his    great    name    in    another    manner. 
This  time  I  would  have  it  graved,  not 
on  a  pillar  of  stone  but  on  the  hearts 
of  two  great  peoples.   The  mention  of 
the    gallant    sailor    calls    to    mind  the 
hundreds   of  thousands   of  sailors  and 
soldiers  of  Japan  who  have  been  called 
from  their  home  in  the  service  of  tbeir 
country.    And  I  can  think   of  nothing 
more  after  the  mind  of  the  man  whose 
deeds  v\re  commemorate  to-day  on  this 
fiftieth  anniversary    than    the  starting 
here,  and  now,  by  the  American  citizens 
residentin  Japan  of  a  fund  for  the  aid  ot 
the  destitute  families  of  Japanese  soldiers 
and  sailors,  to  be  known  as  the  Perry 
Memorial  Relief  Fund,  to  be  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  His  Excellency  the  Min- 
ister   of    the    Imperial    Household    for 
distribution  under  the  command  of  His 
Imperial  Majesty.    Nor  is  it  the  purpose 
of  this  proposal  in  any  .-way  to  compete 
or  interfere  with  any  other  similar  pro- 
jects that  have    been  already  started, 
but  to  supplement  them  and  to  endea- 
vour to  reach  sources  that  would  not 
otherwise  be  touched.    Japan's  sailors 
and  soldiers    have    gone    to   the  front, 
many  of  them  never  to  return.      There 
are     already     in     Tokyo    alone    eight 
hundred    destitute    families,    with     all 


GENERAL  NEWS. 


139 


means  of  Support  suddenly  cut  off,  and 
there  will  be  throughout  the  Empire 
many  thousands  in  a  similar  position 
before  the  tei-mination  of  the  war. 
The  inevitable  distress  already  begins 
to  stare  us  in  .  the  face,  and  I  for 
one  feel  most  strongly  that  it  is  our 
privilege  as  well  as  our  duty,  not 
only  to  stretch  out  a  helping  hand 
ourselves,  but  to  call  upon  our 
fellow  countrymen  at  home  to  assist 
us.  "Why  not  begin  to-daj^  to  crystal- 
lize into  practical  and  permanent  form, 
and  a  form  entirely  consistent  with 
our  carefully  preserved  neutrality,  the 
friendly  feelings  and  charitable  im- 
pulses which  undoubtedly  exist  in  the 
hearts  of  the  American  people  ?  And 
lest  I  be  misunderstood,  I  wish  to  add 
that  charity  is  beyond  the  pale  of 
politics,  and  therefore  the  proposition 
I  now  put  forth  has  no  significance 
w^hatever  other  than  an  appeal  to 
those  broad  and  powerful  humanitarian 
sympathies  that  make  of  all  nations 
of  the  earth  one  universal  brother- 
hood." 

This  proposal  was  received  by  the 
whole  party  present  with  great  and 
touching  enthusiasm. 

Count  Okuma  thanked  the  reverend 
gentleman  for  the  sympathetic  proposal 
made  by  him,  and  by  way  of  ex- 
pressing his  gratitude  for  the  sake 
of  the  poor  families  of  our  sailors  and 
soldiers,  he  desired  to  be  allowed  the 
privilege  of  putting  his  own  name  on 
the  subscription  list. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Copman,  Secretary  of 
the  American  Asiatic  Association,  rising 
said : — 

*'Mr.  N.  F.  Smith,  President  of  the 
American  Asiatic  Association,  is  pre- 
vented .  on  account  of  sickness  from 
being  present.  On  his  behalf  I  may 
say  that  the  gentleman  who  has 
Spoken  has  so  clearly  outlined  the 
object  under  consideration  that  it  is 
unnecessary  for  me  to  dwell  upon  it, 
I  may  say,  however,  I  desire  to  say, 
in  the  name  of  the  President  of  the 
Association  that  this  movement  will 
have  our  hearty  support,  and  I  may 
safely  assure  you  that  we  will  support 
the  Perry  Relief  Fund  with  a  subscrip- 
tion   of    10^000   yen    from    individual 


members.  I  have  great  pleasure  in 
subscribing  2,000  yen,  I  see  some  of 
my  associates  here,  and  I  call  upon 
them  to  add  their  little  mite  to  mine." 
This  call  met  an  immediate  and 
enthusiastic  response.  Altogether  the 
subscriptions  promised  on  the  spot 
amotmted  to  63,811.86  yen.  Among 
the  principal  subscribers  were  Baron 
Hisaya  Iwasaki  10,000  yen.  Baron 
Mitsui  10,000  yen,  Mr.  Masuda  repre- 
senting the  Bussan  Kaisha  10,000  yen^ 
Prince  Shimazu  5  fiOO  yen,  Prince  Mori 
5,000  yen,  Mr.  Griscom  1,000  yen, 
Count  Okuma  1,000  yen,  Mr.  B.  C. 
Howard  1,000  yen,  Count  Matsukata 
1,000  yen,  Mr.  Murai  1,000  yen,  Mr. 
Frazar  1,000  yen,  Mr.  Mendelson  500 
yen,  Mr.  R.  H.  Davis  500  yen,  Mr. 
Akaboshi  1,000  yen,  Mr.  Birch  500 
yen,  Mr.  Frederick  Palmer  500  yen 
(300  on  behalf  of  Collier's  Weekly  and 
200  for  himself),  Mr.  R.  Kondo  500 
yen,  Mr.  M.  Kato  500  yen,  and  Mr. 
S.  Matsuo  500  yen. 

Prof  J.  T.  Swift,  of  the  Higher 
Normal  School,  said: — 

"It  is  evident  that  the  cause  that 
has  been  put  before  us  lies  very  near 
to  the  hearts  of  the  two  peoples.  It 
is  the  cause  of  the  fatherless !  It  is  a 
strong  cause.  It  needs  to  have  oppor- 
tunity to  spread  far  beyond  the  limits 
of  those  represented  by  this  assembly. 
I  move,  therefore,  that  this  meeting 
instruct  the  Chairman  to  appoint  a 
Committee  with  power  to  take  such 
steps  as  shall  serve  to  extend  this 
movement  for  the  fatherless  in  Japan 
in  celebration  of  this  fiftieth  annivers- 
ary of  our  international  friendship." 

Baron  Hisaya  Iwasaki  seconded 
the  motion.  It  being  unanimously 
passed  the  following  gentlemen  were 
appointed  as  Committee: — 

Mr.  N.  F.  Smith. 

Mr.  J.  W.  CoPMAN. 

Me.  B.  C.  Howard. 

Mr.  D.  H.  Blake. 

Prof.  J.  D.  Swift. 

Mr.  V.  W.  Helm. 

Mr.  Juichi  Soyeda. 

Mr.  Aisuke  Kabayama, 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Imbrie  said:— 
''I  take  it  for  granted  that  a  com- 
mittee will  be  appointed  to  extend  this 


140 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


movement  to  the  United  States.  Many 
here  present  are  connected  with  mission 
boards  in  the  United  States .  Such 
boards  should  be  asked  to  co-operate 
■with  the  American  branch  of  the  Com- 
mittee." 

Mr/G.  M.  Fisher,  Secretary  of  the 
International  Committee  of  Y.M.C.A., 
said : — 

"I  expect  to  sail  for  America  soon 
and  to  attend  the  International  Con- 
vention of  the  Young  Men^s  Christian 
Association,  and  I  shall  most  heartily 
recommend  this  Perry  Memorial  Relief 
Fund  to  the  generosity  of  the  business 
men  represented  in  that  convention.  I 
am  sure  it  ought  to  receive  the  hearty 
support  of  the  men  constituting  the 
Association  throughout  America." 

Bishop  D.  H.  Moore  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church,  said: — 

"This  speaker  touched  my  heart, 
for  I  also  am  on  my  w^ay  to  America 
to  appear  before  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
With  my  little  contribution  of  50  yen 
(I  wish  it  were  50,000)  I  promise  you 
to  do  my  utmost  to  spread  this  en- 
thusiasm of  benevolence  through  that 
conference,  representing  as  it  does  one 
million  members." 

Rev.  H.  H.  Guy  said:— 

"I  am  sure  the  people  I  represent 
will  be  very  glad  to  help." 

Prof.  E.  W.  Clement  said:— 

*'I  represent  a  family  of  six.  (You 
will  pardon  the  personal  reference.) 
My  first  child  was  born  here.  In  be- 
half of  the  family  of  six  that  is  so 
closely  related  to  this  land,  I  would 
like  to  subscribe  30  yen." 

After  the  American  national  anthem 
had  been  played,  Count  Matsukata 
proposed  three  cheers  for  the  President 
of  the  United  States,  which  was  heart- 
ily responded  to. 

After  the  Kimi  ga  yo  was  sung, 
H.  E.  Mr.  Lloyd  C.  Griscom,  Minister 
of  the  United  States,  said : — 

**  Count  Matsukata  has  done  us  the 
honour  of  proposing  three  banzai  for 
the  President  of  the  United  States.  I 
now  propose  that  we  give  three  rous- 
ing cheers  for  His  Majesty  the  Emperor 
of  Japan." 


Mr.  Griscom  led  in  the  three  cheers 
and  a  tiger. 

It  was  six  o'clock  when  the  meet- 
ing dispersed,  with  in  most  cases  lighter 
pockets  than  they  came,  but  with  the 
pleasing  sense  of  having  assisted  at  a 
worthy  cause  of  humanity. 


The  War  Loan. 

The  Government,  having  proposed 
to  raise  a  domestic  War  Loan,  of 
100,000,000  yen,  the  whole  nation 
responded  with  eagerness.  The  total 
amount  subscribed  for  was  yen  452, 
115,100,  of  which  yen  13,445,300  re- 
present applications  for  War  Bonds 
over  par.  A  nation  which  can  so 
generously  respond  to  the  necessities 
of  its  Government  cannot  be  called 
poor. 


The  People's  Contribution  to  the 
War  Fund. 

The  amount  contributed  by  the 
people  throughout  the  Empire  to  this 
Fund,  from,  the  outbreak  of  the  War 
to  the  loth  of  March,  was  Yen 
1,260,450. 


The  Good  will  of  Foreign 
Nations. 

The  Japanese  heart  has  been  much 
touched  by  the  numerous  evidences  of 
the  good  will  and  sympathy  of  foreign 
nations  which  are  continually  coming 
in.  The  Red  Cross  Society  of  Japan 
is  in  almost  daily  receipt  of  such  ex- 
pressions. 

We  append  a  few  instances. 

a.  In  a  telegram,  dated  14th 
February,  the  Japanese  Minister  at 
Berlin  informs  the  President  of  the  Red 
Cross  Society  of  Japan  that  the  German 
Branch  of  the  Society  is  ready  to  supply 
nurses  and  surgical  appliances  and  ap- 
paratus in  case  of  need,  and  desires  to 
know  where  to  send  them  to. 

b.  On  the  same  day,  a  telegram 
from  Paris  informs  the  President  of 
the  Japan  Branch  that  the  Red  Cross 
Society  of  France,  warmly  sympathiz- 
ing with  Japan,  desires  to  make  a 
contribution  of  surgical  materials,  and 
is  ready  to  send  nurses  if  required. 


GENERAL  NEWvS. 


141 


To  both  of  these  offers,  the  Japan- 
ese Government,  on  behalf  of  the  Red 
Cross  Society ,  sent  messages  of  gratitude 
accepting  the  offered  contributions  of 
appliances  and  apparatus,  but  stating 
that  nurses  were  cit  the  present  moment 
not  necessary. 

c.  The  Red  Cross  Societies  of  Italy 
and  Spain  also  offered  contributions 
of  material  aids  and  appliances,  for 
ambulance  work,  both  of  \vhich  were 
most  gratefully  accepted. 

d.  On  the  17th  February,  His  Majes- 
ty the  German  Emperor  telegraphed  to 
Her  Majesty,  the  Empress  of  Japan, 
placing  the  German  Naval  and  Military 
Hospitals  at  Yokohama  and  Chingtao 
at  the  disposal  of  Japan  for  the  use  of 
her  sick  and  wounded.  A  suitable 
acknowledgment  has  been  made  to  the 
above  generous  offer. 

e.  An  American  Lady  Mrs.  Magie 
proposed,  both  before  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  and  after  it,  to  the  Japanese 
Minister  at  Washington,  to  come  to 
the  assistance  of  the  Japanese  Red 
Cross  Society  with  a  band  of  trained 
nurses  who  should  take  part  in  the  care 
of  the  wounded  and  invalids.  This 
spontaneous  offer  of  American  generosi- 
ty .has  been  much  appreciated  by  our 
people,  as  have  also  the  spontaneous 
contributions  and  subscriptions  that 
have  poured  in  to  the  Red  Cross  Society 
and  Naval  and  Military  Relief  Funds 
from  foreigners  of  all  nationalities  both 
in  Japan  and  elsewhere. 


Naval  Battle  off  Port  Arthur, 
on  the  13th  April. 

The  following  report  from  Admiral 
Togo  w^as  received  in  Tokyo  on  16th 
April  at  5  p.m.:— 

The  Combined  Fleet  commenced  its 
prearranged  operations  on  the  11th 
inst.,  and  delivered  an  attack  on  Port 
Arthur  for  the  eighth  time.  The  fourth 
and  fifth  detroyer  flotillas,  the  four- 
teenth torpedo  boat  flotilla,  and  the 
Koryu  Mara  arrived  at  the  outside  of 
Port  Arthur  at  midnight  on  the  12th 
inst.,  and  approaching  the  entrance  to 
the  harbour,  in  face  of  the  enemy's 
searchlights,  succeeded  in  speedily  sink- 
ing mechanical  mines  at  various  places 


outside    the    harbour,     as     previously 
arranged. 

The  second  destroyer  flotilla,  charged 
with  a  mission,  was  cruising  to  the 
south-east  of  Sien-shang  promontory, 
at  the  entrance  to  the  harbour  at  day- 
break, on  the  13th  inst.,  when  it  dis- 
covered a  Russia  destroyer  with  four 
funnels  returning  to  the  harbour  from 
the  east.  At  once  placing  itself  between 
the  enemy's  destroyer  and  the  entrance 
to  the  harbour,  our  flotilla  engaged  it 
and  after  about  ten  minutes'  fighting 
sank  it.  About  the  same  time,  our 
flotilla  discovered  another  Russian  des- 
troyer coming  towards  the  entrance 
from  the  direction  of  Lao-tieh-shan , 
and  immediately  turned  upon  it.  Btit 
the  distance  being  rather  great,  the 
enemy's  destroyer  srcceeded  in  escaping 
into  the  harbour.  In  this  engagement 
the  injury  received  by  the  second  des- 
troyer flotilla  was  trifling,  the  only 
casualty  among  the  crew  being  two 
men  slightly  wounded  on  board  the 
Inazuma.  The  flotilla  was  unable  to 
render  any  succour  to  the  crew  of  the 
sunken  Russian  destroyer,  because 
there  soon  appeared  on  the  scene  the 
enemy's  warship  Bayan. 

The  third  fighting  detachment  ar- 
rived outside  the  harbour  at  8  a.m. 
(on  the  13th  inst.),  and  while  protect- 
ing the  second  destroyer  flotilla,  was 
engaged  in  reconnoitring.  At  about 
nine  o'clock  the  enemy's  warship  Bay- 
an advanced  towards  our  detachment, 
opening  fire  on  the  latter  at  long 
range.  Our  detachment  slowly  replied 
to  her  fire  and  put  her  to  flight.  Short- 
ly afterwards,  the  Bayan  again  emerg- 
ed out  of  the  harbour,  this  time  joined 
by  the  Novik,  Askold^  Diana,  Petropav- 
lovsk ,  Pobieda,  and  Polta  va .  Our 
third  fighting  detachment,  while  reply- 
ing to  their  fire,  gradually  led  out  the 
enemy's  ships  to  a  distance  of  about 
15  miles,  in  a  south-easterly  direction. 
At  this  time  our  first  fighting  detach- 
ment, which  was  lying  concealed  in  a 
fog  about  thirty  miles  out  of  Port 
Arthur,  received  a  wireless  message 
from  the  third  fighting  detachment, 
and  immediately  hastening  to  the  spot, 
engaged  the  enemy.  Thereupon  the 
latter  turned  round  and  steamed  back 


142 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


to  the  harbour.  Our  ships  pursued 
the  enemy's  ships  with  redoubled 
energy,  and  pressed  them  hard  just 
outside  the  harbour,  when  one  of 
them,  which  looked  like  the  Petropav- 
lovskj  and  which  was  at  their  head, 
struck  one  of  the  mechanical  mines 
laid  by  our  flotilla  th:  preceding  night. 
This  was  at  10.32  a.m.  Dismayed  at 
this  disastrous  scene,  the  remainder 
of  the  enemy's  vessels  were  thrown 
into  great  disorder.  Another  Russian 
warship  was  seen  apparently. disabled, 
which,  ho-wever,  could  not  be  identified 
on  account  of  the  disordered  condition 
of  the  hostile  squadron.  For  the  next 
hour,  the  remaining  Russian  war-ves- 
sels fired  indiscriminately  at  the  sea  and 
then  gradually  w^ithdrew  into  the 
harbour,  until  by  a  little  past  noon, 
no  signs  of  the  enemy  were  visible 
outside  the  harbour.  During  the  initial 
exchange  of  fire  in  this  engagement, 
none  of  our  vessels,  which  comprised 
the  third  fighting  detachment,  were 
damaged,  while  the  damage  inflicted 
on  the  enemy  was  probably  also  small. 
As  to  the  first  fighting  detachment, 
it  did  not  have  time  to  approach  the 
firing  range. 

At  1  p.m.  the  same  day,  our  fleet 
left  the  sea  ofl"  Port  Arthur,  assembled 
at  a  rendezvous  at  sea  previously  fix- 
ed upon,  and  stayed  there  over-night. 
On  the  14th  at  4  p.m.  all  preparations 
having  been  made  a-new,  the  fleet 
started  again  towards  Port  Arthur. 
The  first,  fourth,  and  fifth  destroyer 
flotillas  and  the  ninth  torpedo  boat 
flotilla  successively'  reached  outside 
Port  Arthur  on  the  15th  at  3  a.m. 
and  again  discharged  their  duties  as 
prearranged.      The   third   fighting    de- 


tachment also  put  in  an  appearance 
outside  the  harbour  at  7  a.m.  and 
reconnoitred  the  enemy's  position. 
There  were  no  enemy's  warships  out- 
side the  harbour  and  the  harbour  in- 
side was  quiet.  The  first  fighting 
detachment  reached  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Port  Arthur  at  9  a.m.  En 
route  three  mechanical  mines  laid  by 
the  enemy  were  discovered,  and  these 
w^ere  all  fired  at  and  exploded.  At 
10  a.m.  the  cruisers  Kasuga  and 
Nisshin  were  dispatched  to  the  west 
of  Lao-tieh-shan  and  for  about  two 
hours  the  cruisers  made  indirect  firing 
against  the  inside  of  the  harbour. 
The  batteries  and  the  Russian  warships 
in  the  harbour  occasionally  responded, 
but  no  damage  was  inflicted  on  our 
cruisers.  This  w^as  the  baptism  of  fire 
of  the  new  cruisers  and  it  appears 
that  the  shots  fired  by  them  produced 
some  effect ;  the  new  fort  west  of  Lao- 
tieh-shan  w^as  silenced.  At  1.30  p.m. 
our  fleet  withdrew. 

The  fact  that  during  this  prolonged 
engagement  the  Combined  Fleet  was 
able  to  achieve  some  success  without 
losing  a  single  man,  is  due  to  the 
illustrious  virtue  of  His  Majesty  the 
Generalissimo.  The  officers  and  men 
fought  bravely  throughout  the  engage- 
ment and  discharged  their  duties  faith- 
fully ;  yet  there  still  remains  much  in 
our  success  which  cannot  be  attributed 
to  human  agency .  We  cann  ot  help 
firmly  believing  that  it  is  simply  owing 
to  Providential  help  that  the  numerous 
warships  cruised  round  both  day  and 
night  on  the  sea,  on  the  surface  of 
which  many  mechanical  mines  prepared 
by  the  enemy  were  floating,  without 
sustaining  any  damage. 


'6~M 


'f^Xj^ 


MAP     OF      THE      SCENE 

OF       THE 

RUSSO-JAPANESE      OPE  RAT  IONS 

'32* 136'  1*0' 


Scale   1  ;  10000  oon 

Kilometr&s- 

300  «oo  soo 


Engraved   6jf    T  Kob>/a»h. 


fiOO 


100 


soo 


THE 


Russo= Japanese  War 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 


Ho.    2. 


TOKYO. 

KINKODO-SHOSEKI-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA. 

(KiNKODO  Publishing  Co.) 

AND 

MAKUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA. 

(Z.  p.  Martjya  &  Co.,  L'd.) 


FOREIGN  AGENTS  : 

YOKOHAMA  :    Kellt  and  Walsh  L'd.  PAEIS:  Hachette  et  Cie. 

LBIPZIG :  Otto  Harrassowitz.  NEW  YORK :    E.  Steiger  &  Co. 

LOI^DOIT :         Keoah  Fadl,  Trench,  Trubner  &  Co.,  L*d. 


1904. 


THE  RUSSO=JAPANESE  WAR 


CONTENTS  •     'V     ' 

-^^— _  No.  2.  __^^ 

PAGE 

1.  The  Early  Military  Development  of  Japan  to  the  Time  of  the  Toku- 

gawa  Shogunate 143 

2.  Japan  under  the  Tokugawa  Shogunate 161 

3.  The  Army  at  the  End  of  the  Shogunate 169 

4.  How  the  Emperor  came  back  to  Power 175 

5.  The  Training  of  the  Japanese  Military  Officer 183 

6.  How  Japanese  Naval  Officers  are  trained 193 

7.  Bushido 204 

8.  War  Record  :— 

Fighting  on  Land. 215 

,,  „    Sea 240 

Latest  Fighting  on  Land 264 

9.  War  Time  Anecdotes 269 

10.    General  News 276 

•      •••••••• 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Sketch  Maps  :    Battle  of  the  Yalu  ;  Chin-chou  Peninsula. 

7  Coloured  Plates  :  The  Empress  Jingo  ;  a  Girl  in  the  Genroku 
Age  (A.D.  1700)  ;  a  Japanese  School-Girl  ;  Commander  Hirose 
searching  Warrant-Officer  Sugino ;  a  Fierce  Battle  between 
Japanese  and  Russian  Cavalry  ;  Destruction  of  the  Manchurian 
Railroad  by  a  Band  of  Hunhutse  Robbers ;  Cossacks  running 
away  with  a  Wounded. 

Collodio-Type  :    The  Last  Scene  on  board  the  Kinshu-Maru. 

16  Full-Page  Photographs  :  T.I.H.  Princess  Fushimi  ^nd  Kuni  ; 
Lieut  .-General  Terauchi,  Minister  of  War  ;  Commodore  Perry 
meeting  the  Shogunal  Commissioners  ;  Marshal  Oyama  ;  Admiral 
Ito  ;  Lieut.-General  Kodama  and  Yice-Admiral  Ijuin ;  General 
Kuroki;  Lieut. -Generals  Hasegawa,  Inoue,  and  Nishi;  Yice-Admiral 
Kataoka  and  Rear-Admiral  Hosoya  ;  Meeting  of  General  Kuro- 
patkin  and  the  Chinese  Governor-General  of  Kirin  ;  General  Oku  ; 
Korean  Special  Envoy  to  Japan  and  the  Reception  Committee  ; 
the  English  and  American  Volunteer  Nurses  serving  the  Red 
Cross  Society  of  Japan  ;  Fuji  Yama  ;  the  Russian  .iWounded  at 
the  Matsuyama  Hospital. 

Other  smaller  Illustrations  over  140. 


The  Empress  Jingo  who  conducted  the  Expedition  to  Korea  in  A.  D.  200. 


Cbe  Ru$$o=3apane$e  mar 


Vol,  I. 


JUNE,     1904. 


No.  2. 


The  Early  Military  Development  of  Japan  to  the 
Time  of  the  Tokugfawa  Shogunate. 


The  Else  of  the  Army. 

the  earliest  period  of 
■whicli  we  have  any  re- 
cord, we  find  that  all 
military,  as  well  as  poli- 
tical and  religious  power, 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  Emperor  him* 
self.  Thus  Jimmu  Tenno,  our  first 
Emperor,  is  said  to  have  personally 
subdued  the  treacherous  tribes  of  in- 
digenous barbarians  who  Hved  in  the 
eastern  portions  of  old  Japan,  and 
then,  for  the  better  ordering  of  his 
Empire,  to  have  fixed  his  residence  at 
Kashiwabara  in  Yamato.  The  twelfth 
Emperor  Keiko,  deputed  his  son,  the 
brave  Prince  Yamatodake,  to  suppress 
a  rebellion  in  K3rushu,  and,  about  the 
year  200  A.D.,  the  then  reigning  Em- 
press, Jingo,  herself  conducted  an  ex- 
pedition to  Korea, 

In  a  later  period,  but  still  one  of 


remote  antiquity,  the  military  defences 
of  the  country  w^ere  in  the  hands  of 
two  great  clans,  Otomo  and  Mono- 
nobe,  and  one  of  our  most  interesting 
historical  documents  is  the  instruction 
given  by  the  head  of  the  Otomo  clan 
to  his  retainers: — 

"You  must  die  by  the  side  of  your 
Great  Lord,  and  never  turn  your  back 
to  your  foe.  If  you  die  at  sea,  let 
your  body  sink  in  the  w^ater,  if  you 
die  on  the  hillside,  let  it  lie  outstretch- 
ed on  the  mountain  grass." 

A  spirit  of  fervent  patriotism  has 
always  been  one  of  the  most  highly 
prized  treasures  of  the  Japanese  nation. 

Many  military  reforms  were  intro- 
duced in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor 
Kotoku  (A.D.  649),  by  a  prince  "named 
Katsuragi  who  afterwards  ascended 
the  throne  himself,  and  is  known  as 
the  Emperor  Tenchi.  These  reforms 
included  a  kind  of  military  conscrip- 
tion; for  we  find  a  regulation  provid- 


144 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ing  that  one  third  of  the  adult  male 
population  of  the  country  should  be 
enrolled  as  soldiers  and  receive  a  mil- 
itary education;  and  -we  also  find  the 
germs  of  an  incipient  army  organiza- 
tion, for  we  find  these  soldiers  distri- 
buted into  regiments,  companies,  and 
sections,  drilled,  instructed,  and  used  as 
guards  of  the  Palace  and  garrisons 
in  the  frontier  towns.  Each  Regiment 
contained  10  companies,  and  each 
company  comprised  2  sections,  of  50 
men  each.  Six  horses  w^ere  provided 
for  every  ten  men;  three  regiments,  of 
1,000  men  each,  formed  a  brigade  under 
a  general,  with  a  Commander-in-chief 
bver  the  whole. 


Prince  Yamatodake. 

This  organization  was  very  strin- 
gent, indeed  it  w^as  too  stringent  to 
last.  Discipline  and  order  alike  became 
relaxed,  and  new  army  reforms  be- 
came necessary.  Under  the  Emperor 
Shomu  (A.D.  729-748)  the  Government 


adopted  the  plan  ot  selecting  from  the 
whole  country  the  most  promising 
marksmen  and  riders  amongst  the 
young  men  of  every  locality,  and  send- 
ing them  to  the  capital  for  military 
education,  and  in  this  way  there  arose 
the  class  of  the  Samurai  who  in  later 
years  played  so  important  a  part  in 
the  history  of  the  country. 

In  those  early  days,  the  more 
powerfiil  noble  families,  as  well  as  the 
large  temples,  possessed  large  estates  of 
fertile  but  uncultivated  land,  for  which 
they  w^ere  eager  to  obtain  cultivators 
on  reasonable  terms  ;  and  they  soon 
found  means  of  attracting  to  them- 
selves these  poor  but  high-spirited 
young  warriors,  not  as  tenants  but 
as  retainers,  bound  to  personal  service 
in  lieu  of  cash  payments,  each  Daimyo 
thus  surrounding  himself  with  a  band 
of  warlike  retainers. 

This  feudal  practice,  of  keeping 
large  bodies  of  armed  retainers  whose 
main  object  it  was  to  fight,  was  car- 
ried to  great  excess  by  the  large 
Buddhist  monasteries  around  Hiyeizan, 
which  were  thus  converted  from  houses 
of  prayer  into  disorderly  military  bar- 
racks, and  were  a  perpetual  menace 
to  the  peace  of  the  country.  To 
remedy  these  disorders,  the  Emperor 
Shirakawa  appointed  the  two  great 
clans  of  Genji  and  Heishi  (Minamoto 
and  Taira)  to  undertake  the  guarding 
of  Kyoto  and  the  Imperial  Residence, 
and  of  keeping  the  peace  throughout 
the  country,  which  was  continually 
being  disturbed  by  the  feuds  between 
the  different  clans  of  samurai.  This 
Imperial  authorization  raised  the  two 
favoured  clans  to  a  position  of  pre- 
eminence among  the  samurai  clans  of 
the  time. 

There  were  however,  besides  the 
Genji  and  Heishi,  many  powerful 
samurai  families  throughout  the  land. 
There  were  the  Kikuchi  and  Harada 
in  Kyushu,  the  Utsunomiya  in  Shimo- 
tsuke,  the  Miura,  Chiba,  and  Chichibu, 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN.  145 


Taira  Kiyomort. 


the  struggles  which  ensued 
between  the  rival  clans,  the 
Heishi  ultimately  gained 
the  supremacy,  and  its 
victory  was  mainly  due  to 
the  great  influence  of  a 
warrior  known  amongst 
us  as  Kiyomori.  (A.D. 
1156).  For  many  genera- 
tions previously,  the  great 
family  of  the  Fujiwara  had 
made  itself,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes,  supreme  in 
the  precincts  of  the  court, 
and  consequently  also  in 
the  counsels  of  the  Empire, 
and  its  practice  of  nepotism 
was  so  great  that  none 
but  a  Fujiw.ara  could  hope 
to  reach  any  position  of 
emolument  or  power,  or  as- 
pire to  marry  his  daughter 
to  the  Emperor  or  any  of 
the  Imperial  Princes.  Kiyo- 
mori, however,  succeeded 
in  Sagami,  Kazusa,  and  Shimosa,  the  in  breaking  the  power  of  the  Fuji- 
Ise-Heishi,  and  the  Tada-Genji,  the  wara  and  put  himself  and  his  friends 
Nitta,  Ashikaga,  Satake,  and  many  into  the  place  thus  vacated,  taking 
others,  whose  names  are  constantly  for  himself  and  his  two  sons,  Shige- 
cropping  up  in  the  history  of  Japan.  mori  and  Munemori,  the  highest  mil- 
itary     an  d     civil     c  ommands     in    the 

The  Period  of 

Heishi  or  Taira 

Supremacy. 

It    was    scarcely 
to  be  expected    that 
the  two  great  fami- 
lies, whom  the  force 
of         circumstances, 
quite  as  much  as  the 
will    of  the  Emperor, 
placed    in  the    place 
of   power    and    pre- 
eminence, should  not 
in    process    of    time 
look  upon  themselves 
as  rivals,    and    each 
seek    to    place   itself 
above  the  other.    In  r^j^^  Shrine  of  Itsukushima  Honoured  by  KiyoMORi. 


146 


THE  RUSSO-JABAKESE  WAR. 


View  of  Itsukushima. 

country,  and  placing  over  sixty  of  his 
follo-wers  and  kinsmen  in  positions  of 
honour  and  dignity.  But  he  used  his 
newly-gotten  power  with  great  cruelty, 
injustice,  and  rapacity,  and  speedily 
came  to  be  more  hated  throughout  the 
land  than  ever  the  Fujiwara  had  l^een. 


The  unpopularity 
of  the  Kiyomori  fac- 
tion encouraged   the 
Genji  family  to  raise 
their       heads       once 
more.       One      rising 
(A.D.   1180)    in    the 
reign  of  the  Emperor 
Antoku,    headed    by 
Yorimasaand  others, 
was  unsuccessiul.  No 
better  success  attend- 
ed   the     first    move- 
ments    under     Yori- 
tomo,  assisted  by  the 
clans    of    Hojo    and 
Doi,  in  the  provinces 
of  Idzu,  Sagami,  and 
Musashi,  with  head- 
quarters at  Kamakura.    The  movement 
however  continued  to  spread  and  found 
many  supporters  among    the    notable 
families  of  Awa,  Shimosa,  and  Kazusa, 
so  that  the  Heishi  found  some  difficulty 
in    suppressing    it.      To    add    to    their 
misfortunes,     Kiyomori  himself  died  of 


The  Naval  Battle  at  DannourA. 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN. 


147 


fever,  at  the  age  of  64,  in  A.D.  1181, 
and  the  Heishi,  thiis  deprived  of  their 
head,  found  themselves  obliged  to  fight 
for  very  existence  against  the  forces 
of  Yoritomo  on  the  one  side,  an(3, 
on  the  other,  of  Yoshinaka,  another 
Genji  leader,  who  marched  through 
Omi    on    to  Kyoto,  and  occupied  the 


tered  and  pillaged  it,  thereby  alienat- 
ing from  himself  the  sympathies  of 
,  the  inhabitants,  who  turned  ^in  their 
distress  to  the  retired  Emperor  Go- 
shirakawa  who  was  still  living  in 
the  city.  Go-shirakawa  issued  an 
order  to  two  brothers  of  Yoritomo, 
Noriyori   and    Yoshitsune,    to    attack 


View  of  Dannoura,  Nagato. 


great  monastery-hill  of  Hiyeizan.  Upon 
this,  Kiyomori's  successor,  his  son 
Munemori,  who  was  a  timid  and  vacil- 
lating prince,  evacuated  Kyoto,  and 
retreated  to  Dazaifu  in  Kjnishu,  taking 
with  him  the  Emperor  Antoku  and  his 
family.  Kyoto  was  thus  left  to  the 
tender  mercies  of  Yoshinaka,  who  en- 


J:. 


Kyoto  and  destroy  Yoshinaka,  w^hich 
they  did  in  the  fierce  engagements  at 
Uji  and  Seta,  in  the  last  of  w^hich 
Yoshinaka  was  slain. 

Whilst  these  occurrences  were  tak- 
ing place  at  Kyoto,  the  Heishi 
who  had  fled  to  Kyushu  with  the 
Emperor  Antoku  were  recruiting  their 


148 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


land,  and,  in  the  great  naval 
battle  of  Dannoura  (A.D. 
1185)  destroyed  them  root 
and  branch. 


MiNAMOTO   YORITOMO. 

forces  and  hoping  once  more  to  regain 
their  position  of  power,  but  Yoshi- 
tsune,  who  had  no  intention  of 
allowing  the  Heishi  family  to  return 
to  power,  attacked  them  by  sea  and 


The  Period  under  the 
Kamakura  Government. 

Thus,  partly  through  his 
own  merits,  but  partly,  also, 
through  the  merits  of  his 
younger  brother  Yoshitsune, 
Yoritomo  raised  the  Mina- 
moto  Family  or  Genji  to  the 
summit  of  power,  and  fixing 
his  residence  at  Kamakura, 
surrounded  himselfwith  armed 
men,  and  established  a  mili- 
tary department  known  as 
the  '' samuraidokoro.*'  The 
two  brothers  were  not,  how- 
ever, always  on  good  terms,  for 
Yoritomo  was  jealous  of  his  brother's 
influence  and  popularity,  and  there 
was  some  fighting  between  them. 
Still,   the  power   of  the   Genji   family 


The  Temple  of  Hachiman  at  Kamakura. 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN. 


14a 


remained     firmly     established.       They     grades  of  honour,     Yoritomo   died  in 

were  the  virtual  rulers  of  the  country,     the  9th  year  of  Kenkyu  (A.D.  1198), 

A  few  "words  on  the  administrative     in  the  53rd  year  of  his  age.      He  was 


Hojo  ToKiYORt  Disguised  as  a  Pilgrim. 


system  of  the   Genji  period  may   per- 
haps not  be  out  of  place. 

When  Yoritomo  came  to  po'wer  he 
found  that  every  province  had  a  local 
Governor,  while  each  one  of  the  kuge 
or  court  nobles,  as  well  as  the  heads 
of  the  large  noble  families,  had  on 
their  estates  administrators,  who 
were  responsible  to  their  masters  only, 
and  claimed  to  be  exempt  from  all 
provincial  jurisdiction.  Proper  govern- 
ment was  therefore  an  impossibility, 
until  Yoritomo  brought  order  out  of 
the  chaos  by  appointing  officers,  call- 
ed sbugo  and  jito  respectively,  for 
each  province  and  estate,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  oversee  the  police,  military, 
and  administrative  business  of  their 
respective  districts,  and  to  be  respon- 
sible to  himself  as  General  Superinten- 
dent with  the  title  of  SotsuihosbL 
Thus  all  actual  power,  administrative 
and  military,  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  military  classes  as  represented  by 
Yoritomo,  and  the  Imperial  Court 
was  shorn  of  all  its  dignities,  except 
the  prerogative  of  conferring  rank  and 


a  strong  man,  frugal  and  diligent, 
and  administered  justice  with  stem 
impartiality.  But  he  ^vas  of  a  jealous 
disposition,  -which  could  not  bear  to 
see  merit  in  those  who  were  near  to 
him.  All  the  ablest  and  most  virtuous 
of  his  family  he  caused  to  be  put  to 
death,  and  this  fact,  more  than  any- 
thing else,  contributed  to  the  down- 
fall of  his  family. 

He  was  succeeded  as  Commander- 
in-Chief  (Shogun)  by  his  eldest  survi- 
ving son,  Yoriiye,  a  weakling,  who 
was  entirely  under  the  influence  of  his 
mother,  Masako,  and  his  maternal 
grandfather,  Hojo  Tokimasa.  Hojo, 
seeing  Yoriiye's  feebleness,  tried  to  set 
him  aside.  Yoriiye  resented  this,  and 
tried  to  assert  his  rights,  but  was  in  the 
end  shut  up  in  the  Temple  of  Shuzenji 
in  the  province  of  Idzu,  where  he  was 
assassinated. 

The  successor  of  Yoriiye  w^as  Sane- 
tomo,  his  younger  brother;  but  the 
real  pow^er  was  in  the  hands  of  Hojo 
Tokimasa  who  governed  with  the 
title  of  Sbikken  or  administrator,  an 


150 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE\WAR.;.:  ... 


office   which   remained   for  some  time 
in  the  hands  of  the  Hojo  Family. 

During .  this  period  (1220-1338) 
the  Governmental  system  of  Japan  -was 
most  anomalous.  It  was  an  age  of 
delegated  authority.  At  Kyoto  resided 
the  Emperor,  shorn  of  all   power  ex- 


cept that  of  conferring  ranks  and  titles 
of  nobility.    All  his  power  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Shogun  (of  the  Minaijioto 
Family  or  Genji),  who  w^as  supposed 
to     have    the    whole     administrative 
power  in  his  hands.     But  the  Shogun' 
was  a   nonentity,    and  all   his  power 
had    been    taken    from    him    by    the 
Shikken^  or  administrator,  of  the  Hojo 
Family*       Government    by   delegation 
could  not  well  be  carried  to  a  higher 
pitch  of  development.     If  it  had  not 
been   for   the  virtues    of  the   military 
class    the    condition    of   the    country 
would   have    been   intolerable.      This, 
the    period    of    the    so-called    puppet 
Shoguns,    saw    the    rise    of  the    great 
territorial  lords,   each  ruling  his  own 
territory  and  surrounding  himself  with 
faithful    military    retainers.       It    also 
saw    the   rise    of  that   great    code    of 
Japanese  chivalfic    ethics   which    more 
than    anything    else     has    tended     to 
bring    out  all    that  is    noblest  in    the 
Japanese    character.        Bushido    owes 
very  much  to  the  energy  and  character 
of  the  earlier  Hojo   Regents,  to  Yasu- 
toki  (A.D.  1225-1242)  whose  popular- 
ity   and    influence    was    such    that  on 
one  occasion  he  deposed  one  Emperor 


TokiMune's- Warriors  Attacking  A  Mongoj,tan  Warship, 


Hi 


H.  I.  H.  Prince  Fushimi,  the  1st  Division  Ccmmander. 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN.  151 


a^nd  placed  another  on  the  throne 
Simply  by  the  exercise  of  his  own 
•will;  to  Tokiyori,  the  lover  of  the 
people,  ..-who  abdicated  in  1256,  and 
then,  disguised  as  a  pilgrim,  travelled 
throughout  the  country  from  one  end 
to  the  other,  that  he  might  see  things 
as  they  really  were  ;  to  Tokimune, 
(1257-1284)  the  Kamakura  Bushi  par 
excellencey   the  hero  of  the   wars  with 


tion.      It  was  not  effected, 
without  a  severe  struggle; 
a  civil   war   ensued   which 
y^as-    fought    ,  .  .    , .    , 

with  vary- 
ing fortunes 
for  many 
years.  It 
ended  with 
the    capture 


Masashige  Saluting  the  Emperor  Godaigo  :n  His  Palanquin. 


the  Mongols;  to  Sadatoki,  (1284-1300) 
the  wise  counsellor,  w^hose  good 
advice  saved  the  country*  from  a  civil 
war,  and  materially  strengthened  the 
influence  of  the  Imperial  Dynasty. 

But    the    influence     of    the     Hojo 
Family  waned  with  the  accession    to 
power     of    the     weak     and    dissolute 
Takatoki.    Under  him,  the  burdens  of 
administration      were     not     properly 
borne,    the    reins    of   Government   lay 
in    slack    hands,    the  samurai  lost  re- 
spect for   the  Hojo  Regents,    and  the 
Emperor  Godaigo,  (1318-1339),  seeing 
that    the    circumstances    of   the   time 
demanded  a  stronger  hand,  determin- 
ed to  place  the  Imperial  Power  once 
more  in  its    proper   position,    and   to 
assume  again  the  reins  of  administra-* 


of  Kamakura  by  Nitta  Yoshisada  in 
A.D.  1334,  followed  by  the  suicide  of 
Takatoki,  the  downfall  of  both  Hojo 
Regents  and  Minamoto  Shogun,  and 
the  temporary  resumption  of  govern- 
mental powers  by  Imperial  hands. 

The  Ashikagas  (1334-1573). 

The  fall  of  Kamakura  and  the 
overthrow  of  the  Hojo  brought  the 
power  once  more  into  the  Imperial 
hands ;  but  it  did  not  stay  there  for 
long,  for  the  barons  who  had  assist- 
ed Godaigo  to  defeat  the  usurping 
Regents,  naturally  looked  for  some 
reward  for  their  services,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  a  new  dynasty  of 
hereditary  Shoguns  succeeded  to  the 
family  which   had  just  been   expelleii 


152 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


from  office.    The  family  which  placed  had  been  obliged  to  flee  from  Kyoto, 

itself  in   this   high   position   was   the  but  he   and  his   heirs  still  claimed  to 

family    of  the   Ashikaga,   whose   first  be  the  legitimate  rulers  of  the  country ; 

representative,   Takauji,    succeeded  by  while  the  Ashikaga  Shoguns,  who  had 


View  of  Inamuragasaki, 
Where  Yoshisada  Threw  Kis  Sword  into  the  Water  to  Ask  the  Favor  of  Heaven. 


strategy  and  force  in  building  up  a 
dynasty  for  himself  on  the  ruins  of 
the  Genji  and  Hojo  power  at  Kama- 
kura.  Takauji's  misplaced  ambition 
brought  many  disasters  upon  Japan. 
It  not  only  frustrated  the  Emperor 
Godaigo's  grand  conception  of  an 
Empire  once  more  united  under  a 
powerful  and  active  Sovereign,  (such 
as  Japan  is  to-day),  but  it  threw  the 
country  back  again  into  a  civil  war  in 
which  the  Imperial  City  of  Kyoto  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Ashikaga  rebels, 
and  the  Imperial  Court  was  driven 
into  exile  for  over  fifty  years.  Japan 
now  went  through  a  period  of  intes- 
tine strife,  which  may  very  well  be 
compared  with  the  Wars  of  the  Roses 
which  desolated  England  almost  at 
the  same  time.  Two  rival  dynasties 
claimed  the  Imperial  Throne.    Godaigo 


transferred  the  seat  of  their  power 
from  Kamakura  to  Kyoto,  set  up 
rival  Emperors  who  lived  in  the  Im- 
perial Palace  but  were  really  creatures 
of  their  own.  Godaigo  was  not  with- 
out supporters.  Some  of  the  noblest 
spirits  of  Japan  rallied  to  his  cause, 
and  Japanese  poets  are  never  weary 
of  celebrating  the  patriotism  and  fidel- 
ity of  Kusunoki  Masashige,  of  narrat- 
ing the  story  of  his  last  parting,  when 
all  was  lost,  from  his  son  Masatsura, 
or  of  lamenting  over  the  sad  death  of 
the  heroic  Nitta  Yoshisada  on  the  field 
of  battle  (1338).  The  Ashikaga  Sho- 
guns  held  sway  for  over  two  hundred 
years.  When  Godaigo  died,  and  the 
brave  men  who  surrounded  him,  such 
as  Kusunoki  and  Nitta,  there  was  no 
one  left  among  the  supporters  of  the 
Southern,  or  exiled  dynasty,    to  with- 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN. 


153 


stand  their  power  ;  and  when  the  third 
of  the  Ashikagas,  the  Shogun  Yoshi- 
mitsu  (1363-1393)  succeeded  in  recon- 
ciling the  two  Imperial  Hnes,  after 
fifty  seven  years  of  civil  war  and  con- 
fusion, the  Ashikagas  became  the 
legitimate  holders  of  military  sway  ; 
for  Yoshimitsu  was  now  legally  ap- 
pointed by  the  Emperor  to  the 
Shogun's  office,  which  his  grandfather 
had  illegally  seized  by  a  successful 
rebellion.  "With  Yoshimitsu,  however, 
began  a  period  of  luxury  and  splend- 
our which  led  to  inevitable  decay. 
The  settlement  of  the  dynastic  difficul- 
ties by  Yoshimitsu  did,  indeed,  give 
to  the  country  the  rest  it  so  much 
needed,  but  it  also  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  Ashikaga  an  ascendancy  so 
great    that   none    could    resist    them, 


and  it  is  small  wonder  that  under 
such  circumstances  they  should  have 
become  haughty,  arrogant,  and  luxuri- 
ous. The  internal  peace  which  Yoshi- 
mitsu obtained  by  his  diplomacy  did 
not  therefore  last  for  very  long.  Many 
of  the  great  Daimyo  were  offended  by 
the  haughtiness  of  Yoshimitsu  and 
his  successors  :  Mochiuji  the  Regent  of 
Kamakura,  and  practically  Viceroy  of 
Eastern  Japan,  and  a  member  of  the 
Ashikaga  family,  was  so  enraged  by  the 
haughtiness  of  Yoshinori,  the  fourth 
in  descent  from  Yoshimitsu,  that  he 
raised  the  standard  of  revolt  and 
aimed  at  independent  sovereignty  ;  and 
when,  after  the  defeat  of  Mochiuji  and 
the  destruction  of  Kamakura,  Yoshi- 
nori attempted  to  deprive  all  the  great 
daimyo  of  their  territories,  his  action 


NlTTA  YOSHISADA  BZGGING  HeAVEN  TO  GrANT  EbB  TidES  FAVORABLE  FOR   HiS 

Mapching  to  Kamakura  with  His  Troops, 


154 


THE  RUSSOrJAPANESE  WAR- 


The  Shrine  of  Minatogawa  Dedicated  to  Masashige. 


caused  the  deepest  resentment,  and  he 
was  assassinated  by  one  of  his  own 
retainers,  Akamatsu  Mitsusnke,  in 
A.D.  1441. 

Yoshikatsn  and  Yoshimasa  were 
the  next  two  snccessors  of  Yoshinori 
in  the  Shogunate.  They  had  all  the 
luxury  and  ostentation  of  Yoshinori 
(Yoshimasa,  for  instance,  built  the 
famous  "Ginkakuji,"  or  Silver  Palace, 
at  Kyoto,  as  Yoshimitsu  had  built 
the  '*  Kinkakuji,"  or  Golden  Palace), but 
very  little  of  his  energy  and  power. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  great 
barons  throughout  the  country  assert- 
ed their  independence,  that  bitter  feuds 
broke  out  among  the  clans  of  Hatake- 
yama,  Hosokawa,  Yamana,  and  others, 
and  that  ultimately  the  military  power 
slipped  entirely  out  of  the  hands  both 
of  Emperor  and  Shogun  and  was 
seized  by  the  great  families  of  Central  , 
Japan,   the  Imagawg,   in  3wruga, ,  the 


.  -■> 


Takeda  in  Kai,  the  Matsudaira  (later 
Tokugawa)  in  Mikawa,  the  Oda  in 
Owari,  and  the  Asakura  and  Uyesugi 
in  Echizen  and  Echigo.  The  rivalries 
between  these  "  hsLvaii^  ^te6r"to — many 
conflicts,  among  which  we  may  men- 
tion the  battles  of  Kawanakajima  so 
celebrated  in  Japanese  history.  One 
name  especially  comes  to  the  front 
in  the  confusions  of  these  times.  It 
is  that  of  Oda  Nobunaga,  the  Lord 
of  Owari,  who  -  for  some  time  was 
predominant  in  'the  affairs  of  the 
country.  We  may  also  mention  the 
growing  power  of  the  Mori  family;  the 
centre  of  whose  power  was  at  Yama- 
guchi  in  Choshu. 


Predominance  of  Oda 
Nobunaga. 

The  „Qda_family  were  .dpsrpn  ded 
from  TairaShigemori.  and.  lived  origin- 
ally in  Echizen  whence  they  translated 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN. 


155 


themselves  to  Owari!    Nobunaga,  like 
his   father    Nobuhide,    was    a    man  of 
very    high    patriotic    sentiments,    and 
after    his     decided    victory     over    iht 
Imagawa    family    vsras     commissioned 
by  the    Emperor  Ogimachi  (1560)   to 
tjestore    the    supreme     power    to    the 
Imperial  Court.    In  this  work  he  was 
assisted    by  Tokugawa    lyeyasu,    lord 
of  Okazaki   in    Owari,    and   the    two 
men  between  them  succeeded  in  crush- 
ing   all    the    daimyo   in    and   around 
Kyoto.      He    then    gained    a    control 
over    the     Shogunate    by     appointing 
Yoshiaki  as  Shogun   (1567)   and  keep- 
ing him  in  his   position  in  spite  of  the 
opposition  of  the  men  who,  to  further 
their  own  views,  had  assassinated  his 
predecessor  Yoshiteru.     He  afterwards 
repaired  the  Imperial  Palace,  regulat- 


ed the  finances  of  the  Court,  relieved 
the  financial  embarrassments  of  the 
C  our t  n obles ,  an  d,  in  general ,  put 
things  on  a  more  satisfactory  basis. 
But  his  growing  power  with  the  Court 
aroused  the  jealousy  of  Yoshiaki  who, 
though  a  creature  of  Nobunaga's,  was 
not  pleased  to  see  himself  treated  as 
a  mere  puppet.  Difficulties  ensued  be- 
tween Nobunaga  and  the  Shogun,  and 
in  the  end  the  Shogun  was  deposed 
and  the  Ashikaga  House,  which  had 
held  the  Shogunate  for  two  hundred 
and  ten  years,  came  to  an  end  (1573J. 
Nobunaga  was  now  the  great  military 
power  in  the  country,  and  set  himself 
to  bring  order  out  of  the  confusion 
of  the  country  by  reducing  all  the 
great  barons  to  obedience.  Assisted 
by    his  generals,    Niwa,   Shibata,    Ha- 


Single  Combat  between  the  Two  Leaders  of  Takeda  and  Uyesugi  at  Kawanakajima. 


156 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


shiba    and    Tokuga-wa    lyeyasu,     he  extraction,  a  native  of  Owari,  and  so 

proceeded  manfully  -with  the  work  of  plain  of  face  that  he  was    commonly 

pacification.    Mori,  Prince  of  Choshu,  known   by   the    nickname    of  *' saru" 

still  remained    unsubdued   and   Nobu-  "  the  monkey."     At  the  age  of  sixteen 


View  of  Kawanakajima. 


naga  sent  Toyotomi  Hideyoshi  to 
attack  and  subdue  him.  He  himself 
was  preparing  to  follow  Hideyoshi 
with  reinforcements  w^hcn  he  was 
treacherously  attacked  by  one  of  his 
own  officers  and  he  and  his  son  Nobu- 
tada  committed  suicide  to  avoid  the 
disgrace  of  assassination  (A.D.  1582). 


Hideyoshi  in  Power. 

Hideyoshi  was  besieging  the  Castle 
of  Takamatsu  and  engaged  in  other 
operations  against  the  forces  of  Cho- 
shu, when  he  heard  of  his  Master's 
death.  He  at  once  made  terms  with 
Mori,  led  his  armies  straight  back  to 
Kyoto,  defeated  the  traitor  Akechi 
Mitsuhide,  appointed  Nobunaga's 
grandson,  Samboshi,  as  Shogun,  and 
himself  became  for  many  years  the 
great  power  in  the  land. 

Hideyoshi   was  a   man  of  humble 


he  left  home  and,  becoming  a  peddler, 
at  last  drifted  into  the  household  of 
Nobunaga  where  he  found  permanent 
employment.  Here  he  rose  rapidly  in 
favour  and  power,  was  given  high 
military  command,  ennobled  with  the 
title  of  Chikuzen  no  Kami,  and  was, 
as  we  have  seen,  engaged  on  import- 
ant service,  vsrhen  his  master's  death 
brought  him  into  greater  prominence. 
Soon  after  Nobunaga's  death  he  began 
to  build  the  Castle  and  City  of  Osaka, 
as  a  stronghold  for  himself,  a  proceed- 
ing which  greatly  displeased  both 
Oda  Nobukatsu,  and  the  young 
Tokugaw^a  lyeyasu  who  was  now 
rapidly  rising  into  prominence.  A 
battle  ensued  in  which  Hideyoshi's 
troops  were  defeated  by  lyeyasu,  but 
Hideyoshi  saved  himself  by  his  skilful 
diplomacy.  He  made  an  alliance  with 
lyeyasu,    received,    in    1585,    the    title 


H.  I   H.  Prince  Kuni,  now  in  the  Front. 


THE  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN.  157 


of  Kwatnpaku,  followed  by  that  of 
Dajodaijin,  both  of  which  gave  Im- 
perial sanction  to  his  acts,  and  re- 
ceived from  the  Emperor  the  family 
name  of  Toyotomi,  instead  of  Hashiba 
by  which  he  had  hitherto  been  known. 
The  Shogunate  now  disappears  for  a 
while  from  the  history  of  Japan. 
Hideyoshi  held  in  his  hands  all  the 
powers  of  the  Shogun,  but  he  content- 
ed himself  with  the  less  ambitious 
titles  of  Kwampaku  and  Dajodaijin 
w^hich  showed  more  clearly  his  depen- 
dence   on    the    Emperor   as    the   true 


source  of  all  honour  in  the  country, 
a  truth  which  the  long  disputes  of  the 
civil  wars  had  tended  to  obscure. 


Hideyoshi's  Expedition  to  Korea. 

In  1591,  Hideyoshi  undertook  his 
famous  expedition  to  Korea,  an  ex- 
pedition which  was  really  intended  as 
only  a  preliminary  to  a  further  enter- 
prise against  China,  in  which  the 
king  of  Korea  had  refused  to  join 
him.  To  do  this  better,  he  gave  up 
to  his  son  Hidetsugu  the  title  of 
Kwampaku,  and  assuming  for  himself 

the  title 
of  Taiko 
by  -which 
he  is  still 
generally 
kn  own, 
set  him- 
self to  the 
work     of 


Ranmaru,  a  Favorite  Page  of  Nobxjnaga 
Repulsing  an  Ememy  at  Honnoji. 


organi- 
zing the 
expedi- 
tion. Ad- 
vancing 
himself 
as  far  as 
Nagoya 
in  Kyu- 
shu, he 
thence 
sent  for- 
ward an 
army 
under 
Kato  Ki- 
yomasa 
and  Konishi  Yukinag-a,  together  with 
a  fleet  under  the  command  of  Kuki, 
Todo,  Kato  Yoshiaki,  and  others, 
which  reached  Fusan  in  a  few  days, 
and  there  disembarked  the  army. 
T-wenty  days  marching  brought  the 
Japanese  troops  to  Seoul,  the  King 
of  K orea  h astily  retreating  before 
them  and  taking  refuge  in  China, 
where  he  begged  the  Chinese  Emperor 


158 


THE  RUSSOrJAPMIESE  WAR. 


(of  the  Ming  dynasty)  tb  support  him. 
During  his  absence,  the  Japanese  over- 
ran the  whole  peninsula  and  subdued 
it,  Konishi  advancing-  in  pursuit  of 
the  King  ,  to  Phong-yang  in  Phong- 
an-do  whilst  Kato  entered  the  pro- 
vince of  Hamgyong-do,  where  he 
took  prisoners  some  of  royal  princes. 

The  Chinese  Emperor  did  not  re- 
fuse the  prayer  of  the  fugitive  King, 
and  sent  an  army  to  restore  him  to 
his  kingdom ;  but  the  Chinese  armies 
vsrere  several  times  defeated,  once  by  Ko- 
nishi, and  once  by  Kobayakawa,  near 


and  the  next  year  1597  Hideyoshi 
sent  a  second  army  under  Kato'^ 
Konishi,  Kobayakawa,  and  others, 
which  landed  on  the  mainland  and 
defeated  the  Chinese  and  their  allies 
at  Ulsan  and  other  places.  But  the 
eicpedition  was,  barren  of  results. 
Hideyoshi  fell  sick,  and  ;  whilst  his 
troops  w^ere  fighting  in  Korea,  he  was 
lying  on  his  deathbed  in  the  Castle 
of  Fushimi.  His  death  took  place  in 
August  1598;  immediately  afterwards 
his  armies  were  recalled,  and,  though 
pursued  by  the  Chinese  fleets,  peached 
home  in  safety. 


ToYOTOMi  Hideyoshi. 

Phong-yang.  These  victories  induced 
the  Chinese  and  Koreans  to  sue  for 
peace,  which  was  granted,  and  Hide- 
yoshi recalled  his  army  to  Japan, 
leaving  only  a  body  of  ttoops  for  the. 
occupation  of  Fusan. 

In  1596  an  Embassy  arrived  from 
China,  to  which  Hideyoshi  gave  au- 
dience in  the  Castle  of  Fushimi.  But 
the  credentials  which  the  Embassy 
presented  were  couched  in  words' 
w^hich  seemed  to  Hideyoshi  and. others- 
to  convey  a  veiled  insult  to  Japan ; 
so   the   ambassadors    were   dismissed, 


The  Battle  of  Sekig^ahara. 

Hideyoshi's  heir  and  succes- 
sor  was   his   son    Hideyori,    a 
mere  lad,  who  was  of  necessity 
under  the  tutelage  of  the  prin- 
cipal   retainers    of    his    father, 
who  were  appointed   guardians 
under     Hideyoshi's     vsrill.       Of 
these,  Maeda  Toshiie  and  Toku- 
gawa  lyeyasu  were    the    most 
prominent,    and    when    Maeda 
died    soon  afterwards,  lyeyasu 
came  to  be  practically  the  sole 
administrator     of     Hideyoshi's 
will.     lyeyasu   had,  ever    since 
the    days    of    Nobunaga,   been 
steadily     growing     in     impor- 
tance, and  Hideyoshi  had  shown 
his  confidence  in  him  by  placing 
him  at  Yedo    with   practically 
the    powers    of    a    Viceroy    over    the 
whole      of     Eastern      and      Northern 
Japan,    where    the    Hojo    family  had 
once     been     so    important     and     in- 
fluential.     After    the   death    of  Hide- 
yoshijTyeyasu  felt  his  own  strength  and 
importance,    and    behaved    according- 
ly: he  acted  arbitrarily,  often  in  direct 
violation   of  the   provisions    of  Hide- 
yoshi's will,  and  would  pay  no   heed 
to  the  numerous  remonstrances  of  his 
colleagues  and  associates.     It   became 
evident  that  lyeyasu's  ambition  would 
be    detrimental,  to     the  .  interests    of 


TUB  EARLY  MILITARY  DEVELOPMENT  OF  JAPAN. 


159 


The  Port  of  Fusan. 


Hideyoshi's  family  and  a  conspiracy 
was  formed  to  destroy  him,  in  which 
Ishida  Mitsunari,  one  of  Hideyori's 
guardians ,  and  the  Great  Barons, 
Mori  of  Choshu  and  Uesngi  of  Aidzu, 
were  concerned.  Then  followed  a  civil 
war  greater  than 
any  that  Japan  had 
yet  seen,  for  practi- 
cally the  whole  of 
the  country  was  con- 
cerned in  it.  It  was 
practically  South 
versus  North ;  on  the 
side  of  Hideyori 
stood  Mitsunari, 

Mori,  Ukita,  Shima- 
dzu,  Konishi,  Otani, 
all  Barons  of  Central 
and  Southern  Japan 
with  an  army  of 
128,000  men;  on  the 
other,  lyeyasu,  and 
the  great  Barons  of 
the  East  and  North, 


(Uesugi  of  Aidzu  had  already  been 
crushed  by  lyeyasu).  The  campaign 
began  with  southern  successes.  The 
Castle  of  Fushimi  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  South,  who  advanced  to  Ogaki 
in  Mino.     But  here  they  were  met  by 


View  of  Phong-yang. 


160 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


lyeyasu  and  his  army  of  75,000  men, 
and  a  great  battle  was  fought  at  Seki- 
gahara  (1601),  a  battle  so  great  and 
so  decisive  that  it  brought  to  Japan 
an  internal  peace  which  was  never 
broken  till  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  Two  years  later  (1603), 
Ij-eyasu  received  from  the  Emperor 
the  office  of  Shogun,  and  established 
his  court  at  Yedo. 


resist  him  was,  as  might  be  expected, 
the  family  of  Hideyoshi  himself,  the 
Toyotomi,  whose  centre  was  at 
Osaka,  under  Hideyori  who,  from 
1603,  was  obliged  to  content  himself 
with  the  title  of  *'Naifu"  or  Minister 
of  the  Interior.  Hideyori  and  his 
mother,  the  celebrated  Yodogimi,  re- 
sisted for  many  years,  but  at  last,  in 
1614,  the  Castle  of  Osaka  was  taken, 


The  Battle  at  Sekicahara. 


All  the  Barons  were  now  compel- 
led to  pay  homage  to  the  Tokugawa 
Shogun;  for  lyeyasu,  profiting  by  the 
past  experiences  of  history,  introduced 
a  strict  military  discipline  which  ef- 
fectually prevented  the  recurrence  of 
the  disturbances  which  had  made  the 
victories  of  Godaigo,  Yoritomo,  Nobu- 
naga  and  Hideyoshi  pass  away  with 
so    little    fruit.      The    last   family   to 


and  its  brave  defenders  perished.  lye- 
yasu did  not  long  survive.  He  died, 
an  old  man  of  75,  in  the  year  1616, 
leaving  behind  him  a  legacy  of  peace 
and  a  strong  Government,  which,  if 
defective  in  title,  was  nevertheless  a 
blessing  to  the  country  to  which  it 
brought  more  than  two  centuries  of 
much-needed  rest. 


JAPAN  UNDER  THE  TOKUGAWA  SHOGUNATE. 


161 


Japan  under  the  Tokugawa  Shogunate. 


I  HEN     lyeyasu,      after     the 
taking    of   the    Castle    of 
Osaka  in     1615,    finished 
the  work  which  he  had  so 
signally     begun    at    Seki- 
gahara    several  years  previously,    and 
saw  himself  practically  the  master  of 
Japan  ;  he  imposed  upon  his  country  a 
form  of   dual  government    w^hich    was 
at  least  sui   generis.      It  is  true  that 
in   Japan  the  idea   of    a  dual  govern- 
ment was  no  new    one.      Already    for 
many  generations    had     the    Emperor 
been    represented   in  all  the  details  of 
Government    by  Shoguns,  first   of  one 
family,   and  then  of  another,    residing 
with  all  the  pomp  of  actual  sovereignty 
first  in  Kamakura,  and  then  in  Kyoto 
itself;    but   lyeyasu,    by  breaking   for- 
ever   the    independent    power    of   the 
Great  Barons  of  Japan,  brought  order 
out  of  the  chaos  into  which  the  political 
relations  of  the  country  had  fallen,  and 
imposed  on  the  whole  nation  a  Consti- 
tution which  held   Japan  as  in   a  vice 
of  stagnation  for    the    remaining    two 
and    a  half  centuries  of  her    medseival 
history.     For  our  readers  must  remem- 
ber that  the  Middle  ages  of  Japan  are 
not  co-£evalwith  those  of  the  Occidental 
nations.      The  ancient  history    of  this 
country  is  said  to    take  us  back  to    a 
period    at    least    six   centuries    before 
Christ,  nay,  beyond  that  to  a  yet  more 
and  remote  age  ofmytholgy,  and  lasts 
until  about  the  sixth  century,  when  the 
dim    introduction  of  Chinese    learning, 
and  more  especially  of  Buddhism,  serves 
as  a  bridge  of  transition  to  the  Middle 
Ages,   which    in    their    turn    continued 
almost  unbroken   ui^til  the  arrival    of 
Commodore  Perry,  in  1854,  flooded  the 
country  with  the  midday  light  of  the 
civilization  which  was  already  shining 
so  brightly  in  Europe  and  America. 


We  say,  "almost  unbroken";  for 
there  was  a  period,  at  the  end  of  the 
sixteenth  and  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth centuries,  when  it  really  seemed 
as  though  Japan  were  about  to  emerge 
from  the  comparative  darkness  of  her 
mediaeval  state,  and  join  England,  Hol- 


TOKUGAWA   IyEYASU. 

land,  Spain,  and  all  that  was  most 
progressive  in  Europe,  in  the  march 
after  culture,  knowledge,  and  civiliza- 
tion. 

But  the  Decree  of  Heaven  was  that 
it  should  not  be.  A  re-action  set  in, 
partly  religious,  and  partly  political, 
and  those  who  believe  that  History  is 
the  record  of  the  Hand  of  God  direct- 
ing the  destinies  of  the  nations,  can  see 
in  the  spectacle  of  Japan,  shutting  her- 
self firom  the  rest  of  the  world  in  order 
to  store  her  strength  and  energy  for 
over  two  centuries,  and  then  to  astonish 
the  w^orld  by  the  suddenness  with  which 
she  rises  into  eminence  among  the  na- 
tions, the  sure  and  unmistakeable 
traces  of  the  Mighty  Power  that  rules 


162 


THE  .RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the  nations  and  yet  cares  for  the  in- 
dividual. 

The  Constitution  which  lyeyasu 
imposed  on  the  nation  served  to  prolong 
the  Middle  Ages  of  Japan  for  over  two 
centuries,  and  as  our  story  is  to  begin 
with  the  ultimate  overthrow  of  that 
mediaeval  system  of  Government,  it 
will  perhaps  not  be  unprofitable  to  en- 


The  Daibutsu  at  Kamakura. 

quire  into  the  nature  and  working   of 
that  monument  of  his  genius. 

At  the  head  of  the  nation,  then,  as 
now,  by  a  Divine  Right  such  as  no 
European  nation  has  ever  dreamed  of 
claiming  for  its  Sovereign,  stood  the 
Emperor,  Tenshisama,  the  Son  of 
Heaven,  who  rules,  not  because  the 
grace  of  God  has  selected  Him  and  His 
House  to  be  the  rulers  of  the  cpuntry, 


but  because  he  is  the  direct  descendant, 
and,  for  the  time  being,  the  visible 
Incarnation  of  the  gods  that  in  the 
beginning  made  Japan,  and  rules  by 
virtue  of  the  wisdom  of  His  Divine  An^ 
cestors  whose  spirits  reside  in  Him. 

Japan  is  now  accustoming  herself  tq 
the  sight  of  the  Son  of  Heaven  taking 
an  active  part  in  the   Government    of 
his  people,  opening  ' Parlia- 
ment, reviewing  troops,  pre- 
siding   w^ith     dignity     and 
ability  at  the   meetings  of 
his  Cabinet  Ministers  ;  but 
it  was  not  so  in  the  Middle 
Ages.     The   Mikado,  as  he 
was  sometimes  styled,  was 
a  divinity,   and  as  such  in- 
visible, residing  apart  in  his 
beautiful  Palace  of  Kyoto, 
approached    only     by     the 
ladies    of   his    Court,    and 
by  the  few  exalted  noblemen 
whose  rank  gave  them  the 
privilege  of  approaching  his 
Sacred  Person. 

And  yet  he  retained 
around  himself  the  sem- 
blance of  a  Court,  and  a 
power  which  w^as  more  real 
than  many  supposed  it  to 
be,  and  when,  after  two 
centuries  of  comparative 
obliteration,  the  Imperial 
Court  began  to  assert  it- 
self, it  was  found  that  many 
of  the  noblemen  attached 
to  it,  in  spite  of  their  seem- 
ing effeminacy  bred  from 
two  centuries  of  enforced 
idleness,  were  yet  men  of  ability  and 
power,  capable  of  conducting  an  in- 
trigue, but  also  capable  of  statecraft 
of  a  much    higher  order. 

Of  the  high  nobility  which  surround- 
ed the  Emperor,  the  first  we  mention 
is  the  Kwampaku  or  Prime  Minister. 
Sixty  years  ago,  the  office  was  a 
sinecure,  but  in  the  11th  and  12th  cen- 
turies, when  it  was  generally  held  by 


Marchal' Marquis  0yani9,[Chief  of  the  Impeiial  General  Staff. 


JAPAN  UNDER  THE  TOKUGAWA  SHOGUNATE. 


163 


meiribers  of  the  Fujiwara  family,  it  was 
a  post  of  dignity  and  power.  At  the 
time  of  which  we  are  writing,  there  was 
abundance  of  dignity,  but  the  power 
was  mainly  latent. 

The  holder  of  this  office  was  no 
longer  a  member  of  the  Fujiwara 
family,  but  the  clan  still  retained 
(and  retains)  a  large  measure  of  in- 
fluence. For,  from  the  Fujiwara  sprung 
the  five  ^reat  families  known  as  the  go 
sekke,  the  families  whose  privilege  it  is 
to  furnish  the  Emperor  with  their 
consorts ;  and  the  Houses  of  Ichijo, 
Nijo,  Kujo,  Kono^'-e,  and  Takatsukasa, 
closely  allied  to  the  Imperial  Family, 
have  always  played  an  important  role 
in  the  history  of  their  country. 

Next  to  the  Kwampaku  came  the 
TaikOy  who  was  generally  a  retired 
Kwampaku ;  next,  the  Kuge  or  nobles 
of  the  Court,  three  of  whom  held  the 
honourable  ministerial  posts  of  Daijo 
Daijin  ("  Great  Minister"),  Udaijin  (or 
"Minister  of  the  Right''),  and  Sadaifm 
(or  **  Minister  of  the  Left"),  whilst 
beneath  then!  in  i-ank  came  the  officials 
known  as  Dai  Nag-on  and  Chu  Nagon, 
and  the  Denso  and  Giso,  whose  especial 
duty  it  -was  to  act  as  intermediaries 
between  the  C  our t  of  the  S  on  of 
Heaven  and  that  of  the  Shogun,  who 
transacted  the  real  business  of  the  Go- 
-vernment,  though  always  as  the  re- 
presentative and  in  the  name  of  the 
Imperial  Majesty. 

The  Court  of  the  Shogun  was  at 
Yedo,  the.  town  which  lyeyasu  had 
fixed  upon  as  his  capital,  and  the 
holder  of  the  Shogunate  was,  from  the 
time  when  lyeyasu  obtained  the  office 
right  down  to  the  time  when  the  Em- 
peror, in  recent  years,  resumed  the 
active  control  of  the  Government,  al- 
ways a  member  of  the  Tokugawa 
family  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
great  lyeyasu. 

The  Tokugawa  Family  has  three 
branch  houses,,  known  as  the  Go- 
sanke,  ("  Three  Families  ").  the  heads   . 


of  which  were  the  wealthy  Princes  of 
Owari,  Kii,  and  Mito;  the  successor  to 


The  Amaterasu  OMiKAMr>  l 

Divine  Ancestor  of  Japan; 

the  Shogunate  being  always  chosen, 
when  the  Shogun  had  no  son,  from  one 
.of  those  three  families,  founded  by  the 
three  sons  of  lyeyasu  himself. 

Next  to  them  in  rank,  dignity  and 
power,  came  sixteen  families,  known 
as  Kokushu,  "  territorial  lords," — Bar- 
ons of  great  power,  whom  lyeyasu  had 
found  it  convenient  to  treat  more  as 
allies  than  as  subjects,  and  who  in 
their  own  domains  governed  almost  as 
sovereign  princes.  Among  these  Koku- 
shu were  Mori  and  Shimadzu,  lords  of 
Choshu  and  Satsuma,  and  several 
others  who  were  afterwards  mainly  in- 
strumental in  procuring  the  overthrow 
of  the  Shogunate  and  the  Restoration 
of  the  Imperial  Power. 

Next   to    them   in    rank    came   the 
nobles -known  by  the  title  of  Kamon. 


164 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


The  Shrine  of  Amaterasu  Omikami  in  Isk. 


The  Kamon  families  were  all  subsidiary  strong   counterpoise   to   the   Kokushu 

branches   of   the   Go-sanke  mentioned  families,  which  were  sometimes  inclined 

above,  or  else  were  descended  from  some  to  think  more  of  their  own   interests 

of  the  numerous   progeny   of  lyeyasu  than  of  those  of  the   Shogun.      There 

himself.     They  were  all  Tokugawas,  all  were  nineteen  Kamon  families,  the  next 

closely  bound  by  ties   of  common   in-  in  rank   and   wealth   being   the   Ridai 

terest  to  the  Shogunate,  and  formed  a  nobles,  whose  ancestors  had  made  their 

submission    to     lye- 


yasu before  the 
taking  of  the  Osaka 
Castle  in  1615,  and 
the  tozama,  whose 
submission,  made 
more  tardily,  had 
saved  their  fiefs  from 
forfeiture,  but  had 
not  secured  them  any 
special  privileges. 

The  fadai  were 
eligible  for  high  posts 
in  the  Government, 
the  tozama  were 
not.  A  few  families, 
fifty-six  in  all,  were 


The  Castle  of  Nijo  in  Kyoto. 


JAPAN  UNDER  THE  TOKUGAWA  SHOGUNATE. 


165 


The  Kinkakuji  (Golden  Temple)  in  Kyoto, 


specially  honoured  by  being  allowed  to     vassals  of  one  or  other  of  the  daimyo 

use  the  name  of  Matsudaira^  that  be-     or  barons. 

ing  the  name  of  lyeyasu's  birth  place.  The   Samurai  were   the   gentry  of 

This  was   a   reward 

given   to    nobles   for 

signal   services   done 

to       the       Shogun's 

house. 

Among  the  inferi- 
or ranks  of  the  nobi- 
lity   were   the  hata- 
moto.  The  hatamoto 
were  to  the  other  no- 
bles somewhat  in  the 
same  position  as  the 
baronets  in  England 
with   regard    to    the 
other  grades  of  the 
peerage.     The   bata- 
fnoto  were  the  direct 
vassals    of   the  Sho- 
gun    himself,  and  as 
such    ranked    higher 
than  the  samuraij  or 
gentry,  who  were  the 


The  Castle  of  OsakA. 


166 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Japan  : 
English 
heraldic 


and  as  it  was  the  pride  of  an  as  he  was  now  called,  became  some- 
gentleman  to  be  described  in  thing  not  much  different  from  a  vag- 
Latin  as  armiger,    so   it   was     abond.    But  sometimes  the  breaking  of 

the  tie  took  place  under  circumstances, 
the  reverse  of  dishonourable.  Suppos- 
ing, for  instance,  that  a  samurai^  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty  towards  his 
clan,  had  occasion  to  commit  an  act 
which,  if  it  failed,  would  bring  the  clan, 
or  its  head,  into  trouble.  He  would  in 
such  a  case  voluntarily  resign  his  posi- 
tion before  embarking  on  his  perilous 
undertaking.  Then,  if  he  failed  or  if 
success  brought  with  it  its  usual  penal- 
ties, the  clan,  or  the  Lord,  was  free  from 
all  responsibility ;  the  man  who  had 
done  the  deed  was  a  ronin  with  whom 
the  clan  had  no  connexion.  The  ronin 
;  played  such  a  large  part  in  the  history 

'  of  Japan    that  it  is  necessary  to  keep 

their  position  well  in  mind. 


,,  ^  .  ..  ,,  '>■ 


C'T" 


The,  Hatamoto  Samurat, 


the  -pride  of  the  samurai  to  be  privileg- 
ed to  carry  two  s"words  as  a  token  of 
their  military  profession.  It  is  true 
ithat,  in  the  long  peace  which  lyeyasu's 
settlement  brought  to  Japan,  the  samu- 
rai had  no  real  opportunity  of  show- 
ing their  mettle  ;  but  the  spirit  of  the 
profession  was  there,  and  the  samurai 
formed  a  caste  by  themselves,  despising 
commerce  or  other  means  of  gaining 
wealth,  and  proud  of  an  honourable 
poverty  spent  in  the  service  of  their 
lords  and  in  the  pursuit  of  fencing  and 
literature. 

Sometimes  the  tie  which  bound  the 
samuraiy  to  his  master  was  snapped, 
and  then  the  samurai  became  a  ronin 
or  free  lance.  This  breaking  of  the 
bond  between  vassal  and  lord  was 
sometimes  due  to  dishonourable  causes. 
A  samurai,  for  instance,  who  had  com- 
mitted a  crime  would  be  degraded  from 
his  rank,  and  in  sijch- casepr-the  Tpiii:^, 


A  J^onin  (A  Free  Lakce). 


JAPAN  UNDER  THE  TOKUGAWA  SHOGUNATE. 


167 


ToKUGAWA's  Mausoleum  at  Shiba,  Tokyo. 


>  One  of  the  essential  features  of  the  the  Shoguns  "\?vas  not  very  prosperous, 
system  of  lyeyasu  was  its  caste.  No-  Prof.  Drop{)ers,  in  an  article  on  the 
bles,  sa'mura/,  farmers,  merchants, — they  Population  of  Japan  during  the  years 
were  castes  and  nothing  else.  The  son  of  the' Tokugawa  '  rule,  shows  that, 
of  a  farmer  was  a  farmer,  the  samurai  especially  in  the  early  years  of  the 
did  not  debase  himself  by  marrying  one  nineteenth  century,  the  population  of 
of  a  merchant's  family,  the  merchant  Japan  was  steadily  decreasing.  If  we 
traded  in  the    same  / 

way  as  his  father 
had  done.  There 
was  no  change,  no 
new  inventions,  no 
new  commodities. 
Life  was  as  fixed 
and  unchangeable 
as  human  ingenuity 
could  make  it. 

It  stands  to 
reason  that  no 
country  with  such 
a  constitution  could 
possibly  be  pro- 
sperous :  and  there 
is  much  to  show 
that    Japan     under 


ToXugawa's  Mausoleum  at  Uyeno,  Tokyo. 


168 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


compare  the  magnificent  Mausoleums 
erected  to  the  memory  of  lyeyasu  and 
his  grandson  lyemitsu,  at  Nikko, 
"with  the  far  humbler  shrines  at  Shiba 
and  Uyeno  -which  had  to  serve  as 
the  resting-places  of  their  successors, 
"we  shall  notice  that  each  generation 
had  less  and  less  to  spend  on  costly 
monuments,  and  that  the  Family  of  the 
Tokuga-wa   must   have   been   growing 


steadily  poorer.  As  the  period  draws 
near  to  its  close,  we  find  the  great 
territorial  nobles  asserting  their  in- 
dependence firom  control  with  constant- 
ly increasing  violence ;  and  many  a 
far-seeing  thinker  during  the  early 
decades  of  last  century  foresaw  and 
foreshadowed  the  great  troubles  lying 
in  wait  for  the  country. 


THE  DEATH  OF  LIEUTENANT  COMMANDER  HIROSE. 


1.  To  right  and  left  the  cannons'  roar 

Was  heard  from  the  Forts  on  either  shore, 
As  through  the  gloom  of  night  we  sped, 
By  our  beloved  commander  led, — 
Four  doomed  ships — each  dauntless  crew 
Resolved  task  to  try  anew* 

2.  To  left  and  right  each  Russian  Fort, 
And  ship  that  stood  to  guard  the  Port, 
Discharged  torpedo,  shot,  and  shell; 
Yet  right  into  the  jaws  of  hell 

We  held  our  course,  in  order'd  rank, 
Blew  ourselves  up,  and  slowly  sank. 

3.  Then  for  the  boats  we  jumped,  to  save 
Ourselves  from  that  cold  watery  grave, 
But  he,  our  Leader,  staunch  and  true, 
Missed  one  man  of  his  trusty  crew, 
And  thrice  returning  tried  to  know 
What  had  befallen  Sugino. 

4.  He  sought  in  vain:  the  self-doom'd  wreck 
Was  settling  fast:  he  rush'd  on  deck 
Gasping,  excited :  in  his  hand 

He  held  his  new-recovered  brand. 
And  then  a  shell,  exploding,  fore 
Across  our  bows — Hirose  fell 
The  victim  of  that  cruel  shell. 


5.     We'd  watched  him  fight :  his  fierce  eye 
gleaned 
With  soul-felt  ardour  that  he  seemed. 
A  warrior  from  another  sphere. 
Beneath  the  searchlight  flashing  clear, 
A  quivering  lump  of  flesh  was  all 
We  found  to  make  his  funeral. 


6.    Oh  Sailor-Poet,  that  didst  sing, 

In  songs  that  gave  true  martial  sing, 
That  man,  "  though  seven  times  born 

on  earth. 
Should    seven    times    demonsterate   his 

worth 
By  sevenfold  life  of  loyalty 
To  country  and  to  Sovereignty," 
Where  dwellst  thou  now? 

Or  can  ye  tell. 
Who  saw  him  dare  and  die  so  well? 


7.    The  winds  were  angry,  and  the  wave 
That  those  bleak  northern  coasts  doth 
Tossed  his  poor  corpse  upon  the  shore 
Of  Liaotung.     But  for  evermore, 
His  soul,  remaining  here  below. 
Fights  with  our  ships  against  the  foe  I 

A.  LI.  Tr. 


A  Girl  of  the  Genroku  Age  (1700  A.  D.)- 


THE  ARMY  AT  THE  END  OF  THE  SHOGUNATE. 


169 


The  Army  at  the  end  of  the  Shogunate. 


HOSE   who  have  read   the  But   the  Shogun's   power  was    on 

former  chapters  in  this  the  wane.  lyeyasu  and  lyemitsu  left 
number  of  our  work,  the  a  long  line  of  successors  of  the  Toku- 
ones,  to  wit,  that  deal  gawa  Family,  who  held  the  office  oi 
w^ith  the  Feudal  System  of  Shogun  in  an  unbroken  succession  from 
Japan  as  fixd  by  lyeyasu,  and  with  the  1615  to  1866;  but  few  of  their  succes- 
ethical  codes  and  martial  exercises  of  sors  were  also  the  inheritors  of  their  ge- 
the  mediaeval  samurai,  will  easily  nius  and  influence.  The  long  unbroken 
understand  that  however  excellent  peace  had  not  been  very  favourable  to 
may  have  been  the  system  established  the  maintenance  of  a  Spartan  severity, 
in  the  sixteenth  century  and  control-  which  had  been  much  relaxed,  except 
led  by  the  master  hand  of  lyeyasu,  it  in  some  outlying  provinces  of  the  Em- 
was  not  calculated  to  be  a  strength  pire,  such  as  Satsuma  and  Nagato, 
to  the  country  against  foreign  aggres- 
sion, Avhen,  in  the  middle  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  it  was  verging  towards 
its  decline. 

Fifty  years  ago,  when  Commodore 
Perry  first  forced  Japan  to  open  her 
doors  to  foreigners,  and  to  give  them 
a  welcome  a  little  more  cordial  than 
that  which  she  had  for  over  two  cen- 
turies been  according  to  the  Dutch 
merchants  in  their  prison-settlement  of 
Deshima,  the  Government  of  Japan  was 
in  a  very  difficult  position. 

At  that  period,   the  real  powers  of 
Government  did  not  rest  with  the  Em- 
peror.   All  effective  power  rested  with 
his    representative   the    Shogun.      The 
Emperor   had   no  armies  at  his  direct 
disposal  :    nor   did  he  directly  concern 
himself  with  affairs  of  State.      He  did 
indeed     possess      the     un- 
bounded veneration  of  his 
people,  and  was  recognized 
as   the   true    head    of  the 
State,  but  long  years  had 
passed    since  he  had  done 
anything  to  make   his  au- 
thority  actively    felt,   and 
the  people  for  all  practical 

purposes    looked    only   to  (Front  Side) 

_^i      oi.   «  The  Monument  of  the  Late  Commodore 

the  Shogun.  p^^^^  ^^  U^^^^_ 


"'■X'.'~' 


X7Q 


THE  RUSSO-JAJr^ANESR  WAR. 


The 


(BACK  Side) 
Monument  of  the  Late  Commodore  Perry. 


of  the  Tokugawa  House,  while  others 
wished  to  see  Prince  Hitotsubashi,  a 
member  of  the  Mito  Family  of  Tokuga- 
wa,  selected  as  Heir  Apparent.  Peeling 
ran  high  on  the  subject,  and  divided 
counsels  naturally  tended  to  weaken 
the  authority  of  the  Tokugawas. 

On  the  top  of  these  two  perplexities 
came  a  third  one.     The  Americans  un- 
der Commodore  Perry  had  formed  one 
Convention  in  1854,  and  not  satisfied 
with  it,  had  come  again  demanding  an 
amended  treaty  with  larger  privileges; 
and  Mr.  Harris,  the  American  Plenipot- 
entiary,   was  insisting    on  a  favour- 
able answer  to  his  demands.     Behind 
the' Americans  came  the  English, 
French    and   Russians, — the    two 
former  engaged  in  a  victorious  con- 
'     flict  with  China,  the  other 
already  showing  her  grab- 
bing propensities  by  her  in- 
corporation of  3aghalien. 
Opinion  in  Japan  was 
very  much  divided  on  the 
■    subject  -of  allowing  trad- 
ing   privileges    to    foreign 
nations.      A     few     bolder 
spirits  favoured   the  idea, 
but     the     vast     maj  ority 
of    the     people     were 


.-ji*^". 


-f# 


where  conditions  of  life  were  a  little 
harder  than  elsewhere,  and  where  dis- 
tance from  the  reach  of  the  Shogun 
encouraged  the  great  territorial  Barons 
to  dream  of  shaking  off  a  yoke  which 
they  had  never  borne  except  reluctantly. 
This  was  the  first  of  the  perplexities 
which  beset  the  Government  of  the  Sho- 
gunate — the  increasing  power  and  rest- 
lessness of  the  great  territorial  Barons. 
The  next  perplexity  arose  from 
the  fact  that  the  Tokugawa  House 
was  a  house  divided  against  itself. 
The  reigning  Shogun,  lyesada,  was 
childless  :  and  the  choice  of  an  heir 
divided  the  clan  into  two,  some  favour- 
ing a  young  Prince  of  the  Kii  branch 


The  Tokugawa's  Third  Shogun, 
Iyemitsu. 


THE  ARMY  AT  THE  END  OF  THE  SHOGUNATE. 


171 


most  hostile  to  any  sort  of  tolera- 
tion of  foreigners  on  the  sacred  soil  of 
the  country.  The  man  who,  as  the 
Prime  Minister  of  the 
Shogun's  Cabinet,  in- 
vested with  the  powers 
of  Tairo  or  Dictator, 
practically  controlled  the 
situation,  w^as  the  Baron 
E  Naosuke,  Kamon  no 
Kami,  Lord  of  Hikone. 
A  man  of  insight  and 
vigour,  far-seeing  into 
the  future,  but,  like  many 
far-seeing  men ,  impati- 
ent of  delays,  and  swift 


question  of  real  importance  is  his  line 
of  action  with  regard  to  the  admission 
of  foreigners.  li  Kamon,  who  was  a 
man  of  sense  and  intelligence,  saw  that, 
with  the  military  forces  at  his  disposal, 
it  was  impossible  for  him  either  to 
resist  the  foreigners,  or  to  brush  aside 
their  demands.  The  only  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  temporize  with  them,  to 
admit  them  under  as  many  restrictions 
as  could  be  devised,  and  then  to  make 
use  of  the  delay  thus  gained  to  develop 
the  military  resources  of  the  country 
and  put  Japan  on  a  level  wth  other 
nations.  It  was  a  bold  line  to  adopt, 
especially  for  a  man  who  was  already 


The  R5NIN  Attacking  li  Kamon  and  His  Escort  at  the  Saicurada  Gate. 


in  action,  li  Kamon  had  not  been 
many  months  in  power  before  he  took 
steps  to  cure  or  kill  the  perplexities 
of  the  times.  He  procured  the  election 
as  Heir-Apparent  of  the  young  Prince 
of  Kii,  and  did  his  best  to  curb  the 
growing  power  of  the  Great  Barons  and 
assert  the  dignity  and  authority  of  the 
Shogunate,  thereby  creating  for  him- 
self not  a  few  bitter  enemies  amongst 
the  adherents  of  the  rival  clans.  Into 
these  questions  we  need  not  enter :  the 


surrounded  by  enemies  opposed  to 
other  parts  of  his  policy,  but  li  Kamon 
was  not  easily  deterred  from  what  he 
considered  to  be  the  right  course,  and 
he  therefore,  in  1858,  concluded  with 
Mr.  Harris,  the  American  Minister  to 
Japan,  the  treaty  of  Kanagawa  which 
gave  to  American  citizens  certain  rights 
of  residence  and  trading  in  the  country, 
and  gave  a  precedent  to  be  followed 
with  regard  to  other  countries. 

This  treaty  saved   Japan  from  the 


172 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


fate  of  other  Oriental  countries.  It 
secured  for  her  the  friendship  of  Ame- 
rica, a  friendship  which  has  been  shown 
since  then  on  more  than  one  occasion  ; 
and  it  put  a  stop  to  Russian  aggres- 
sion w^hich  would  otherwise  have  made 
a  snatch  at  Yezo  in  its  desire  for  an 
ice-free  port.  Unfortunately  for  him- 
self, li  Kamon,  whose  impatient  mind 
brooked  no  opposition,  only  increased 
the  hostility  and  hatred  of  his  own 
countrymen  to  himself,  and  his  only 
reward  was  assassination.  He  left  be- 
hind him,  however,  an  enduring  monu- 
ment of  his  political  wisdom  ;  for  the 
treaty  which  he  signed  remained  in 
force  until  Japan's  right  to  a  place 
among  civilized  nations  was  thorough- 
ly recognized,  and  the  results  of  the 
breathing-space  which  he  thereby  pro- 
cured for  his  country  may  be  seen  in 
the  achievements  of  this  year.     History 


An  Officer  and  Soldiers  at  tke  End 

TOKUGAWA   ShOGUNATE. 


will  certainly  do  justice  to  his  memory. 
But,  though  li  Kamon  had  been 
removed,  the  necessity  still  remained 
to  provide  the  country  with  an  army 
of  defence,  and  in  1861  (1st  year  of 
Bunkyu),  a  first  attempt  was  made 
by  the  Shogunal  authorities  to  organize 
a  Standing  Army. 

The  Army  thus  planned  was  no- 
thing very  great.  It  was  to  consist  of 
6  Regiments  of  Heavy  Infantry,  with 
13  additional  companies  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Castle  Gates,  4  bat- 
talions of  Light  Infantry,  and  4  others 
to  act  as  Shogunal  Body  Guards,  6 
Battalions  of  Heavy  Cavalry  and  2  of 
Light,  6  Batteries  of  Light  Field  Artil- 
lery, and  6i  of  Heavy  Field  Artillery 
for  the  protection  of  the  Castle  Gates. 
This  Army  was,  however,  never 
completely  organized,  owing  to  the 
difficulties  of  raising  the  army  tax. 
This  tax  could  only  be 
levied  on  the  hatamoto, 
gokenin  and  other  direct 
retainers  of  the  Sho- 
gun's  court,  the  other 
samurai  being  under  ob- 
ligations to  their  own 
lords,  and  thus  exempt 
from  the  direct  control 
of  the  central  authori- 
ties. From  this  limited 
constituency  the  Stand- 
ing Army  was  to  be 
raised  on  the  following 
plan.  Any  man  in 
receipt  of  an  annual  in- 
come of  500  koku  of 
rice  (incomes  were  thus 
estimated  at  this  period) , 
had  to  furnish  one  sol- 
dier, those  in  receipt  of 
1000  koku  furnished 
three  ;  incomes"  of  3000 
koku  or  more  being  as- 
sessed at  10  men.  In- 
comes below  ^y?^  hundred 
koku  were  taxed  at  the 
rate  of  5  ryo    (dollars) 


OF  THE 


THE  ARMY  AT  THE  END  OF  THE  SHOGUNATE. 


173 


for  every  100  hyo  (or  bags)  of  rice. 
The  men  to  be  supplied  had  to  be 
between  the  ages  of  15  and  45  : 
they  engaged  to  serve  for  5  years,  but 
might  rene-w  their  engagement  if  they 
chose. 


The  Light  Infantry  served  for  the 
protection  of  Artillery  and  Convoy- 
trains.  It  consisted  of  4  Battalions, 
each  of  which  contained  8  sections  of 
32  men  each. 

The    Body    Guard   Light  Infantry 


An  old  Battery  off  Shinagawa  Bav. 


It  will,  we  think,  be  interesting  to 
go  into  the  details  of  this  scheme  of 
Army  organization,  for,  though  it 
w^as  never  fully  carried  out,  yet  it  was 
so  in  part,  and  it  thus  became  the 
germ  from  which  grew  the  Standing 
Army  of  later  years. 

Each  Regiment  of  Heavy  Infantry 
(there  were  six  in  all)  was  composed 
of  2  Battalions,  each  of  which  contain- 
ed 10  sections  of  40  men.  The  13 
section  of  Guards  for  the  13  gates  of 
the  Shogun's  Castle  at  Yedo  amounted 
to  520  men.  Thus  the  Heavy  Infantry 
totalled  5,320  men.  The  total  number 
of  men  who  presented  themselves,  how- 
ever, amounted  to  6381,  and  the  surplus 
was  formed  into  4  Battalions  of  In- 
fantry for  the  protection  of  the  main 
Castle  in  times  of  war. 


consisted  of  4  Battalions.  This  Corps 
was  also  known  as  the  Rifle  Brigade, 
and  consisted  of  890  men. 

The  Heavy  Cavalry  (6  Battalions, 
888  men)  carried  swords  and  rifles : 
the  Light  Cavalry  (2  Battalions,  192 
men)  were  armed  with  short  lances. 

There  were  6  Batteries  of  Light 
Field  Artillery  furnished  with  6  lb. 
guns  and  12-in.  Howitzers,  each  Bat- 
tery consisting  of  8  guns,  with  a  total 
force  of  384  men. 

The  Heavy  Field  Artillery  (6^  Bat- 
teries and  416  men)  were  furnished 
with  12  pound  guns  and  15  in.  How- 
itzers, and  were  stationed  at  the  13 
gates  of  the  Castle,  half  a  battery  for 
each  gate. 

There  were  also  some  2,000  gunners 
distributed  in  forts  along  the  seashore 


174 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


for  purposes  ■  of  coast  defence:  The 
Staff  of  the  Army  consisted  of  1,406' 
men,  many  of  whom  were  junior  officers, 


An  Officer  and  a  non-commissioned 
Officer  in  half-European  dress. 

selected  for  their  brightness ,  to  be 
trained  for  military  duties  by  being 
attached  to  staff  officers.,  .  There  was 
as  yet  no  military  school  of  any  sort. 


In  addition  to  the~  above  regular 
troops  there  were  some  bodies  of  irre- 
gulars, such  as  the  Irregular;  Light 
Artillery,  the  Rifle-Battalion,  the  Yol-r 
tigeurs,  and  others,  partly  volunteer 
organizations,  and  partly  raised. from 
the  humbler  retainers  of  the  Shogunate. 

They  were  not,  however,  permanent 
institutions,  and  "indeed  scarcely  de- 
serve more  than  a  passing  mention. 

It  w^ill  be  seen  from  the  above  that 
the  Army  Organization  Programme  of 
the  Tokugawa  Shogunate  in  1862  w^as 
extremely  modest.     It  did  not  contem- 
plate  a   total   effective   force  of  more 
than    13,500     men,     whose  drill    and 
equipment,  though  partly  indeed  based 
on  foreign  models,  was  far  from  being 
perfect  even  according  to  the  standard 
of  those  times.     But  even  this  modest 
plan  was  found  impossible    of  realiza- 
tion.    The  power  of  the  Shogunal  Go- 
vernment was  on  the  wane,  and  when 
in  1867  (at  the  end  of  period  of  Keio) 
the   Shogunal   party,  had   recourse  to 
arms  in  a  last  dying  effort  to  preserve 
its   existence,   it  Was   found   that    its 
Standing  Army,  exclusive    of  Artillery 
and  cavalry,  consisted  of  only  64  superior 
officers  and  7,700  soldiers. 


o 
!>^ 

O 

w 


O 

PJ 

O 

zn 

CO 


CD 

o 

-^ 
o 


o 
O 


HOW  THE  EMPEROR  CAME  BACK  TO  POWER. 


175 


How  the  Emperor  Came  Back  to  Power. 


OTHING  will  show  more 
clearly  the  loss  that  li 
Kamon's  death  was  to 
Japan  than  the  reading  of 
the  confused  history  of  the 
country  during  the  follow- 
ing ten  years.  The  period  from  1859  to 
1869  is  a  veritable  chaos.  Various  in- 
fluences and  conflicting  interests  were  at 
work  in  the  country,  and  none  seemed 
to  be  able  to  get  the  upper  hand,  so  as 
to  suppress  or  control  the  others.  The 
country  was  like  a  ship  without  a  rud- 
der in  a  stormy  sea.  The  great  Terri- 
torial Barons  were  ready  to  unite  their 
forces  against  the  Shogun,  but  each 
prince  w^anted  to  advance  the  interests 
of  his  own  principality  at  the  expense  of 


Nobles  and  the  Shogunate  stood  the  Im- 
perial Court,  inclining  now  to  one  side 
and  now  to  the  other,  but  constantly 
possessed  by  a  strong  dislike  for  for- 
eigners, in  "vsrhich,  and  in  which  alone,  it 
fotnid  itself  in  thorough  harmony  with 
the  numerous  bodies  of  ro/Ji/j  wandering 
throughout  the  country.  The  Bakufu, 
as  the  Shogun 's  government  was  called, 
found  itself  more  and  more  unable  to 
fight  against  the  forces  of  disorder  in 
the  country,  and  outrages  were  of  fre- 
quent occurrence,  of  which  we  will  here 
instance    only   one,   the  murderous  at- 


HiRANO  KuNiOMi  Rescuing  his  Two  Friends,  Takamori  and  Gessho, 

FROM   THE  WATIlR  IN  WHiCH  THEY  HAD  TRIED 

TO  DROWN  Themselves. 


the  others.  The  Tokugawas  and  their 
followers  were  ready  to  unite  as  against 
the  Territorial  Barons,  but  yet  they 
were  also  a  divided  House,  with  all  the 
weakness  that  comes  from  internal 
dissension.       Between    the    Territorial 


tack  on  the  British  Legation  at  Taka- 
nawa  on  the  5th  July  1861. 

The  following  year  (1862)  saw  the 
despatch  for  Europe  of  the  First  Japan- 
ese Embassy  that  had  left  the  shores 
of  Japan  for  nearly  three  hundred  years. 


176 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


This  Embassy  had  great  influence  in  solution  of  the  difficulties  that  beset 
changing  the  heart  of  Japan  in  later  the  country.  He  knew  Shimadzu  to 
years,  but  its  influence  was  not  felt  be  a  supporter  of  the  general  Exclusion 
for  some  years  to  come.  Of  far  more  Policy  adopted  by  the  Kyoto  Court, 
immediate  interest  and  importance  was  and  took  the  opportunity  of  this  jour- 
a  conference  of  the  Great  Barons  sum-     ney  to  urge  him  to  take  a  further  step. 

The     obstacle    to    the 
desired      expulsion     of 
the  foreigners  w^as,  he 
said,  the  Shogun   who 
felt   himself   bound  to 
fulfil    the     obligations 
incurred  by  the  Treaty 
made    by    li  Kamon  : 
the    disorders     of   the 
country      arose     from 
the   system  of  a   dual 
Government     with    di- 
vided and  consequently 
diminished     authority. 
Shimadzu,     the     most 
powerful    of  the    Bar- 
ons,   might     save   the 
country  by  seizing  the 
power   into    his     own 
hands  and  restoring  the 
actual  functions  of  the 
Government  to  the  Em- 
peror .  himself      Japan 
would  then  be    strong 
enough   to    drive    out 
the  foreigners. 

Shimadzu  did  not 
accept  the  advice  of  Hirano,  w^ith 
whom  he  parted  company  at  Kyoto  ; 
but  the  seeds — good  and  bad — had 
been  sown  in  the  hearts  of  Shima- 
dzu and  his  followers,  and  we  may 
look  at  this  incident  as  the  first 
streak  of  light  that  heralded  the  Day 
of  Restoration.  But  the  bad  seed  came 
to  light  first.  Hirano  and  his  com- 
panions had  so  inflamed  the  minds  of 
the  Satsuma  samurai  with  a  hatred  of 
foreigners  that  when  the  party  reached 
the  neighbourhood  of  Kanagawa,  and 
met  a  cavalcade  of  foreigners  who,  in 
spite  of  w^amings,  were  riding  along  the 
Tokaido,  they  made  an  unprovoked  at- 
tack upon  them,  wounding  two,  and 


Prince  Shimazu. 

moned  to  meet  at  Tokyo  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  the  Emperor  to  confer  with 
the  Shogun  on  the  best  means  of  paci- 
fying the  Empire. 

Among  those  w^ho  attended  this 
conference  was  Shimadzu  Saburo,  the 
guardian  and  legal  representative  of 
the  young  Prince  of  Satsuma.  Shima- 
dzu, travelling  as  a  great  Lord  through 
the  country,  was  met  at  Hakata  in 
Chikuzen  by  a  band  of  ronin,  under 
Hirano  Jiro,  who  joined  themselves  to 
his  train  and  accompanied  him  as  far 
as  Kyoto.  Hirano,  though  apparently 
wild  and  unorderly  after  the  manner  of 
his  class,  had  nevertheless  discovered 
what  proved  ultimately  to  be  the  true 


HOW  THE  EMPEROR  CAME  BACK  TO  POWER. 


177 


Prince  Shimazu  and  Suite  Travelling  along  the  Tokaido  for  Yedo. 


killing  one,  a  gentleman  of  the  name 
of  Richardson,  who  had  the  misfortune 
to  fall  from  his  horse.  The  Richardson 
affair  was  a  great  misfortune  to  Japan. 
The  Bakufu  Government  had  to  pay 
England  an  indemnity  of  £  100,000  for 
the  outrage,  and  Satsuma  was  mulcted 
of  an  additional  £  25,000,  which  he 
refused  to  pay,  thereby  bringing  upon 


himself  the  anger  of  England  whose 
ships  bombarded  Kagoshima  early  in 
1863.  It  is  probable  that  Shimadzu 
would  have  acted  on  Hirano's  advice 
sooner,  and  have  thus  brought  about  the 
Restoration  a  few  years  earlier,  if  it  had 
not  been  for  the  trouble  which  arose 
from  the  Richardson  affair.  It  was 
therefore  a  great  misfortune,  from  one 


The  Castle  of  the  Lord  Shimazu  in  Kagoshima. 


178 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


point  of  view,  that  thus  befel  Japan, 
Yet,  in  another  way,  the  misfortune 
w^as  not  so  great.  Had  Hirano's  ad- 
vice been  acted  upon  then,  the  Restora- 
tion would  have  taken  place  on  an 
**  Exclusion  platform  ":  the  attempted 
expulsion  of  the  foreigners  would  have 
been  one  of  the  first  measures  of  the 
restored  Government,  and  interminable 


Shogun,  the  Holy  Sword  of  Ojin  Tenno 
wherewith  to  expel  the  foreigners. 
But  the  Shogun  refused  to  go  on  a 
pilgrimage  with  the  Emperor  to  the 
Temple  of  Hachiman  in  Yamashiro  to 
fetch  the  sacred  sword,  and  the  Sho- 
gun's  Prime  Minister  who  had  been 
commissioned  to  appoint  a  day  on 
w^hich    the   expulsion    was    to    begin, 


Side  view  of  the  old  Imperial  Palace  in  Kyoto, 


entanglements  would  have  ensued  with 
foreign  Powers.  It  was  fortunate  (as 
we  can  see  now)  that  the  Restoration 
had  to  be  deferred:  in  the  meantime, 
many  minds  were  pondering  over  the 
problems  arising  out  of  the  Richardson 
incident  and  the  bombardment  of  Kago- 
shima. 

Early  in  1863  another  attempt 
was  made  to  hold  the  Council  of  Great 
Barons  whose  deliberations  had  been 
so  rudely  disturbed  by  the  troubles 
connected  with  the  murder  of  Mr.  Ri- 
chardson. This  time,  perhaps  to  avoid 
the  risk  of  collision  with  foreigners, 
the  Council  was  summoned  to  meet  at 
Kyoto,  and  the  Emperor  announced 
his   intention    of  bestowing   upon  th6 


resigned  his  office  rather  than  face  the 
difficulties  of  the  situation.  The  Sho- 
gun's  Government  was  the  only  body 
of  men  in  Japan  that  had  actual  in- 
formation about  the  real  strength  of 
the  foreign  nations  as  compared  with 
Japan.  They  knew  that  the  attempt 
to  expel  the  foreigners  must  fail :  they 
knew  also  that  failure  on  their  part 
would  at  once  give  the  party  of  Shima- 
dzu  and  Hirano  a  pretext  for  upsetting 
the  Shogunate,  and  so  they  quietly 
returned  to  Tokyo,  and  prepared  as 
best  they  could  to  go  on  grappling 
with  the  difficulties  before  them. 

But  it  was  a  terrible  blow  to  the 
Exclusionists,  and  the  samurai  gene- 
rally, 'when  it  b^ca^me  clear  to  them  that 


HOW  THE  EMPEROR  CAME  BACK  TO  POWER. 


179 


the  Shogun  had  no  intention  of  joining 
■with  them  in  a  repudiation  of  the 
treaties  made  with  foreigners.  Riots, 
tumults,  insults  to  foreigners,  became 
for  a  few  months  the  order  of  the  day ; 
the  British  and  American  Legations 
were  burned  at  Yedo,  as  a  consequence 
of  which  a  British  Squadron  made  its 
appearance  off  Shinagawa  ;  and  w^hen 
the  Prince  of  Aidzu,  who  represented 
the  Shogun^s  interests  at  Kyoto,  felt 
it  to  be  his  duty  to  exclude  the  Choshu 
men-at-arms,  who  were  all  more  or 
less  indoctrinated  by  Hirano  and  his 
friends,  from  the  precincts  of  the  Im- 
perial Palace,  they  retired  in  anger  to 
their  own  province  of  Nagato,  and  on 
their  own  responsibility  declared  war 
against  all  foreigners  by  firing  on 
foreign  ships  as  they  passed  through 
the  straits  of  Shimonoseki. 


The  Choshu  clan  remained  turbu- 
lent for  some  time  after  this ;  indeed,  as 
late  as  1865  a  punitive  expedition  was 
sent  to  punish  them  for  various  acts 
of  insubordination,  amongst  others 
an  attempted  coup  de  main  at  Kyoto, 
with  the  avowed  object  of  getting  once 
more  into  touch  with  the  Imperial 
Palace.  This  punitive  expedition  was 
undertaken  by  the  Shogun,  but  it  was 
not  very  successful  :  the  Shogunate's 
power  .was  now  distinctly  on  the 
wane. 

The  time  had,  however,  come  when 
the  good  seed  sown  by  men  like  Hirano 
could  ripen  and  bear  fruit.  The  Em- 
bassy which,  in  1862,  had  been  sent 
to  Europe,  returned  in  1864 :  and  about 
the  same  time  there  returned  the  first 
batch  of  adventurous  students  who,  at 
the  risk  sometimes  of  their  lives,  had 


j^- 


^:^^'  •    ~  m  •■■■""■.■- 


v^^-^.'  "   ■ 


kA^-.^:^A^feA:-«af^%^^t^Matu'-'^i«.. --!!-■'''  >'^.:.  --^'aci- iy:<^:.*y.l' ■  ^^t^r: 'Ji'^ 


The  Castle  of  Aizu,  Bombarded  by  the  Imperial  Army. 


Thus  was  Japan  for  a  second  time, 
through  the  weakness  of  her  Central 
Government,  brought  into  trouble  with 
foreign  Powers.  The  ships  of  several 
nations  took  part  in  the  bombardment 
of  Shimonoseki,  and  a  large  indemnity 
was  exacted  which  Japan  was  several 
years  in  paying  off. 


gone  abroad  to  study  in  various  parts 
of  Europe  and  America.  The  return  of 
these  men  effected  quite  a  revulsion  in 
the  minds  of  the  Japanese.  They  had 
been  well  and  kindly  treated  wherever 
they  had  gone:  had  been  allowed  to 
see  every  thing,  and  had  made  every  use 
of  their  opportunities.    They  hastened 


180 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Port  of  Hyogo, 

back  to  their  Barons  and  Lords,  and 
especially  to  Choshu  and  Satsuma,  to 
give  them  the  full  results  of  their  tra- 
vels and  studies.  They  came  back  -with 
the  intelligence  that  Japan  -was  no 
match  for  the  Powers  of  Europe,  that 
every  thing  had  to  be  learned,  that  it 
was  folly  to  attempt  to  drive  the  for- 
eigners out,  and  that  the  salvation  of 
Japan  lay  in  a  speedy  adoption  of  the 
western  civilization.     They  had  come,  be 


it  noticed,  to  accept 
the  very  program- 
me for  which  li  Ka- 
mon  had  been  assas- 
sinated ;  for  that 
stateman  had  com- 
pletely justified  him- 
self for  signing  the 
Treaty  of  Kanagawa 
in  1859  by  pointing 
out  to  his  oppo- 
nents that  Japan's 
only  hope  lay  in 
making  treaties  with 
the  foreign  nations, 
and  in  thus  giving 
herself  the  time  to  make  full  prepara- 
tion for  a  renovation  of  the  resources 
of  the  country. 

Matters  were  a  little  relieved  by  the 
fact  that,  w^ithin  a  very  months  of 
each  other,  Japan  saw  first  (1866)  a 
new    Shogun,    Keiki,    and    secondly  a 


The  Fighting  at  Fushimi, 


■--■-'^ 


HOW  THE  EMPEROR  CAME  BACK  TO  POWER. 


181 


new  Emperor,— His  Present  Most  Il- 
lustrious Majesty  (1867).  It  was  a 
splendid  opportunity  for  peace,  for  two 
new  rulers  could  look  at  things  in  an 
almost  entirely  new  and  impartial 
light.  In  a  meeting  of  Daimyos  held 
at  Kyoto  to  settle  the  question  of  the 
opening  of  Hyogo  to  foreign  trade,  a 
letter  was  read  from 
the  Daimyo  of  Tosa, 
who  was  unable  to  be 
present,  strongly  urging 
upon  the  Shogun  the 
duty  of  resigning  his 
powers,  and  thus,  for 
the  sake  of  the  country, 
to  put  an  end  to  the 
Dual  Government.  The 
new  Shogun,  formerly 
Hitotsubashi,  now 
known  as  Keiki,  agreed 
to  the  reasonableness  of 
the  request,  and  on  the 
19th  November  1867 
inaugurated  the  modern 
period  of  Japanese  his- 
tory by  a  voluntary 
surrender  of  his  authori- 
ty into  the  hands  of  the 
Emperor. 

But  the  victory  was 
not      quite      won     yet. 
Whilst    the    transfer    of 
authority      was      being 
made,  the   Shogun   con- 
sented  to  carry   on  the 
Government  for  a  little 
while   longer.     But   the 
Choshu     men,    thinking 
that  the  Shogunate  was 
as  good  as    dead,    were 
.burning    to   have    their 
revenge    on    the   men  of  Aidzu,    with 
whom  they  had  been  more  than  once 
in    conflict    during    recent    years,    and 
tried  to  exclude  them  from  the  Imperial 
Palace,  as  the  Aidzu  men  had  once  ex- 
cluded them. 

The   Aidzu    men   flew   to   arms  to 
defend   their   rights.     The  Shogun,  in- 


dignant at  what  he  considered  the 
treachery  of  Choshu,  retracted  his  resig- 
nation and  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  followers.  The  citizens  of  Yedo, 
who  feared  the  loss  they  w^ould  incur 
by  the  transfer  of  the  Government,  and 
who,  besides,  had  many  reasons  for 
honouring  the  Tokugawa  family,  burn- 


The  Late  Minister  Okubo. 

ed  the  Satsuma  palace  and  declared 
themselves  in  the  Shogun's  favour,  as 
did  also  the  generality  of  the  northern 
clans  :  and  in  a  incredibly  short  time 
a  civil  war  broke  out,  practically  be- 
tween the  North  of  Japan  which  stood 
by  the  Shogun,  and  the  Centre  and 
South  which  desired  to  see  the  restora- 


182 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


tion  of  Imperial  Power.    The  Imperial  and  yet  conciliatory,  and  has  contrived 

Forces   were    the    victors    in   a   series  to  heal  old  standing  sores  and  reconcile 

of    engagements    from    Fushimi    near  ancient   clan-hostilities.    The   sufficient 

Kyoto  to  Hakodate  in  Yezo,  and  the  monimient    of  his    reign   is  Japan    of 

residt  was  that  the  Emperor,  who  by  1904. 


.--i* 


l™rt*t' 


The  Port  of  Hakodate. 


the  advice  of  one  of  his  ministers, 
Oktibo,  transferred  his  Capital  to  Ycdo, 
henceforward  Tokyo,  inaugurated  a 
personal  Government  and  came  out  of 
the  seclusion  in  which  his  ancestors  for 
many  generations  had  lived. 

What  the  personal  rule  of  the  pre- 
sent Emperor  has  done  for  the  country 
is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  article.  He 
found  Japan  bleeding,  wounded,  and 
weak,  from  ten  years  of  internal  quar- 
relings  and  strife,  for  which  the  student 
will  find  interesting  parallels  in  the 
stories  of  the  unification  of  Germany 
and  Italy.  He  has  known  in  his  policy 
how  to  be  firm  and  yet  gentle,  strict 


He  has  had  many  faithful  servants, 
who,  at  variance  from  time  to  time 
with  one  another,  have  always  been 
faithful  to  the  ideals  of  their  Sovereign; 
and  few  Sovereigns  have  been  served  as 
well  as  he.  New  Japan  has  had  many 
makers — the  great  men  of  the  Meiji  era 
have  been  fairly  numerous  and  their 
names  are  well  known  to  the  world. 
In  the  crowd  of  heroes  that  claim  our 
admiration  we  ought  certainly  not  to 
forget  one,  the  solitary  figure  of  the 
Tokugawa  Statesman  who  dared  to 
sign  the  first  regidar  treaty  with  a 
foreign  nation. 


r^A^ 


A  Japanese  School-Girl. 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  JAPANESE  MILITARY  OFFICER.         183 


The  Training  of  the  Japanese  Military  Officer. 


IKE  all  countries  in  which  summer,  is  the  hour  for  rising:  break- 
military  conscription  is  in  fast  follows  a  few  minutes  later,  and 
vogue,  Japan  possesses  then  begin  the  labours  of  the  day. 
a      truly     citizen      army'.  Simple  drilling  and  parade-work  do 

Whereas  in  England  a  not  enter  much  into  the  soldier's  daily 
thousand  reasons,  an  adventurous  life.  He  is,  of  course,  taught  to  march 
spirit,  a  love  of  gay  uniforms,  trouble  and  to  handle  his  gun  ;  but  far  more 
at  home,  debt,  want  of  a  better  em-  attention  is  paid  to  gymnastics,  rifle- 
ployment,  are  the  forces  which  send  a  practice,  skirmishing,  fencing  and  bay- 
man  to  the  recruiting-sergeant  to  ac-  onet-fighting — everything  that  will  tend 
cept  the  King*s  Shilling,  in  Japan  there  to  make  him  not  so  much  a  fighting 
is  practically  but  one  reason.  The  machine,  as  a  living  and  intelligent 
state  has  decreed  that  military  service  unit  of  a  fighting  force. 
for  a  certain  number  of  years  is  one  of  Work  goes   on  from   six  to  eleven, 

the   obligations  of  all  citizens,  and  the     with  short  pauses  of  five  minutes  at  a 
young    man    of  Japan  is  theoretically 
no  more  able  to   evade  this  obligation 
than   he   is  unable    to    evade   the  pay- 
ment of  taxes. 

Theoretically,  every  Japanese  when 
he  comes  to  the  age   of  20,    becomes  a 
soldier:   practically  it  is  not  so.      The 
population    of   Japan,     which    already 
numbers    some    47,000,000    people,    is 
continually    growing    by  large  strides, 
and  if   every   young  man    of   20   were 
taken  to  be  a  soldier,  the  army  wotild 
far  exceed  the    needs    of  the    country. 
In  order  therefore  to  keep  the  army  on 
its  average  peace  footing  of  some 
250,000    men,    recourse  is   had 
not     only    to    the   drawing    of 
lots,     but     also     to      rigorous 
physical    tests    and     other    ex- 
aminations,     which     serve     to 
limit  the  active    army    to    only 
the     best     components    of  the 
nation.      The    Japanese     army 
comprises      very      few     "  dead- 
heads," and  the  average  intelli- 
gence   of  the   rank    and    file  is 
very  high. 

Life  in  barracks  is  strict 
and  strenuous.  Five  o'clock 
in    winter,     half-past     four    in 


The  Monument  of  the  Late  Vice-minister 

OF  War,  Omura,  who  Newly  Organized 

THE  Japanese  Army. 


1.84 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


time  between  each  form  of  exercise  : 
then  follows  dinner,  with  two  hours  of 
repose.  From  two  to  six  work  goes 
on  as  in  the  forenoon  ;  then  supper, 
recreation,  and  an  early  bed. 

One  great  feature  of  Japanese  mili- 
tary life  is  that  the  officers  share  in  all 
the  exercises  of  the  men,  very  little 
being  left  to  non-commissioned  officers, 
sergeants,  and  corporals.  The  officers 
are  always  on  duty,  and  thus  a  very 
complete  harmony  is  established  be- 
tween them  and  their  men.  That  terror 
of  the  German  army,  the  regimental 
bully,  the  martinet  sergeant,  is  practi- 
cally unknown. 


ates  from  any  Middle  School  licensed 
and  recognized  by  the  Government, 
whether  public  or  private,  or  (c)  stu- 
dents who  ca.n  shew  that  their  educa- 
tion has  brought  them  up  to  the  grade 
required  to  obtain  the  leaving  certi- 
ficate of  a  Middle  School.  In  the  two 
latter  cases,  they  must  also  have  a 
written  letter  from  the  Commanding 
Officer  of'  the  Regiment  they  wish  to 
join,  signifying  his  willingness  to  accept 
them  eventually  as  officers  in  his  regi- 
ment. 

As  soon  as  they  are  accepted  as 
candidates,  they  join  their  regiment  as 
privates,   spending   twelve   months   in 


Fencing  Exkrcise. 


Promotion  from  the  ranks  is  how- 
ever quite  impossible :  no  one  being 
eligible  for  a  commission  who  has  not 
entered  himself  first  as  a  candidate. 
Candidates  must  be,  either  (a)  Gradur 
ates  of  the  Cad,et  School,  or  (b)  gradu- 


the  ranks  as  "  officer  candidates,"  so 
as  to  have  a  complete  and  practical 
aquaintance  with  all  the  duties  of  a 
common  soldier,  and  are  then  sent  for 
one  more  year  of  study,  to  the  Military 
College  in  Tokyo.    Thence  they  return 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  JAPANESE  MILITARY  OFFICER.        185 

to  their  regiment,  as  aspirants,  to  ac-  regiments    as   privates.     They   receive 

quire  a  practical  knowledge  of  a  sub-  uniforms,    food,     arms    etc.    from    the 

altern's  duties,  and  at  last,  about  two  Government,  but  no  money  allowance. 

and  a  half  years  from  the  time  when  They  are  expected  to  drill  and  be  ex- 


MiLiTARY  Cadet  School  in  Tokyo. 


they  first  entered  as  Candidates,  they 
are,  if  approved  of  at  a  Meeting  of  the 
Of&cers  of  their  regiment,  accepted  and 
commissioned  as  sub-lieutenants. 

In  the  Military  College  there  are 
departments  for  Infantry,  Cavalry, 
Field  Artillery,  Fortress  Artillery,  En- 
gineering, and  Train.  A  candidate  may 
choose  whichever  arm  he  prefers,  and 
may  also  select  his  own  regiment  or 
battalion  (subject,  of  course,  to  the 
consent  of  the  Commanding  Ofiicer). 
If  the  number  of  candidates  exceeds 
the  number  of  vacancies,  the  requisite 
number  only  is  taken  according  to  the 
number  of  marks  obtained. 

December  1  is  the  day  on  which 
the    new    candidate-officers    join    their 


ercised  just  like  the  other  men  in  their 
company,  but,  as  candidates,  they  en- 
joy certain  privileges: — they  are  allow- 
ed special  rooms  for  themselves  in  the 
barracks,  and  are  privileged  to  mess 
with  the  officers,  this  association  with 
their  superiors  being  supposed  to  play 
an  important  role  in  their  miHtary 
education.  During  their  year  of  service 
they  are  promoted  lance-corporals  and 
non-commissioned  officers,  and  receive 
their  first  lessons  in  the  rudiments  of 
military  science  fi-om  the  regimental 
instructors. 

The  Military  College  is  situated  on 
a  large  plateau  in  the  Ichigaya  District 
of  Tokyo,  and  stands  in  spacious 
grounds  with  a  commanding  prospect 


186 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


and  excellent  air.  The  Students  of  the 
College  are  divided  into  three  com- 
panies, each  tinder  the  coniniand  of  a 
Captain  of  Infantry.  Each  corapany  is 
again  divided  into  six  sections,  contain- 
ing from  25  to  30  students,  and  each 
under  the  command  of  a  Lieutenant 
of  Infantry.  Each  section  has  more- 
over a  Head  (this  office  being  taken 
by  the  students  in  rotation)  "whose 
duty  it  is  to  supervise  the  students'  kit, 
to  lead  the  section  into  class-room  or 
dining  hall,  to  make  application  to  the 
authorities  for  any  articles  required  by 
the  section,  to  report  cases  of  sickness, 
and  to  report  on  the  condition  of  the 


Languages,  Surveying,  and  Practical 
work.  By  way  of  exercise  the  students 
have  Drilling  (distinct  for  each  arm). 
Gymnastics,  Fencing,  Sabre  Exercise, 
Shooting  and  Riding. 

What  with  studies  and  exercises 
the  Students  are  kept  hard  at  work 
the  whole  day  long,  and  their  only 
time  of  absolute  rest  is  the  short  half 
hour  after  supper  when  they  are  allow- 
ed to  unbend  entirely. 

The  School  year  begins  on  December 
the  first,  this  date  being  fixed  to  suit 
the  conscription  arrangements  of  the 
Armv,  and  the  first  Examination  at 
the  College  takes  place  about  the  end 


Cadets  at  Manceuvres. 


section  at  the  periodical  inspections  of 
the  officer  on  weekly  duty. 

The  studies,  which  are  the  same  for 
all  arms,  are  as  follows  :— Tactics,  Sci- 
ence of  Artillery,  Fortification,  Topo- 
graphy, Military  Administration,  Field 
Hygiene,  the  Care  of  Horses,  Foreign 


of  April  or  the  begining  of  May.  The 
summer  vacation  is  for  three  weeks 
onlj',  the  last  three  weeks  of  August, 
and  is  utilized  for  excursions  and  tra- 
vel, and  the  final  examination  comes 
at  the  end  of  September  and  the  be- 
ginning of  October.    Then  come  the  an- 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  JAPANESE  MILITARY   OFFICER.  187 


The  Gymnastic  Exercises  of  the  Cadets, 


nual  military  Manoeuvres  at  the  end  of 
October,  and  the  interval  before  the 
grand  Graduation  Ceremony  in  Nov- 
ember is  spent  profitably  in  visiting 
Fortresses,  Arsenals,  etc. 

The  Graduation  Ceremony  is  held 
in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor  himself, 
■who  has  hitherto  always  made  a  point 
of  being  present  on  these  occasions. 
The  College  Stu- 
dies being  thus 
over,  the  Candi- 
dates return  to 
their  regiments 
as  Aspirants 
ranking  as  Offi- 
cers, and  in  six 
months  are  pro- 
moted to  be  Sub- 
lieutenants when 
they  start  upon 
the  duties  of  a 
Japanese    Officer. 


Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the 
following  Colleges  and  Institutions 
which  have  been  established  for  the 
training  of  officers. 


The  Military  Staff  College. 

The    object    of    this    institution 
to     give     further     instruction    in 


IS 

the 


6  -*-^-.si 


'■'      ■  ^",V-''  "0^-  '^^^     I  ■■  ■■■'  t  ■  >gg^ 


r  iiiirrMitiiiilliiinilifii 


Military  Cadet  School  in  Nahoya. 


188 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Military  College  in  Tokyo. 

higher  branches  of  military  science  to  been   at   least    two   years   with    their 

junior    officers    of    promise,     and    its  regiments    or   battalions,    and    whose 

students     are     lieutenants     and    sub-  physical   health,    intellectual   qualifica- 

lieutenants    of   all    arms,     who    have  tions.   morals,    diligence,    and  general 


A  Training  Fortress  Gun  used  by  the  St,udents  of  the  Military  College. 


Lieut-General  Baron  Terauchi,  the  Japanese  Minister  of  War. 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  JAPANESE  MILITARY  OFFICER.        189 

special  instruction  in  subjects  required 
in  these  two  arms,  the  course  includ- 
ing strategy,  equitation,  mathematics, 
chemistry,  drawing,  and  foreign  langu- 
ages .     There    are    three   classes .      The 


The  Interior  of  the  Military  College. 


conduct,  have  shown  them  to  be  suit-     primary   or   first    year   class    includes 
able  recipients  of  this  higher  training,     the  subjects  given  above.    At  the  end 
The  course  is  for  three  years,   the     of  the    first    year,    one   third    of   the 
academic    year    beginning    in    Decem- 
ber,   and    finishing  in    the 


following  November. 
From  the  middle  of  August 
to  the  end  of  October, 
the  students  are  with 
regiments  different  from 
their  own  arm,  participat- 
ing in  the  annual  man- 
oeuvres. Graduates  receive 
diplomas  and  a  badge 
which  they  wear  like  a 
medal ;  and  one  year  after 
graduation  are  eligible  for 
staff  appointments,  in* 
structorships,  and  other 
important  military  billets. 


College  of  Artillery 
and  Engineering. 

Artillery  and  Engineer 
Lieutenants  are  eligible  for 
this    College    which   gives 


The  Prussian  Major- General  Meckel  formerly 

Military  Instructor  at  the  Japanese 

Military  Staff  College. 


190 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


artillery  and  one  third  of  the  engineer-     their   studies    at   the    College    or    are 
ing  students,  are  selected  for  the  higher     sent  abroad. 


The  MiLrrARY  Staff  College  at-  Tokyo. 


class,  which  prosecutes  its  studies  for 
another  year,  the  rest  of  the  students 
rejoining  their  regiments.  At  the  end 
of  the  second  year  another  selection 
is  made  of  students  of  special  merit 
who    are    either    allowed    to    continue 


The  College  of  Artillery  and  Engineering  at  Tokyo. 


Gunnery  School  for  Field 
Artillery. 

The  object  of  this  training  insti- 
tution is  to  give  artillery  officers 
thorough  practical  instruction  in  gun- 
nery and  field-artil- 
lery practice '  and 
tactics,  and  in  test*- 
ing  materials  and 
arms. 

The  students 
comprise  (i)  captain 
and  lieutenants  from 
each  regiment  oi 
field-artillery,  and 
(ii)  lieutenants  and 
sub-lieutenants  who 
have  just  graduated 
from  the  College  of 
Artillery  and  Engi- 
neering, The  first 
kind      of      students 


THE  TRAINING  OF  THE  JAPANESE  MILITARY  OFFICER.        191 


attend  for  three  months,  the  second 
for  two.  They  then  return  to  their 
original  corps. 


(") 


Gunnery  School  for  Fortress 
Artillery. 

This  training  institution  is  intend- 
ed to  accomplish  for  Fortress  Artillery 
all  that  is  done  for  Field  Artillery  by 
the  institution  just  described.  Its 
students  are  of  the  same  kind,  and 
the  duration  of  the  course  is  exactly 
as  above. 


times  sub-lieutenants  of  cavalry. 
Students  of  equitation— lieute- 
nants, sub -lieutenants,  and 
N.C.O.'s  of  Cavalry,  together 
with  ofEcers  and  N.C.O.'s  be- 
longing to  the  Field  Artillery 
and  Train,  when  required. 
The  course  is  of  11  months  duration. 


Toyama  Military  College. 

This  College  gives  training  in 
tactics,  shooting,  gymnastics,  fencing, 
and  also  in  the  practical  handling  and 


The  War  Department  in  Tokyo. 


Cavalry  Training  School. 

This    College    gives    a   training   in 

cavalry    tactics     and   equitation,    and 

also    in    the    practical    testing    of    all 

sorts  of  riding  material  and  harness. 

There  are  two  classes  of  students: 

(i)     Students    of    tactics,    who  are 

captains,  lieutenants,  and  some- 


testing  of  guns,  rifles,  and  small  arms. 
The  students  are  of  three  kinds : — 

1.  Students  of  tactics: — captains, 
lieutenants,  (occasionally  also  sub- 
lieutenants) of  infantry,  v^ith  fortress- 
artillery  and  engineer  officers. 

2.  Students  of  Marksmanship : — 
officers  selected  from  all  arms,  infantry, 
cavalry,  artillery,  engineers,  and  train. 


102 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


3.  Students  of  gymnastics  and  of  the  army,  uniforms,  clothes,  diet, 
swordsmanship:— officers  and  N.C.O.'s  barracks,  &c.  &c.;  and  the  Military 
from  all  arms.  Veterinary  College  sees  to  the  training 

of  the  men  whose 
care  it  is  to  provide 
for  the  good  health 
of  the  horses  of 
the  Imperial  Japa- 
nese Army. 

In  a  -word,  the 
system  of  military 
instruction  in  the 
Japanese  Army  is 
as  complete  as  that 
in  Germany  or 
France;  but, though 
■we  have  the  best 
officers  of  all  arms, 
the  Japanese  Gov- 
ernment sends  an- 
nually some  dozens 
of  promising  young 

officers     to     perfect   themselves  in  their 

studies  in  Europe. 

It  is   only  natural  that  the  results 

of  all   our    labotirs   should    be   seen  in 


Entrance  to  the  Toyama  Military  College. 


The  course  for  the  1st  Class  of 
Students  is  4  months :  in  the  2nd 
Class,  4  months  for  Infantry  officers, 
and  2  months  for  those  of  other  arms: 
in  the  3rd  Class  the  course  is  7  months. 

There  are  also 
three  C  olleges  for 
the  non-combatant 
branches  of  the 
military  service. 

The  Military 
Administration  Col- 
lege undertakes  the 
training  of  Alilit- 
ary  Intendants  and 
Paymasters :  the 
Army  Medical 
College  takes  in 
hand  the  training 
of  army  surgeons 
in  all  subjects  con- 
nected with  the 
sanitary,  well-being 


times  of  war  like  the  present. 


The  Gymnastic  Ground  of  the  Toyama  Military  College. 


Commander  Hirose  searching  Warrant-Officer  Sugino. 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED. 


193 


How  Japanese  Naval  Officers  are  Trained- 


T  will  probably  be  of  in-  But,  for  most  boys,  their  naval 
terest  to  our  readers  to  education  begins  with  their  entrance 
know  how  the  officers  of  to  the  Naval  College  which  is  situated 
the  Imperial  Navy,  who  on  the  island  of  Etajima  in  the  far- 
have  done  so  much  this  famed  Inland  Sea,  at  a  short  distance 
year  for  the  honour   of  their  country,  from  the  military  station  of  Hiroshima 


The  Naval  Department  in  Tokyo. 


are  trained   for   their  arduous    profes- 
sion. 

The  naval  education  of  a  naval 
officer  may  begin  very  young,  for  there 
is  in  Tokyo,  under  the  special  patron- 
age of  the  Naval  authorities,  a  pre- 
paratory school,  intended  for  students 
intending  to  choose  a  naval  career,  to 
which  many  boys  are  sent  on  account 
of  the  excellent  preparation  it  gives 
for  entrance  to  the  Naval  College  at 
Etajima. 


and  the  naval  port  of  Kure.  Entrance 
to  this  College  is  by  competitive  exami- 
nation, and  though,  naturally,  a  large 
percentage  of  the  successful  candidates 
comes  from  schools  like  the  one  in  To- 
kyo that  make  a  special  point  of  pre- 
paring for  these  examinations,  yet  the 
College  is  recruited  from  the  whole 
country.  For  a  description  of  this  Col- 
lege, and  of  the  Higher  Naval  College 
at  Tokyo,  we  cannot  do  better  than 
quote    from  a    lecture   delivered   before 


194 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the  United  Service  Institution  London, 
by  Lieut. -Commander  Sato,  I.J.N,  on 
Feb. 26.  1904, 

Lieutenant- 
C  o  m  m  an  der 
Sato  divided  his 
lecture  into  five 
sections  —  name- 
ly, (1)  entrance 
of  cadets  and 
their  education 
in  the  Imperial 
Naval  College  at 
Etajima,  (2) 
education  of 
midshipmen,  (3) 
education  of  sub- 
lieutenants and 
lieutenants  in 
their  respective 
duties  afloat 
and  ashore,  (4) 
education  of  of- 
ficers in  the 
Imperial  and 
Higher  Naval 
College  at 

Tokyo,  and  (5) 
education  of 
officers  in  the 
torpedo  and 
gunnery  schools  at  Yokosuka. 

I.— The  Naval  College  at  Etajima, 
he  said,  was  open  to  every  male  subject 


A  Navat,  Cadet. 


between  15  and  20,  with  the  exception 
of  those  who  were  married,  those  who 
had  undergone  any  serious  punishment, 

and  bankrupts. 
The  whole  ex- 
pense of  trai- 
ning, food,  and 
clothing  was 
provided  out  of 
Gove  rnment 
funds.  The  en- 
trance examina- 
tion to  the 
college  varied 
slightly  some- 
times from  those 
of  preceding 

years.  It  was 
divided  into  two 
stages,  physical 
and  educational, 
and  no  one  who 
failed  to  pass 
the  physical  ex- 
amination suc- 
cessfully was 
entitled  to  be 
exainined  educa- 
tionally. He 
gave  an  outline 
of  the  educa- 
tional examination,  which  included 
the  following  subjects  :  —  Mathema- 
tics,    which    consisted    of    arithmetic, 


The  Naval  College  at  Etajima. 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED. 


195 


A  Dormitory  of  the  Naval  College. 

algebra,  plane  geometry,  and  plane 
trigonometry  ;  Japanese  literature  and 
composition  ;  English  grammar,  trans- 
lation of  Japanese  into  English,  and 
English  into  Japanese;  physics,  chem- 
istry, history,  geography,  physical 
geography,  hand  sketching,  and  mecha- 
nical drawing.  The  French,  German, 
and  Russian  languages  were  optional 
subjects    which 


passed  the  quali- 
fying examina- 
tion in  all  res- 
pects, and  the 
actual  number  of 
candidates  select- 
ed to  enter  the 
college  was  180. 
No  cadet,  he  re- 
marked, who  had 
once  entered  was 
allowed  to 

change  his  mind, 
but     each     must 
continue   his  stu- 
dies   at    the    col- 
lege;      cadets, 
however,       were 
disqualified       for 
incapacity  to  perform  the  duties  of  an 
officer,   bad  conduct,   inability  to  pass 
the  final  examination  successfully,  and 
sickness    which    would    prevent    their 
serving  efficiently  as  officers.     The  dura- 
tion of  the  course   of  training    in    the 
college  w^as    three    years,    but,    should 
necessity    arise,   as  in  the  case  of  war, 
it    could    be    shortened.       During    the 


might  be  taken 
up  by  students, 
and  the  marks 
awarded  would 
count  towards  the 
order  in  which  the 
students  passed 
into  the  college  at 
the  final  examina- 
tion, it  being  under- 
stood that  a 
necessary  standard 
must  be  reached  in 
every  subject  of  the 
obligatory  course. 
The  outline  he  had 
sketched  was  that 

of  the  entrance  examination  held  last 
year,  when  the  number  of  candidates 
was  1,995.  Out  of  these  about  1,400 
passed  the  physical    examination,  400 


The  Matsushima. 


vacations  it  was  invariably  the 
custom  to  devote  a  certain  period  to 
the  practical  study  of  sea  duties  on 
board    the    tenders    attached    to     the 


196 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


college.  The  lecturer  then  quoted  a 
table  showing  the  subjects  and  the 
time  devoted  to  them  during  the 
whole  course  of  training,  which  was 
divided  into  three  classes,  each  occupy- 
ing a  year.  In  the  first  year  four 
hours  a  w^eek  were  given  to  gunnery, 
four  to   seamanship,   one  hour  to  cngi- 


Captain  Kawashima,  Commander  of  the 

Matsushima. 


neering,  seven  hours  to  English,  five 
and  a  half  to  physics  and  chemistry, 
and  six  and  a  l.alf  to  mathematics, 
making  a  total  of  28  hours'  study  a 
week.  The  second  year's  course  con- 
sisted of  four  hours  a  week  of  gunnery, 
three  of  seamanship,   one  hour  of  tor- 


pedo instruction,  three  hours  of  navi- 
gation,   three     of    engineering,     six    of 
English,    three   of  physics,   and  five   of 
mathematics.     In  the  third  year  gun- 
nery   was  given    three    hours  a   week, 
seamanship    four,    torpedo    instruction 
four,  navigation  seven,  engineering  one 
hour,  English  six  hours,  and  mechanics 
and  statics  three.      The  study    of  the 
international  rule  of  the  road  at  sea, 
signalling,    shipbuilding,    the    preserva- 
tion of  ships  and  their  gear,  provision- 
ing,   snd  many  kindred    matters  were 
included  in  the    course  of  seamanship, 
and  a  study  of  meteorological   obser- 
vation, surveying,  and   the  like  in   the 
course  of  navigation.     In  addition,  ele- 
mentary courses   of  international  and 
civil  law   and  naval  history  were  pro- 
vided.    When  the  cadets  has  passed  the 
final  examination  they  were  promoted 
to  midshipmen. 

During  the  time  that  the  student  is 
at  the  Naval  College  his  hours  are  as 
follows  (subject  to  slight  alterations  to 
suit  the  seasons  of  the  year)  : — 

5.30.  a.m.  Rise,  sw^eep  rooms,  make 
beds,  arrange  clothes,  perform  ablu- 
tions and  make  toilet. 

6.10.     Inspection  by  ofiicer  on  duty. 

6.30.    Breakfast. 

7.45.  Second  Inspection  by  the  Cap- 
tain. 

8 — 12.     Lessons. 

12.5—1.     Dinner. 

2.15 — 3.30.  Special  studies,  e.g.  fen- 
cing, wrestling,  bayonet  drill,  row- 
ing, sailing,  ship's  hygiene,  history, 
law,  etc. 

3.30—5.30.    Recreation. 

5.30.    Supper. 

6.30—9.30.    Preparation. 

10.  p.m.    Bed. 

Abundance  of  material  is  at  hand 
for  the  recreation  and  physical  develop- 
ment of  the  students,  and  provision 
is  made  for  base-ball,  foot-ball,  tennis, 
canoeing,  etc.  There  are  also  three 
trainng  ships  and  five  launches  at  their 
disposal,  so  that   in  spite  of  the  fact 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED.  197 


.^:"" 


that  they  live  upon  a  secluded  island 
they   have   nothing    to    complain    of: 
their  life  is  far  from 
being  a    dull   or   un- 
eventful one. 

II. — Lieut.  -  Com- 
mander Sato  then 
went  on  to  describe 
the  education  of  mid- 
shipmen after  they 
have  left  the  College. 

The  education  of 
midshipmen,   he  con- 
tinued,   was   divided 
into   training  in   the 
special  training  ships 
and  training  in    the 
ships  of  the  standing 
fleet.     The  object  of 
the  first  course  was 
to  teach  the  midshipmen  how  to  apply 
practically  what  they  had  been  taught 
in  the   college,    and  to  give  them  the 


foundation  of  the  experience  necessary 
to  perform  their  duties  as  junior  offi- 


Captain  Narita, 
Commander  of  the  ItsukushimA. 


The  Itsukushima. 

cers.  Generally  speaking,  therefore,  the 
instructors,  all  of  whom  were  naval  offi- 
cers, and  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the 
cadets  at  the  college,  continued 
their  instruction  and  training  at 
sea.  At  present  the  Matsushima, 
the  Itsukushima  and  the  Hashi- 
datCy  sister  ships  of  4,200  tons, 
with  modern  armaments  and  fit- 
tings, were  employed  for  that 
purpose.  He  did  not  know 
whether  the  same  arragement 
was  in  force  now  as  last  3^ear, 
but,  as  it  was  supposed  to  be 
satisfactory,  he  would  briefly 
refer  to  it.  The  three  ships  form- 
ed a  squadron,  under  a  rear- 
admiral,  and  cruised  in  home 
and  foreign  waters  for  about 
eight  months,  carrying  out  prac- 
tical training.  During  the  cruise 
the  admiral  transferred  his  flag 
several  times  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  midshipmen  in  each 
vessel  the  duties  in  flagships  as 
well  as  in  ordinary  ships.  After 
the  course  -was  completed  the 
midshipmen  were  distributed 
among  the  ships  in  commission — 
almost  invariably  to  the  ships  of 


198 


'tHB  KUSJSU-JAFANKbK    WAR. 


The  Hashtdate. 


the    standing    fleet,    where    there    was     tical.     In  regard  to  the  first   division, 
no   regular    course.      They    performed     captains   had   to    superintend    the    in- 
junior    officers'   duty 
under  the  supervision 
of  the  superior    offi- 
cers, but  it  w^as  as  a 
rule  the  custom   for 
the    captain    of    the 
ship  to  choose  a  very 
competent   officer  to 
take  charge  of  them, 
besides  giving  orders 
to       the       gunnery, 
torpedo,    and    navi  - 
gating  officers  to  in- 
struct them  in  their 
own  special  branches. 
III.— The  lecturer 
then  continued  with  .  ■ 
a  description   of  the 

further  training  of  sub-lieutenants  and     structions    of  officers    under    them,  to 

lieutenants.  encourage  them  and  make  every  effiDrt 

The  training  of  sub-lieutenants  and     to  educate  them  in  the  duties  of  their 

lieutenants    was  practical  and  theore-     profession.      At  the  end   of  about  two 

months    from    the    date    of 
appointment  of  a  sub-lieute- 
nant to  his  ship  the  captain 
had  to  examine  him  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  duties  in 
respect    of  ships'    stations, 
regulations,   and   other  im- 
portant   matters,    such    as 
ammunition      supply      and 
turret-gun  mechanism.    The 
theoretical    branch    of  edu- 
cation    was     intended     to 
cultivate     the      know^ledge 
and  intelligence    of   officers 
■by  impressing  on  them  the 
study   of  military    matters 
during  such  times   as  they 
were  not  engaged  in  official 
duties.     The  means  to  this 
end    w^ere    not    strictly    de- 
fined, but  it  was  the   prac- 
tice of  the  captains  to   set 
each  officer  a  subject  for  a 
*'  yearly    essay'*    on    either 
theoretical .     or       practical 
■  Captain  Kato,  Commander  of  the  Hashidat^..  questions    of    military    in- 


Admiral  Viscount  Ito,  Chief  of  the  Naval  General  Staff. 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED. 


199 


terest.  and  on  this  he  had  to  prepare  first  course  is  provided  lor  selected 
an  essay.  The  subject  set  varied  ac-  lieutenants  to  be  educated  in  higher  mi- 
cordmg  to  the  officer's  rank,  special  litary  matters,  so  as  to  enable  them  to 
duty,  and  capacit^^  The  essays  were  serve  in  important  positions  or  to  give 
returned  to  the  officer  concerned  after  them  a  solid  foundation  for  acting 
they  had  been  examined  and  criticized  as  higher  officers.  The  length  of  the 
by  the  captain,  who  might  forward  to  course  is  two  years,  and  the  subjects 
the  Commander-in-Chief  those  which  are  strategy  (naval  and  military), 
he  considered  showed  great  ability,  tactics  (naval  and  military),  naval 
The  Commander-in-Chief, 
in  his  turn,  examined  the 
essays  presented  by  the 
captains  under  his  orders, 

criticised   them,  and  those 

which  he  thought  merited 

approval   he   presented   to 

the    Minister     of    Marine, 

who    aw^arded    certificates 

of     merit     to     a    certain 

number  of  the  best  of  them. 

These  essays  were  printed 

and    collected   in    a    book 

called  **The  annual  Report 

of    Essays,"    which     was 

distributed  throughout  the 

fleet  and  naval    barracks. 

It  was    almost    universal, 

too,   for    the     captain    to 

nominate     an     officer     to 

deliver  a  lecture  on  a  cer- 
tain    subject,     or,     if    the 

officer  preferred,   he    could 

lecture  on  some  particular 

question  in  which  he  was 

interested. 

lY.— The  practical  trai- 

nins:  of  officers  mentioned 

in  the  previous  paragraph 

o-ives    the     authorities     of 

the    Department  valuable  guidance    in     history,  fortification,  law,  international 

the  selection  which  is  then  made  of  sub-     law    and    diplomatic  history,   military 

lieutenants    and    lieutenants    who     are     administration,  political  economy,  gun- 

sent  up  to  Tokyo  for  a  further  theore-     nery,  torpedoes,  navigation,   shipbuild- 

tical     training    at    the    Higher    Naval     ing  and  engineering  courses,  and  higher 

College,    better    known    as    the    Naval     education  of  the  general  course.    During 

A       1  m'v  their  course  of  study  the  officers  under- 

There   are  four  different  courses  in     going    instruction    are  frequently    sent 

the  college,  which  are  called  (1)    "Ko-     to    attend    or    take     part    in    various 

shu  "     (2)    *' Otsushu,"     (3)   '' Senka,"     manoeuvres    and  to  visit  ships,    forts, 

and  (4)  "Koshiuka"  respectively.    The     naval  stations,  and  factories.    The  se- 


Rear- Admiral  Sakamoto  Ex-  President  of  the 
Higher  Naval  Collf.ge. 


200 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


cond  course,   which    is    of    one    year's 
duration,  is  provided   for   the  purpose 


The  Naval  Officer's  Cujb  at  YokosukA. 


their  study  they  are  invariably  sent 
to  attend  or  take  part  in  various 
manoeuvres  and  to 
visit  ships,  forts, 
naval  stations,  and 
manufacturing  esta- 
blishments, and  of- 
ficers who  have 
studied  gunnery  or 
torpedo  matters, 

after  finishing  their 
theoretical  studies  in 
the  college,  are  sub- 
sequently sent  to  the 
special  gunnery  or 
torpedo  schools  for 
practical  experience 
for  about  three 
months.  The  next 
course  was  organised 
for  captains,  com- 
of  giving  lieutenants  higher  education  manders,  and  senior  lieutenants  in 
in  either  gunnery,  torpedo  or  naviga-  order  that  they  might  study  any  sub- 
tion  duties.  The  entrance  examination  jects  of  their  own  selection,  and  their 
generally  consists  of  mathematics  and  entrance  is  permitted  if  they  are  con- 
foreign  languages,  and  is  open  to  sidered  competent  to  benefit  effectively 
competition  ;  a 
selected  number  of 
ofiicers  who  satis- 
factorily pass  it  and 
who  are  considered 
to  be  capable  of 
serving  as  specia- 
lists in  the  subject 
they  entered  for  are 
finally  allowed  to 
attend  the  course. 
Successful  candidates 
are  trained,  apart 
from  their  own 
special  courses,  in 
gunnery,  torpedo, 
and  navigation,  each 
course  consisting  of 
naval  tactics,  shore 
and  sea  surveying, 
shipbuilding,  and 

higher   education     of 

the    ereneral     course.  .  ,  ^ 

.  -         .  ^  Admiral  Inoue,  Commander-in-Chief  of 

During    the    time    of  the  Yokosuka  Naval  Station. 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED. 


201 


by  admission,  and  provided  their  pro- 
posed subjects  coincided  with  service 
necessities.  The  last  course  is  not  a 
regular  one,  but  when  lime  permitted 
and  their  services  are  available  a 
number  of  officers  may  be  summon- 
ed from  various  parts  to  take  part  in 
certain  special  matters,  such  as  naval 
strategy  and  naval  tactics. 

Y. — But  side  by  side  with  the  Aca- 
demic courses  are  the  more  practical 
courses  provided  for  officers  and  men 
in  the  schools  for  gunnery  and  torpe- 
does   established     at    Yokosuka.     We 


very  has  been  made,  or  drills  have 
undergone  changes,  a  number  of  officers 
are  summoned  from  various  parts 
to  bring  themselves  up  to  date  in  such 
matters  and  to  teach  their  comrades 
or  those  under  their  command  what 
they  have  themselves  just  acquired.  In 
his  concluding  remarks  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Sato  said  that  it  would 
be  admitted  that  his  country  had  fol- 
lowed fairly  closely  in  the  footsteps  of 
the  "Mistress  of  the  Seas."  Whether 
in  one  or  two  small  particulars  they 
might  perhaps  have  gone  **one  better," 


The  Naval  Station  at  Yokosuka. 


again  quote  from  the  report  of  Lieut- 
enant Commander  Sato*s  lecture. 

In  these  schools  courses  are  ar- 
ranged for  captains,  commanders,  and 
lieutenants  who  have  just  passed  the 
theoretical  gunnery  and  torpedo  course 
in  the  higher  naval  college  and  for  sub- 
lieutenants, to  afford  them  further 
practical  training.  In  addition  to  this, 
when  some  new  weapons  has  been  in- 
troduced or  some  new  scientific  disco- 


it  would  be  for  his  hearers  to  decide. 
He  thanked  the  council  of  the  institu- 
tion for  the  great  honour  they  had  done 
him,  a  foreigner,  though  a  guest  of 
England,  in  giving  him  the  opportunity 
of  showing  to  an  English  audience  of 
experts  what  progress  his  country  had 
made  in  naval  education.  It  might, 
perhaps,  be  of  interest  to  them  to  know 
that  all  Japanese  officers  served  for  the 
love  of  Emperor  and  country  and  that 


202 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


no  extra  pay  was  granted  for  passing 
in  any  special  subjects.  Undoubtedly, 
however,  the  officers  possessing  special 
qualifications  received  more  important 
positions  and  earlier  promotion. 

Lieutenant  Commander  Sato's  lec- 
ture was,  however,  confined  to  the 
Executive  Branch  of  the  Navy.  There 
are  similar  institutions  for  the  training 
of  the  other  Branches  of  the  Service. 

Thus  (a)  the  Engineers  have  a  Col- 
lege at  Yokosuka  very  much  on  the 
some  lines  as  the  Naval  College  at 
Etajima,  which  provides  a  theoretical 
training  for  cadets  whose  practical 
requirements  are  supplied  by  the  work- 
shops attached  to  the  Dockyards  and 
Arsenals  at  Yokosuka. 

There  is  also  (b)  a  Medical  College 
at  Tokyo.  Students  desirous  of  enter- 
ing the  Naval  Medical  College  must  be 


they  receive  special  instruction  in  the 
Medical  routine  of  ships,  barracks,  and 
naval  hospitals,  and  in  such  scientific 
subjects  as  will  be  of  special  value  to 
them,  e.g.  ship's  hygiene,  the  treatment 
of  gunshot  wounds,  dietary,  and  speci- 
al diseases  such  as  Kakke  (beri  beri) 
or  syphilis.  After  their  year's  training 
they  are  sent  to  ships  or  hospitals  and 
discharge  their  proper  duties,  but  there 
is  always  at  the  Medical  College  at 
Tokyo  a  class  of  Surgeons  in  addition 
to  the  class  of  medical  midshipmen  who 
have  come  up  for  additional  courses. 
The  Charity  Hospital  at  Shiba,  Tokyo, 
is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Naval 
Surgeons. 

Further  (c)  the  Paymasters,  who 
are  now  very  largely  recruited  from 
the  graduates  of  the  Higher  Commer- 
cial   College   and   from    the   Law  and 


The  Naval  Engineering  College  at  Yokosuka, 


qualified  surgeons  or  physicians,  pos- 
sessing the  ordinary  diploma  granted 
to  licensed  practitioners  by  the  Home 
Department.  They  then  enter  the  Medi- 
cal College  for  one  year,   during  which 


Economical    courses    of    the    Imperial 
University  receive  their  special  training 
in  the  duties  of  their  profession  at  the 
Paymaster's    Training    School    at    To-, 
kyo,  an  institution  which  also  under- 


Lieut-General  Baron  Kodama, 


Vke-Zdmiial  Ijuir, 


HOW  JAPANESE  NAVAL  OFFICERS  ARE  TRAINED. 


203 


takes   the    training    of   writers,   cooks,  officers.— It  is   the   Nautical   College  in 

petty  officers.  Tokyo   which  educates    the   officers    of 

One    more    institution    deserves    to  the  Japanese   Mercantile  Marine.     It  is 

be  mentioned.     It  is  not   directly  con-  an  excellent  institution  and    many    of 


The  Dockyard  at  Yokosuka. 


nected  with  the  Imperial  Navy,  but  in  its  graduates  will  now  be  found  doing 

times  of  need   or  emergency  it  can  al-  their  duty  to  their  country  on  men-of- 

wavs  be   drawn    upon  for  a  supply  of  war  and  transports. 
well-trained    navigating    and    engineer 


2'04 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Bushido. 


OTHING  reveals  the  hidden 
springs  of  character  so 
well  as  an  event  which 
places  a  man  in  a  position 
in  which  he  must  choose 
between  life  and  death,  and  nothing 
therefore  reveals  the  hidden  springs  of 
national  character  so  well  as  a  war 
for  life  and  death  between    two    rival 


Lteut.-Commander  Yuasa. 


peoples.       The    present    war    has    like- 
wise done  more  than  reveal   the  state 
of  material  preparedness   of   Japan    as 
compared  with  Russia  ;  it  has  brought 
to  light  many  moral  qualities   and   de- 
fects   of    which    the    world    was    only 
dimly    conscious    before  ;    it  has  made 
manifest    to    all    men    that    the    spirit 
animating  the  men  who  executed   the 
daring     attacks     upon     Port 
Arthur,  who,  like  Hirose,  faced 
death    to    save    the  life    of    a 
comrade,      or,      like     Captain 
Sakurai  and  his  brave  fellow- 
officers  on   board  the  Kinshu- 
maru,    sought     a     voluntary 
death  rather  than  fall  as  priso- 
ners into    the  hands    of  their 
enemies,  must  rest  upon  some 
very  solid  foundation  of  moral 
character  and  training  ;     and 
■when  we  read  how  nobly  the 
lowest  bluejackets  volunteered 
for  these  posts    of   dangerous 
duty,  and  how  faithfully  they 
accepted  and  acted  upon  the 
inspiriting     words     addressed 
to  them  on   the    eve   of  their 
perilous  adventures  by  leaders 
like  Lieut.-Commander  Yuasa,* 
we     understand     that     these 
mental  and  moral  characteris- 
tics are  not    confined    to    the 
officers    alone,     but    t  hat    the 
whole    nation     is     permeated 
with  this  truly  martial  spirit. 
We  have  hitherto  given  only 


*  The  following  are  some  of  the  sentences  in 
Lieut.-Commander  Yuasa's  speech  to  his  men, 
before  starting  for  the  attack. 

"  Let  every  man  set  aside  all  thought  of 
makint^  a  name  for  himself,  but  let  us  all 
work  together  for  the  attainment  of  our  ob- 
ject    It  is  a  mistaken  idea  of  valour    to 

court  death  unnecessarily.     Death  is  not  our 
object  but  success,  and  we  die  in  va'n  if  we 


do  not  attain  success.  If  I  die,  Lieutenant 
Yamamoto  will  take  the  command,  and 
if  he  is  killed,  you  will  take  your  orders 
from  the  Chief  Warrant  Officer,  Let  us  keep 
at  it  to  the  last  man,  until  we  have  done 
what  we  want." 

His  words  made  a  deep  impression  on  all 
who  heard  them. 


BUSHIDO, 


205 


one   or    two   instances   of  the    martial     the    samurai  or    bvshi    who    were    so 
spirit     that     animates      the     Japanese     pre-eminently    the    best    of  all    classes 


Fencing. 


soldiery,  but  many  might  be  given, 
all  equally  demonstrating  that  ardent 
courage  -which  refuses  to  turn  its  back 
upon  the  foe,  and  looks  death  calmly 
in  the  face,  preferring  death  to  ignominy 
of  any  sort,  while  at  the  same  time 
it  still  knows  how  to  submit  itself 
to  the  commands  of  its  superiors,  and 
to  sacrifice  private  interest  to  the 
common  weal.  This  spirit  has  not 
been  produced  in  one  generation  ;  its 
roots  are  deep  down  in  the  past  ;  you 
can  see  its  flowers  in  the  present,  but 
the  plant  is  as  indigenous  to  Japan 
as  its  own  Imperial  Chrysanthemum  ; 
and  no  enquiry  into  the  character  of 
the  Japanese  can  be  complete  if  it  does 
not  include  an  investigation  of  this 
martial  spirit. 

We  must  remember  that  until  thirty 
seven  years  ago  Japan  was  a  military 
country,  in  which  the  ruling  class  were 


that  formed  Japanese  society  that  it 
passed  into  a  proverb,  Hana  \va  sakura, 
hito  wa  bushi,  "  What  the  cherry  is 
amongst  flowers,  that  is  the  bushi 
amongst  men." 

The  training  which  the  bushi  received, 
and  the  moral  and  ethical  principles 
which  w^ere  inculcated  into  him,  formed 
the  system  know^n  as  the  Bushido  or 
"  way  of  the  knights,"  and  it  is  Bushi- 
do which  is  bearing  such  excellent 
fruit  this  year  in  the  military  achieve- 
ments of  the  Japanese  forces. 

Bushido  is  an  unwritten  code  of 
knightly  honour,  transmitted  from  age 
to  age  and  jealously  observed  by  the 
bushi,  under  all  circumstances,  v^hether 
at  home  or  on  the  field  of  battle.  Bu- 
shido taught  the  Japanese  man-at-arms 
to  train  himself  in  all  military  arts — 
fencing,  jujutsu]  archery,  &:c.,  to  deve- 
lope  a  martial  spirit,  to  keep  his  word, 


J06 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANEvSE  WAR. 


to  despise  cowardice,  to  face  humilia-  puku  (suicide  by  disembowelment)  a 
lion  bravely.  In  other  words,  it  in-  refuge  from  the  taint  of  dishonour, 
culcated  in  a  bushi  the  practice  of  all  Archery,  swordsmanship,  and  riding 
such  virtues  as  fortitude,  daring,  faith-  were  the  three  forms  of  exercise  in 
fulness,  courage,  straightforwardness,  which  every  bushi  was  expected  to 
and  thus  gave  him  a  sufficient  rule  for     excel.      At    the    age  of  ^vq,  the  young 

samurai  was 
with  great 
ceremony  ad- 
mitted into  the 
fellowship  of 
the  men-at- 
arms,  and  from 
that  moment 
began  his  trai- 
ning for  thelife- 
"work  of  a  pro- 
fessional war- 
rior. Proper 
instruction  was 
procured  for 
him,  and  while 
his  days  were 
devoted 
martial 
suits 

athletic  exer- 
cises, his  eve- 
nings were 
spent     in     the 


the  daily  con- 
duct of  his 
affairs  as  well 
as  of  his  mili- 
tary actions. 
The  bushi  lived 
and  died  by 
the  precepts  of 
Bushido  :  it 
was  often  his 
sole  form 

of  religion, 
though  he 
would  at  times 
seek  a 
firmation 
Bushido 
ciples  in 
patriotic  tenets 
of  the  indige- 
nous Shin- 
toism,  or  the 
semi-stoical 
teachings  of 
the  contempla- 
tive Zen  sect 
of  Buddhism ; 
and  nothing 
was  esteemed 
more  disgrace- 


con- 

of 

prin- 

the 


to 

pur- 
and 


M»< 

y 

\ 

1 

^©< 

M»4 

^*^r^; 

■'^■-l 

-"' 

■.-■/y' 

1  '■'        ' 

m 

M^ 

y^.-K,^, 
■"  ■■  •-■■"■ 

:„- 

The  Monument  of  Masashige  so  celebrated 
FOR  HIS  Loyalty. 


ful  in  a  bushi  than  to  abandon  or  act 
in  disobedience  to  the  unwritten  pre- 
cepts of  this  code. 

The    bushi   always  carried  with  him     poems  composed  by   warriors   on    the 
a  pair  of  swords— a    long    one    and  a     eve,    or     during     the    progress,     of    a 


literary  studies 
which     were 
then  mostly  in 
vogue.         We 
read    of  many 
samurai      who 
were    famous  for  their  literary  attain- 
ments,   and     the    literary    history    of 
the  country  has  preserved  for  us  several 


short  one.  The  swords  were  "  his  soul," 
as  the  old  proverb  put  it,  and  their 
use  was  to  defend  his  honour.  When 
attacked  by  his  enemy,  he  defended 
himself  with  the  longer  sword,  when 
an  attack  was  made  on  his  honour, 
and  he  could    protect    it   in    no    other 


battle. 

There  were  also  various  ways,  differ- 
ing of  course  according  to  localities,  of 
encouraging  the  young  samurai  in  their 
professional  studies.  Examinations 
were  instituted,  prizes  offered  for  pro- 
ficiency  in    this    art    or    in    that,    and 


way,  he  was  taught  to  prefer  death  to     meetings  were  held,   often    in    the    pre- 
a  tarnished  name,  and  to  seek  in  sep-     sence  of  the  daimyo  himself,    at  which 


BUSHIDO. 


207 


great  battles,  and  the  brave  deeds  of 
famous  warriors,  were  discussed  and 
criticized. 

The  origin  of  Bushido  may  be  traced 
right  to  -the  foundation  of  the  Empire, 
though  the  term  bushi,  "knight,"  does 
not  occur  till  about  1,500  years  ago. 
A  martial  spirit  has  always  been  cul- 
tivated from  the  earliest  periods  of 
our  national  existtnce,  and  the  great 
sword  worn  by  the  Emperor  Jimmu 
forms  one  of  the  precious  heirlooms 
handed  down  from  Emperor  to  Em- 
peror, Other  Sovereigns  besides  Jimmu 
encouraged  military  arts,  and  w^e  may 
be  sure  that  what  found  favour  with 
the  rulers  was  equally  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  ruled. 

Bushi  ni  nigon  nashi  (the  knight  has 
no  two  words),  says  another  proverb. 
The  bushi  was  a  man  of  his  word,  his 


kataka.was  in  charge  of  some  prisoners 
whom  Yorinobu  had  put  under  his 
care.  One  of  these  men,  one  day,  seized 
the  person  of  Chikataka's  five-year-old 
son  and  vowed  he  would  kill  him  it 
he  were  not  instantly  given  his  liberty. 
Chikataka,  in  an  agony  of  feat  for  his 
son's  life,  sent  x^^st-haste  for  Yori- 
nobu, who  came  to  find  the  desperate 
prisoner  holding  his  knife  to  the  lad's 
throat,  and  threatening  to  murder  him 
at  once.  Yorinobu,  desirous  to  save 
the  life  of  the  innocent  child,  then  pro- 
mised the  man  his  liberty,  if  he  would 
throw  down  his  sword  and  release  the 
child ;  and  the  prisoner,  who  knew 
Yorinobu's  honourable  character,  readi- 
ly did  so.  But  Chikataka  no  sooner 
saw  the  prisoner  stood  unarmed  before 
him,  than  he  made  for  him  with  .a 
drawn  sword,  and  would  have  k:illed 


GoNGORO  Pursuing  his  Enemy,  with  an  Arrow  Imbedded  in  the  Eye. 


yea  was  yea,  and  his  nay,  nay.  The 
proverb  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
following  story :—  A  bushi  named 
Yorinobu  was  governor  of  the  Province 
of  Kozuke  somewhere  about  the  year 
1030,  A.D.    One  of    his  retainers,   Chi- 


him  had  not  Yorinobu  held  him  back 
by  reminding  him  that  a  bushi's  w^ord 
must  never  be  broken,  and  that  the 
promise  to  spare  the  prisoner's  life  must 
under  any  cicumstances  be  kept. 

In  endurance  of  pain,  the  bushi  Yzas 


208 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


taught  to  be  a  veritable  Spartan.  The 
story  of  the  Spartan  youth  who, 
having  stolen  a  fox  -which  he  concealed 
in  the  bosom  of  his  robe,  allowed  his 


Seppuku  or  Harakirl 

bowels  to  be  torn  out  by  the  animal 
rather  than  betray  the  fact  that  he 
was  in  pain,  is  equalled  by  the  anecdote 
of  a  youthful  hero  who,  having  been 
shot  in  the  eye  with  an  arrow,  went 
through  the  whole  battle  with  the 
arrow  fixed  in  situ  before  he  stopped 
to  have  his  injured  organ  attended  to. 
And  yet  to  mental  pain  a  bushi 
was  intensely  sensitive,  especially  in 
matters  w^hich  touched  or  seemed  to 
touch  his  honour  ;  and  the  story  we 
have  just  related  to  show  the  bashi's 
power  of  bearing  physical  pain,  has  an 
almost  ludicrous  ending.  For,  when 
the  warrior  came  to  have  his  eye  at- 
tended to,  it  was  found  that  the  arrow 
was  so  deeply  imbedded  in  the  eye  that 
the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  put 
the  patient  on  his  back  on  the  ground 
and  pull  the  arrow  out  by  main  force  ; 
the  operator  being  obliged  to  put  his 
foot  on  the  patient's  head  during  the 


operation.  Instead  of  thanks  for  the 
relief  thus  afforded,  the  operator  receiv- 
ed a  challenge  from  his  hotblooded 
patient  for  the  insult  implied  in  placing 

the  foot  on  his 
head. 

Loyalty     to 
the       master, 
whether  he  were 
the  Sovereign  or 
the  feudal  lord, 
was         another 
special     charac- 
teristic    of    the 
bushi.      "  Noth- 
ing     can      tear 
from  a  bushi  a 
secret  which  he 
has       promised 
not  to   reveal,'* 
is     an     ancient 
saying        which 
has  life  in  it  yet, 
and  the  present 
war     has     seen 
many    instances 
of   this    fidelity 
to    the     Sovereign     w^hich     absolutely 
refuses  to  reveal  political    or  military 
secrets.      Fair    play    in    fighting    was 
another    characteristic,  connected  w^ith 
the    trait     we     have    just    been    con- 
sidering.    For  what  is  called  fair  play 
means    loyalty    to   one's  enemy    in   all 
things  lawful  and  honest.      It  was  an 
ancient    custom    for     knights     to     go 
through  a  kind  of  mutual  introduction 
before    engaging   in  combat,   each   one 
mentioning  his   own  name    and    titles 
to  his  opponent.     It  was  in  strict  ac- 
cordance   with    the    chivalric  etiquette 
of  Japan  for  Admiral  Togo  to    send   a 
wireless  message  into  Port  Arthur,   a 
few^  hours  before  the  attack,  advising 
Makaroff  to  surrender. 

Another  form  w^hich  loyalty  took 
was  bravery.  A  man  could  not  be  loyal 
to  his  master  if  he  was  not  brave  in 
battle, — and  a  man  who  ran  away  of 
concealed    himself,    from    fear,  had  but 


Cxenernl  Kuiold,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  First  Army. 


BUSHIDO. 


209 


little  to  hope   for  from  his  neighbours 
but  contumely  and  contempt,    A  story 
is  told  of  a  bushi  who  ran  away  from 
battle   and  took  refuge  in   a  nunnery, 
where  he  was  given   employment  as  a 
domestic   servant.     But  even  the  good 
nuns    -were   too  hard  for  him,    and  he 
was  made  to  feel  his  disgrace  so  keenly 
that  at  last  he  ran  off  to  a  neighbour- 
hood where  he  was  not  known.     Even 
the  beggars  in  the  street,  we  are  told, 
made  songs  on  a  man  who  being  taken 
prisoner  in  war,  survived  his   disgrace. 
The  expression,    '*  survived  his   dis- 
grace "   brings  us   to   another  peculiar 
feature    of   Bushido,    the    seppuku    or 
harakiri  (suicide    by    disembowelment) 
which  the  loyal   samurai  was  always 
ready  to  commit  whenever  he  saw  that 
his  honour   or  that  of  his  master,  was 
discreditably  involved.      This    form    of 
death  is  quite  different  from  the  suicide 
which    sometimes     occurs    in    Western 
countries .      When     the    Roman    w^orld 
groaned  under  the  tyrannies  of  Tiberius 
or  Nero,  the  Stoic   philosopher  w^ould 
sometimes  commit  suicide  to  save  him- 
self from  the  disgrace  of  an  assassina- 
tion by  the  emissaries   of  the    tyrant. 
The   death  of  a  Thrasea   or  Seneca  is 
the  nearest  approach  to   the    seppuku 
of  the  Japanese  bushi,  which  was  never 
the  same  thing  as  the  self-inflicted  death 
of  a  desperate  drunkard  or  of  a  specu- 
lator w^hose  vsins  have  found  him  out.  In 
almost  every  case,  seppuku  was  the  out- 
come of  loyal  and  honourable,   though 
distorted  and  exaggerated,  sentiments, 
and  there   have  been   cases,   as  for  in- 
stance   the   death   of  the  Forty  Seven 
Ronin,  where  the  loyalty   of  the   bushi 
seems   to  have  reached  the  summit   of 
poetical   perfection. 

Bushido  further  expected  its  dis- 
ciples to  be  simple  and  frugal  in  their 
lives  and  to  avoid  display  and  luxury  of 
every  kind.  That  great  hero  of  Bushi- 
do, Yoritomo,  was  conspicuously  frugal 
in  his  life  and  always  looked  for  frugality 
in  the  retainers  whom  he  placed  nearest 


to  his  person.  This  simplicity  and 
frugality  of  life,  which  is  always  in 
strong  contrast  to  the  extravagant 
and  sometimes  ostentatious  luxury  of 
Europe  and  America,  is  one  of  the 
strongest  points  of  Japanese  social  life 
to-day,  and  it  requires  no  prophetic 
gifts  to  foresee  that  so  long  as  Japan 
can  retain  the  simple  manners  of  life 
■which  her  bushi  have  taught  her  in  the 
past,  so  long  will  she  retain  that  pre- 
eminence among  nations  to  which  she 
is  so  rapidly  climbing. 

The  simplicity  of  life  which  is  almost 
universal  in  Japan,  enables  a  Japanese 
to  bear  the  reverses    of  fortune    with 


Warriors  in  the  Period  of  Yoritomo. 

greater  ease  and  dignity  than  w^ould 
be  the  case  in  countries  in  which  social 
distinctioTTS  rest  -  ■  very  largely  on  a 
monetary  basis.    To  be  poor  is  no  disr* 


210 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


grace,  wliere  everybody  is  poor,  espe- 
cially if  you  are  able  gracefully  to  cut 
your  coat  according  to  your  cloth. 
But  poverty  is  a  great  disgrace  when 
a  man,  because  he  is  poor,  shuts  the 
door  of  his  heart  and  refuses  his 
sympathies  to  others.  The  bushi  was 
£(.lways  poor,  but  he  was  always 
taught  to  be  hospitable  to  strangers 
and  pitiful  to  those  in  distress,  and 
there  is  no  more  touching,  Japanese 
story  than  that  of  the  Kamakura 
Regent  Tokiyori  who,  losing  his  way 
during  a  snow  storm  on  one  of  the 
bleak  plains  of  Kodzuke,  was  hospitably 
entertained  by  an  old  bushi  and  his 
wife,  who  had  fallen  into  great  poverty, 
but  had  taken  their  knightly  spirit 
w^ith  them  into  their  humiliation.  The 
old  gentleman  had  nothing  but  millet 
to  set  before  his  guest,  and  was  obliged 
to  sacrifice  a  favourite  plum-tree  to 
get  even  the  semblance  of  sticks  for  a 
fire  to  warm  his  guest's  hands,  but  he 
did  it  gracefully  and  willingly,  and, 
though  without  seeking  it,  obtained  a 
reward  from  the  grateful  Regent. 

We  might  easily  multiply  ad  in- 
£nitum  the  anecdotes  illustrative  of 
Bushido  which  are  so  familiar  to  every 
Japanese.  But  it  is  not  necessary.  We 
have  given  examples  amply  sufficient 
to  enable  the  reader  to  form  an  idea 
of  what  bushido  is,  and  we  wish  now 
to  formulate  a  more  connected  pre- 
sentation of  the  whole  subject. 

Bushido,  vsre  may  say  from    what 
has  gone  before,  is  a  system  of  ethics 
based  on  the  ancient  chivalry  of  Japan, 
and  intended  imprimis  for  the    educa- 
tion of  the  Japanese  bushi  or  samurai 
Bushido  has  no  founder  ;  the  his- 
torian cannot    place    his    finger 
on    any  individual  man  and 
say,  this  is  the  man  that 
first       promiilgated 
Bushido  ;    nor  yet 
can  he  designate 
any     particular 


when  Bushido  was  first  established. 
It  is  a  system  of  ethics  which  has 
grown  up  spontaneously  and 
naturally  among  the 
people,  and 


era  as  the  time 


Masatsura,  Son  of  Masashige,  Writing  xjpon  a  Wall  of  the 
Nyoirindo  his  Farewell  Poem. 


BUSHIDO. 


211 


is  indigenous  to  the  soil.  It  is  a  system  to-day  than  it  has  been  at  any  time 
of  natural  ethics,  and  some  may  per-  in  the  history  of  the  country.  The 
haps  go  a  step  farther  and  point  out  reason  of  this  is  not  far  to  seek  :  it 
that  nature  is  the  work  of  God.  As  a  depends  on  the  altered  circumstances 
system  of  natural  ethics,  indigenous  to     of  the  nation. 

the  soil,  it  speaks  to  the  Japanese  with  In     the    feudal    ages    which    came 

a  force  and  authority  which  there  is  finally  to  an  end  fifty  years  ago,  Bushi- 
no  gain-saying.  do  was  the  ethical   rule  of  the  military 

Like  all  unwritten  systems  of  caste  only.  The  farmers  and  merchants, 
thought,  it  is  of  such  a  nature  that  it  to  say  nothing  of  the  labouring  classes, 
almost  defies  classification  and  analysis,  belonged  to  a  different  caste,  to  whom 
Still  we  may  roughly  arrange  the  main  the  martial  discipline  and  code  of  the 
teachings  of  Bushido  under  the  follow-  samurai  did  not  apply.  Bushido  was 
ing  heads,  and  feel  assured  that 
an  honest  observance  of  the  simple 
rules  here  given  will  make  a  man 
a  tolerably  good  bushi. 

1.  The  bushi  must  be  loyal  to 
his  Sovereign  and  faithful  to  his 
master. 

2.  He  must  cultivate  personal 
courage,  and  be  w^ell-trained  in 
fencing,  archery,  and  horseman- 
ship, and  their  modern  equivalents. 

3 .  He  shall  be  honest  and 
chaste,  simple  and  temperate  ;  a 
keeper  of  faith  and  true  to  his 
word. 

4.  He  shall  be  polite  in  his 
behaviour,  and  never  intentionally 
rude  to  others.  This  can  only  be 
done  by  a  constant  cultivation  of 
tact  and  a  good  heart. 

5 .  He  shall  be  pitiful  and 
ever  ready  to  help  the  weak  and 
those  who  are  in  distress. 

6.  He  shall  cultivate  a  literary 
taste,  and  never  despise  the  claims 

of  learning.  therefore  limited  in  its   application   to 

If  our  readers  -will  give  themselves      only  one  portion  of  the  nation. 
the  trouble  to  think  out  the  full  mean-  But  modern  Japan  has  changed  all 

ing  of  the  above  six  rules,  they  will,  that.  In  modern  Japan  military  service 
we  feel  sure,  come  to  the  conclusion  is  universal  as  well  as  compulsory, 
that  there  is  in  the  English  language  and  the  lowest  coolie  is  bound  to  serve 
an  exact  equivalent  for  the  Japanese  his  country  under  arms  exactly  in  the 
word  "  bushi  "  and  that  that  word  is  same  way  as  is  the  gentleman  in  whose 
'*  gentleman."  The  English  "  gentle-  veins  flows  the  blood  of  a  long  line  of 
man,"  in  the  fullest  sense  of  that  word,  bushi  ancestors.  Simultaneously  with 
is  a  Japanese  bushi.  the  introduction  of  universal  conscrip- 

Bushido  is   more   potent    in   Japan     tion,  the   Imperial  Government   of   the 


A  Bushi  Dressed  in  Ceremonial  Kamishimo, 


212 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


BUSHIDO. 


213 


Restoration  saw  itself  under  the  neces- 
sity of  providing  a  national  system  of 
education  in  which  all  classes  of  citizens 
might  be  trained  in  a  manner  fitting 
them  for  the  adequate  discharge  of 
their  duties,  civil  as  well  as  military  ; 
and,  being  committed  to  a  system  of 
national  education,  saw  itself  also  com- 
mitted to  a  system  of  national  ethics 
which  should  be  equally  applicable  to 
all  classes  of  citizens. 

Where  could 
the  Japanese 
Govern  ment 
look  for  such 
a  system 
as  should 
adequ  a  t  e 1 y 
meet  its  needs  ? 
National  ethics 
is  often  sup- 
posed to  be  a 
branch  of 
national  reli- 
gion, but  it 
was  obviously 
impossible  for 
Japan  to  teach 
a  system  of 
morals  that 
should  be  in- 
separably con- 
nected with 
any  one  system 
of  religion  or 
phil  OS  ophy. 
Neither     Budd- 


The  Late  Commander  Hirose. 


thing  for  Japan  that  she  has  had  at 
hand  her  old  and  excellent  system  of 
Bushido,  a  system  which  speaks  with 
authority  to  the  whole  nation,  which 
unnecessarily  antagonizes  no  system 
of  religion,  which,  while  primarily  in- 
tended for  the  military  class  only,  is 
capable  of  adaptation  to  the  needs  of 
all  classes  and  both  sexes,  which  is 
easy  of  comprehension,  and  easily  put 
into  practice. 

The  -work 
of  adapting 
Bushido  to  the 
needs  of  Japan, 
has  been  going 
on  quietly  and 
steadily  in 
every  school 
throughout  the 
country.  The 
frtiits  of  the 
patient  labours 
of  many 

workers  have 
been  visible  in 
many  ways 
during  tlie  last 
few  years  : 
those  who  have 
watched  our 
people  carefully 
know  how,  in 
spite  of  the  im- 
perf ec t i  o  n  s 
that  cling  to 
the      best       of 


hism    nor    Shintoism    could    claim    the  human    institutions,   there  has  been  a 

undivided     allegiance      of    the     whole  steady  improvement  in  the  morals  and 

people,    still    less    could    Confucianism,  in  the  manners   of  the    rising    genera- 

and  still  less  could  Christianity,  which  tions.    The  swaggering  soshi,   once  the 

is  the  faith  of  a  very  small  minority,  disgrace    and    terror  of   our    political 

To   have    selected   a  system     of    ethics  world,    have    disappeared  ;    the    social 

founded  on    the    tenets    of  any  one   of  evil    is    far    less    than    it    was,   the  in- 

these  religions   or   philosophies    would  dustry,  order,  steadiness  of  our  people 

have    been    to    stultify  the    promise  of  is    far    greater    than    it    used    to    be. 

religious    liberty    which    forms    one    of  Many  different  agencies  have  contribut- 

the     principles     of    the     Constitution,  ed  to   this  happy  result  :  but  we  think 

Nevertheless,  ethical  teaching  had  to  be  we  may  claim  that  th?  work  of  all  these 

given,    and   it    has   been    a    fortunate  agencies,  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  the 


214 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


pulpit,  the  persistent  lectures  of  the 
newspaper  editor,  the  plodding  self- 
denial  of  the  philanthropist  and  social 
reformer,  would  have  been  vain,  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  definite  teach- 
ing of  the  principles  of  Bushido  which 
has  been  given  steadily  and  constantly 
in  all  our  schools. 

In  this  year,  we  have,  as  a  nation, 
reaped  an  abundant  harvest  for  our 
labours.  We  have  seen  our  warriors 
demonstrate,  in  front  of  Port  Arthur, 
and  across  the  snow-clad  plains  of 
Manchuria,  that  they  are  in  no  sense 
inferior  to  the  heroes  whose  memories 
our  forefathers  revered  ;  and  we  feel 
sure  that  Yoshiie  and  Yoshitsune, 
Hideyoshi,  and  Masashige  w^ould  deem 


it  no  disgrace  to  fight  side  by  side 
with  Togo,  Kuroki,  Hirose,  Sakurai, 
and  the  other  unnamed  heroes  of  the 
Russo-Japanese  war. 

It  is  not  for  nothing  that  a  nation 
rises  into  eminence  as  ours  has  done. 
We  feel  that  we  have  been  raised  by 
Providence  to  do  a  work  in  the  world, 
and  that  work  we  must  do  humbly 
and  faithfully  as  opportunity  comes  to 
us.  Our  -work,  we  take  it,  is  this  :  to 
battle  for  the  right  and  uphold  the 
good,  and  to  help  to  make  the  world 
fair  and  clean,  so  that  none  may  ever 
have  cause  to  regret  that  Japan  has 
at  last  taken  her  rightful  place  among 
the  nations  of  the  world. 


OUE  SECOND  ARMY. 

Now  Spring,  with  softening  breeze,  hath  freed  the  northern  shores  from  frost; 
The  seas  are  open,  comrades  brave ;  no  time  is  to  be  lost. 
Three  centuries  of  Russian  greed  must  now  come  to  an  end : 
Now  is  the  time  with  proud  advance  our  country  to  defend. 

Since  Russia  climbed  the  Ural  heights  three  hundred  years  ago. 
The  features  of  her  policy  who  of  us  doth  not  know? 
When  Ermak  wandered  Eastward  in  search  of  larger  gains, 
*Twas  Fortune  led  his  footsteps  o'er  Siberia's  lone  wild  plains ; 
But  say,  when  th'  Amur  region  fell  from  China's  nerveless  hands, 
Was't  Chance  ?  or  Chinese  weariness  from  fighting  Taeping  bands  ? 

Poor  Sweden's  guileless  courage,  Poland's  unlucky  star, 
What  could  they  do  'gainst  Russia,  stronger  in  guile  than  war? 
No  worthy  foe  oppos'd  her,  so  her  might,  from  age  to  age. 
Grew  with  her  widening  frontiers,  and  her  martial  equipage. 

Was  it  a  fair  exchange  that  took  the  isle  of  Saghalien, 

With  fisheries,  and  minerals,  and  forests  fair  and  green? 

Or  was  it  what  men  call  a  lease  when  St.  Andrew's  ensign  flew? 

Upon  the  Liaulung  mountains,  and  the  heights  that  once  we  knew? 

When  her  railway  came  to  Pekin,  the  threatened  woe  began, 

For  China  and  the  Hermit  Realm,  and  our  own  loved  Japan ; 

So,  comrades,  wave  your  standards,  and  let  your  bugles  sound. 

For  you  fight  for  home  and  Sovereign  and  Yamato's  hallowed  ground. 

Forward,  the  Second  Array,  brave  Oku's  chosen  band. 

And  march  to  well-fought  battle  for  the  glory  of  Our  Land. 

Composed  at  Hiroshima,  27th  March,  1904.     By  Minamoto-no-Takayasu 
Translated  at  Tokyo  13th  May,  1904.    By  Rev.  A.  Lloyd. 


WAR  RECORD. 


215 


War  Record. 


The  Fighting  on  Land. 


account  sucli  as  we  are  in  a  position 
to  give  them. 


The  Hartiour  of  Chtng-nam-pho, 
Landing  Place  of  the  First  Army. 


,  UR   readers    will    remember 

that  in  the  first  number    ^  detailed  account  of  the  fight- 

of    this     Record    it    was  ^^g  at  Cheng-ju. 

stated  that  the  Japanese  On  the  morning  of  March  28th  a 

successfully    landed    their     body  of  Japanese  cavalry  left  a  certain 
First   Army  m   Korea,   and  that,    pro-     place  for  Cheng-ju.     On  their  way  two 
ceeding      with- 
out    delay     to 
Pheng-yang, 
they      occupied 
sans  coup  fSrir 
this      place     of 
prime       strate- 
gical impor- 
tance.        They 
will        perhaps 
also    remember 
that         Pheng- 
yang   was    the 
scene  of  a  hard- 
fought      battle 

in  the  China-Japan  War.  scouting  officers,   each  accompanied  by 

After  the  Japanese  army  had  thus  some  ten  cavalry  were  sent  ahead  to 
easily  occupied  Pheng-^^ang  they  push-  reconnoitre.  The  two  bodies  separat- 
ed on  to  Wiju,  on  the  way  to  which  ed,  but  met  together  near  the  southern 
town,  at  Pak-chhon,  a  collision  be-  gate  of  Cheng-ju.  One  section  entered 
tween  the  cavalry  scouts  of  the  two  the  city  and  the  other  proceeded  in 
armies  took  place  on  March  8th,  follow-  the  direction  of  Wiju  and  Kwak-san. 
ed  on  the  28th  of  the  same  month  by  The  time  was  10,40  a.m.  A  body  of 
an  engagement  at  Cheng-ju,  which  had  Cossacks  suddenly  appeared  inside  the 
the  effect  of  causing  the  Russians  to  city  and  fighting  at  once  took  place 
withdraw    entirely    from     Korean    soil     between  the   two  forces.     Our  cavalry 

which  had  advanced  in  the  direction 
of  Wiju,  hastened  back  to  the  assist- 
ance of  their  comrades.  In  the  mean- 
time the  enemy,  who  occupied  an 
elevated  position,  received  reinforce- 
ments, while  another  Cossack  force 
was  seen  advancing  from  the  direction 
of  Kwak-san.  Severe  fighting  then 
ensued,    and    the   foe   being    overwhel- 


and  to  concentrate  their  forces  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Yalu,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  avail  themselves  of  the  natural 
obstacle  caused  by  that  river  to  the 
further  advance  of  the  Japanese  forces. 
We  have  already  in  our  first  number 
given  a  short  account  of  this,  the 
first  land  engagement  in  the  war,  but 
we    think    that    we    owe    it    to    our 


readers  to  give  them  a  more  detailed     mingly  superior  in  numbers,  an  order- 


216 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ly  was    dispatched  to   our  main  body 
for  reinforcements. 


LlEUT.-COLONEL   KASE. 

Prior  to  this,  the  Cavalry  Regi- 
ment of  the  Imperial  Guards,  our  main 
body  of  cavalry,  at  a  place  3,500 
metres  east  of  Cheng-ju,  heard  sounds 
of  firing  in  the  direction  of  that  town; 
and  at  11.15  a.m.,  on  being  asked  by 
a  scout  to  render  assistance,  galloped 
towards  Chcng-jvi  as  fast  as  they 
could. 

The  scouts,  on  the  other  hand, 
began  to  retreat  at  11.40,  in  order 
not  to  interfere  with  the  firing  of  our 
cavalry,  who  were  seen  apjiroaching, 
and  also  because  the  enemy  v^ere  try- 
ing to  outflank  them.     At  this  juncture 


our  cavalry  commanded  by  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Kasc  appeared  on  the  scene, 
and  occupied  a  position  on  Chong-ma- 
dong  hill,  300  metres  to  the  sotith  of 
Cheng-ju.  Before  reaching  the  hill, 
however,  they  were  exposed  to  the 
enemy's  fire,  but  fortunately  sustained 
no  casualties  at  that  time. 

The  fight  that  ensued  was  a  ter- 
rible one.  Our  troops  fought  against 
heavy  odds,  but  stubbornly  held  their 
position.  The  enemy  then  sent  a 
detachment  to  cut  off  our  retreat  and 
attack  us  in  the  rear.  If  this  scheme 
had  succeeded,  our  force  would  have 
been  placed  in  a  helpless  condition. 

Our  infantry  were  taking  lunch 
at  a  place  called  A-kai  at  11.45,  when 
they  heard  the  report  of  guns.  At 
the  word  of  command,  they  took  off 
their  knapsacks  and  other  burden- 
some articles,  and  hastened  to  the 
front.  When  they  reached  South 
Tok-tal,  they  met  the  advance  guards, 
who  asked  for  urgent  help.  The  in- 
fantry ran  a  distance  of  nearly  three 
miles  and  occupied  the  elevated  ground 
stretching  to  the  east  and  south-east 
of  Cheng-ju.  The  enemy's  detachment, 
consisting  of  50  cavalry  and  70  in- 
fantry, was  then  within  200  metres 
of  our  cavalry.  Our  infantry  opened 
fire  on  the  Russians,  who  were  routed, 
and  the  cavalry  detachment  was  thus 
saved.  Thirty  minutes  later  the  enemy 
began  to  retreat.  Their  number  was 
then  estimated  at  500  or  600;  150 
of  them  retreated  in  the  direction  of 
Kwoh-san,  v^hile  the  remainder  re- 
tired along  the  main  road,  in  the 
direction  of  Yung-hing-kwan,  the 
Japanese  cavalry  then  occupied  Cheng- 
ju.  A  body  of  Japanese  infantry  pur- 
sued the  enemy  for  three  miles.  The 
latter,  however,  halted  at  Yun-king- 
kwan,  the  superiority  of  which  posi- 
tion compelled  our  troops  to  avoid 
further  advance. 

According  to  a  native  of  that  place 
the  casualties  on  the  Russian  side  were 


WAR  RECORD. 


217 


over  40  killed  and  wounded,  including 
two  officers  killed.  The  bodies  were 
all  carried  awav  hx  the  Russians. 

In  this  fighting  Lieutenant  Kano 
was  the  first  victim.  Having  discover- 
ed a  Russian  officer  five  or  six  hundred 
metres  ahead,  the  Licti tenant,  an  ex- 
pert marksman,  snatched  a  rifle  from 
the  hands  of  a  private  and  fired  two 
shots  at  the  Russian  officer,  wdio  Avas 
seen  to  fall.  Our  gallant  officer  was 
about  to  fire  another  shot,  when  a 
bullet  struck  him  on  the  head,  killing 
him  instantly.  It  vsras  11.20  a.m. 
Ten  minutes  afterwards,  Scrgeant- 
Major  Kiyosuye,  who  was  command- 
ing a  section  of  troops,  was  shot  in 
the  forehead  and  killed.  Almost 
simultaneously  Corporal  Numakura, 
commanding  another  section, 
was  also  shot  dead.  By  this 
time  another  body  of  cavalry, 
under  Captain  Kurokawa,  made 
a  bold  dash  to  the  firing  line 
amid  a  hail  of  fire.  So  severe 
was  the  enemy's  fire  that  several 
casualties  occurred  on  our  side. 
Captain  Kurokav\^a  was  hit 
on  both  arms,  Lieutenant  Ko- 
mura  on  the  thigh,  and  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Nagaoka  was  slig'ntly 
w^ounded,  while  Second  Class 
Privates  Kanawa  and  Okino 
were  killed  and  10  others  wound- 
ed. Both  First  Class  Private 
Tashiro  and  Corporal  Shimo- 
hira  had,  however,  a  narrow 
escape.  The  former  was  ^vriting 
the  result  of  his  reconnaissance, 
when  a  bullet  not  only  struck 
and  tore  the  paper  to  pieces, 
but  also  hit  his  sword-guard . 
With  regard  to  Corporal  Shimo- 
hira,  Avho  was  in  charge  of  the 
ammunition,  his  left  sleeve  was 
struck  by  a  bullet,  but  fortunate- 
ly he  escaped  uninjured. 

The  following  ajjprcciation  of  the 
Siberian  Cossacks  made  by  a  Japanese 
officer  is  interesting  to  read  :— 


"An  officer  of  rank  is  reported  as 
saj'ing  that  in  their  habits  these  men 
difier  from  any  people  he  has  ever 
met.  They  live  more  like  savages 
than  human  beings.  Their  dress  is 
simply  a  sheep's  skin,  and  not  lacing 
accompanied  by  any  commissariat 
they  eat  wdiatcver  they  find,  a  raw 
chicken  being  a  delicacy  in  their  opin- 
ion. Moreover,  they  prefer  bivouack- 
ing in  the  open  to  sleeping  under  the 
shelter  of  a  roof,  and  their  power  of 
covering  long  distances  is  remarkable, 
though  in  point  of  actual  celerity  they 
do  not  exceed  other  cavalry.  It  is 
with  regard  to  intelligence  and  cour- 
age that  this  officer  denies  them  any 
praise.  He  speaks  as  though  their 
love  of  life  rendered  them   almost  com- 


Sub-Lieut1':n',a_nt  Nagaoka. 


temptible  for  military  purposes,  and 
as  though  their  want  of  quick  percep- 
tion constituted  a  thorough  disability. 


218 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


His  judgment  is  based  upon  repeated     by  the  Japanese  the  First  Army  consist- 
observation  of  their  conduct  as  scouts,     ing  of  the  Imperial    Guards    Division, 
At   Cheng-ju  they  had  all  the  advant-     the  Se:ond  and  the   Twelfth   Divisions, 
ages  of  position,    but    they    made    no      proceeded    in     detachments     to     Wiju, 

experiencing  great  difficulty 


on    the  march   on   account 
of  bad  roads  and  devastat- 
ed   villages    and     country. 
By  the  middle  of  April,  the 
three  Divisions  under  Gene- 
ral    Kuroki      had     almost 
effected  their  concentration ; 
but    in    the    meanwhile    at 
Wiju    the    enemy    had  also 
concentrated  their  forces  at 
Chiu-lien-cheng  with  a  view 
to  defending  the  Yalu,   and 
had  energetically  pushed  on 
defensive  works  in    all  the 
important    points     around 
that     place.       Thus     both 
^  rmies       confronted       each 
other  across  the  river,  and 
collisions     frequently    took 
place     between     out-posts. 
Prior  to  this,   on  the  10th 
April,  in    compliance    with 
the  instructions  of  Admiral 
Hosoya,    the     Commander 
of    the     gunboat    Kaimon 
instructed     Sub-Lieutenant 
Yamaguchi,    together  -with 
^YG    men ,    to    proceed    on 
board    a    Korean   junk    to 
attempt    to  utilize    them,   and  wasted     the  mouth   of  the    Yalu    in    order    to 
two   hours  practically  doing    nothing,     reconnoitre  the  place. 
During    that    time    Lieutenant    Yoshi-  On  the  same    day  at  2  p.m.   Sub- 

gami  with  twenty  Japanese  troopers,  Lieutenant  Yamaguchi's  party  dis- 
held  his  ground  against  70  or  80  covered  seven  Russian  troops  on  their 
Cossacks  on  the  right  wing  of  the  way  to  Tu-ryu-pho  in  a  Chinese  fishing 
Japanese,  and  the  Russians,  having  boat,  which  was  close  to  the  right 
wasted  all  their  temporary  superiority  bank  of  the  Yalu.  Acting  in  co-opera- 
of  numbers  and  position,  retired  at  tion  with  a  body  of  our  cavalry 
once  so  soon  as  they  found  themselves     scouts,  fire  was   opened  on  the  enemy. 

The  latter  were  soon  after  reinforced 
by  more  than  a  dozen  soldiers  but 
finally  they  retreated,  while  returning 
our  fire.  The  Sub-Lieutenant  pursued 
them  to    the  right  bank   of  the  river, 


1ST  Class  Private  Okino. 


under  infantry  fire.'* 


Collisions  between  the  outposts 
on  the  Yalu. 


After    the    occupation    of  Cheng-ju     where  the  enemy  landed  and  fled. 


WAR  RECORD. 


219 


The  fighting  lasted  for  one  hour 
and  twenty  minutes,  and  resulted  in 
the  Russians  losing  one  man  killed 
and  two  wounded,  while  there  were 
no  casualities  on  our  side.  On  ex- 
amining the  abandoned  boat  ten  dozen 
rounds  of  ammunition  and  400  empty 
cartridge  cases  were  found.  It  is 
thought  that  the  enemy  were  Russian 
cavalry,  who  were  in  charge  of  the 
above  ammunition. 

According  to  the  report  of  cavalry 
Lieutenant  Uyehai-a  at  Yong-am-pho, 
on  the  10th  April  at  3  p.m.,  nine 
Russian  troops,  who  were  in  disguise, 
attempted  to  land  at  a  point  1,500 
metres  west  of  that  port.  Thereupon 
the  Lieutenant,  with  two  squads  of 
cavalry,  and  acting  in  co-operation 
with  Lieutenant  Yamaguchi  of  the 
Navy,  endeavoured  to  capture  the 
enemy.     In   spite  of  Lieutenant   Yama- 


twenty  or  thirty  Russians,  who  had 
at  that  time  landed  on  a  sand  bank 
in  the  middle  of  the  river.  It  appears 
that  the  enemy  had  two  or  three  men 
wounded.  The  Japanese  sustained  no 
loss. 

In  addition  to  those  mentioned 
above,  several  of  the  enemy,  in  dis- 
guise, attempted  to  cross  the  river  at 
points  between  Wiju  and  Yong-am- 
pho,  but  were  repulsed. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  April 
about  30  or  40  of  the  enemy^s  infantry 
again  attempted  to  cross  the  first 
stream  of  the  Yalu,  to  the  west  of 
Wiju,  but  were  repulsed  by  our  in- 
fantry. The  enemy  retreated,  leaving 
behind  them  one  officer  and  2  men 
killed.  This  force  of  Russians  belonged 
to  the  12th  Rifle  Regiment.  There 
were  no  casualties  on  our  side. 

During    the    next    few    days    there 


The  Gun-boat  Kaimon. 


euchi's    efforts  to    cut  off  the   retreat  were  no  important  collisions  between 

of  the  Russians,    the  latter   succeeded  the  outposts  of  the  two  armies;    but 

in  escaping.      Our  cavalry  then  opened  on  the    21st  April,    at  about    1  p.m., 

fire     but  the  enemy   managed  to  join  a    small    section    of  Japanese    scouts 


220 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


saw  three  junks,  with  40  Russians  on  tion  of  Chiu-lien-cheng.  In  this  battle 
board  sailing  in  the  direction  of  Peik-  our  casualties  in  the  Imperial  Guards 
song-i  (south  of  the  lower  end  of  San-     Division     were,    killed     one,    seriously 

wounded  nine,   sHghtly  wound- 
ed 16.     In  the  2nd  Division  no 
casualties  occurred.    The  enemy 
were    seen    carrying     away    a 
considerable    number    of   dead 
and     wounded.      One     of    the 
enemy's   mounted  scouts,  who 
was    seriously     wounded     and 
was  taken  in  by  our  sanitary 
corps,     belongs    to    the     22nd 
Rifle  Regiment  of  East  Siberia. 
According     to     his    statement, 
the    23rd    and    the  24th    Regi- 
ments   of    the    same  Rifles  are 
fronting    us,    under    the    com- 
mand  of  Major-General  Tsuru- 
mieif.      Each    regiment  is    con- 
sisted of  two    battalions    and 
142     mounted     scouts.  ■     The 
enemy*s    artillery    on    the  high 
position  behind  Chiu-lien-cheng 
fired    at    Hsi-hu-tung    and   its 
neighbourhood     with     8    guns 
(9^   cm.),  while    3    Hotchkiss 
machine  guns  were  seen  on  the 
elevated    position  of    Hu-shan. 
A     battery     of    our     artillery, 
which    was    stationed    on    the 
high  position  of  Yuen-hua-tung 
kiao-kow  and  2^  miles  north  of  Yong-     fired  only  three  volleys  against  what  ap- 
am-pho.)      The    Japanese    opened    fire     peared  to  be  the  enemy*s  commanding 


Major-General  Fujn, 
Chief  Staff  Officer  of  the  Japanese  ist  Army. 


and  compelled  the  junks  to  retire. 


Battle   at    Chiu-lien-cheng. 


Preliminary  Operations. 

As  a  necessary  preliminary  for  the 
construction  of  a  bridge,  on  the  mor- 
ning of  the  26th  April,  our  force 
consisting  of  a  part  of  the  Imperial 
Guards  Division,  attacked  and  dis- 
persed the  enemy  at  Chiu-li-tao  and 
occupied  the  island,  w^hile  part  of 
the  2nd  Division  occupied  the  Chin- 
ting-tao.     The  enemy  fled  in  the  direc-     of  Wiju. 


staff  on  the  high  position  of  Hu-shan. 

The  enemy's  artillery  at  Chiu-lien- 
cheng  began  firing  against  Wiju  and  its 
neighbourhood  about  noon  on  the  26th 
April  when  a  private  of  the  First 
lufantry  Regiment  of  the  Guards  was 
wounded  by  shrapnel.  The  intermit- 
tent firing  continued  for  sometime, 
but  our  artillery  did  not  answer. 

The  corpse  of  Sub-Lieutenant  Seni- 
oroff,  commander  of  a  body  of  mount- 
ed scouts  of  the  22nd  Rifle  Regiment, 
who  were  stationed  at  Chiu-li-tao,  was 
found  on  the  opposite  bank  of  this 
island,    and  was   buried  in  the    town 


Lieut -General  Hasegawa, 
(Imperial  Guards) 


WAR  RECORD. 


221 


The  two  gunboats  Vji  and  Maya, 
two  torpedo  boats  and  two  armed 
steamers  detatched  from  Admiral 
Hosoya's  Squadron,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Commander  Nakagawa,  I.J.N., 
entered  Yong-am-pho  on  the  evening 
of  the  25th  April.  The  Vji  was  fired 
at  by  the  enemy^s  guns  from  An-tsze- 
shan,  but  the  fire  was  ineffective.  The 
Japanese  gunboats  also  fired  on  some 
Russian  cavalry  seen  scattered  on  an 
islet  in  the  river  and  put  them  to 
flight.  On  the  26th,  about  100  Rus- 
sian cavalry  opened  fire  on  the  steam- 
launches,  to  which  the  torpedo-boat 
No.  69  responded  and  compelled  the 
enemy  to  retire  beyond  a  hill,  leaving 
many  wounded  behind.  No  casualties, 
however,  occurred  on  our  side. 
At  5  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy 
again  fired  at  our  detachment 
from  the  direction  of  An-tsze- 
shan.  To  this  we  replied  till 
5.53,  when  the  enemy  ceased 
firing.  There  were  again  no 
casualties  on  our  side. 

The  enemy  were  observed 
to  be  engaged  on  defence  works 
north  of  Chiu-lien-cheng  along 
the  right  bank  of  the  Ai-ho, 
and  continued  firing  from  time 
to  time.  The  Japanese  captured 
six  of  the  enemy's  horses  alive, 
and  in  addition  found  95  horses 
killed  on  the  opposite  banks  ol 
Chiu-li-tao  on  the  26th  April. 
On  the  28th  April  two 
companies  of  the  fourth  Regi- 
ment of  Infantry  of  the  Guards 
went  to  Hu-shan  for  reconnais- 
sance, while  one  section  of  a 
company  was  despatched  to 
Lih-tsze-yuen.  The  enemy, 
about  30  in  number,  defended 
the  southern  extremity  of  Lih- 
tsze-yuen.  Our  troops  put  them 
to  flight.  The  enemy  left  behind  iv^Q 
dead,  who,  it  has  been  ascertained, 
belonged  to  the  22nd  Rifle  Regiment. 
At  that  juncture,  the  enemy  commenced 


to  bombard  from  a  fortress  on  an 
elevation  at  the  south-eastern  extre- 
mity of  Yu-shuh-kou.  No  casualties 
on  our  side.  The  Russian  artillery  near 
Chiu-lien-cheng  fired  from  time  to  time 
at  great  angles,  and  their  shells  fell 
in  the  vicinity  to  the  west  of  Kuang- 
peh-tung,  Si-hu-tung,  Wiju,  and  Chiu- 
li-tao,  thereby  harassing  the  work  of 
our  preparations  for  attack.  The 
enemy  fired  on  us  from  time  to  time, 
even  during  the  night,  but  their  firing 
was  ineffective  and  -weak  and  has  done 
us  no  damage.  Also  the  enemy  fired 
from  time  to  time  into  the  town  of 
Wijii,  but  the  Japanese  have  not  returned 
the  fire.  The  12th  Division  attacked 
and    dispersed    a    feeble    force    of  the 


Major- General  Asada, 

Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of  the 

Imperial  Guards. 

enemy  stationed  on  the  shore  facing 
Shui-kou-chen,  and  the  work  of  con- 
structing a  bridge  was  commenced  on 
the  29th  at  2  p.m. 


^u?;'' 


222 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


On  the  same  day,  another  skirmish 
took  place  on  the  Yalu,  the  official 
report  of  which  was  as  follows: — 

"  The  gnn-boat  ilfaj^a,  tinder  Com- 
mander Nakagawa,  acting  under  in- 
structions, left  a  certain  naval  base 
on  April  29th  at  8  a.m.  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Yalu.  On  arrival  there,  a  de- 
monstration was  made  against  the 
Russian  side  of  the  river,  w^hich  was 
bombarded  for  nearly  an  hour.  There 
being  no  response,  the  gun-boat  return- 
ed to  the  base  at  10.55  a.m.  the  same 
day.  Our  torpedo-boats,  which  were 
fully  equipped  with  guns,  opened  fire 
on  the  enemy,  about  150  in  number, 
stationed  at  San-tao-lang-tou,  about 
3  miles  north-west  of  Niang-niang- 
cheng.  The  enemy  fled  behind  a  hill, 
leaving  behind  many  killed  and  wound- 
ed. There  were  no  casualties  on  the 
Japanese  side," 


The  second  Field  Artillery  Regiment 
and  Heavy  Artillery  Regiment  occupied 
a    position    previously    determined    be- 
fore dawn.    At  10.40  a.m.  the  enemy's 
artillery    stationed    on    the    elevations 
to    the    north    and    east    of    Chiu-lien- 
cheng    opened     fire    on     our    infantry 
scouts  w^ho  had  been  despatched  from 
Chiu-ting-tao  to  Chung-chiang-tai,  and 
this  led  to  a  violent   artillery  engage- 
ment.     At     11.15     a.m.    the    enemy's 
artillery     at    C  hiu-lien-cheng    was    si- 
lenced.    The  enemy's  artillery,  with  8 
guns  stationed   on  an  elevation  to  the 
east  of  Ma-kou,  continued   to  fire  on 
a  point   of  the  constructed    bridge  to 
the  west  of  Chiu-li-tao.     The  Imperial 
Guards'  Artillery  stationed  to  the  east 
of  Wiju  answered  the    fire,    and    after 
about    10    minutes    the  enemy's    artil- 
lery to  the  east   of  Ma-kou  was  also 
silenced.     At  12.40    p.m.  the   enemy's 


l^^ 


The  Gun-eoat,  Maya. 


The  12th  Division  completed  the 
construction  of  the  bridge  at  Shui-kou- 
chen  at  3  a.m.  on  the  80th  and  forth- 
with crossed  the  river;  and  at  6  p.m. 
occupied  a  position  previously  deter- 
mined upon. 


artillery  in  the  western  direction  again 
commenced  firing,  but  they  were  again 
silenced  by  our  fire  at  about  1.20  p.m. 
It  was  ascertained  that  our  firing  had 
inflicted  serious  damage  on  the  enemy. 
Our    casualties    are  5    officers    slightly 


WAR  RECORD. 


223 


wounded,  and  among  the  men,  includ-  (12th  Division)  of  our  army  advanced 
ing  the  non-commissioned  officers,  two  towards  Ta-lou-fang,  the  main  body 
killed  and  22  wounded.  (Imperial   Guards)    towards    Koh-mo- 

The  bridge  construction  over  the  tang  and  the  left  (2nd  Division)  to- 
main  stream  of  the  Yalu  was  completed  wards  An-tung  Hsien,  while  the  whole 
at  8  p.m.,  and  our  forces 
advanced  one  after  another  to 
an  elevation  to  the  north  of 
Hu-shan. 

Meanwhile  the  Naval  De- 
tachment under  Captain  Naka- 
gawa  sailed  on  April  30th,  at 
8  a.m.,  and  acted  as  previously 
determined,  and  for  about  two 
hours  we  continued  a  demons- 
tration bombardment,  to  w^hich 
the  enemy  responded. 

The  steam-launch  mounted 
with  guns  sailed  up  the  stream 
as  far  as  below  An-tung 
Hsien,  and  had  a  violent  en- 
gagement at  a  close  range 
with  about  400  of  the  enemy's 
infantry  and  cavalry,  during 
which  the  enemy*s  artillery 
opened  a  hot  fire  on  us.  At 
the  end  of  about  an  hour  we 
withdrew,  after  the  enemy  had 
retreated.  Fortunately  there 
was  no  casualty  on  our  side. 
The  enemy  seems  to  have 
sustained  more  or  less  injury. 


Principal  Operations. 

On  the  ist  May  our  Army  com- 
menced to  attack  the  enemy  from 
dawn,  as  previously  arranged.  At 
7.05  a.m.  we  silenced  the  enemy's 
artillery  on  a  hill  to  the  north-west 
of  Yu-shu-kou.  From  7.30  a.m.  each 
Division  began  to  advance.  During 
the  interval  between  8.10  a.m.  and 
9  a.m.,  the  whole  of  the  hilly  district 
extending  from  Chiu-lien-cheng  to  Ma- 
kou  and  Yu-shu-kou  northward  was 
occupied  by  the  Japanese  forces. 

The  enemy  again  offered  resistance 
on  an  elevation  north-west  of  Chiu- 
lien-chSng,  but  began  to  retreat  at 
1.50  p.m.    Meanwhile  the  right  flank 


Commander  Nakagawa. 

reserve  troops  pushed  their  way  along 
the  highway  leading  to  Liao-yang. 
By  8  p.m.  we  occupied  the  places  ex- 
tending from  An-tung  Hsien  to  Li-shu- 
kou  via  Lao-ku-kou.  There  was  very 
severe  fighting  at  Koh-mo-tang,  where 
we  surrounded  the  enemy  from  three 
points,  and  finally  captured  20  guns 
and  all  the  wagons  in  the  enemy's 
possession,  while  over  20  Russian 
officers  and  a  great  number  of  non- 
commissioned officers  and  men  were 
taken  prisoners.  The  enemy's  forces 
included  the  whole  of  the  third  Rifle 
Division,  22nd  and  24th  Regiments  of 
the  6th  Division  of  the  same  Army, 
and  Mischenko's  cavalry  brigade,  with 


224 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


about  40  guns  and  8  machine  guns. 
The  enemy  retreated  in  the  direction 
of  Feng-hwang-cheng. 


.  LlEUT.-COLONEL  NiNOMIYA, 

■Engineer  Battalion  Commander  of  the  i2Th  Division. 


The  spoils  of  the  war  were  28  quick-fir- 
ing guns  and  a  large  amount  of  rifles, 
ammunition,  etc.  The  efiiciency  of  our 
artillery  was  great. 

In  this  battle  our  squadron  co-operat- 
ed as  well  as  possible.  The  detached 
squadron  left  a  certain  naval  base  on 
May  1  at  9.30  a.m.  and  steamed  up 
the  river  as  far  as  possible.  The  gun- 
boats Afaya  and  Uji  fired  for  demonstra- 
tive purposes,  the  former  in  the  direction 
of  An-tsze-shan  and  the  latter  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Lu-tao-kou,  and  on 
their  way  back    a    sudden    and    severe 


fire  was  opened  on  them  by  the  Russian 
artillery  from  the  middle  of  a  hill 
situated  in  the  north-east  of  An-tsze- 
shan  .  To  this  our  tor- 
pedo-boats responded  for 
about  30  minutes  and 
succeeded  in  silencing  the 
enemy.  Our  boats  re- 
turned to  Yong-am-pho 
at  11.30  a.m.,  having  sus- 
tained no  casualties.  Our 
armed  launch  left  the  port 
at  10  the  preceding  night 
and  proceeded  above  Su- 
tao-kou.  There  a  demon- 
strative bombardment 
was  carried  out,  to  w^hich 
the  enemy  replied.  The 
launch  returned  to  port 
at  1  in  the  morning.  The 
launch  left  the  harbour  at 
9,30  a.m.  on  the  1st  May, 
and  reaching  below  An- 
tung  Hsien,  fought  a 
severe  engagement  with 
the  enemy's  artillery  and 
infantry  for  35  minutes, 
compelling  the  enemy  to 
retreat.  Perceiving  that 
fire  was  breaking  out  in 
the  city  of  Antung  Hsien, 
the  vessel  returned  to 
the  harbour.  Our  force 
sustained  no  loss.  Ac- 
cording to  the  natives, 
the  enemy  appears  to 
have  fired  the  city  before  retreating. 

The  main  forces  of  the  enemy  retired 
to  the  direction  of  Feng-hwang-cheng, 
hotly  pursued  by  a  portion  of  army. 

On  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  offered 
a  stubborn  resistance  to  our  pursuing 
forces  at  Koh-mo-tang,  fighting  despera- 
tely to  the  last.  About  two  batteries  of 
the  Russian  artillery  lost  the  majority 
of  men  and  horses.  Finally  the  sur- 
vivors destroyed  the  breechblocks  of 
their  guns  and,  hoisting  a  white  flag, 
surrendered. 

One  of  the  captured  officers  asserts 


WAR  RECORD. 


225 


that  during  the  engagement  at  Koh- 
m  o-tang ,  Lieut.  -  Gen .  Kashitarin sky, 
Commander  of  the  Division,  the  Com- 
manders of  the  11th  and  12th  Rifle 
Regiments,  and  the  Commander  of  the 
Artillery  Division  were  killed.  Many 
other  Russian  officers  of  high  rank  were 
also  among  the  killed  and  wounded. 
After  a  fierce  engagement  the  enemy 
fled  in  disorder.  A  large  number  of 
Russian  officers  and  men  w^ho  had  been 
hiding  in  various  places,  surrendered 
later  to  our  army.  The  total  number 
of  prisoners  is  about  350,  including 
over  thirty  officers,  20  of  whom  are 
wounded,  and  about  300  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  privates,  100  of 
whom   are  wounded. 

Among  the  Russians  who 
surrendered,  there  was  Second- 
class  Chief  Surgeon,  who  is 
now  working  in  our  sanitary 
corps.  According  to  a  Korean 
native,  at  the  fighting  of  the 
1st  May,  2,000  Russian  in- 
fantry, who  were  occupying  an 
elevated  position  east  of  Tang- 
shan-cheng,  mistook  for  a  Jap- 
anese force  300  Russian  in- 
fantry who  were  retreating 
from  the  south-east  and  opened 
fire  on  them.  The  attacked 
force  dispersed  in  all  directions 
leaving  behind  a  number  of 
commissariat  wagons  laden 
w^ith  provisions  and  ammuni- 
tion. The  casualties  on  this 
occasion  were  110  killed  and 
70  wounded. 

For  the  Russian  casualties, 
we  publish  here  Genenal  Kuro- 
patkin's  report,  dated  May  7th, 
which  gives  their  casualties  in 
the  fighting  at  the  Yalu  from 
30th  April  to  the  2nd  May  as 
follows : — 

Killed.  Wounded.  Missing.  Total. 

General    ...  1  1 

Colonel      and 
Majors.    .     .     6  2        1  9 


Captains  and 

Lieutenants    20        36 
Surgeon  . 
Chaplain     .     ,  1 

Bandsman  .     .  1 

Soldiers  . 


5 

1 


61 

1 
1 
1 


.564  1,081  679  2,324 


Total  .    .    .590  1,122  686  2,398 

The  general  wounded,  says  the 
report,  is  Lieut  .-General  Kashitarinsky, 
w^ho  was  shot  in  the  head. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Japanese 
casualties  were  far  less  than  those  of  the 
enemy.  The  Chief  of  the  Medical  Section 
attached  to  the  First  Army  reported 
to  the  War  Department  as  follows  : — 

"  Imperial      Guards  :      killed,      one 


'■  ^.'fi-'/^frA'^, 

* 

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Colonel  Umezawa, 

Infantry  Regiment  Commander  of  the 

Imperial  Guards. 

officer  and  20  non-commissioned  of 
ficers  and  privates  :  wounded,  seven 
officers  and  122  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates.    Total,  150. 


226 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Second  Division ;  killed,  one  officer 
and  84  non-commissioned  officers  and 
privates  ;  wounded,  13  officers  and  305 


Colonel  Kumamoto, 

Artillery  Regiment  Commander  of  the 

Imperial  Guards. 


non-commissioned  officers  and  privates. 
Total,  403. 

"  Twelfth  Division  :  killed,  three 
officers  and  76  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  ;  wounded,  five 
officers  and  263  non-commissioned  offi- 
cers and  privates.    Total  347. 

Grand  total,  900." 

We  think  it  wll  be  interesting  for 
our  readers  if  we  here  give  a 
speech  on  the  battle  of  the  Yalu 
delivered  by  Major-General  Ishimoto 
the  Japanese  Vice-Minister  of  War  at  a 
meeting  of  the  Imperial  Maritime  As- 
sociation on  May  3rd  :  He  said  that 
fine  weather  favoured  the  Japanese 
army  during  the  operations  on  May 
1st,    but  later  on  that  day,   when  the 


fighting  had  finished,  rain  began  to 
fall.  Rain  after  a  battle  was  pro- 
verbial. The  rain  after  the  Yalu  battle 
cleansed  the  air  of  the  foul  odours  and 
smoke,  and  was  highly  sanitary  from 
a  medical  point  of  view.  The  weather, 
however,  cleared  up  at  noon  the 
following  day.  Referring  to  the  to- 
pographical features  of  the  scene  of  the 
operations,  Major-General  Ishimoto 
drew  the  attention  of  his  audience  to 
the  fact  that  the  Yalu  was  about  two 
miles  wide,  with  islands  lying  in  it. 
At  this  time  of  the  year  the  river  was 
so  swollen  that  many  of  the  sand  banks 
were  concealed  under  water.  The  ene- 
my availed  himself  of  this  advantage, 
and  was  determined  to  hold  his  posi- 
tion at  Chiu-lien-cheng.  This  determina- 
tion was  testified  by  his  construction 
of  strong  fortifications  there  and  his  un- 
parallelled  assiduity  in  reconnoitring  the 
neighbourhood.  Our  force  consisted  of 
three  divisions,  though  the  speaker 
could  not  say  that  every  man  in  the 
force  participated  in  the  actual  fight- 
ing. These  three  divisions,  namely, 
the  Imperial  Guards,  the  Second  and 
the  Twelfth  Divisions,  had  been  con- 
centrated at  Wiju.  It  was  in  effect- 
ing the  concentration  that  the  militar}^ 
authorities  had  spent  most  of  their 
time  and  energy,  the  march  of  the 
tro  o  ps  from  Pheng-y  ang  to  Wiju 
taking  much  more  time  than  was  ex- 
pected. The  roads  were  very  rough 
in  Korea,  and  the  Russians  w^ho  had 
been  in  that  locality  before  the  Japa- 
nese proceeded  there,  had  impoverished 
the  Korean  inhabitants,  with  the 
result  that  we  could  not  obtain  any 
supplies  from  the  latter.  Late  in  April 
our  Army  was  concentrated  at  Wiju, 
and  then  the  Twelfth  Division,  famous 
for  its  mountain  artillery,  was  attached 
to  the  right  wing,  the  Imperial  Guards 
and  the  Second  Division  forming  the 
central  force  and  left  wing  respectively. 
The  Twelfth  Division  crossed  the  river 
at  Shui-kow-chin,    far    above  Wiju,  on 


irrCH    MAP    OF   THE    BATTLE    OF    THE    YALIJ. 

(30  ,\PRIL  lao-j-) 


LITHE.KOSHIBA.  TOKYO, 


WAR  RECORD. 


007 


A.pril  30th,  one  day  earlier  than  the  rest 
of  the  army,  which  crossed  the  river  at 
the  west  of  Chiu-H-tao,  the  Guards 
leading  the  ^vay.  Early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  May  1st,  the  Twelfth  Division 
crossed  the  Ai-ho  and  attacked  the  left 
wing  of  the  enemy  at  Chiu-lien-cheng. 
The  place  was  60  metres  above  the 
river-bed,  and  in  itself  a  stronghold. 
Even  the  Chinese  counted  it  among 
the  strongest  strategical  bases  in  their 
Empire,  and  it  had  become  much 
stronger  at  the  hands  of  the  Russians. 
But  the  Twelfth  Division,  with  their 
mountain  artillery,  delive- 
red such  a  heavy  fire   on 

the  flank    of    the    enemy 

that  the  latter's  artillery 

became    utterly     demora- 

Hzed,  and    could   offer  no 

resistance  to  the  crossing 

of     the      river      by     the 

Guards    and    the    Second 

D .vision  in  front  of  Chiu- 
lien-cheng,  from  which  the 

Russians    withdrew    at  9 

a.m.     The    speaker    then 

explained  the  reason  why 

the    Russians  had  offered 

such  a,  stubborn  resistance 

at  Koh-ma-tang,  as  last 

reported  by  General  Baron 

Kuroki.     The    road  from 

Feng  -  hwang  -  cheng        to 

Chiu-lien-cheng    branched 

off  to  Antung  at  Koh-ma- 
tang,    so   that  had  that 

place   been  lost  the  Rus- 
sians   at    Antung    would 

have    had    their     retreat 

cut  off.    The  Russians  did 

their  best  to  defend  this 

place,     but    were    finally 

routed   by   the    cross-fire 

of  our   force.      The    Vice- 

Minister     said    that    the 

effects    of   the    war   would   be    great, 

for  the  Russian  authorities  had  always 

been  boasting  of  the  strength  of  their 
'  army,  at    the  expense    of  their   navy, 


and  even  the  Powers  friendly  to  us 
had  been  doubtful  of  the  issue  of  the 
land  campaign  between  Japan  and 
Russia. 


Other  Accounts  of  the  Yalu 

Engagement. 

In  order  to  make  our  account  of 
the  battle  as  complete  as  possible 
we  here  append  two  accounts  by  eye- 
witness of  various  incidents  in  the 
operations  -which  seem  to  be  of  some 
value    as    supplements    to    the    official 


Major-General  Watanabe, 
Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of  the  Imperial  Guards. 


accounts  on   which  we   have  hitherto 
mainly  relied. 


228 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Some  Incidents  in  the  Yalu 
Engagement, 

-  ^    A    recent    report    from    the    front 
gives  some  interesting  incidents  in  the 


shattered.    The  guns  captured  at  Koh-. 
ma-tang    had    been    placed   so    as    to 
meet    our  troops   from  any    direction. 
The  Russian  officers  captured    by  the 
Imperial    Guards    numbered  eight,   in- 
cluding two   Colonels    of    artillery, 
one    Colonel    of   Cossack    infantry 
and  several  officers  of  minor  rank. 
A    number    of   privates    were   also 
taken  prisoners   at  the  same  time. 
According    to    these    prisoners    the 
Russian  Commander-in-Chief  on  the 
Yalu  and  the  Commanders  of  each 
Division    left    the     battle-field    the 
night  preceding  the  general  attack, 
leaving  the  command  to  a  certain 
Major-General.     The  enemy  at  Chiu- 
lien-cheng  consisted    of  seven    regi- 
ments  of  infantry,   seven  field  bat- 
teries and  2,000  Cossacks.      Provi- 
sions    were    generally    scarce    and 
each    soldier  was    given  one  pound 
of  bread  daily.    In  the  battle  of  the 
30th  a  Russian  Colonel  of  artillery, 
whilst     commanding    his    men     at 
Chiu-lien-cheng,    was    shattered    to 
pieces  by  one  of  our  shells. 


Major-Geneeal  Matsunaga, 
Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of  the 
•  \      ' '"        2ND  Division. 

Yalu  engagement.  Prior  to  the  general 
attack,  our  army,  by  careful  daily 
observations  from  hills,  ascertained 
the  position  of  the  Russian  forts  and 
the  number  of  guns  and  also  that  it 
took  the  Russians  15  minutes  to  cross 
the  stream  at  the  rear  of  Chiu-li  island. 
Among  the  trophies  captured  by  us 
at  Chiu-li  island,  was  a  map  of  Man- 
churia drawn  to  the  scale  of  Vs.oooi 
which  will  be  sent  to  the  Imperial 
Headquarters  in  Tokyo.  During  the 
artillery  engagement  on  the  29th  and 
the  30th  April,  many  of  the  enemy's 
shells  fell  close  to  the  Headquarters, 
one  of  the  gates  of  the  building  being 


The  Fight  at  Eoh-ma-tang. 

A  Shimonoseki  telegram  to  the 
Jiji  contains  the  story  of  a  certain 
person  who  was  an  eyewitness  of  the 
fight  at  Koh-ma-tang,  the  fiercest 
portion  of  the  battle  recently  fought  on 
the  Yalu.  Koh-ma-tang  is  situated  in 
a  low-lying  valley  to  the  west  of  Chiu- 
lien-cheng.  The  Russians,  who  had  fled 
from  the  latter  place,  had  gathered  in  the 
valley  by  2p.m.  on  the  1st  May,  prepar- 
ed to  offer  a  desperate  resistance.  The 
task  of  cutting  off  the  enemy's  retreat 
had  been  alloted  to  the  23rd  Brigade  oi 
Infantry,  commanded  by  Major-General 
Kikoshi,  which  had  for  this  purpose 
been  stationed  on  the  hills  to  the  north- 
west of  the  valley.  N^iturally,  a  fierce 
engagement  ensued,  w^hich  lasted  for 
four  hours.  The  situation  was  im- 
practicable for  the  Russians,  who  susr 


WAR  RECORD. 


229 


tained  heavy  losses  in  consequence  of 
their  position.  The  more  they  were 
joined  by  their  comrades  driven  out  of 
Chiu-lien-cheng,  the  heavier  grew  their 
casualties.  They  attempted  to  effect 
their  escape  over  a  hill  standing  to  the 
south,  but  it  was  too  steep  to  climb. 
They  then  endeavoured  to  cut  their 
way  through  our  left  flank  (the  24th 
Regiment) ,  but  were  repulsed,  the 
5th,  10th  and  11th  Companies  of  our 
troops  having  borne  the  brunt  of 
this  operation.  Meanwhile  more  than 
a  battalion  of  the  enemy  boldly 
charged  our  force,  which  replied  with 
a  counter  attack.  The  enemy  was 
reinforced  by  a  number  of  Cossacks 
and  the  fighting  became  more  in- 
tense. Throughout  this  strug- 
gle our  men  offered  a  most 
stubborn  resistance,  Captain 
Makisawa,  for  instance,  hav- 
ing ordered  his  men  not  to 
retire  one  inch,  even  though 
all  the  force  perished.  By  this 
time  our  artillery  had  reached 
a  neighbouring  elevation, 
whence  volley  after  volley  of 
gun  fire  was  poured  upon  the 
Russians  v\rho  were  killed  in 
great  numbers.  Our  troops, 
who  had  then  gradually  in- 
creased in  numbers,  surround- 
ed the  enemy,  making  it  al- 
most impossible  for  the  latter 
to  escape.  Finally,  over  200 
surviving  Russians  surrender- 
ed, the  terrible  engagement 
closing  at  6  p.m. 


reached  Tang-shan-cheng  on  the  3rd 
May,  when  15  or  16  Cossacks  were 
seen  on  a  hill  to  the  south.  Our 
scouts  thereupon  turned  so  as  to  take 
the  enemy  in  the  rear  and  making  a 
surprise  attack,  a  warmly  contested 
hand  to  hand  fight  took  place,  at  the 
end  of  which  the  enemy  were  utterly 
defeated,  and  ran  towards  Feng- 
hwang-cheng,  our  force  pursuing  them 
as  far  as  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Ku-chuan,  about  one  mile  south-east 
of  Kao-li-men.  Our  scouts  then  retired. 
The  enemy's  sentinels  were  occupying 
the  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  highway. 


Occupation  of  Feng-hwang-eheng. 

On  May  6th  our  cavalry  scouts  at- 


Further  Advances. 

The  Japanese  First  Army 
Staff  entered    Chiu-lien-cheng 
on   the  evening   of  the   1st  of 
May,  at  which  time  all    our 
troops  were  assembled  in  Chiu- 
lien-cheng  and  neighbourhood.     After-     tacked  the  enemy^s  cavalrj-  at  a  point 
wards,  a  body  of  our  scouts  consisting     north-east  of  Feng-hwang-cheng,   kill- 
ofLieutenantYoshikami  and  14 troops,     ing  three  and  wounding  several. 


LlEUT.-COMMANDER  SeKI, 

Leader  of  the  Armed  Lunch. 


230 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


'M^MM.  'V-  ^  \ 


\  Major-General  Okazaki, 

Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of 
THE  2ND  Division. 

On  the  same  day  our  cavalry 
(engaged  and  dispersed  the  enemy 
;at  Nitaitze,  Samtaitze  and  Szetai- 
tze,  while  a  detachment  consisting 
of  the  12th  Brigade  (14th  and 
47th  Regiment  of  Infantry)  of 
the  12th  Division,  with  Artillery 
and  Engineering  Corps,  all  under 
the  command  of  Major-General 
Sasaki,  occupied  Feng-hwang- 
cheng  repulsing  the  enemy  sta- 
tioned there. 

It  was  reported  that  houses 
along  the  Liao-yang  road  had  for 
the  most  part  been  burned  down 
by  the  enemy. 

Sanitary  carts  abandoned  by 
the  enemy  during  their  retreat, 
containing  medical  materials,  were 
seized  by  the  Army,  the  materials 
being  used  in  the  treatment  of 
our    wounded    and    also    of    the 


wounded  prisoners.  Several  members 
of  the  enemy's  medical  staff  were  at 
their  request  allowed  to  attend  the 
w^ounded  prisoners. 

On  retreating  from  Feng-hwang- 
cheng  the  enemy  set  fire  to  the  powder 
and  ammunition  magazines. 

Up  to  the  7th  May  defeated 
Russian  soldiers  were  still  continu- 
ally surrendering  to  our  Army  by 
coming  out  of  forests  and  villages 
where  they  had  been  hiding. 

There  were  numbers  of  graves 
where  the  enemy  had  buried  their 
own  dead.  According  to  native  testi- 
mony the  number  of  the  wounded 
Russians  who  were  conveyed  through 
Feng-hwang-cheng  on  ambulance  on 
the  2nd  May  was  about  800.  It 
seemed  tolerably  certain  that  the 
enemy's  loss  exceeded  3,000. 

According  to  the  further  report  of 
General  Kuroki  the  losses  at  the  Bat- 
tle of  the  Yalu  and  the  articles  cap- 
tured by  the  Japanese  there  and  in 
Feng-hwang  were  as  follows : — 


Colonel  Ohara,  Chief  of  the  i2th  Division  Staff* 


VYAK  KKCOKD. 


231 


;  Japanese  Losses. 

KILLED. 

Officers.     ...        5) 


Eank  and  File.  218 


.223 


816 


_,  WOUNpED. 

Officers.  .  .  .  33] 
:  R^nk  and  File.  783) 
:  .       Total.     .    .     .      1,039 

■         Russian  Losses. 

'  Buried  by  the  Jap- 
anese    1,363 

Prisoners  (including  V 
wounded)    18  offi-f 


cers  and  595  rank  J 
and  file      .     .     .     .) 


613 


Total 


1,976 


8 


8 


Land-transport   Wag- 
gons  


150 


OBJECTS  TAKEN  ON   FIELD 
OF  BATTLE. 

' "  3-incli  Quick-firers      .     21 

3-incli       Ammunition 
Waggons     ....     19 

3-inch  Shells  .    .    .   1,417 

Machine  Guns.     .     .     . 

Machine  -  Gun       Wag- 
gons  

Machine  -  Gun       Car- 
tridges  37,300 

Rifles 1,021 

Small  -  arm      Ammuni- 
tion Waggons  ...  51 

Small  -  arm     Ammuni- 
tion   353,005  rounds. 

Horses 63 

Land-transport    Wag- 
gons   

Commissariat     Imple- 
ments     

Over-coats 

Fur  Over-coats    .    .    . 

Tents 

Various 

OBJECTS  TAKEN  AT  FENG-HWANG-CHENG, 

63%-mill.    mountain-    . 
gun  shells,     .     .     -    .  357 
,    Small -arm      Ammuni- 
tion   188,000  rounds, 

Over-coats 1,720 


Colonel  Ishibashi, 
Chief  of  the  2nd  Division  Staff. 


Black-bread 40,708 

Indian  Corn     ....       1,737  Koku. 
Manchurian  Touping.       5,000 
Various  implements,  etc. 


10 

53 
694 
550 
541 

80  classes. 


Occupation  of  Kwan-tien-cheng, 

General  Kuroki  reports  that  on 
the  7th  May  a  detachment  of  his 
Army  took  possession  of  Kwan-tien- 
cheng.  On  the  11th  May  at  6  a.m. 
a  body  of  Japanese  infantry  intercept- 
ed 300  retreating  Russian  troopers  at 
Tsi-li-tien  (on  the  Liaoyang  road  be- 
yond Feng-hwang)  and  took  prisoner 
a  wounded  Lieutenant  and  two 
troopers.  These  Cossacks  belonged  to 
the  Trans-Baikal  corps  which  is  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  Chichinsky. 
The  Lieutenant  is  son  of  a  General 
and  belongs  to  the  Guards,  but  came 
to  the  war  at  his  own  request. 


232 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Landing  of  our  Second 
Army  in  liao-tuhg. 

According  to  an  official  announce- 
ment, a  portion  of  our  Second  Army 
commenced  landing  on  the  Liao-tung 
Peninsula  on  May  Sth.  On  the  fol- 
lowing day  a  detachment  of  this 
army  occupied  Pu-lan-tien  after  defeat- 
ing a  small  party  of  the  enemy,  and 
severed  all  communication  with  Port 
Arthur  by  cutting  off  the  telegraph 
wire  and  destroying  the  rail. 

Vice-Admiral  Kataoka,  Command- 
er-in-Chief of  the  Third  Squadron  re- 
ported on  the  co-operation  of  the 
Navy  in  the  landing  of  the  troops  as 
follows : — 

"  The  Third  Squadron  left  a  certain 
place  yesterday,  the  4th  May,  and 
moved  as  pre-arranged.  On  the  Sth, 
we  convoyed  the  first  transport  eche- 
lon of  the  Second  Army  to  the  ad- 
vanced   basis,    and    the   army    is    now 


refloated,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
Akitsushima,  She  arrived  safely  to  the 
advanced  basis  on  the  5th.  at  5  p.m." 

Rear-Admiral  Hosoya,  Commander 
of  the  Third  Squadron,  wired  under 
date  of  May  Sth,  10  p.m.,  as  follows: — 

"  Our  seventh  naval  detachment, 
the  twentieth  torpedo-boat  flotilla,  the 
Hongkong  Maru  and  the  Nippon  Mara 
arrived  at  the  advanced  basis  on 
Liao-tung  Peninsula,  as  pre-arranged, 
on  the  Sth  at  5.20  a.m.  We  fired  for 
a  short  time  at  a  hill  on  the  coast, 
where  a  few  persons,  probably  Russian 
sentinels,  were  sighted,  and  then 
ordered  the  Marine  Corps,  commanded 
by  Captain  Nomoto,  to  land.  As  it 
was  then  ebb  tide,  our  boats  could 
not  reach  the  shore,  and  all  the  men 
jumped  overboard,  wading  waist-deep 
for  a  distance  of  about  1,000  metres. 
They  effected  a  landing  unopposed  at 
7.22  a.m.  and  at  once  occupied  an 
elevated  position,  on  the  top  of  which 


The  Gun-boat  Oshima. 


landing  under  our  cover.  According 
to  a  Chinese  sailor,  the  strength  of  the 
enemy  on  land  does  not  exceed  100. 

"The  steamship  KagaMaru  strand- 
ed in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  rendez- 
vous of  the  Third  Squadron,  but  was 


they  hoisted  the  flag  of  the  Rising 
Sun.  At  the  same  time  the  gun-boats 
Akagij  Oshima  and  Chokai  were  de- 
tailed near  the  shore  to  divert  the 
enemy's  attention.  The  Akagi  dis- 
covered   over    100  Russian  troops    on 


Geneml  Okii,  Commancler-iu-Chief  of  the  Jfij^anese  Forces  in  Liao-tnn^. 


WAR  RECORD. 


233 


land,  whom  she  dispersed,  after  killing     tsze-wo,  about  60  cavalry  in  the  vici- 
two  or  three  of  them.  nity  of  the  landing  place,  and  about  200 

**  Perceiving  the  flag  of  the  Rising  or  300  cavalry  at  Pi-tsze-wo. 
Sun  flying  from  a 
hill  ahead,  the  first 
transport  echelon 
commenced  the  dis- 
embarkation of 
troops  at  8.05  a.m. 
Though  they  had 
to  wade  through 
deep  water,  the 
troops  landed  in  a 
spirited  manner. 
Piers  are  being 
built  to  facilitate 
the  landing  and 
our  detachment  is 
helping  in  this 
work." 


Movements  of 

the  Second 

Army. 

OFFICIAL    REPORTS. 

The  following 
official  reports  con- 
cerning the  move- 
ments of  the  Second 
Army  since  its 
landing  on  the 
Liao-tung  Penin- 
sula on  the  5th 
May,  have  been 
issued  by  the  Im- 
perial Military 
Headquarters  :— 

THE  LANDING. 

Received  :  May  6. 
(No.  1).  Our  forces  arrived  oft'  the 
landing  place  on  the  5th  inst.  and, 
under  cover  of  the  Marine  Corps,  com- 
menced landing  at  8.30  a.m.  the  same 
day.  Great  assistance  was  rendered  by 
the  Navy  during  the  operations. 

No  enemy  was  found  at  the  land- 
ing place.  According  to  the  natives, 
there  are  300  Russians  at  Pu-lan- 
tien,  about  100  cavalry  on  the  main 
road    between     Pu-Ian-tien     and    Pi- 


Captatn  Hirose. 
Commander  of  the  Oshima  (Elder  Brother  of  the 
Late  ComiMander  Hirose). 


One  detachment  was  sent  to  Pi-tsze- 
wo  with  the  object  of  destroying  the 
telegraph  lines  and  another  to  Pu-lan- 
tien  in  order  to  destroy  the  railway 
and  telegraph  lines. 

OPERATIONS  AT  PU-LAN-TIEN. 

Received  :  May  7. 
(No.  2).  At  8  a.m.  on  the  6th  inst., 
a  detachment  of  our  troops  sent  to  Pu- 
lan-tien  attacked  and  repulsed  seven 
Russian  cavalry  and  a  certain  number 
of  infantry  stationed  on  an  elevation 
to  the  south  of  Pu-lan-tien.  Our  detach- 
ment then    attacked    a    body    of  the 


234* 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Russian  troops,  about  100  strong,  who  cordingtothe  inhabitants  of  that  town, 
were  >  occupying  a  point  to  the  south-  the  enemy  retired  after  blowing  up  the 
westofPuJan-tien  and  near  the  railway  powder  magazine  there.  Another  de- 
station.      At     the     same     time     some  tachment  was  a^rain  sent  out  on   the 


m- 


A  Wharf  at  Dat,ny. 


engineering  officers  were  detailed  to  the 
south  of  the  station  in  order  to  destroy 
the  railway  and  bridges  and  to  cut 
the  telegraph  wires.  It  appeared  that 
the  Russian  troops  stationed  in  and 
about  Pu-lan-tien  numbered  200  or  300 
infantry  and  some  100  cavalry. 

Our  casualties  during  this  engagement 
were  a  private  killed  and  four  others 
either  seriously  or  slightly  wounded. 
The  enemy's  loss  is  not  known.  We 
captured  a  Russian  infantry  soldier. 

Another  detachment  sent  to  Pi-tsze- 
wo  succeeded  in  cutting  the  telegraph 
wires  unopposed.  About  200  Russian 
cavalry  stationed  there  had  retired  west 
on  the  morning  of  the  5th  inst.,  carry- 
ing with  them  the  telegraph  appar- 
atus from  the  telegraph  office. 

Received  :  May  8. 

(No.  3).  The  detachment  sent  to 
Pu-lan-tien    returned    on  the  7th.    Ac- 


afternoon  of  the  7th  with  the  object  of 
severing  communications  between  Pu- 
lan-tien  and  San-shih-li-pao  (about  12 
miles  north  of  Chin-chou). 

RUSSIANS  HOIST  THE  RED  CROSS  FLAG. 

Received  :  May  8. 
(No.  4).  On  its  return  the  detachment 
despatched  to  Pu-lan-tien  reported  that 
on  arrival  there  it  was  fired  at  from  a 
train  coming  from  the  direction  of 
Port  Arthur.  The  fire  was  returned, 
whereupon  the  train  stopped  and  a 
red  cross  flag  was  flown  for  the  first 
time.  We  stopped  firing  and  procceed- 
ed  to  examine  the  train,  which,  how- 
ever, resumed  its  journey,  and  on 
perceiving  this  we  again  opened  fire. 
The  train  escaped,  dashing  through 
Pu-lan-tien  Station  at  full  speed.  •■ 

ENCOUNTER  BETWEEN  SCOUTS. 

Received  :  May  9; 
(No.  5).    On  the  afternoon  of  the  8th, 


WAR  RECORD. 


235 


in  front  of  our  landing  place,  our  in- 
fantry scouts  encountered  the  enemy's 
mounted  infantry  .scouts  belonging  to 
the  sixteenth  Regiment  of  Ri  fle  in- 
fantry. We  opened  fire  and  shot  two 
of  them. 

ACTION  AT  SAN-SHIH-LI-PAO. 

Received:  Mav  10. 
(No.  6).  Our  detachment  charged 
■with  the  task  of  destroying  the  enemy's 
railway  and  telegraphs,  attacked  and 
repulsed  about  100  cavalry  stationed 
near  Lung-kou,  about  four  miles 
north-east  of  San-shih-li-pao,  on  the 
8th  between  8.30  and  11  a.m.,  and 
then  destroyed  the  railway  in  the 
neighbourhood  and  cut  two  kilometres 
of  telegraph  wires  at  two  places.  Our 
casualties  in  this  engagement  were 
Lieut.  Yuki  Katsura  and  three  men 
killed  and  nine  men  wounded. 

ACTION    AT    PU-LAN-TIEN. 

Received:  May  13. 
(No.  7).  According  to  a  report  of 
the  detachment  despatched  on  the 
12th  in  the  direction  of  Pu-lan-tien 
and  Wa-fang-tien  (about  16  miles  north 
of  Pu-lan-tien)  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing a  reconnaissance  and  destroying  the 
communications,  the  enemy'sforce  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Pu-lan-tien  consists 


the  rails  and  cut  the  telegraph  wires 
in  a  district  north-east  of   Pu-lan-tien. 

ENGAGEMENT  WITH  RUSSIAN  SCOUTS 
AND  A  MILITARY  TRAIN. 

Received:  May  17. 
(No.  8).  On  the  15  inst.  our  cavalry 
scouts,  consisting  of  seven  officers  and 
men,  attacked  the  enemy's  scouts,  over 
10  in  number,  at  Wu-shih-li-pao  (about 
half  a  mile  east  of  Lung-kou),  -with  the 
result  that  a  Russian  Captain  and 
several  privates  were  killed,  while  seven 
others  were  taken  prisoners.  A  detach- 
ment of  our  infantry  and  cavalry 
engaged  a  military  train  running 
northward  at  Su-chia-tun  (about  half 
a  mile  north-east  of  San-shih-li-pao) 
and  forced  it  to  return.  Our  troops 
also  destroyed  the  railway  and  the 
telegraph  wires  between  Lung-koii  and 
Su-chia-tun. 

THE  OCCUPATION  OF  CHIU-H-C HWANG. 

Received:  May  17. 
(No.  9).  At  12.30  p.m.  on  the  16th 
inst.,  a  detachment  of  our  landing  force 
attacked  the  enemy  in  the  vicinity  of 
Shih-san-li-tai,  who  retreated  south- 
ward. Shortly  before  3  p.m.  the  same 
day  our  troops  occupied  Chiu-li-chwang 
(about  one  mile  and  a  half  north-east 
of  Chinchou)  and  the  hills  to  the  north 


The  Russian  Artillery  at  Ying-kou. 


of  300  infantry  and  50  cavalry,  besides  of  Chen-chia-tien,  (about  one  mile  and 
guards  of  some  20  men  stationed  at  a  half  east  of  Chin-chou).  The  enemy^s 
intervals.     Our    detachment    destroyed     artillery  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Siao- 


236 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


chin-shan  opened  fire  from  time  to  time 
on  our  forces.  The  enemy  consisted 
of  three  or  four  battalions  of  infantry, 


5th,  the  14th  and  the  16th  Rifle 
Regiments  with  eight  quick-firing  guns. 
The  enemy  left   on   the   battlefield  30 


A  Railroad  Bridge  in  Mukden. 


with  eight  guns.    Their  casualties  are 
unknow^n. 

Our  casualties  in  the  engagement  of 
the  16th  inst.  were  146  officers  and  men 
killed  and  wounded,  no  officers  being 
killed.  The  officers  badly  wounded  in- 
clude Major  Mizutani  of  artillery,  Cap- 
tain Kokitani  of  infantry,  and  Lieu- 
tenant Itakura  of  artillery ;  the  officers 
slightly  wounded  are  Captain  Takana- 
shi  of  infantry.  Captain  Morishita 
of  artillery.  Lieutenant  Kikuchi  of 
artillery,  Sub-Lieutenants  lino  and 
Koseki  of  infantry,  nine  in  all. 


killed,  including  several  officers.  In 
addition  to  above,  the  prisoners  stated 
that  one  officer  and  five  men  were 
wounded.  According  to  the  prisoners, 
the  Russian  forces  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Chin-chou  included  the  whole  of 
the  Seventh  Division  and  the  greater 
portion  of  the  Fourth  Division  of  in- 
fantry, commanded  by  Lieut.-General 
Stessel.  They  also  state  that  Viceroy 
Alexieff  left  Port  Arthur  for  Mukden 
early  this  month  and  that  a  Japanese 
naval  officer  and  30  bluejackets  are 
detained  at  Port  Arthur. 


The  Engagement  at  Shi-san-li-tai. 

An  official  report  from  the  front, 
received  by  the  Imperial  Headquarters 
on  the  19th  May  states  that  the  enemy 
who  took  part  in  the  engagement  at 
Shi-san-li-tai,  north  of  Chin-chou,  on  the 
16th  May  consisted  of  a  portion  of  the 


Skirmish  near  Siao-chin-shan. 

An  official  report  received  by  the 
Imperial  Headquarters  on  the  20th 
May  states  that  a  body  of  infantry 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Yama- 
da,  dispatched  from  the  Second  Army 
to     Siao-chin-shan     for     reconnoitring 


WAR  RECORD. 


237 


purposes,  encountered  a  Russian  in- 
fantry force  north  of  Siao-chin-shan. 
After  a  fight  lasting  about  30  minutes, 
the  enemy  fled.  Our  casualties  were 
Sub-Lieutenant  Onodera  and  four  men 
killed,  and  Captain  Yamada  and  eight 
men  wounded.  The  enemy's  losses 
were  one  officer  and  about  40  men 
killed  and  wounded. 


Another  Landing  of  the 
Japanese   Army. 

The  following  report  from  Rear-Ad- 
miral Hosoya,  Commander  of  the  Third 
Squadron,  was  received  at  the  Imperial 
Headquarters  on  the  20th  May  : — 

I,  at  the  head  of  the  Fuso,  Heiyen, 
Tsukushi,  Saiyen  and  other  war- vessels, 
escorted  a  number  of  military  trans- 
ports to  a  certain  new  landing-place, 
which  was  reached  at  6  a.m. 
on  the  19th  May. 

The  gunboat  Iwaki  opened 
fire  on  the  land  by  way  of 
ascertaining  the  enemy's  pre- 
sence, and  then  the  marines 
under  Lieutenant  Takemitsu 
landed  unopposed.  At  8  a.m. 
they  succeeded  in  occupying  the 
prescribed  point  and  hoisted 
the  national  flag  on  an  eleva- 
tion. The  landing  of  the  troops 
was  at  once  commenced.  Owing 
to  favourable  weather,  the  ope- 
rations are  being  accelerated 
more  satisfactorily  than  ex- 
pected. Our  fighting  detach- 
ment is  giving  assiduous  assis- 
tance to   the   work. 


Engagement  at  Ta-ku-shan, 

The  following  report  dated  May 
21st  from  our  forces  landed  at  Ta-ku- 
shan,  has  been  received  at  the  Im- 
perial Headquarters: — 

At  7  p.m.  on  the  20th  May  about 
a  squadron  of  the  enemy's  cavalry 
appeared  near  Wang -chia- tun,  six 
miles  north  of  Ta-ku-shan,  but  fled  in 
disorder  from  the  attack  of  our 
infantry. 

The  Russian  force  was  the  third 
squadron  of  Velfneudinsky  Regiment 
belonging  to  the  Independent  Trans- 
Baikal  Cossacks  Brigade.  A  Russian 
Second-class  Captain,  a  Lieutenant 
and  four  men  wrere  taken  prisoners. 
The  enemy's  killed  included  a  Captain 
(commander  of  a  squadron)   and    nine 


Our  Army  lands  at 
Ta-ku-shan. 

According  to  another  official 
report  received  by  the  Imperial 
Headquarters  on  the  20th 
May  a  portion  of  our  Army 
began  to  land  at  Ta-ku-shan 
on  the  previous  day. 


Major- General  MAxsmiURA, 
Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of  the  1st  Division. 

men.    We  captured  nine  horses  uninjur- 
ed, and  in  addition  22  of  the  enemy's 


238 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Siberian  Cossacks  in  LiACy-TUNG. 

horses    were    killed.    In    effecting    the     have  retreated  in  the  direction    of  Siu- 
capture  of  the  prisoners  one  of  our  men     yen  and  Sha-H-sai. 
was    killed.     The    enemy    appears    to  •  

Collisions  between  Hostile 
Scouts. 

The  following  report  from  the 
Japanese  Army,  which  landed  at  Ta- 
ku-shan,  was  received  at  the  Imperial 
Headquarters  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
22nd  May  :— 

"  A  reconnoitring  party  under  an 
officer,  sent  by  a  certain  infantry  corps 
to  Ta-shi-kiao-tsze,  which  is  situated 
on  the  road  leading  from  Tu-cheng-tsze 
to  Sha-li-sai  encountered  and  annihilated 
a  force  of  10  Russian  cavalry  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Kao-kia-tung,  about 
two  kilometres  south  of  Ta-shi-kiao- 
tsze.  Another  reconnoitring  party,  also 
commanded  by  an  officer,  which  was 
sent  to  Wu-tao-keu,  about  four  kilome- 
tres to  the  south-east  of  Tu-cheng-tsze, 
captured  two  Russian  cavalry  and 
seven  horses  at  a  point  two  kilometres 
Major-General  Haraguchi,  south   of  Wu-tao-keu."         -  -  ■  .      -     ■  ' 

Commanding  the  Japanese  Garrison  Troops  -.- -- 

IN  Korea.  . 


.'5'' 


J^^Si''^^^,, 


% 


1^ 


;a    - 


WAR  RECORD. 


239 


The  Russian  Attack  on  Anju. 

. .  Early  in  May  a  body  of  Cossacks, 
about  500  men  strong,  suddenly  at- 
tacked Anju  which  is  situated  between 
Pheng-3^ang  and  Wiju  on  the  e tape  line 
of  our  First  Army,  but  Our  small 
garrison  at  that  place  successfully 
defended  it  against  the  attack  of  the 
enemy.  Meanwhile  a  compay  of  in- 
iantry  sent  to  reinforce  our  garrison 
at  Anju  arrived  there  on  the  10th  1 
p.m.  and  at  o..ce  engaged  the  enemy,  the 
fight  lasting  till  7  p.m.  The  reinforcing 
party  acted  in  co-operation  with  our 
garrison,  who  had  been  fighting  against 
the     Rusbians     from     early      morning. 


risen  has  been  ordered  to  pursue  the 
enemy. 

Our  casualties  were  four  soldiers 
killed  and  six  wounded.  The  casu- 
alties of  the  enemy,  were  more  than 
50,  including  one  officer  and  two 
soldiers  killed.  The  spoils  of  war 
were  sabres,  rifles,  harness  and  many 
other  articles.  According  to  a  Russian 
prisoner  his  force  was  consisted  of 
700  men  belonging  to  the  Fifteenth 
Regiment  of  the  Cossack.  They  pro- 
ceeded by  train  as  far  as  Liao-yang, 
and  then,  leaving  the  train  travelled, 
over  10  leagues  a  day,  reaching 
Anju     via    Chho-san    and     Kai-chhon. 


A  Military  Review  of  the  Korean  Troops. 


Shortly  after  6  a.m.  on  the  11th,  a 
body  of  our  troops  from  Ka-san  and 
Sung-chhon,  commanded  by  an  officer, 
put  in  an  appearance  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Anju,  whereupon  the  enemy 
retired  in  the  direction  of  Kai-chhon 
and  Sung-chhon. 

An  infantry  detachment  of  the  gar- 


Most  of  the  men  were  reluctant 
to  fight  against  the  Japanese,  and 
their  spirits  were  quite  depressed. 
They  had  been  supplied  with  pro- 
visions and  fodder  to  support  them 
and  their  horses  for  twelve  days,  but 
for  the  rest  of  the  journey  they  had 
to  live  by  plundering  the  natives. 


240 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Fighting  on  Sea. 


The  Attack  of  Port  Arthur  on 
the  13th  April. 

As  our  readers  are  aware,  we  have 
already  published  in  the  first  number 


was  temporarily  rendered  useless  owing 
to  the  intense  cold.  As  the  ship,  to- 
gether with  the  above-mentioned  ves- 
sels, gradually  approached  the  harbour, 
many  searchlights  were  thrown  on  the 
vessels,  which  had  to  stop  now  and 
then.    In  spite  of  these  difficulties,  the 


Interior  of  the  Harbour  of  Port  Arthur. 


of  this  Record  Vice-Admiral  Togo's 
report  regarding  this  fighting  in  which 
the  Russian  Yice-Admiral  Makaroff,  his 
staff,  and  nearly  all  the  crew  of  the 
Petropavlovsk  perished  with  the  vessel. 
We  here  give  a  more  detailed  account 
of  the  sinking  of  the  Petropavlovsk. 
A  Japanese  officer  who  was  on  board 
a  destroyer  participating  in  this  attack 
has    reported  as  follows: — 

"  It  was  on  the  evening  of  the  12th 
April  that  the  mine  ship  Koryn  Maru^ 
accompanied  by  torpedo-boats  and 
destroyers,  arrived  off  Port  Arthur. 
The  sky  was  clear  until  11  p.m.,  when 
drizzling  rain  set  in.  The  cold  was  so 
severe  that  the  thermometer  registered 
minus    20    deg.   F.    and   the   compass 


Koryu  Mara  at  last  succeeded  in  lay- 
ing the  mines  by  one  o'clock  the 
following  morning.  It  was  fortunate 
that  our  torpedo-boats  and  destroyers 
sought  shelter  right  under  the  land 
batteries,  which  could  not  open  fire 
on  us.  Thus  left  unmolested,  our 
vessels  each  fired  a  shot  at  the  forts 
and  then  withdrew  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible. Prior  to  this  some  of  our  craft 
fired  at  the  enemy's  searchlights,  which 
it  was  thought  were  struck,  owing 
to  the  disappearance  or  a  reduction 
in  the  strength  of  the  lights.  But  the 
supposition  proved  futile,  as  it  was 
discovered,  w^hile  the  vessels  were  re- 
tiring, that  the  lights  were  being 
shown    as  before,  and  it   is  presumed 


WAR  RECORD, 


241 


that  our  firing  liad  only  temporarily  Vice-Admiral  Makaroff  was  eating 
thrown  into  panic  the  Russians  in  breakfast  in  his  cabin  and  the  ward- 
charge  of  these  lights  with  the  result  room  was  crowded  with  officers  sur- 
mentioned/'  rounding  the  tables.      On    the    bridge. 

According    to   a  Japanese    warship  Grand  Duke  Cyril  and  his  friend,  Lieu- 

in  the  line  of  battle,  the  details  of  the  tenant  von  Kobe;    Captain   JakovlefF, 

disaster  to  the  Petropavlovsk  were  as  commanding  the  vessel,  and  two  other 

follows  : —  officers  were  on  watch  examining  the 

'*  At  first    the    Russian    battle-ship  narrow  entrance  preparatory  to  enter- 
suddenly  stopped    and  was    about    to  ing  it. 

lower  a  boat,  when  a  terrible  explosion  '*  At  about  8.30   o'clock  there  was 

occurred,  the  vessel   apparently  having  a  terrible  explosion  of  the  boilers,  fol- 

struck  a  Japanese  mine.      For    a    few  lowed  a  few   seconds  later  by   a  deto- 

minutes  the   battleship  w^as  enveloped  nation  from  the  -well-stored  magazines. 

in     smoke    and    spray,   but    when    the  "Huge  gaps  -were  torn  in  the  hull 

smoke    cleared    away    her    masts   only  of  the   ship,   and   the  \vater  rushed  in. 


The  center  of  gravit)^  having  gone,  the 
ship  rolled  on  her  side  and  sank. 

"  All  information  tends  to  prove 
that  a  mine  ^vas  responsible  for  the 
destruction  of  the  Petropavlovsk. 

"  The    scene    below  will    never   be 


were    visible    on    the    surface.      It    is 

probable  that  she  also  struck  a  second 

mine,  which  must  have  destroyed  her 

engines.      On    the    day    following    the 

engagement,     namely,      the     14th,      a 

Japanese  destroyer  was  dispatched  to 

the      approaches      of 

Port  Arthur  for  the 

purpose     of     picking 

up     any     floating 

articles,       and      was 

able     to      obtain     a 

life-jacket  and    other 

things    belonging    to 

the  enemy." 

We  think  that 
our  best  course  here 
will  be  to  add  the 
Russian  official  ver- 
sion of  the  sinking 
of  the  Petropa  vlo  vsk. 
It  is  as  follows : — 

"Retiring  before 
the  advance  of  a 
superior  Japanese 
fleet,  the  Russian 
squadron  approached 
the  entrance  to  the 
harbour.  It  was 
shortly  after  8 
o'clock  in  the  mor- 
ning,   and    most    of 

the  officers  and  members  of  the  crew     described  as,  so  far    as  known,  not   a 
were    at    breakfast    on    the    flagship,     single  person  between  decks  succeeding 


Captain  Shimamura, 
Staff  Officer  of  the  Japanese  United  Squadron. 


242 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


in  escaping.  The  hot  steam  which 
scalded  the  men  on  deck  indicated 
-what  must  have  been  the  character  of 
the  death  met  by  those  in  the  engine- 


The  Late  Vice-Admiral  MakAroff. 

room.  The  men  on  deck  were  thrown 
in  all  directions,  those  fahing  into  the 
water  swimming  and  grasping  the 
wreckage,  to  which  some  of  them 
were  able  to  cling. 

"  The  remainder  of  the  squadron 
immediately  stopped  and  lowered  small 
boats,  and  the  torpedo-boats  steamed 
as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  rescue  of 
the  survivors. 

"  The  escape  of  Grand  Duke  Cyril 
and  Lieutenant  von  Kobe  was  noth- 
ing short  of  miraculous.  The  force 
of    the     explosion    sent    Grand    Duke 


Cyril  flying  across  the  bridge  and  the 
base  of  his  skull  struck  an  iron  stan- 
chion.     Fortunately,    he    did    not  lose 
consciousness.    Believing  that  the  ship 
was    about    to    sink,    he 
clambered   hastily    down 
its  side  and  boldly  plung- 
ed into  the  water.       He 
succeeded    in    reaching  a 
piece     of     wreckage,     to 
which     he     clung.       The 
Grand  Duke  was    in  the 
water       about       twenty 
minutes    before    he    was 
picked  up  by    a  torpedo 
boat.        Lieutenant     von 
Kobe     was     also     found 
swimming  and  was  pick- 
ed up.     Captain  JakovlefF 
was    thrown    against    a 
stanchion  with  such  force 
that  he  was  killed. 

"  Grand  Duke  Cyril's 
injuries  were  severe.  Be- 
sides receiving  a  blow- 
on  the  neck,  his  legs  were 
burned  and  he  sutfered  a 
serious  shock.  He  was 
taken  immediately  to  a 
hospital  in  Port  Arthur, 
where  his  injuries  were 
attended  to.  He  will 
remain  there  for  three 
days  and  then  will  be 
brought  to  St.  Peter- 
sburg. 
"  Count  Grube,  aid  to  Grand  Duke 
Vladimir,  accompanied  by  a  physician, 
started  to-night  for  the  Far  East.  He 
will  meet  Grand  Duke  Cyril  probably 
at  Baikal. 

*'  The  exact  number  of  Yice-Admiral 
MakarofTs  staff  on  board  the  Petro- 
pavlovsk  when  she  sank  is  unknown, 
but  it  is  thought  by  the  Admiralty 
to  be  probably  fifteen  or  sixteen.  The 
exact  number  of  the  crew  lost  is  also 
unknown.  The  Petropavlovsk  had  a 
complement  of  about  650,  of  which 
fifty-two  were  saved  at  last  accounts.*' 


WAR  RECORD. 


243 


As  to  the  death  of  Vice-Admiral 
Makaroff,  a  Russian  stiilor  who  wit- 
nessed this  terrible  scene  described  it 
as  follows : — 

"On  the  bridge  I  saw  an  officer 
weltering  in  blood — it  was  our  Ad- 
miral Makaroff.  He  lay  face  down- 
ward. I  sprang  to  him,  grasped  him 
by  the  shoulder  and  attempted  to 
raise  him. 

"The  ship  seemed  to  be  falling 
somewhere.  From  all  sides  flew  frag- 
ments. I  heard  the  deafening  screech 
and  the  frightful  din.  The  smoke  rose 
in  dense  clouds  and  the  flames  seemed 
to  leap  toward  the  bridge,  Avhere  I 
was  standing  beside  the  Admii'al.  I 
jumped  on  the  rail  and  was  -washed 
off,  but  succeeded  in  grabbing  some- 
thing. I  remember  the  falling  masts, 
and  then  nothing  more." 

According  to  a  newspaper  corres- 
pondent   serving    with    the    Russians, 


Admiral  Molas,  the  chief  of  staff,  and' 
Lieutenant  von  Kobe,  aid-de-camp  of 
Grand  Duke  Cyril. 

There  are  now  only  two  undam- 
aged battleships,  the  Pcresviet  and  the 
Sevastopol,  in  the  harbour  of  Port 
Arthur,  but  some  of  the  damaged 
vessels  have  been  repaired,  although 
their  exact  number  and  condition  are 
not  known.  The  other  effectives  are 
the  armored  cruiser  Baynn,  the  first- 
class  cruisers  Askold  and  Diana,  the 
second-class  cruiser  Novik,  the  torpedo 
gunboats  Vzadonik  and  Gaydamak, 
the  gunboats  Grcmiascbcbi,  Otvashni, 
Giliak  and  Bohr,  the  cruisers  Bjidjidy 
Razhoynik  and  Zahcika  and  the  tor- 
pedo-boat destroyers,  w^hose  exact 
number  is  not  known. 

Altogether  ten  Russian  vessels  have 
been  damaged  or  lost  since  the  out- 
break of  the  war. 


i**-.^*"****" 


The  Tetropavloa'sk. 


on 


twenty  eight  officers  w^ere  lost 
board  the  Pctropavlovsk,  including 
Captain  Vasiheff",  belonging  to  the 
ship  ;  Admiral  Makaroff ;  fourteen 
members  of  his  staff,    including  Rear- 


Movements  of  the  Japanese 

Squadron  in  the  Sea 

of  Japan. 

Yice-Admiral    Kamimura's    report. 


244 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


dated  Gensan,  April  26tli,  8  p.m,,  is,  in 
substance,  as  follows: — 

*'Our  squadron  left  Gensan  on  the 


Captain  Jakovleff, 
'<  Commander  of  the  Petropavlovsk. 

23rd  and  was  soon  beset  by  a  dense 
fog,  in  spite  of  "which  we  continued  on 
our  journey.  The  farther  \ve  proceeded 
north,  the  thicker  the  weather  became. 
On  the  24th  at  4  p.m.,  we  reached, 
according  to  observations,  a  point  at 
132°  10'  E.  long,  and  42°  20'  N.  lat., 
but  as  any  action  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, owing  to  the  fog,  we  at  4.30  p.m. 
changed  our  course  to  due  south,  and 
reached  the  neighbourhood  of  132°  20' 
E.  long,  and  40°  50'  N.  lat.  on  the 
25th  at  6  a.m.  The  intensity  of  the 
fog  precluded  all  possibility  of  approach- 
ing Vladivostock  to  carry  out  any 
action  there,  even  if  we  had  returned 
■  north.    We  therefore  decided  to  return 


to  Gensan  and  changed  our  course  ac- 
cordingly.    The  fog  cleared  for  the  first 
time  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,     For 
the  past  three  days,  we   had 
been    completely  enveloped  in 
fog,  and  we  could  hardly  dis- 
cern  the    ship    that    was    fol- 
lowing us.      Fortunately    the 
squadron    kept  together,  and 
the  whole  of  the  vessels  enter- 
ed Gensan  harbour  at  1  p.m., 
after       having       encountered 
many    difficulties.     No  sooner 
had    -we    arrived    there    than 
Mr.     Old,    Japanese     Consul, 
came   on  board  and  reported 
that    at    noon    on    the    25th 
inst.     two     of     the     enemy's 
torpedo-boats       entered      the 
harbour,   attacked    and    sank 
our  merchantman  Goyb  Maru 
and  then  retreated.     At  that 
time    the  .enemy's    warships, 
recognized     as     the     Rossi'a, 
Gromoboi,    and    Rurik,    were 
staying    outside  the  harbour, 
and    they     left     in    a    north- 
easterly   direction    at    2  p-m. 
Mr.  Oki  also  informed  us  that 
the  Kinshu  Maru,  carrying  a 
company  of  Infantry  on  board 
and  convoyed  by  the  11th  tor- 
pedo flotilla,  had  left  for  I-won 
prefecture    in    the    north    on    the  25th 
at  6  a.m.    Fearing  that  these  vessels 
might    have    encountered    the    enemy's 
flotilla,  the  main  strength  of  the  second 
squadron  and  destroyers  -war  prepar- 
ing   to    leave    the    harbour  at  once  to 
give    chase    to    the    enemy,    when    the 
11th  flotilla  returned  alone.    According 
to  the  commander  of  the    flotilla,   the 
vessels  arrived  at  I-w6n   on    the    25th 
at  2   p.m.,   when    the    troops    at   once 
landed,  and  returned  to  the  ship  at  6 
p.m.,    after    having    reconnoitred    the 
neighbourhood.    The  Kinshu  Maru  and 
the    flotilla    started    on    their    return 
voyage,  but  as  the  weather  was  very 
threatening,  the  flotilla  stayed  at  Cha- 


>  ^ 


Vice-Admiral  Kataoka. 


■Rear-Admira]  Hosoya. 


WAR  KECORD. 


245 


ho-pho,  over  night,  the  Kinshu  Mam 
alone  sailing  for  Gensan.  The  flotilla 
left  Cha-ho-pho  for  Gensan  on  the  26th 
at  6  a.m. 

T\iQ  Kinshu  Mam  has  not  yet  arrived. 
The  delay  being  attributable  either  to 
the  enemy's  squadron  or  to  the  fog, 
we  have  despatched  a  torpedo  flotilla 
to  make  a  reconnaissance.  I  shall  leave 
Gensan,  to-morrow  the  27th,  at  7  p.m, 
and  carry  out  operations  as  prear- 
ranged/' 

The  report  from  Commander  Fukui, 
of  the  g"un-boat  Chihaya^  dated  Gensan 
April  28,  11.20  p.m,,  runs  as  follows  : — 

"While  our  squadron  was  proceed- 
ing towards  Yladivostock  on  April  27, 
a  junk  in  gray  paint  was  discovered  at 
a  point  128°  54'  E.  Long,  and  40°  05' 
N,  Lat.     A  naval  bayonet  belt  of  the 


traces  of  blood  were  to  be  seen  any- 
where. It  -was  then  supposed  that  the 
Kinshu  Maru,  on  finding  the  hostile 
warships,  veered  north  and  was  beach- 
ed, abandoning  the  junk  in  question. 
Thereupon  my  vessel,  under  the  in- 
structions of  the  Commander  of  the 
Squadron,  was  detached  from  the  rest 
of  the  squadron,  and  as  soon  as  the 
day  dawned  proceeded  southward  from 
Cape  Boltin,  25  miles  (nautical)  to  the 
north-east  of  Song-jin,  searching  the 
coast  as  far  south  as  Cha-ho-pho,  but 
could  not  find  anything.  As  the  south 
of  Cha-ho-pho  was  to  have  been 
searched  by  the  torpedo  flotilla  on  the 
27th,  "we  gave  up  our  task  and  returned 
to  Gensan,  where  we  learned  for  the 
first  time  of  the  sinking  of  the  Kinshu 
Maru  and  the   despatch   of  vessels   to 


The  Port  of  Gen-san. 


35th  year  pattern,  a  naval  shoe,  and  rescue  the  survivors  who  had  managed 
another  shoe  apparently  worn  by  an  to  reach  Sin-pho.  My  vessel  is  to  leave 
ofiicer  were  found  in  the  craft,  but  no     for  the  latter  place  to-mght." 


246 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  substance  of  the  report,  dated     morning.    Thereupon  the  Kinshu  Mara 
Gensan,    April  29,  7.15    p.m.,   sent  by      started  alone  on  her  return  journey. 
Commander  Takebe,  on  board  the  des-        "The  flotilla  left  Cha-ho-pho  on  April 


The  Stafp  of  the  Cruiser  Rossia. 


troyer  Tnazuma  and  commanding  the 
torpedo-boat  flotilla  No.  11,  is  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  Our  flotilla,  at  6  a.m.  on  April  25, 
left  Gensan  for  I-w6n  accompanied  by 
the  Kinshu  Mara  with  military  troops 
on  board,  and  arrived  at  our  destina- 
tion at  2  p.m.  We  covered  the  landing 
of  our  troops,  and  at  6  a.m.  were 
about  to  start  on  our  return  voyage 
with  the  Kinshu  Maru,  which  had 
already  embarked  the  troops.  By  that 
time,  however,  the  barometer,  which 
had  begun  to  fall  from  noon,  was 
rapidly  falling,  and  the  weather  be- 
came very  threatening.  We  decided 
therefore  to  pass  the  night  at  Cha-ho- 
pho,  at  the  same  time  notifying  the 
Kinshu  Maru  that  we  should  return 
to  Gensan    via    Sin-pho    the    following 


26  at  7  a.m.,  but  owing  to  a  dense 
fog  at  sea  returned  to  Gensan  at  3  p.m., 
the  same  day  and  learned  for  our 
squadron  there  that  the  steamer  Kin" 
shu  Maru  had  not  yet  returned.  By 
order  of  Rear- Admiral  Kamimura, 
C  om  mander  of  the  Squadron ,  the 
flotilla  at  once  left  Gensan  in  search 
of  the  steamer.  After  cruising  along 
the  coast  line  from  Gensan  to  Cha-ho- 
pho  the  flotilla  passed  the  night  at  the 
latter  place,  which  they  left  early  the 
next  morning.  While  on  their  search 
the  steamer  Taisei  Maru  was  met  with, 
which  informed  them  that  the  Kinshu 
Maru  had  been  sunk  by  the  enemy. 
For  the  purpose  of  rescuing  any  sur- 
vivors, the  flotilla  searched  the  seas 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Thoi-ho-pho 
up  to  8  a.m.    on   April   28  and   then 


WAR  RECORD. 


247 


returned  to  Gensan.  The  presence  of 
soldiers  on  board  the  Kinshu  Maru  was 
due  to  the  commander  of  the  Japanese 
garrison  at  Gensan,  who,  on  learning 
that  a  force  of  250  Russians  had  left 
Kil-ju  for  Puk-chhong,  intended  to  in- 
tercept the  enemy." 


The  following  official  report,  dated 
Gensan,  May  1,  from  Rear-Admiral 
Kamimura,  Commander  of  the  Second 
Detached  Squadron,  has  been  received 
in  Tokyo  \— 

"  The  Squadron  left  Gensan  on  April 
27  at  7  a.m.  and  met  outside  the  port 
the     Torpedo-boat     Flotilla     No.     11, 
which  signalled  that  they  had  not  met 
the  steamer  Kinshu  Maru.    The  flotilla 
was  then  instructed   to   proceed   again 
to   the   seas   north  of  Gensan  in  search 
of    the    steamer,    while    the    gun-boat 
Chiyoda    -was    ordered    to    proceed    to 
the    north     of    Sin-pho    for    the    same 
purpose-      The    rest    of    the    squadron 
steamed  to   the  neighbourhood   of  Sin- 
pho.      A  junk  was  sighted  off   Cha-ho- 
pho    and    the    torpedo-boat    destroyer 
Kasumi   w^as    ordered    to    examine    it. 


Kinshu    Maru    had     encountered     the 
enemy,    and    on    the    probability    that 
the  steamer  might  have  been  beached 
at  a  point    northward,    the    gun-boat 
Chiyoda  searched  the  coast  line  south 
of   Cape    Boltin,    but    without    result. 
The  gun-boat  was  therefore  ordered  to 
return    to    Gensan    and    to   report  the 
facts  to  the   Imperial   Headquarters  in 
Tokyo.    The  squadron  proceeded  north- 
ward, but  owing  to  the   prevalence  of 
fog,  which  became  thick  from  about  4 
p.m.,  the  operations  previously  arrang- 
ed   could    not    be    carried    out.      After 
passing  the  night  at  sea,  the  squadron 
returned  to  Gensen,  and  on  the  journey 
the    cruiser    Naniwa    discovered     some 
mechanical  mines  floating  on  the  surface 
of   the   sea,   v^hich   were    destroyed   by 
the  cruiser   Izumi.      Whilst   passing   off 
Song-jun,    two    boats     were     sighted, 
which      on      examination     proved      to 
belong  to  the  Kinshu  Maru.   The  boats, 
together     with     life-belts    and     a    few 
other  articles  found  in  them,  were  taken 
back  to  Gensan  by  the  squadron." 

It     will    be    seen,     from    the     above 
official  reports,  that  the  Kinshu  Maru 


The  Cruiser  Izumi. 


From  the  articles  found  in  the  junk  it 
was     ascertained     that     the     steamer 


was     really    destroyed    and    sunk   by 
torpedoes     of    the     Russian    warship, 


248 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Rossiay  on  her  way  from  I-w6n  to 
Gensan.  All  the  military  officers  and 
men  who  were  on  board  this  steamer 
committed  suicide  or  fought  to  the  last 


25th  at  6.30  p.m.  and  met  with  three 
warships  and  two  torpedo-boats  of 
the  enemy  in  the  sea  near  Sin-pho  at 
11.15    p.m.      As   they    fired   a    blank 


A  Russian  Torpedo-boat  Destroyer. 


against  the  enemy  for,  being  brave 
soldiers,  they  disliked  the  very  thought 
of  surrender.  We  give  here  a  full  ac- 
count of  this  disaster  as  it  has  been 
officially  reported  : 

As  a  result  of  the  co-operation  of  the 
army  with  the  navy,  the  ninth  com- 
pany of  the  37th  Regiment  of  Infantry 
boarded  the  steamship  Kinshu  Maru, 
and  reconnoitred  I-w6n  in  Ham-heung- 
do.  On  her  way  back  to  Gensan,  after 
having  discharged  her  duties,  the  ship 
was  attacked  and  sunk  by  one  of  the 
enemy's  warships  in  the  sea  off  Sin-pho. 
The  particulars  are  as  follows : — 

The  steamship  Onishi  Maru,  -which 
had  gone  to  the  rescue,  returned  to 
Gensan  on  the  28th  at  11.10  p.m.  She 
reports  the  sinking  of  the  Kinshu  Maru 
as  follows : — 

The  Kinshu  Maru  left  I-w6n  on  April 


cartridge,  Lieut.-Commander  Takegoro 
Mizoguchi,  Naval  Superintending  Officer 
of  the  transport,  Naval  Paymaster 
Lieutenant  lida,  Captain  Masakichi 
Yagi  of  the  steamer,  and  another 
person  proceeded  to  one  of  the  enemy's 
ships,  but  did  not  return.  The  enemy 
gave  one  hour's  time  for  the  troops  to 
leave  the  vessel,  and  at  midnight  all 
but  the  soldiers  appeared  to  have  left 
the  latter.  The  troops  obeying  the 
order  of  their  commanding  officers, 
remained  quiet  below  deck.  At  1.30 
a.m.  the  enemy  discharged  a  torpedo, 
and  also  used  a  quantity  of  explosives 
to  blow  up  the  ship.  The  torpedo 
pierced  the  hold. 

Thereupon  the  troops  came  on  the 
upper  deck  and,  lining  up  in  order, 
opened  a  series  of  volleys  on  the 
enemy,  who  responded    with    gun   fire, 


WAR  RECORD. 


249 


killing  many  of  our  men.  Meanwhile 
a  sergeant-major  and  several  privates 
and  non-commissioned  officers  com- 
mitted suicide.  About  2  a.m.  the  enemy 
torpedoed  the  Kinshu  Maru  for  the 
second  time,  with  the  result  that  she 
was  cut  in  two  at  the  engine-room, 
and  sank.  All  the  troops  on  the  upper 
deck  w^ere  whirled  into  the  water,  but 
several  of  them  were  fortunate  enough 
to  find  a  boat  attached  to  the  ill-fated 
vessel,  into  -which  they  managed  to 
get,  and  cutting  the  painter,  drifted 
away.  As  the  boat  was  frequently 
flooded  by  the  waves  and  w^as  in 
danger  of  foundering,  all  the  heavy 
things  were  cast  away  and  even  then 
the  craft  was  barely  kept  afloat.  The 
men  rowed  w^estward  till  5.30  p.m.  on 
the  26th,  when  they  arrived  at  Ma- 
yang  island.  They  numbered  37,  in- 
cluding some  non-commis- 
sioned officers.  Eight  others 
arrived  at  a  certain  place 
in  boats.  All  the  survivors 
subsequently  landed  at  Sin- 
pho,  of  whom  six  coolies 
and  three  business  men 
escaped  bofore  the  steamer 
w^as  torpedoed.  It  appears 
that  the  majority  of  the 
coolies  were  taken  on  board 
the  Russian  cruiser  Rossia. 
Some  of  the  bluejackets  es- 
caped in  boats,  and  their 
fate  still  remains  unknow^n. 
None  of  the  land  forces 
were  captured,  and  the 
soldiers  who  lost  their  lives 
died  heroically. 

Among  the  survivors 
are  ^re  soldiers,  who  in 
spite  of  serious  difficulties 
succeeded  in  keeping  their 
rifles.  Among  the  dead 
are  Captains  Sanzo  Shiina 
and  Kugaji  Sakurai,  Lieut- 
enants Kamenosuke  Terada 
and  Shinzo  Yokota,  Sub-Lieutenant 
Masakazu       Higaki,       Sergeant-Major 


Yasukatsu  Washi,  73  soldiers  and  2 
interpreters.  The  rest  were  not 
soldiers.  Among  the  surviving  soldiers, 
ten  are  slightly  and  one  is  severely 
wounded.  There  were  no  casualties 
among  the  businessmen  and  coolies. 


Second  Attack  on  Vladivostok. 

Press  despatches  from  Sasebo,  dated 
May  12th,  reported  a  second  attack  on 
Vladivostok.  On  a  certain  day  after 
the  sinking  of  the  Kinshu  Maru  (the 
date  has  been  struck  out  by  the  censor) 
a  Janpanese  squadron  arrived  off 
Vladivostok,  when  two  of  the  enemy^s 
torpedo-boats  were  observed  approach- 
ing our  fleet.  Our  vessels  at  once 
opened  a  heavy  fire  with  their  quick- 
firers,  whereupon  the  torpedo-boats 
retired.  Shortly  afterwards  the  wea- 
ther   cleared    and    the    forts    of  Vladi- 


The  Late  Captain  Shiina. 


vostok    were    sighted.      Signals    were 
then  given  for  our  fleet  to  open  fire  on 


250 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


:V/ 


the  forts.  The  latter  answered  our  fire  bined  Fleet  carried  out  the  third  at- 
and  more  than  ten  shots  fell  around  tempt  to  block  the  harbour  mouth  of 
the    Izumi.      Our    fleet    sustained    no     Port  Arthur,    between  2   a.m.    and   4 


■  '       ■  ';..  ''  "      '  ■ 

"      r" .- 

■  Vi"'-' '■■f. 

^ ..  * 

.;■- .'  ■■ 

.  :  ^■■.^^:;;i, 

*.■  .-■*"  . 

,  — 

'''.     -■■ 

;  rf<-.- 

-  '■ .  ^/.■'- 

'^-  V'U^';.' 

'."  ■: 

''-  <■/ 

;--^r..- 

-'■'■'  - 

■    -I 


General  TCuropatktn  inspecting  a  Fort  at  Vladivostok. 


damage  and  lefc  for  Gensan  in  the 
afcernoon.  According  to  a  certain 
Captain,  the  Vladivostok  squadron 
after  sinking  the  Kinshu  Maru  appears 
to  have  safely  reached  its  base.  The 
fact  that  it  was  not  met  by  our 
squadron  which  pursiied  it  is  attributed 
to  the  existence  of  two  routes  between 
Gensan  and  Vladivostok,  and  it  is 
believed  the  Russian  squadron  was 
fortunate  enough  to  take  the  route 
not  negotiated  by  our  ships. 


The  Third  Blockade  of  Port 
Arthur. 

The  following  report  comes  from 
Vice-  Admiral  Togo,  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  Combined  Fleet,  on  the 
third    attempt  to  block  Port    Arthur. 

"Acting  as  pre-arranged,  the  Com- 


a.m.  on  May  3rd.  The  blocking  ves- 
sels and  their  convoy,  the  latter  con- 
sisting of  the  gunboat  Akagi  (Com- 
mander Hideshiro  Fujimoto),  gunboat 
Chokai  (Commander  Danjiro  Iwamura) , 
the  Second  Destroyer  Flotilla  (Com- 
mander Ichiro  Ishida),  the  Third  Des- 
troyer Flotilla  (Commander  Mitsukane 
Tsuchiya) ,  the  Fourth  Destroyer  Flotilla 
{Commander  Gunkichi  Nagai),  the  Fifth 
Destroyer  Flotilla  (Commander  Ganjiro 
Mano),  the  Ninth  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla 
(Commander  Junkichi  Yajima),  the 
Tenth  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla  (Lieut.- 
Commander  Michisuke  Otaki)  and  the 
Fourteenth  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla 
(minus  the  Kasasagi  and  Manazura 
and  plus  torpedo-boats  No.  67  and 
70),  under  the  command  of  Lieut.- 
Commander  Yoshimaru  Sakurai,  were 
detached  from    the  main  fleet    on    the 


The   Last  Scene  on  boai'd  the  Japanese  Transport,  Kinshu-I\Iaru. 


WAR  RECORD. 


251 


evening  of  the  2nd  May  and  proceeded 
towards  Port  Arthur  along  a  pre- 
scribed course.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, a  strong  south-easterly  wind 
suddenly  arose  at  about  11  p.m., 
rendering  the  sea  rough.  Consequent- 
ly the  blocking  vessels  became  separat- 
ed from  each  other.  Perceiving  the 
hopelessness  of  reuniting  the  steamers, 
Commander  Mineo  Hayashi,  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  the  blocking  party, 
gave  orders  to  suspend  the  appointed 
task.  Signals  were  made  to  that 
effect,  but  without  avail.  Till  about 
2  a.m.  efforts  were  made  to  estabhsh 
communication  with  the  blocking  ves- 
sels, which,  however,  had  successively 
reached  off  Port  Arthur  by  that  time, 
unconscious  of  the  order.  The  Mikawa 
Maru  (commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Tanetsugu  Sosa),  observing  the  fire 
opened  by  the  enemy  on  the  Four- 
teenth Torpedo-boat  Flotilla,  which 
was  then  reconnoitring  the  outside  of 
the  harbour,  and  mistaking  the  flotilla 


the  Sahara  Maru  (Lieutenant-Com- 
mander Yoshiye  Shiraishi).  The  enemy 
exploded  submarine  mines  laid  near 
the  entrance  and  opened  a  deadly  fire, 
powerful  searchhghts  being  thrown  on 
our  vessels.  The  steamer  Mikawa 
Maru  dashed  into  the  boom  and 
entered  the  harbour,  where  after  an- 
choring in  a  central  position,  she  blew 
herself  up  and  sank.  Another  steamer, 
apparently  the  Sakura  Maru,  anchored 
off  a  rock  at  the  entrance,  exploded 
her  mine  and  sank.  She  was  followed 
by  the  Totomi  Maru,  (Lieut.-Com- 
mander  Shimmin  Honda) ,  the  Yedo 
Maru  (Lieut.-Commander  MasaoTaka- 
yagi),  the  Otaru  Maru  (Lieut.-Com- 
mander Tsutomu  Nomura),  the  Sagami 
Maru  (Lieut.  -  Commander  Takejiro 
Yuasa),  the  Aikoku  Maru,  (Lieutenant 
Taro  Inutsuka),  and  the  Asagao  Maru 
(Lieut.-Commander  Kikutaro  Mukai). 
The  enemy's  fire  had  now  become 
terribly  severe,  while  submarine  mines 
were    exploding    on    all    sides    of    the 


The  Gun-boat  Chokai. 


for  the  blocking  vessels,  dashed  to-  blocking  steamers,  in  consequence  of 
wards  the  entrance,  followed  by  an-  which  many  of  our  officers  and  men 
other    steamer    that   appeared    to    be     were    either   killed    or  wounded.     The 


252 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


steamer     Totomi    Maru     struck     the  "  Two  vessels,  which   appeared    to 

boom  at  the  entrance,  with  the  result     be  the  Odaru  Maru  and  Sagami  Maru, 


Black  Vessels  are  those  at  the  Third  Blocking. 
White  Vessels  are  those  at  the  Second  Blocking. 


that  her  bows  were  turned  to  the 
east,  thus  blocking  one-half  of  the 
harbour  mouth,  and  in  this  position 
she  was  blown  up  by  her  crew  and 
sunk.  The  Yedo  Maru  was  about  to 
cast  anchor  at  the  entrance ,  w^hen 
Lieutenant-Commander  Takayanagi  on 
board  was  struck  by  a  shell  and  killed. 
Sub-Lieutenant  Takejiro  Nagata  at  once 
took  command  and  ordered  the  an- 
chor to  be  dropped.  This  being  done, 
the  mine  was  exploded  and  the  steam- 
er sank. 


seem  also  to  have  entered  the  harbour 
mouth,  where  they  were  sunk  by  their 
crews.  The  Aikoku  Maru  struck  a 
submarine  mine  five  chains  off  the 
harbour  mouth  and  sank  instantly. 
Lieut.  Hiroshi  Uchida,  attache  to  the 
commander  of  the  steamer,  Chief  En- 
gineer Koji  Aoki,  and  eight  others, 
who  were  on  board,  are  missing.  A 
steamer,  apparently  the  Asagao  Maru, 
having  sustained  damage  to  her  steer- 
ing gear,  was  blown  up  and  sunk 
below  Golden  Hill.    Of  the  eight  block- 


WAR  RECORD. 


253 


ing  vessels,  five  -were  sunk  on  entering  jima,  who  was  also  in  command  of  the 

the  channel   of  the  harbour,   and  from  flotilla,  had  had  her  engine  on  the   port 

this   1  conclude   that  the  entrance   has  side    damaged    and    one    man    killed, 

been    completely    blocked    against    the  The  destroyer  Hayahusa  also  had  one 

passage  of  cruiser  and  battleships.  man  killed.    No  casualties   or  damage 

*'The    present    expedition    was    an  w^ere  reported   in  the   other  destroyers 

event   of  great    tragedy    and  heroism,  and  torpedo-boats. 

and  the  casualties,   compared  with  the  "The  Third   Fighting   Detachment, 

two    previous    occasions,    were    much  Rear-Admiral  Dewa  in  command,   and 

heavier,  being  due  to  the  storm}^  wea-  the   First  Fighting  Detachment,   Rear- 

ther    and    the    increased    strength     of  Admiral     Nashiha    in     command    and 


the  enemy's  defence.     Especially  it  is  a 

matter   of  the   deepest  regret  that  we 

were  unable  to  rescue  a  single  man   of 

the  crews  of  four  vessels,   namely   the 

Odaru  Alaru^    Sagami   MarUy    Sakura 

Maru,    and  Asagao    Maru,  even   their 

last  deeds  of  heroism  being  unrecorded. 

But  I  believe  that  the  conduct  of  these 

loyal  and  gallant  men  -will  be  specially 

noted    in    the    history   of   our  Empire. 

The  torpedo-boat  flotillas  and  destroyer 

flotillas  which  were  ordered   to  rescue 

the  members  of  the  blocking  expedition     but  nothing  was  discovered.     On  that 

carried  out  their  duties  efficiently,  fight-     day    the    fog    was    so   dense    that    the 

ing  against  the  rough  weather  and  the     enemy's  condition  could  not  be  ascer- 

enemy    until    the    following    morning,     tained.    At  night  our  squadron   with- 

Special    praise    is    due  to  the  torpedo-     drew    to    a    rendezvous    and     on    the 

boat  flotilla,  which  closely  approached     morning  of  the  4th  resumed  the  move- 

the  harbour  mouth  and  rescued  about     ment  previously  arranged.'' 

half  of  the  crews  of  the  blocking  vessels.  

'*  During        these 


with  Vice-Admiral  Togo,  Commander- 
in-Chief  of  the  C  ombined  Fie  st ,  on 
board  one  of  the  ships,  reached  Port 
Arthur  on  the  3rd  May,  the  former  at 
6  a.m.  and  the  latter  at  9  a.m.  The 
squadron  covered  the  action  of  the 
destroyers  and  torpedo-boats,  and 
afterwards  signalled  them  to  assemble 
near  the  squadron.  The  ships  were 
ordered  to  search  in  all  directions  for 
survivors  from  the  blocking  vessels. 
A  careful  search  was  made  till  4   p.m. 


hardships,  the  tor- 
pedo-boat No.  67 
(commanded  by  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Masao 
Hira)  had  her  boiler 
damaged  by  the  ene- 
my's shells  and  three 
men  wounded.  The 
vessel  was  tempor- 
arilv  disabled  in  the 
presence  of  the  ene- 
my. But  the  tor- 
pedo-boat No.  70 
(commanded  by  Lieutenant  Yoshi- 
hiro  Morimoto)  came  to  the  rescue 
and  towed  away  the  vessel.  The  tor- 
pedo-boat destoryer  Aotaka,  com- 
manded  by   Commander  Junkichi    Ya- 


The  Torpedo-eoat  Destroyer  Hayabusa. 


THE  STATEMENT  MADE  BY  AN 
EYEWITNESS. 

According  to  one  of  the  survivors 
of  the  last  blocking  expedition  to  Port 
Arthur,    who   returned   to    Sasebo    on 


254 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


May  9,  when  the  blocking  steamers 
left  an  appointed  place  on  the  2nd 
May,  the  sea  -was  very  calm  and  in  the 


Captain  Ijichi, 
Command  HR  of  the  Mikasa, 

most  favourable  condition  for  execut- 
ing the  mission.  At  11  p.m.  on  the 
3rd,  when  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Port  Arthur,  a  strong  south-easterly 
gale  set  in  and  the  waves  wetQ  so 
rough  that  even  the  navigation  of  the 
vessels  seemed  out  of  the  question. 
Commander  Hayashi,  commanding  the 
expedition,  signalled  to  the  fleet  to 
give  up  the  attempt,  but  the  vessels 
had  all  become  separated  and  were 
unable  to  see  the  signal.  The  crews 
on  board  the  steamers,  all  intent  on 
the  daring  attempt,  negotiated  their 
vessels  individually  to  Port  Arthur, 
and  made  straight  for  the  harbour,  but 
owing  to  the  heavy  sea  much  difficulty 
was  experienced  in  steering  the  vessels 
as  desired.  When  the  Mikawa  Maru, 
which  was  leading  the  way,  reached  a 
point  some  four  miles  off  from  the 
harbour  mouth,  the  Russian  forts, 
which  had  been  newly  constructed 
on  the  comparatively    low    ground  on 


both  sides  of  the  entrance  and  which 
Were  bristling  with  12-pounders,  opened 
a  heavy  fire  on   our   steamships.    The 
shots,     according     to     the 
crew    of  a    steamer,    were 
so    thick    that    the    vessel 
appeared    to    be    steaming 
through    a    heavy    rain    of 
projectiles.       The    Alikawa 
Mam,     in     order     not     to 
obstruct  the  steamers  which 
followed     her,     rushed    for 
into  the  harbour  channel — 
the     farthest     yet    reached 
by    any     of    the    blocking 
steamers,  —  and    was    then 
blov^rn    up  and  sunk.    The 
crews  took  to   a  boat,    on 
which    the    enemy    concen- 
trated   a   heavy    fire.     The 
rest    of  the    steamers    had 
not  yet  reached  the  channel. 
The  Totomi  Maru    shortly 
afterwards    steamed  up  to 
the  scene  at  full  speed.     She 
experienced     two     heavy 
shocks,    one    after    the   other,  and  had 
presumably   struck    the    booms    placed 
at  the  entrance.    Fortunately  the  ship 
was    not    prevented    from    reaching    a 
good  position,    where    she    was    sunk. 
The  remaining  six    steamers    appeared 
one  by  one,  and  the  enemy's  fire  became 
more  and  more    galling.    The    Aikoku 
Maru    struck    a    submarine    mine,    an 
abundance   of  which  had  been  laid  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  was  not  able 
to  reach  the  channel. 

During  this  time,  however,  no  Rus- 
sian warships  came  out  of  the  harbour 
and  they  appeared  to  be  unconsious 
of  what  was  transpiring.  This  fact 
may  be  attributed  either  to  the  re- 
liance placed  on  the  increased  defence 
of  the  port  or  to  the  demoralized 
condition  of  the  Russian  sailors.  Our 
torpedo  boats  charged  with  the  task  of 
rescuing  the  crews  of  the  steamers  ex- 
perienced much  greater  difficulties  than 
on   the   two   previous  occasions.    The 


:    WAR  RECORD. 


255 


boats  in  whicli  the  blocking  party- 
effected  their  escape  from  the  steamers 
had  to  face  the  strong  south-easterly 
■wind,  -which  made  rowing  almost  im- 
possible, with  the  result  that  some  of 
the  boats  -were  missing.  After  this 
expedition,  our  main  fleet  approached 
Port  Arthur  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  result  of  the  -work,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  find  that  the  Russian 
squadron,  -which  had  formerly  opened 
fire  on  our  fleet  whenever  the  latter 
appeared  at  a  distance  even  of  10,000 
metres  from  the  port,  remained  very 
quiet,  only  a  thin  column  of  smoke 
or  two  being  visible  within  the  inner 
harbour,  and  the  demoralization  of 
the  Russians  can  well  be  imagined. 
Our  fleet  perceived  the  blocking  steam- 
ers at  the  entrance  to  the  harbour,  their 
masts  appearing  above  water,  showing 
that  they  had  been  sunk  at  proper 
places  and  that  the  intended  object  had 
been  fiilly  attained. 

The  above  statement,  made  by  one 
who  actually  took  part  in  this  most 


ing  of  the  vessels,  we  have  the  state- 
ment of  a  Chinese  purveyor  who  was 
at  Port  Arthur  at  the  time.  Accord- 
ing to  him,  when  the  Japanese  steamers 
were  approaching  close  to  Port  Ar- 
thur, the  Russian  troops  opened  fire 
from  every  direction,  and  observation 
and  mechanical  mines  were  exploding 
everywhere.  The  glare  of  the  fire  dis- 
closed a  vivid  scene  on  board  the 
steamers,  where  the  Japanese  officers 
and  men  were  strenuously  fighting, 
and  the  sight  sent  a  thrill  of  sympathy 
through  the  on-lookers  of  this  terrible 
scene.  Of  the  forlorn  hope,  ten  Japan- 
ese, including  an  ofiicer,  landed  at 
Man-tou-shan,  Tiger's  Tail  promon- 
tory, and  were  missing.  Twelve  others 
who  landed  at  Golden  Hill  and  Muh- 
cliit  rock  fought  to  the  last.  In  addi- 
tion, numerous  bodies  were  found 
floating  on  the  sea.  From  these  facts, 
the  Russians  concluded  that  all  the 
crew^s  of  the  five  steamers  that  w^ere 
sunk  inside  the  booms  had  been  killed 
and  that  those  who  had  been  rescued 


General  KuropAtkin  inspecting  a  Foft  at  Port  Arthur. 


daring  enterprise,  will  suflice  to  show  by  the  Japanese  torpedo   boats  must 

the    reader   how    bravely    our    ofificers  have    been     the    crews    of    the    three 

and  sailors  acted.     For   the    deeds    of  steamers  that   "were  sunk  outside  the 

those  who  disappeared  after  the  sink-  harbour.    This  was  the  severest  fight 


256 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


> 


> 
o 

> 
H 

O 

SO 
H 

> 

H 

K 


that  has  occurred  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  -war,  and  the  Japanese 
officers  and  men,  fighting  bravely 
against  the  strong  gale  and  angry 
waves  and  in  spite  of  the  hail  of 
shots  and  the  numerous  mines,  have 
at  last  attained  the  object  of  the 
blocking  expedition.  Their  courage 
has  thrilled  even  the  hearts  of  the 
Russian  officers. 


The  Steamers  Sunk  at  Fort 
Arthur. 

The  names  of  the  eight  steamers 
used  on  the  third  occasion  to  block 
Port  Arthur  are  as  follows: — 

When 
Tonnage,  built.    Owners. 

1,953  1883  N.Y.K. 
1,926  1884 
1,967  1884 
2,978  1887 
2,547  1886 
2,464  1889 
1,781  1879  O.S.  K. 
1,724  1884  Mr.  Ni- 
saburo  Hiromi. 
The  casualties  of  the  third  Block- 
ing Expedition. 


Steamers. 
Totomi  Maru 
Sagami  Maru 
Mikawa  Maru 
Sakura  Maru 
Odaru  Maru  . 
Asagao  Maru 
Aikoku  Maru 
Yedo  Maru.   . 


steamers. 

P 

Missing. 

Severely 
Wounded. 

Slightly 
Wounded, 

Eeturned 
Safe. 

■3 

O 

Totomi  Maru   . 



3    3 

6     6 

18 

Sagami  Maru   . 

1 

23   — 



24 

Mikawa  Maru. 

1 

—     2 

4  11 

18 

Sakura  Maru    . 

1 

19   — 



20 

Odaru  Maru  .  . 



18   — 



18 

Asagao  Maru   , 



18   — 



18 

Aikoku  Maru    . 



8   — 

4  12 

24 

Yedo  Maru.  .   . 

2 

—     1 

3  12 

18 

Grand  total   . 

5 

89    6 

17  41 

158 

Besides  this  total  the  torpedo-boat 
destroyers  Aotaka  and  Hayabusa  had 
each  lost  one  man,  killed.  Among  the 
dead  and  missing  the  following  names 
are  to  be  found: — 

Commanders  Shiraishi,  Nomura, 
Yuasa,  Mukai  and  Takayanagi;  Chief- 
Engineers  Terashima,  Iwase,  Shimizu 
and  Yano ;  Lieutenants  Uchida,  Itoyama, 


WAR  RECORD. 


257 


Kasahara,  Takahashi  and  Yamamoto; 
Engineer  Aoki. 

All  these  have  been  promoted,   and 
their     families      have      been 
pensions     of    from     300    to 
annually. 


granted 


500 


yen 


Further  Operations. 

The    following    further    operations 
have  been  reported. 

THE    SEARCH  FOR  MINES  IN 
TA-YAO-KOU    BAY. 

Yice-Admiral  Kataoka, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Third  Squadron,  who  on 
the  12th  May  was  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Ta-yao- 
kou,  a  bay  adjoining  Ta- 
lien-wan,  reports  as 
follows  : — 

The  Squadron   reached 
off     Ta-yao-kon      on     the 
12th    at   7.45  a.m.,    when 
the  formation  was  changed. 
The  Itsukushima,  Nisshin, 
and    Miyako    carried    out 
a  demonstrative  bombard- 
ment    on    the  land,   while 
the  Second,   Sixth,    Twen- 
tieth,     and      Twenty-first 
torpedo       flotillas       com- 
menced dragging  for  mines. 
The    Twelfth    torpedo 
flotilla      blockaded      Port 
Arthur    on    the    night    of 
the  11th,  and  reaching  ofi* 
Ta-yao-kou    on    the    12th 
at  8.30  a.m.,  at  once  com- 
menced taking  soundings. 
At    the    same     time,     our 
vessels    fired    at    and    dis- 
persed a  company  of  Rus- 
sian     infantry      and      50 
cavalry,    who     had    appeared    in    the 
neighbourhood       of      Mei-yao.         The 
enemy^s    pickets    continued    to    watch 
our  movements,   but  as    they   did    not 
fire  we  safely  finished  the  sounding  at 
3  p.m.    The  torpedo  boats.  No.  47  and 


No.  44,  dragged  for  mines  along  the 
western  coast  inside  Ta-yao-kou,  re- 
connoitring the  enemy's  position  at  the 
same  time.  They  discovered,  however, 
a  telegraph  line  passing  along  the 
north-north-western  foot  of  a  hill,  830 
feet  high,  off  Ta-ku-shan,  whereupon 
Second  Sub-Lieut.  Fumio  Hotta,  ac- 
companied by  four  bluejackets,  landed 
from  a  boat  belonging  to  one  of  the 
torpedo     boats,     and     destroyed     five 


Captain  Takenouchi, 
Commander  of  the  Nisshin. 


telegraph  posts  and  brought  back  the 
w^ires. 

The  natives  of  the  locality  having 
informed  us  that  95  Russians  were  at 
the  foot  of  Ta-ku-shan  hill,  100  (?)  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Sii-chia-shan,  and 


258 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


1,000  further  inland,   we  proceeded  to     it  by  firing  at  it,  the    boat    withdrew 


a  point  2,500  metres  east  of  Mei-yao 
and  bombarded  the  land,  when  some 
200    Russian    infantry    marched    out 


The  Cruiser  Akashi. 


from  between  Sii-chia-shan  and  a  hill 
550  feet  high.  We  awaited  the  ap- 
proach of  the  enemy,  who,  however, 
took  refuge  behind  a  natural  entrench- 
ment several  hundred  metres  from  the 
sea-shore.  Shortly  afterwards,  11 
troopers  appeared  at  a  place  about 
2,000  metres  south-west  of  Mei-yao 
and  w^ere  dispersed  by  our  fire.  We 
sustained  no  loss. 

The    Miyako    proceeded    far     into 
Shan-wan,  and,    having  discovered  the 


a    little    and    again    endeavoured    to 
destroy  it.    While  this  was  being  done, 
at  12.27  p.m.   the   mine    suddenly    ex- 
ploded and 
blew    up   the 
torpedo-boat 
No.    48,    cut- 
ting the  vessel 
in  two.      The 
unfortunate 
vessel  sank  in 
about    7   mi- 
nutes.       The 
warships    im- 
media  tely 
sent      their 
boats    to  the 
rescue,  which, 
acting    in  co- 
opera  tion 
with  the  tor- 
pedo-boats, 
took     in    the 
men  from  the 
sinking  vessel.      It   is  regrettable  that 
the  incident  produced  14  casualties. 

Three  more  mechanical  mines  were 
found  at  points  on  a  straight  line 
between  Hoh-tsui-tsx  and  Sha-to. 

The  Squadron  temporarily  stopped 
operations  at  6  p.m.  and  returned  to 
the  rendezvous.  During  the  operations, 
the  torpedo-boat  flotillas,  under  the 
cover  of  the  warships  and  in  face  of 
danger,  succeeded  in  dragging  for  mines 
and  surveying  the  sea.    Moreover,  they 


enemy's  watch-house  on  a  hill,  800  feet  cleared  off  the  enemy  on  land,  destroyed 
high,  north-west  of  Robinson  Promon-  the  latter's  telegraphs  and  ascertained 
tor}^,  fired  at  and  destroyed  it.      Some 


10  sections  of  the  enemy,  who  had  been 
concealed  behind  the  watch-house,  fled 
in  coufusion. 

The  torpedo-boats  No.  48  and  No. 
49,  while  dragging  for  mines  along  the 
eastern  coast  of  Ta-yao-kou  at  8  a.m. 
di sc o vere d  a  mech anic al  mine  at  a 
point  about  9  chains  south-south-w^est 
one-half  west    of  Hoh-tsui-tsz.      After 


to  some  extent  the  strength  of  the 
enemy's  land  defences.  Yet  it  is  a 
matter  of  deep  regret  that  the  torpedo- 
boat  No.  48  was  sunk  by  a  mechanical 
mine. 

The  casualties  are  as  follows  : — 
Killed,  Second  Sub-Lieutenant  Hideyei 
Kageyama  and  six  men  ;  wounded 
seven  men. 

Yice-Admiral  Kataoka  reports  that 


trying  in  vain  for  some  time  to  destroy     early  on  the  morning  of  the   14th  the 


O 
o 

7^ 


O 

O 

CD 


G 


WAR  RECORD. 


259 


Fifth  Squadron  and  the  Second  Torpedo 
Squadron  proceeded  to  Tayin-kau   and 
under  protection  of  the  fleet's  fire,  sent 
in  the  torpedo  squadron  to  clear  the  bay. 
Although    the    enemy    appeared  to 
have    removed    a    look-out  station   on 
Robinson    Point  he   erected    a  battery 
at  a  height   of  63   feet  on   Ta-ku-shan 
and   mounted  six  field-guns  there.      On 
the    east    oi    the    same   hill  he  built  a 
parapet  capable    of   sheltering  a  com- 
pany and  placed  troops  there.   Through- 
out the  whole  day  he  carried  on  a 
vigorous  defence  from  these  points. 
The  clearing  squadron  was  en- 
gaged throughout  the  day  within 
the  torpedo  mine  area  and  exposed 
to    the  enemy's    fire.       It    did    its 
duty    well,     discovering     and     ex- 
ploding 5  mines,  3  with  guns  and 
2  with  countermines.      The  Japa- 
nese fire  also  caused  some  loss  to 
the  enemy  on  shore. 

But  at  4.35  p.m.  when  the- 
squadron  was  about  to  cease 
work  and  to  proceed  to  the 
rendezvous  a  mine  struck  the 
stern  of  the  Miyako  and  caused 
her  great  injury,  killing  and 
wounding  24  ;  of  whom  2  died,  1 
was  severely  wounded  and  21 
were  slightly  wounded.  The  ship 
sunk  in  23  minutes. 

The  Miyako  was  a  torpedo 
gun-boat  of  1,800  tons.  She  was 
built  in  1897. 

A  report  from  Yice-Admiral 
Kataoka,  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Third  Squadron,  received  at 
the  Imperial  Headquarters  on 
May  16  at  5.35  p.m.,  is  in  sub- 
stance as  follows  :— 

The  Fifth  Fighting  Detachment 
and  Sixth  Torpedo-Boat  Flotilla 
(with  the  exception  of  boat  No. 
56.)  arrived  at  Ta-yao-kou  (Kerr 
Bay)  and  dragged  for  mines,  as 
pre-arranged,  under  the  cover  of  the 
fire  of  our  ships.  The  enemy's  defence 
on  land  had  not  changed    much   from 


yesterday,  though  he  had  two  or 
three  more  field-guns.  He  repeatedly 
attempted  to  obstruct  our  operations 
with  volleys  of  artillery  and  rifle  fire, 
but  our  fleet  and  crews  sustained  no  loss. 
During  the  action  we  discovered 
eight  of  the  enemy's  mechanical  mines, 
which  we  destroyed,  five  of  them  ex- 
ploding. Judging  from  the  position  of 
these  mines  they  appear  to  have  been 
laid  on  three  irregular  lines  ranging 
between     Robinson    Promontory     and 


Commander  Tokouchi, 
Command  KR  of  the  Miyako. 

Sha-to.  We  intend  to  continue  the 
dragging  in  order  to  secure  the  safety 
of  the  sea. 


260 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  "  Hatsuse  "  and  "Yoshino  " 
lost. 


OFFICIAL  REPORTS. 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  a 
statement  issued  by  the  Naval  Depart- 
ment : — 


Captain  Nakao,  Commander  of 
'  THE  Hatsuse. 

The  telegrams  received  at  the 'Im- 
perial Headquarters  from  Admiral  Togo 
concerning  the  disasters  that  have  be- 
fallen the  warships  Hatsuse  and  Yoshino 
are  substantially  as  follows: — 
Telegram  No.  1. 

(Received  on  May  15, 
at   10.05  a.m.) 

It  is  my  painful  duty  for  a  third 
time  to  report  an  unfortunate  disaster. 
According  to  a  wireless  message  re- 
ceived from  Rear-Admiral  Dewa  on 
board  the  Chitose  to-day  at  5  a.m., 
the  third  fighting  detachment,  which 
was  returning  from  Port  Arthur,  where 


it  had  been  engaged  in  blockading  the 
fort,  encountered  a  fog  at  sea  to  the 
north  of  Shantung  Promontory  at  about 
1.40  a.m.  to-day.  The  Kasuga  then 
collided  with  the  Yoshino,  striking  the 
latter  toward  the  stern  on  the  port  side. 
The  Yoshino  rapidly  made  water  and 
sank.  Those  rescued  by  the  boats 
from  the  Kasuga  number  abotit 
90  inchiding  the  Chief  Engineer. 
The  fog  is  reported  to  be  still  dense. 
I  send  this  with  deep  regret. 
Telegram  No.  2. 

(Received  on  May  15, 
at  6  p.m.) 
To-day  is  the  most  unfortunate 
day  for  our  Navy.  I  have  to  re- 
port another  disaster.  The  Hatsu- 
se^ the  Shikishima,  the  Yashima, 
the  Kasagi,  and  the  Tatsuta  were 
keeping  watch  outside  Port  Arthur 
at  about  11  a.m.  to-day,  when  the 
Hatsuse  w^as  struck  by  the  enemy *s 
mine  and  had  its  steering  gear  in- 
jured. The  iJatsu^e  telegraphed  for 
a  tug  boat.  When  preparations 
were  bfeing  made  to  comply  with 
the  request,  the  sad  message  was 
received  froni  the  Shikishima  that 
the  Hatsuse,  being  struck  by  a 
second  mine,  had  sunk.  In  mak- 
ing this  repott,  I  can  only  say 
that  I  am  filled  with  deep  regret. 
I  am  taking  all  possible  measures 
for  limiting  the,  extent  of  the  dis- 
asters. The  fog  in  this  neighbourhood 
has  not  yet  cleared  up. 

,  ,        Telegram  No.  3. 
.,.    ;j  (Received  on  May  15, 

at  10.30  p.m.) 
The  battleship  Shikishima  arrived 
here  just  now  to  report  the  disaster  to 
the  battleship  Hatsuse.  The  whole 
flotilla  of  our  destroyers  and  two  tor- 
pedo-boat fliotillas  left  here  for  Port 
Arthur  at  1.30  p.m.  to-day  with  the 
object  of  rescuing  the  crew  of  the  ill- 
fated  battleship  and  also  of  engaging 
the  enemy's  torpedo-bo9.t  flotilla.  The 
fog  has  not  yet  cleared-  .  ..  . 


WAR  RECORD, 


261 


Telegram  No.  4. 

.':  (Received  on  May  16, 

at  4.37  p.m.) 
The  point  at  which  the  Hatsuse 
struck  the  enemy's  mines  was  about 
10  nautical  miles  to  the  south-east  of 
Lao-tie h-shan.  Considering  the  fact 
that  there  was  no  fog  there  when  the 
disaster  occurred  and  that  no  hostile 
destroyers  were  seen  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, it  is  likely  that  the  enemy  had 
laid  sub-marine  mines  or  utilized  sub- 
marine boats.  The  Hatsuse  was  struck 
twice  at  an  interval  of  about  30 
minutes,  and  then  immediately  sank. 
Fortunately  Rear-Admiral  Nashiba, 
Captain  Nakao  and  300  others  were 
rescued  by  the  Shikishima ,  Yashima^ 
Kasagi,  and  Tatsuta.  When 
the  Hatsuse  was  sinking,  16 
Russian  destroyers  issued  from 
the  harbour  of  Port  Arthur 
and  pursued  us.  Just  then, 
the  Akashi,  Chiyoda,  Akitsu- 
sbimay  Oshima,  Akagi,  TJjij 
and  Takasago  arrived  on  the 
scene,  and  repelled  the  enemy 
by  co-operating  with  the  said 
warships,  and  were  able  to 
effect  the  rescue  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  Hatsuse  disaster. 
The  above  information  has 
been  gathered  from  the  ether- 
ograms,  which  were  very  am- 
biguous, owing  to  the  mingl- 
ing of  messages,  and  from 
oral  reports  made  by  a  second 
sub-lieutenant  on  board  the 
Tatsuta,  who  arrived  here  this 
morning  to  report  on  the 
disaster,  and  by  the  com- 
mander of  a  torpedo-boat 
carried  on  board  the  Yashi- 
ma,  and  other  reports.  The 
fog  has  not  yet  cleared  up  in 
this  vicinity. 

Telegram  No.  5. 

(Received  on  May  18, 
at  12.48  p.m.) 

.  Yesterday  morning  the  fog  cleared 


and  each  squadron  entered  the  port. 
By  their  reports  it  has  now  become 
certain  that  the  Hatsuse  struck  mechan- 
ical mines  laid  by  the  enemy. 


.  [The  Hatsuse  was  a  battleship  of 
15,000  tons  displacement,  with  an 
indicated  horse-power  of  16,300,  and 
a  speed  of  19.11  knots.  Her  armament 
consisted  of  4  12-in.,  14  6-in.,  20  12-pr. 
8  3-pr.,  and  4  2^-pr.  guns  and  she  was 
furnished  with  4  submerged  torpedo 
tubes.  Her  complement  was  741.  The 
ship  was  completed  at  Elswick  in 
1900.  The  Yoshino  was  a  cruiser  of 
4,180  tons  displacement,  with  an  in- 
dicated horsepower  of  15,000  and  a 
speed  of  23  knots.  Her  armament  con- 
sisted of  4  5-in.,  8  4.7-in.,  and  23  3-pr, 


The  Late  Lieut.-Commander  Tsukamoto, 
Staff  Officer  of  the  ist  Squadron. 

guns,  and  she  was  furnished  with  5 
torpedo  tubes.  She  was  completed  at 
Elswick  in  1892.] 


262 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR 


VICTIMS  OF  THE  NAVAL 
DISASTERS. 


^ 


Sub-Lieut.  Ikunosuke  Kobayashi. 
Second  Sub-Lieut.  Shinpei  Sofugawa. 

,,  Genzo  Ichioka. 

The  officers  who  were  killed  through  „  Riichi  Kutsugi. 

the  sinking  of  the  Hatsuse  and   Yoshi-  „  Masaaki  Matsuzaki. 

no  on  the  15th,  May,  are  as  follows :—     Engineer  Lieut.  Michizo  Takenouchi. 

Engineer  Sub- 
Lieut.  Kichijiro 
Shimamura. 
Engineer  Sub^ 
Lieut.     Hitoshi 
Rifu. 
Engineer    Second 
Sub-Lieut. 
Hirochi  Doi. 
Surgeon     Sub- 
Lieut.      Ryohei 
Kusaka. 
Paymaster  Lieut. 
Nabema  Hirose. 


WHERE  THE 

"  HATSUSE  "& 

"YOSHINO" 

WERE  LOST. 


The  Cruiser  Yoshino. 


THE  "  HATSUSE.*' 

Lieut  .-Commander  Zengoro  Tsukamoto. 

Staff  Officer  of  the  First  Squadron. 

Commander  Genkichi  Arimori,   Second 

Commander  of  the  Hatsuse. 
Lieut. -Commander     Viscount      Keiichi 

Nire. 
Sub-Lieut,  Yonekichi  Akiyama. 
Second  Sub-Lieut.  Hirotsuna  Matsubara 

,,  Sadahito   Kobayashi. 

,,  Yokichiro  Imai. 

,,  Chu-ichi   Matsuzaki. 

,,  To-ichi  Sonoda. 

Engineer  Lieut.     Daizo  Yamaga. 

,,  Shigetaka  Yamashita. 

,,  Michihisa  Sato. 

,,  Harue  Mishima. 

Engineer  Sub-Lieut.    Chikanori    O-ichi. 
Surgeon  Sub-Lieut.  Fuminosuke  Seki. 

,,  Shigekichi  Uemiya. 

THE    '*  YOSHINO." 

Captain  Jin  Saegi,   Commander  of  the 

Ship. 
Lieut.-Commander     Ken-ichi     Hirowa- 

tari,  Second  in  Command. 
Lieut.  Kanezo  Takenouchi. 
•  ,,        Hyoichi  Suyematsu.    ■'■     ' 
Kozo  Kurosawa. 


The  depth  of 
the  sea  at  the 
places  where  the  battleship  Hatsuse 
and  the  cruiser  Yoshino  sank  on  the 
15th  inst.,  is  reported  to  be  in  each 
case  32  fathoms. 


Bombardment  of  Eaipiug  and 
Chinchou, 

The  following  report  from  Rear- 
Admiral  Togo  (Commander  of  the 
Third  Squadron),  was  received  at  the 
Imperial  Headquarters  on  May  19th 
at  9.20  p.m:— 

"With  the  Akashi,  Akitsushimaj  Chi- 
yoda ,  Suma ,  Oshima ,  JJjiy  and  the 
Fourteenth  Torpedo-boat  flotilla,  I  left 
a  certain  basis  very  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  15th  inst.,  and  arrived  off 
Port  Arthur  a  little  before  noon.  On 
learning  that  the  Hatsuse  had  struck 
two  of  the  enemy's  mechanical  mines, 
I  despatched  the  Oshima^  Uji  and  the 
torpedo  flotilla  on  their  prearranged 
mission,  and  ordered  the  rest  of  my 
squadron  to  co-operate'  with  the 
Shikishimaj  Yashima^Kasagi^  and  other 
vessels ,  in  repelling  the  enemy *s  de- 
stroyers, which  were  attacking  us,  and 
in  rescuing  the  crew  of  the  Hatsuse. 


WAR  RECORD. 


263 


Towards  dusk,  our 
squadron  proceeded  on 
its  original  mission  and 
entered  theGulf  oiPe-chi- 
li,  arriving  in  the  vicinity 
of  Ta-shan  on  the  16th 
at  noon.  We  then  recon- 
noitred the  coast  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Kaip- 
ing,  and  observing  seme 
Russian  troops  on  shore, 
fired  at  them.  The  enemy 
instantly  fled.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  17th, 
after  dragging  the  sea 
for  mines,  we  entered 
Chinchou  Bay,  and  the 
gunboats  approached 
the  head  of  the  bay. 
They  opened  fire  on  the 
railway  bridges,  a  mili- 
tary train  which  was 
just  passing,  and  on  the 


The  Late  Captain  Saegi,  Commander  of  the  Yoshino. 


enemy's  buildings.  The  bombard- 
ment is  believed  to  have  inflicted 
some  damage   on  the   enemy. 


Rear-Admiral  Togo,  Commander,  of  the 
Third  Squadron. 


Reconnoitring  Port  Arthur 
in  Force. 

The  following  report,  dated 
May  20th,  11.55  p.m.,  from  Vice- 
Admiral  Togo,  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  Combined  Fleet,  has  been 
received  at  the  Imperial  Head- 
quarters : — 

"  At  1  a.m.  on  the  20th  inst.  a 
gunboat  detachment  and  several 
torpedo  and  destroyer  flotillas  press- 
ed close  to  the  harbour  mouth  of 
Port  Arthur,  and  despite  a  severe 
cross  fire  from  the  shore  batteries, 
carried  out  a  reconnaissance  in 
force  till  dawn,  finally  accomplish- 
ing their  mission.  The  gun-boat  de- 
tachment was  struck  by  some  of  the 
enemy's  shells,  but  the  damage  is 
not  serious.  Only  the  destroyer  Ak a- 
tsuki  was  struck  by  a  shell,  which 
unfortunately  killed  Lieutenant 
Naojiro  Suyetsugu,  commander  of 
the  vessel,  and  24?  bluejackets.  All 
the  other  crews  are  safe." 


264 


THE  RUSSGrJAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Latest  Fighting  on  Land. 

The  Occupation  of 

Chin-chou. 


PRELIMINARY  OPERATIONS. 


The    telegraphic    reports    from    the 
C  ommanding    General    of    our    army 


Major -Gener AT,  OcHiAt 


Operating  against  Chin-chou,  received 
by  the  Imperial  Headquarters,  are  in 
substance  as  follows  : — 

THE  enemy's  guns  AT    CHIN-CHOU. 

''"■  (Received    May    21,  forenoon.) 

The  enemy  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Chin-chou  has  shelled  our  army 
occasionally.  At  Nan-shan,  a  hill  near 
Chin-chou,  there  are  mounted  four 
guns  of  over  15  cm.,  10  Canet  guns  of 
9-15  cm.  (old  style),  and  two  quick- 
firing  guns  of  12  cm.  There  are  also 
large  forts  with  field  guns,  but  their 
number  is  not  accurately  known. 
Ten    forts    at    least    are     believed    to 


be  on  the  summit  of  Nan-shan,  and 
the  majority  face  either  north  or 
north-east.  The  north-eastern  base 
of  the  hill  is  protected  by  barbed 
wire  and  mines.  The  number  and 
nature  of  the  enemy's  guns  were  dis- 
closed by  the  enemy's  fire.  Judging 
from  the  fragments  of  shells,  the  enemy 
possesses  10.5  and  8.5  cm.  guns 
of  old  style.  The  range  of  his 
10.5  guns  is  8,500  metres. 
movements  of  our  army. 

(Received  May  22, 
forenoon.) 
Our  army  commenced   opera- 
tions on  the  22nd  inst.,   as  pre- 
arranged. 

FURTHER  movements  OF 
OUR  ARMY. 

(Received  May  23, 
forenoon.) 
Our  army  is  now  advancing 
on  Chin-chou. 

READY  to  attack. 

(Received  May  24, 
forenoon). 
Our  army  assembled    on  the 
23rd  inst.  in  the  rear  of  the  line 
of  battle  atChiu-li-chwang,  Chan- 
chia-tung    and    Chai-tsz-ho.     We 
at  once  ordered  our  staff  ofiicers 
to  reconnoitre  the  enemy  and  they 
will    also    ascertain  the  artillery 
positions  of  the    enemy  and    the 
passages  for  our  army  to  attack, 
from  the  night  of  the  23rd  till  to-mor- 
row. 

THE  enemy's    DEFENCES. 

(Received  May  24,  forenoon.) 
The    results  of  the    reconnaissance 
made    to-day,    the    23rd    inst.,   are    as 
follows  : — 

The  enemy  has  mounted  about 
eight  heavy  guns  facing  the  sea  on 
Ho-shang-tao  on  his  right  wing.  The 
description  of  these  guns  is  unknown. 
Some  of  them  have  been  placed  so  as 
to  fire  north-east  in  the  direction  of  Ma- 
ehia-tung.  There  is  a  big  warehouse  in 
the    ;neighbourhood    of    JLiu-shu-tung. 


WAR  RECORD. 


265 


Along  the  Heights   on  the  eastern  side 
of  Nan-kuan-ling,    a    short    diteh,    ap- 
parently    an     entrenchment     for     the 
enemy's  skirmishers,  has  been  observed. 
The  enemy  has  searchlights  at  Tso-ying, 
Hou-ying,    and    Yang-pa o-ying,     south 
of  Chiu-li-chwang,  by  which  our  camps 
are  lit  up  at  times.    Judging  from  the 
fragments    of   the    shells,    the    enemy 
possesses  20-c.m.  gnns,    15-c.m.    short 
Canets,      10.5-c.m.      Canets,     8.6-c.m. 
Canets,  7.6-c.m,  Canets,  etc.     The   gun 
at  Hsii-chia-shan  which   fired    at    our 
scouting  officers  to-day  was   of   9  c.m. 
calibre    and    is    for    curved    fire.      The 
enemy    has    laid    wire    entanglements 
from  Yen-chia-tung  on  the  east  of  Nan- 
shan,   to   a  point  about   1,000  metres 
north-east      of    Liu-chia-tung,   passing 
along  the  northern  foot    of  the  moun- 
tain   and    bending  to    the  north-west. 
To  the  left  of  that  point  no  defensive 
works  have   been   observed.       A   small 
number  of  infantry  and    artillery    still 
guard  Chin-chou. 

NAVAL   CO-OPERATION. 

(ReceivedMay  25, 
forenoon.) 
I  have  received  a  re- 
port from  the  Squadron 
that  it  will  attack  Nan- 
shan,  south  of  Chin-chou, 
in  co-operation  with  the 
attack  of  our  army  to- 
morrow (the  25th). 

ATTACK  ON   CHIN-CHOU 

AND 

NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

(Received  May  26th, 
forenoon.) 
To-day,  the  25th  inst., 
our  force,  as  pre-arrang- 
ed, advanced  its  first  line 
of  battle  to  Lung-wang- 
miao,  San  -  li  -  chwang, 
Chen-chia-tien,  and  Wang- 
chia-tung.  From  5.30  to 
9  a.m.  we  attacked  Chin- 
chou  and  engaged  in  an  artillery  duel 
with  the  enemy  stationed  on  Nan-shan. 


The  condition  of  the  enemy  at 
Chin-chou  and  neighbourhood  is  un- 
changed. The  Russian  artillery  has 
poured  a  heavy  indirect  fire  at  us  and 
is  still  firing  occasionally,  but  no  serious 
damage  has  been  done.  Our  force  is 
to  resume  the  attack  on  the  enemy  at 
Chin-chou  and  Nan-shan  to-morrow 
morning. 

The  detachment  of  our  fleet,  which 
is  to  bombard  Chin-chou  and  neigh- 
bourhood in  co-operation  with  the 
land  attack,  did  not  arrive  to-day. 

CHIN-CHOU     OCCUPIED. 

(Received  May  26, 

afternoon.) 
An  artillery  duel  has  been  fought 
which  lasted  for  about  £.ve  hours, 
from  early  morning  on  the  26th  inst. 
In  the  meantime  three  of  our  war- 
vessels  co-operated  with  us  from  Chin- 
chou  bay,  while  a  Russian  gunboat 
fired  at  our  left  flank  from  Ta-lien-wan, 
Exchange    of    gun    fire   is    still    at    its 


Major-General  NakamurA. 
Infantry  Brigade  Commander  of  the  ist  Division. 


height.    Chin-chou   fell  into  our  hands 
at  5.20  a.m. 


266^ 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


NAN-SHAN  OCCUPIED. 

(Received' May  27,  4  a.m.) 

After  a  severe  engagement  on  the 

26tli,  our  army  succeeded  in  occupying 


C0IX)NEL  HyODO, 

Artillery  Regiment  Commander  of  the 
1ST  Division. 

Nan-shan,    and   is   now   pursuing   the 
fleeing  enemy. 

FURTHER  DETAILS. 

(Received  May  27,  afternoon.) 
The  army ,  after  occupyi ng  C hin- 
chow  to-day  (26th)  at  5.20  a.m., 
attacked  the  enemy  at  Nan-shan.  The 
Russian  guns  in  the  uncovered  forts 
were  silenced  and  Nan-shan  was  then 
occupied  at  7  p.m.  The  enemy  had 
dug  several  row^s  of  trenches  around 
the  forts  at  Nan-shan  and  the  auxiliary- 
defence  works  were  fortified  by  modern 
arms.  The  ./Russians '  offered  an 
obstinate  .  resistance,  making  our  re- 
peated charges  ineffective.  But  finally 
they  gave  way  to  a  fierce  charge  made 
on    them    by    our    troops    at  about  3 


p.m.,  and  abandoned  their  camp, 
retreating  in  the  direction  of  Nan-kuan-* 
ling.  The  station  building  at  Ta-fang- 
shan,  a  part  of  Chin-chou,  was  blown 
up  with  subterranean  mines  by  the 
Russians. 

It  should  be  particularly  recorded 
that  our  officers  and  men  have  shoWn 
extraordinary  bravery  in  fighting  16 
hours  to-day,  and  ■  attacking  the 
enemy's  camp  in  facfe  of  a  severe  fire. 

In  this  battle  four  warships  of  our 
fleet  co-operated  with  the  land  forces 
and  gave  the  latter  great  assistance 
in  carrying  out  the  attack  on  the 
enemy's  forts. 

-      THE  NAVAL  CO-OPERATION". 

The  following  report  from  Admiral 
Togo  was  received  at  the  Imperial  Head- 
quarters on  May  27th  at  1.45  p.m.: — 

"  According  to  a  wireless  message 
from    Commander    Nishiyama    of   the 
naval  detachment  (including  the  Tsuktt- 
shi,    Heien,    Akagi,    Chokai,    and    the 
first  torpedo-boat  flotilla),  whichisnow 
returning  to  the  base,  the   detachment 
reached  Chin-chou  Bay  the   day  before 
yesterday   (the  25th)     at  6    p.m.   and 
bombarded    the    enemy's  forts    on  the 
heights  of  Su-chia-tung  from  very  early 
on  the  26th,  in  co-operation  with  the 
second  army.    The  Akagi  and  Chokai, 
availing     themselves     of     their     light 
draught,  engaged  the  enemy  the  whole 
day.      At    11    a.m.    the    enemy's  force 
retired    from    the    elevation  of  Su-chia- 
tung,  but  they  continued  firing  from  a 
position    in    the    rear.      Our  army  did 
not  approach    the  enemy's  forts  until 
dusk,  and  at  8  p.m.    our  troops  were 
seen    to   occupy  them.    The  casualties 
on  our  side  were    10,    including    Com- 
mander   Mineo   Hayashi,   commanding 
the  Chokai^  killed.     The  ships  sustained 
no  loss  worthy  of  mention. 


Battle  of  Nan-shan. 

The  following  report  from  General 
Oku  reached  the  Imperial  Head- 
quarters May  28th  :— 


WAR  RECORD. 


267 


'  •  As  previously  arranged  our  army 
opened  the  attack  on  the  enemy's 
position  at  Nan-shan,  the  defence  -works 
on  the  top  of  which  were  partly  tem- 
porary and  partly 
permanent,  and  pro- 
vided with  50  guns 
of  various  calibres, 
in  addition  to  which 
the  enemy  possessed 
2  batteries  of  quick- 
firing  guns.  The 
defence  was  well  ar- 
ranged and  the 
enemy's  infantry 

Avere       disposed      in 
double        or       triple 
stages    of    entrench- 
ments      with       em- 
brasures and  shelters, 
and       the      machine 
guns     were      posted 
at   points   of  impor- 
tance between  them. 
Our    army     brought 
the    whole    of    their 
field-guns  into  action 
against    the    enemy, 
and  kept  up  a  con- 
tinuous fire  until,   about   11   a.m.,   the 
enemy's   main   batteries  were  silenced, 
their     quick     firing     batteries     having 
already  before  that  tinie  retired  to  the 
eminence   of  Nan-kuan-ling  from  which 
they    continued  to  fire  until  nightfall. 
After  silencing  the  main   batteries,  our 
artillery    concentrated  its    fire    on    the 
enemy's    trenches,    while    our    infantry 
advanced  within  range    and    began    a 
vigorous  fire  on  the  enemy,  advancing 
to  within  400  or  500  m.  of  their  front 
line.     Their  path  was  blocked   by  wire 
entanglements,     mines ,    and    trenches, 
and    the    intensity    of  the    enemy's  in- 
fantry  never  ceased  :    but   in  spite  of 
these  difficulties  our  men  advanced  to 
within  200  m.  of  the  enemy's  line  and 
made    several    rushes    on    the    spaces 
between  the  obstacles,  but  in  vain  :— 
every  officer  and  man  was  killed  before 


getting  within  20  or  30  m.  of  the  line 
of  defence.  Thereupon  our  artillery 
again  opened  fire  and  kept  up  a  con- 
tinued and  concentrated  fire   upon   the 


The  Gun-boat  Heien. 

enemy,  which  enabled  the  infantry  to 
make  another  and  final  assault  on  the 
enemy,  and  by  forcing  an  entrance  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet  to  capture 
the  height. 

During  the  day,  our  four  gun-boats 
in  Chin-chou  Bay  cooperated  with  the 
land  forces  and  fired  upon  the  enemy's 
forts,  while  a  Russian  gun-boat  in  Ta- 
lien-wan  bombarded  our  left  wing.  We 
were  fortunate  enough  to  find  the  wire 
connecting  with  a  mine  at  the  eastern 
foot  of  Nan-shan,  w^hich  we  cut  and 
thereby  prevented  the  explosion. 

The  enemy  left  behind  them  about 
400  dead  in  trenches  and  other  places. 
All  the  guns  disposed  on  entrenchments 
and  forts  were  captured  by  our  Army. 

OCCUPATION   OF  NAN-KUAN-LING. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  May, 
at  10.30  a.m.,   otn-  army  despatched  a 


268 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


detachment  (consisting  of  infantry, 
artillery,  and  engineers)  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major-General  Nakamura 
and  occupied  Nan-kuan-Iing,  while, the 
main  force  encamped  in  several  villages 
around  Nan-shan  in  the  evening  and 
made  necessary  dispositions.  The  army 
^?vill  take  up  the  position  previously 
fixed  upon,  as  soon  as  its  preparations 
are  finished. 

The  enemy  retreated  in  the  direction 
of  Port  Arthur  and  a  portion  of  them, 
which  had  been  guarding  the  station 
of  San-shih-li-pao  (northwest  of  Dalny) 
burnt  the  station  this  morning  and  re- 
treated in  the  same  direction. 

The  principal  spoils  obtained  in  the 
battle  of  the  26th  were  about  50  guns 
of  large  and  small  calibres  ;  and  the 
dead,  which  the  enemy  left  behind 
them,  were  about  400.  The  number 
of  dead  and  wounded  on  our  side 
were  about  3000. 


The  Details  of  the  Assistance 

rendered  by  the  Fleet  to  the 

Army  in  the  Attack  on 

Nan-kuan-ling. 

The  detailed  official  report  fi-om 
Vice-Admiral  Togo  in  this  respect  is  as 
follows  : — 

"  At  noon  of  April  25th  a  De- 
tachment arrived  at  the  Chin-chou 
Bay,  but  on  account  of  high  waves 
then  prevailing  it  took  refiige  at  a 
certain  place  without  attacking  the 
Su-chia-tung  Forts  on  that  day.  From 
5  the  next  morning,  the  weather  gradu- 
ally became  calm.  As  the  Second  Army 
had  already  commenced  cannonading 
from  dawn,  the  Akagi,  the  Chokai 
and  the  No.  I  Flotilla  approached  the 
shore  at  6  a.m.,  despite  of  the  ebb- 
tide   and    engaged    in    attacking    the 


enemy's    forts.      In    the    early    part   of 
this  attack,  one  of  the    enemy's  shots 
passed    against    the  forecastle    of  the 
Chokai,  wounding    Lieut.      Kono  and 
two  blue-jackets  and  killing  two  other 
men.    A  8  a.m.,  it  being  seen  from  the 
sea  that  the  Forts  were  silenced  fol-  the 
present,   our  cannonading  v\ras  discon-? 
tinned.      Then,    a    part    of  the    No.    I 
Flotilla  cannonaded  the  railroad  near 
the  Shoohe  River  whilst  the  other  part 
availing  itself  of  the  ebb-tide  sounded 
the  neighbouring  sea,  and  leading  the 
Tsukushi  and  the  Heiyen  toward  the 
shore  engaged  in  covering  a  portion  of 
the  right  wing  of  our  Army  who  -were, 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  fire,   wading 
through   the    shallow    water.      At    10 
a.m.,  the  whole  Detachment  again  can- 
nonaded   the    enemy's    Forts    with  its 
full    force.      At    11    a.m.,    the    enemy 
retreated    and  as   our  Army  appeared 
already  occupying  the  place  belo-\v  the 
hilly  part  of  Su-chia-tung,  the  Detach- 
ment   stopped    fire.     As    the    sea    now 
began  to    ebb,    the  Tsukushi  and    the 
Heiyen  had  gradually  to  withdraw  to 
the  sea,  -while  the  Akagi  and  the  Chokai 
and  part  of  the  torpedo-boats  Flotilla 
remained  w^here  they  were  and  watch- 
ed the  enemy.     Meanwhile,  the  Flotilla 
communicated  with  the  right  wing  of 
our  Army  and  though  the  enemy  had 
now    evacuted    Su  -  chia  -  tung,    deemed 
it  necessary    to    attack  their  quarters 
about    Nan-kuan-ling.    For    this    pur- 
pose,  the  Akagi  and  Chokai    at    once 
began  cannonading.      During   this    at- 
tack,  one  of  the  enemys  shells  exploded 
at   the    side    of  a   gun    on    board  the 
Chokai,    killing     Commanding     ofiicer 
Hayashi  and  injuring  2nd  Class  Lieut. 
Sato  with  three  men.    But  no  damage 
was  inflicted  on  the  hull.      The   other 
ships    were    also    safe.    At    1.30    p.m., 
the  Detachment  stopped  fire   and  put 
back  to  the  general  rendez-vous. 


WAR  TIME-  ANECDOTES. 


269 


War  Time  Anecdotes. 


The  Late  Commander  Hirose. 

!  E  have  already  devoted 
about  two  pages  for  the 
late  Commander  Hirose's 
heroic  deeds  but  we  here 
again  quote  a  very  in- 
teresting letter  written  by  Captain 
Yashiro,  one  of  the  late  gallant  officer's 
intimate  friends  to  the  Editor  of  the 
Nichi-Nichi.  The  followoing  is  an  ex- 
tract from  the  letter  : — 

I  first  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Hirose  in  1888  at  Etajima,  when  he 
came  to  my  house  in  which  a  small 
jujutsu  gymnasium  had  been  improvised. 
He  was  then  tw^enty  years  old  and  a 
student  of  the  Naval  College  at  Eta- 
jima. He  came  every  Sunday  to  the 
gymnasium,  and  we  became  very  in- 
timate friends. 

I  returned  from  Vladivostok  in 
1891  and  found  hiin  studying  the 
Russian  language.  It  was  the  summer 
vacation,  and  he  attended  Prof.  Kano's 
jujutsu  gymnasium  every  morning  and 
studied  Russian  every  afternoon  from 
1  to  5.  I  had  had  a  high  opinion  of 
my  own  energies,  but  Hirose's  energies 
and  enthusiasm  in  prosecuting  his 
studies  surprised  me. 

In   January,    1896,   I  -went    to   St. 
Petersburg    as    naval   attache  to    the 
legation,  and  was  joined  the  next  year 
by  Hirose,  as    student.      We    occupied 
the  same  rooms  and  spent  hours  in  the 
discussion  of  Jujutsu,  tactics,  and  famous 
heroes.     This  state  of  things,  however, 
being   injurious    to     his    study    of    the 
Russian    language,    I    caused    him     to 
occupy    a  room  on  the  fifth  story  and 
to  come  down  to  my  room  for  dinner, 
when  we  conversed  in  Japanese  for  an 
hour.      In   those   days   he  studied  labo- 
riously and  seldom  went  to  bed  before 
3  a.m. 


About  that  time,  his  grandmother 
died,  and  he  was  so  deeply  affected  by 
the  incident  that  he  came  down  every 
morning  with  red  eyes,  showing  that 
he  had  v^ept  overnight,  and  v^ould  not 
even  talk.  For  ten  days  he  brooded 
and  wept,  and  at  last  contracted  eye 
disease.  I  rebuked  him,  saying  that 
his  eyes  were  needed  for  his  country. 
He  at  once  straightened  up  and  his 
eyes  were  shortly  cured. 

We  were  once  entertained  at  a 
dinner  by  the  governess  in  whose  house 
we  were  lodging.  The  hostess  was 
talking  about  the  Imperial  Household 
of  Japan  and  made  use  of  a  word 
which,  though  quite  common  to  Rus- 
sians, sounded  very  irreverent.  Hirose, 
who  was  always  very  polite  to  ladies, 
was  greatly  offended.  His  ej^es  flashed 
and  to  avert  a  scene  the  hostess  with- 
drew the  objectionable  word.  Hirose, 
however,  afterwards  proposed  a  change 
of  lodging,  and  I  consented,  as  I  knew 
his  character  too  well  to  persuade  him 
to  stay  longer  at  that  house. 

In  winter  he  applied  himself  to 
skating,  in  which  he  became  so  expert 
that  even  the  Russians  could  not  help 
admiring  his  skill. 

I  once  introduced  him  to  a  family 
having  a  great  number  of  children,  as 
he  was  very  fond  of  the  latter.  The 
manner  in  which  he  would  make  friends 
with  children  was  wonderful.  In  fact, 
he  was  a  very  kind-hearted  man,  and 
gave  away  the  whole  of  his  allowance, 
so  that  he  was  always  poor. 

His  temper  was  always  violently 
aroused  when  he  saw  an  act  of  in- 
justice being  committed,  and  he  often 
complained  of  the  cruelty  that  the 
lodging-house  keeper  inflicted  on  the 
domestics.  He  was  also  indignant  at 
the  Russian  nobility  for  oppressing  the 
lower  classes.    Whenever  I  entertained 


270 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


any  Russians  at  dinner,  I  took  Hirose 
with  me,  for  he  was  very  clever  in 
pleasing  the  guests. 

Before  starting  on  the  perilous  ex- 
pedition to  Port  Arthur,  he  gave  me 
his  binoculars  as  a  souvenir.  To  me, 
he  seems  not  to  be  dead. 


Lieut.-Commander  Shiraishi. 

This    gallant    officer   distinguished 
himself  greatly  in  the  memorable   at- 


head     that 


Lieut.-Commander  Shiraishi. 

tack  under  Commander  Hattori  upon 
the  Taku  Forts.  In  that  attack  which 
was  a  joint  operation  undertaken  by 
Foreign  and  Japanese  troops  acting 
together,  the  Foreign  troops  had  been 
put  in  the  front  of  the  attack  with 
the  Japanese  to  support  them  in  the 
rear.  But  Lieutenan  i:  Shiraishi  became 
impatient  at  the  slow  advance  of  the 
European  contingents,  and  pushing 
his  own  men  vigorously  forward  suc- 
ceeded in  storming  the  Taku  Forts  and 
there  planting  the  flag  of  Japan  as 
the  leader  of  the  rest!  This  exploit 
got  him  the   name  of  the  "wild"  of- 


ficer,   and   it   was   a   common   saying 
that   whatever   might    be  the  circum- 
stance,   in    w^hich    he     found    himself, 
Shiraishi  w^as  bound  to  be  first.   Sports, 
boat-races,  jujutsu,  whatever  he  did  he 
did  with  all  his  might.      But   one  day, 
during  the  Boxer  campaign,  his  energy 
got  him  into  trouble,  for  one  day  as  he 
was  going  on  his  rounds  he  caught  a 
sentry   asleep   at   his   post    and    gave 
him    such    a    vigorous    blow    on   the 
the     man    died    from    its 
effects.      For   this  he  was 
court-martialled,    and    dis- 
missed   irom    the    service; 
but  received  a  pardon  from 
the    Emperor    and   restitu- 
tion   to    his    rank    on    the 
ground    of    his    character 
and  services. 

He  was  a  married  man. 
His  wife  who  is  now  25 
years  old,  is  the  daughter 
of  a  gentleman  of  the  name 
of  Shimidzu,  an  old  re- 
tainer of  the  Shogun's,  and 
a  strict  upholder  of  the 
ancient  Bushido  discipline. 
When  Shiraishi  was 
restored  to  his  rank,  he 
was  sent  for  a  w^hile  to 
the  Naval  Academy  in  To- 
kyo, on  leaving  which  last 
year  for  a  sea  post  he 
told  his  wife  that  the  1904 
Avould  be  his  last.  This  was  probably 
said  with  reference  to  the  war  which 
was  even  then  anticipated;  for  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  hostilities  he  told  his 
friends  that  his  life,  which  had  been  freely 
restored  to  him  by  the  clemency  of  the 
Emperor,  was  no  longer  his  own  and 
that  he  would  deem  it  an  honour 
to  sacrifice  it  on  the  field  of  battle. 
He  commanded  the  Sakura  Mara 
during  the  third  blocking  operations 
at  Port  Arthur,  and  has  ever  since 
been  missing.  It  is  concluded  that  he 
died  fighting  to  the  last. 

He   leaves    behind    him    one    little 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


271 


boy,  whom  his  widow  will  bring  up 
in  the  strict  Bushido  principles  that 
have  always  prevailed  in  her  family. 


One  Touch  of  Pity  makes  the 
Whole  World  Kin. 

A  very  touching  story  comes  from 
our  army  in  Manchuria.  After  the  battle 
of  ChiU'licn-cheng ,  w^hen  the  Russians 
were  in  full  retreat,  and  our  men  w^ere 
pressing  forward  to  occupy  the  heights 
which  the  enemy  had  abandoned.  Sub- 
Lieutenant  Inouye  found  under  a  heap 
of  dead  soldiers,  a  Russian  officer,  ap- 
parently a  captain,  still  alive,  though 
mortally  wounded  and  tormented  by 
a  burning  thrist  which  he  was  trying 
to  slake  by  sucking  the  blood  which 
trickled  down  his  face  from  a  w^ound 
in  the  head.  Inouye  at  once  went  to 
him,  spoke  to  him  kindly  in  Russian; 
and  gave  him  a  drink  of  water  out  of 
his  flask.  The  Russian  tried  to  thank 
him,  but  he  had  no  words.  All  that 
he  could  do  was  to  unbuckle  his 
sword,   and  take  out  of  his  bosom  a 


sword,  saying  that  he  could  not  de- 
prive a  bushi  of  his  soul.*  He  then 
hurried  on  to  catch  up  his  company, 
but  not  before  he  had  seen  the  poor 
Russian  bushi  breathe  his  last. 


The  Late  Lieut.  Eano. 

This  gallant  officer  was  killed  in 
the  engagement  at  Cheng-ju,  of  which 
an  account  will  be  found  in  another 
paragraph.  He  was  anative  of  Tottori 
Prefecture,  and  after  graduating  from 
the  Military  College,  was  promoted 
Sub-Lieutenant  in  the  1st  Regiment  of 
Imperial  Horse  Guards,  his  next  step, 
to  full  Lieutenant  follovring  a  few 
years  later.  When  his  Regiment  was 
ordered  to  the  front,  he  found  it  im- 
possible to  pay  his  parents  a  farewell 
visit,  but  wrote  a  touching  and  manly 
farewell  letter.  His  father  however 
was  determined  to  see  his  son  before 
setting  out  and  contrived  to  pay  him 
a  visit  in  Tokyo,  for  which  the  Lieut- 
enant was  deepl  y  grateful .  Father 
and   son   then    parted,    fully   prepared 


"My  brave  fellow,  you're  not  an  enemy  but  a  friend." 


photograph  of  his  family,  and  to 
offer  these  to  his  benefactor  as  a  mute 
token  of  his  gratitude.  Inouye  took 
the    photograph,    but     returned    the 


never  to  meet  again,  for  the  Lieutenant 

*  The  Japanese  proverb  says  that   "  The 
sword  is  the  soul  of  the  biLshij  or  warrior." 


272 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


knew  that  he  would  be  sent  forward  on 
difficult  and  dangerous  out-post  and 
scouting  from  which  it  was  very 
improbable  that  he  would  return  alive. 
A  photograph  of  himself  and  a  short 


The  Late  Lieutenant  Kano. 

note  of  farewell  from  Hiroshima  were 
the  last  message  that  the  parents 
received  from  their  brave  son.  *'The 
Samurai's  soul  is  his  sword." 


Captain  Shiina's  Last  Speech. 

During  the  short  interval  of  one 
hour  which  the  Russian  warships  allow- 
ed to  the  Japanese  on  board  the 
Kinsbu  Mam  to  decide  whether  they 
would  surrender  or  not,  Captain  Shiina 
first  collected  the  merchants  and  coolies 
on  board,  and  sent  them  to  the  enemy, 
and  then  went  down  in  the  hold  where 
he  spoke  to  his  soldiers  in  the  follow- 
ing words: — 

*'My  brave'  soldiers,  our  ship  is 
now  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy  and 
is  irrevocably  doomed ;  for  though 
Second- Commander  Mizoguchi  has 
gone  to  the  enemy's  ship  with  the 
intent   of  rescuing   us,    we   may  ■  rest 


assured  that  the  enemy  will  by  no. 
means  release  either  us  or  the  ship, 
and  Commander  Mizoguchi's  self-sacri- 
ficing action  will  result  only  in  the 
rescue  of  our  non-combatant  fellow- 
passengers.  For  us,  there  remains  noth- 
ing but  to  fight  and  die  on  board  and 
to  face  death  with  a  deep  regret  that 
will  burn  in  us  forever,  with  one  only 
consolation  in  the  thought  that  the 
same  fate  is  awaiting  the  enemy's 
ships  for  they  are  indeed  like  feathers 
in  the  wind  before  our  victorious  war- 
ships. The  moment  for  us  to  fight 
and  die  will  be  when  the  enemy  open 
fire  upon  us,  and  it  is  then  that  we 
shall  show  them  w^hat  manner  of  men 
we  Japanese  soldiers  are.  My  brave 
soldiers,  wait  calmly  here  in  the  hold 
till  I  give  you  my  last  order.  It  any 
one  of  you  should  happen  to  survive 
this  day,  I  ask  him  to  report  all  about 
our  end  to  our  people  at  home." 

With  these  words,  the  Captain 
went  up  to  the  deck  again,  and  hard- 
ly another  moment  passed  before  he 
gave  his  last  order  to  his  men. 


Sergeant-Major  Washi. 

This  brave  non  -  commissioned 
officer,  a  Sergeant-Major  in  the  37th 
Regiment  of  Infantry,  was  one  of  the 
heroes  of  the  Kinshu  Mam,  dying  by 
his  own  hand  on  the  deck  of  that  ill- 
fated  vessel,  when  it  was  clear  that 
there  was  no  alternative  but  surrender. 
He  had  in  his  younger  days  been  a 
Buddhist  priest,  and  rector  of  the 
Gwanryuji  Temple  in  his  native  town 
of  Osaka  ;  but,  determining  to  embrace 
a  military  carer,  he  entered  the  Kyo- 
dodan  (Training  School  for  N.C.O's) 
in  1893  and  in  due  course  entered  upon 
his  new  profession.  He  took-with  him 
however  many  traces  of  his  early 
studies.  He  was  a  quiet,  silent  man 
of  irreproachable  morals,  fond  of  an 
occasional  social  cup,  but  temperate 
and  frugal.  He  was  devoted  to  his 
step-mother,  to  whom  he  sent  the  whole 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


273 


"  Let  us  fight  to  the  Last." 


of  his  salary,  and  to  whom,  on 
going  to  the  front,  he  entrusted 
the  care  of  his  wife  and  younger 
sister  with    whom  he    had  till 
then  been  living  in  the  eastern 
district  of  Osaka.     Before  leav- 
ing   Japan    last    February    for 
Gensan  in  Korea  when  he  was 
to    be   stationed    on    garrison 
duty,  he  went  to  visit  his  step- 
mother  at  the    little  village  of 
Otamura  near  Osaka  for  a  last 
farewell.     Here,  quite   contrary 
to   the    usual    frugality    of   his 
daily  life,  he  gave  an  elaborate 
feast  to   which    he  invited  his 
step-mother  and    the    principal 
villagers ;  and  when  they  remon- 
strated with  him  on   his  extra- 
vagance he  smiled,  and  showing 
them  a  roll  of  cloth  told  them 
that  it  was  his    winding-sheet 
which  he  had  already  prepared 
in  case  of  need  on  the  battle- 
field, and  commending  his  step- 
mother and  family  to  their  care, 
bade  them  a  solemn  farewell. 


The  Late  Lieutenant  Matsudaira. 


274 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  news  of  his  death  deeply- 
affected  the  village,  and  a  solemn 
requiem  service  was  held  in  his  memory 
at  the  expense  of  the  community. 


Chief-Engineer  Iwase. 


This  gallant  oiEcer  has  been  miss- 
ing since  the  third  attempt  to  block 
Port  Arthur,  on  which  occasion  he 
was  serving  on  board  the  Otaru  Mara, 

Born  near  Shizuoka  in  1877,  he 
fall  in  the  hotly  con-     early  lost  his    parents,  and    owed  his 


Lieutenant  Matsudaira. 


The  first  to 
tested  assault  upon  Chiu-lien-cheng  was 
lyieutenant  Matsudaira,  the  brother  of 
the  Viscount  of  the  same  name.  A 
descendant  of  the  great  Tokugawa 
Shogun  lyeyasu,  and  a  grandson  of 
Eekko,  the  Prince  of  Mito,  he  was 
educated  at  the  Peers*  School  before 
taking  up  his  professional  studies. 
Whilst  at  the  Peers'  School  he  had 
the  honour  to  be  selected  as  one  of 
the  "school  friends"  of  H.  I.  H.  the 
Crown  Prince,  a  friendship  which  His 
Highness  took  especial  pains 
to  emphasize  some  years  ago 
during  the  manoeuvres  near  his 
Villa  at  Numadzu.  Lieutenant 
Matsudaira  finished  his  course 
at  the  Military  College  in 
1899,  so  that  his  promotion 
to  a  Lieutenancy  was  rapid.  On 
his  way  to  the  front  this  spring, 
he  composed  two  poems,  which 
we  here  reproduce. 

(1)    *'  For  my  dear  lord  I  fain 
would  offer  up 
Body  and  soul,   though, 

in  the  offering  up, 
Body  and  soul,  like  petals 

of  pluck'd  flowers, 
Should  fall  and  perish."... 
**Dear    to     our     hearts 
Yamato's      cherry- 
bloom, 
Dear  in  its  bloom,  dear 

likewise  in  its  fall, 
But    oh!    the    weariness 

to  wait  till  Spring 
Blow    on    the    tree    and 
make  the  petals  fall ! " 


education  to  the  devotion  of  an  elder 
sister  who  supported  him  at  school 
and  college  by  her  skill  and  industry 
in  spinning  and  weaving. 

Iwase  was  wonderfully  fond  of  child- 
ren, and  a  pretty  story  is  told  of  his 
once  making  friends  with  a  little  boy 
whom  he  met  on  the  train  going  to 
Yokosuka,  and  whose  heart  he  after- 
wards completely  won  by  taking  him 
over  the  Yashima  on  which  he  was 
then  serving.       The  boy  never  forgot 


(2) 


Chief-Engineer  Iwase  explaining  a  little  bov 
some  parts  of  the  engine. 


-i 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


275 


his    kind    friend,    and    -when    the    wslt 
br.ke  out  he  sent  Mr.  Iwase  a  present 
of    some    canned  vegetables, 
which  he  thought  would  be 
very    acceptable   to    him    as 
he     had     heard    that     vege- 
tables were  scarce  on  board 
the    men-of-war.     The    pre- 
sent reached  the  Fleet  shortly 
before     the      expedition       a- 
gainst     Port     Arthur     took 
place,  but  Iwase,   in  spite  of 
all    the     excitement     of    the 
moment,    found    time  to  sit 
down    and  write  the   boy   a 
long  letter,  thanking  him  for 
his   present,    and  alluding  in 
touching    terms     to     the   un- 
certain   issue    of  the   expedi- 
tion on  which  he  was  about 
to   embark. 

The  next  thing  the  warm- 
hearted boy  heard  about  his 
friend    was   that    he   was  a- 
mong   the   missing    after   the    engage- 
ment, and  that  he  had    been  decorat- 
ed   with   the     order     of     the     Golden 
Kite. 


on    Capt.    Arai,    Commander    of    the 
t.b.d.  flotilla.     Though  a  non-combat- 


A  brave  boy. 

Kano  Kichitaro  is  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  is  serving  on  board  the  t.b.d. 
Shirakumo  as  a  servant  in  attendance 


"  I   WIIX  SERVE  THE  COUNTRY   WITH 
THIS    SWORD." 

ant,  he  was  determined  to  have  his 
share  of  the  honour  and  glory  of  fight- 
ing for  his  country,  so  he  procured  an 
old  sword,  which  he  sharpened  himself, 
as  he  had  not  money  enough  to  pay 
for  having  it  properly  sharpened,  and 
took  with  him  to  the  battle.  Thus 
armed,  he  fought  through  the  whole 
of  the  engagement.  He  is  the  son  oi 
a  photographer  at  Yokosuka. 


276 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


General  News- 


Prince  Yi  Chi-yong. 

Prince  Yi  Clii-yoiig,  the  Korean 
Special  Envoy  to  Japan,  and  suite 
arrived  at  Tokyo  April  22  at  3.14 
p.m.  and  were  received  at  Shimbashi 
station  by  Mr.  H.  Furuya,  represent- 
ing Marquis  Ito,  Baron  Hanabusa, 
Yice-Minister  of  the  Imperial  House- 
hold, Mr.  Chinda,  Yice-Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Mr.  Cho,  Korean 
Minister,  members  of  the  Korean 
Legation,  Mr.  Yi  Yong-ik,  Mr.  Ozaki, 
Mayor  of  Tokyo,  and  several  other 
Japanese  and  Korean  dignitaries.  The 
party  at  once  drove  to  the  Seiyorken, 
Uyeno ,  which  has  been  selected  as 
their  residence. 

The  following  is  a  brief  sketch  of 
his  life.  Mr,  Yi  Chi-yong  is  the  great- 
grandson  of  the  late  Prince  Heung-in, 
uncle  of  the  present  Emperor,  and  is 
35  years  old.  He  is  said  to  be  a  man 
of  strong  character,  and  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  men  of  Korea.  On 
the  conclusion  of  the  China-Japanese 
War,  nine  years  ago,  he  visited  Japan 
and  since  then  he  has  urged  an  alliance 
between  the  two  countries.  As  For- 
eign Minister,  Mr.  Yi  Chi-yong  render- 
ed very  important  services  in  the  recent 
conclusion  of  the  Japanese  -  Korean 
Agreement.  He  began  his  official  career 
as  the  governor  of  a  province,  and  he 
next  entered  the  Cabinet  as  acting 
Minister  of  War,  and  was  then  ap- 
pointed acting  Minister  of  the  Imperial 
Household  and  also  of  Foreign  -Affairs. 
Recently  he  resigned  the  portfolio  of 
the  Foreign  Office,  and  now  holds  that 
of  Justice,  in  addition  to  the  command 
of  the  gendarmes.  He  has  the  Court 
rank  of  the  senior  second  grade  and 
the  first  class  order  of  merit. 

Prince   Yi   Chi-yong    accompanied 
by   Mr.    Cho   Min-hwi,    Korean   Min- 


ister to  Japan,  proceeded  to  the  Palace 
shortly  before  noon  on  the  25th  and 
was  received  in  audience  by  the  T.I.M. 
the    Emperor   and    the    Empress.      A 
banquet    in    honour    of    the    Korean 
Envoy   was   afterwards   given   in   the 
Senshu   Hall,    at   which   were   present 
T.I.H.  Princes  Arisugawa  and  Kan-in, 
Marquis  Ito,    Viscount  Tanaka,    Min- 
ister of  the  Imperial  Household  Depart- 
ment,    Baron     Komura,     Minister    of 
Foreign     Affairs,     Baron    Sannomiya, 
Grand    Master    of    Ceremonies,     Mr. 
Tsuzuki,  Chief  Secretary  of  the  Privy 
Council,  and  many  other  dignitaries. 

During,  the  afternoon,  Mri  Yi  Chi- 
yong  and  party  paid  a  visit  to  H.I.H. 
the  Crown  Prince  at  the  Aoyama 
Palace,  and  afterwards  called  on 
Princes  Arisugawa  Kan-in,.  Nashi- 
moto,  and  other  Princes  of  the  Blood. 

At  three  in  the  afternoon,  His 
Highness  and  .  party  visited  Marquis 
Ito  at  his  official  residence  at  Reinan- 
zaka,  remaining  there  about  an  hour. 

THE    KOREAN    EKYOY    AND    SUITE 
DECORATED. 

On  the  25th  April  H.M.  the  Em- 
peror was  pleased  to  confer  the  follow- 
ing decorations  on  Prince  Yi  Chi-yong, 
Korean  Envoy  to  Japan  and  suite: — 
Prince  Yi,  Grand  Cordon  of  the  Rising 
Sun  of  the  First  Class  Order;  Mr.  Min 
Yong-in,  Assistant  Director  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ceremonies,  Second  Class 
Order  of  the  Sacred  Treasure;  Mr. 
Chong  Tong-sik,  Director  of  the  Bureau 
of  Decorations,  Third  Class  Order  and 
Middle  Cordon  of  the  Rising  Sun;  and 
Captain  Kap  W6n-ku,  second  in  com- 
mand of  the  Korean  Gendarmerie,  and 
six  others,  decorations  of  the  Fifth 
Class  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun  of 
Double  Rays  and  Six  Class  Order  of 
the  Sacred  Treasure.  Mr.  Hyon  Poh- 
woon,  First  Secretary  of  the  Korean 


a 

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O 

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o 

■r-l 


l-Tl  -rH 

o  fi 

P^  f-i 

d  o 


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O 

W 

o 


GENERAL  NEWS. 


277 


Legation,  also  received  the  Fourth 
Class  Order  of  the  Sacred  Treasure. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  Prince 
Yi  Chi  -  Yong,  and  suite  visited  the 
Mitsui  dry  goods  store.  At  noon, 
the  party  luncheoned  at  the  Seiyo-ken 
in  Uneme-cho,  and  afterwards  visited 
the  Bank  of  Japan,  where  they  were 
received  by  Mr.  Matsuo,  Governor, 
and  other  leading  officials .  In  the 
evening,  the  Korean  Prince  gave  a 
dinner  at  the  Imperial  Hotel  in  honour 
of  the  Elder  Statesmen,  the  Ministers 
of  State,  high  officials  of  the  Imperial 
Household  Department  and  the  Foreign 
Office,  members  of  the  Korean  Lega- 
tion staff  and  others. 

On  the  27th,  Baron  Komura  held 
a  reception  at  his  official  residence  in 
honour  of  Prince  Yi  Chi-yong  and 
suite.  Marquis  Ito  also  gave  a  ban- 
quet at  his  residence  at  Oiso  in  honour 
of  the  Prince.  The  Prince  who  has 
been  staying  at  the  Seiyo-ken,  Uyeno 
Park,  since  his  arrival  here,  removed 
to  the  Korean  Legation  at  Nakaroku- 
bancho  on  the  afternoon  of  April  30th. 
After  visiting,  incognito,  various  places 
of  interest,  he  left  Japan  for  home 
embarking  at  Bakan  for  Chemulpo. 


Colonel.  Out  of  the  many  of  her 
countrymen  who  have  volunteered  to 
join  our  Red  Cross  Nursing  Corps, 
Mrs.  Richardson  is  thus  far  the  only 
English  lady  whose  offer  has  been 
accepted.  A  lady  of  position  and  in- 
dependent means,  she  serves  entirely 
at  her  own  expense.  Although  not  a 
professional  nurse,  she  is  bearer  of  the 
Queen's  Medal  for  nursing  services  in 
South  Africa,  where  her  son,  Captain 
Richardson,  served  with  distinction. 
She  has  already  commenced  her  vsrork 
at  the  Red  Cross  Hospital  of  Tokyo. 


Mrs.  Richardson. 

BRITISH  VOLUNTEER  LADY  NURSE. 

If  Dr.  McGee  and  her  party  repre- 
sent the  deep  sympathy  which  Ameri- 
can "w^omanhood  feels  for  Japan  in  her 
present  death  struggle  with  a  mighty 
aggressor,  British  woman's  sympathy 
for  us  is  worthily  embodied  in  the 
person  of  Mrs.  Richardson,  who  arrived 
at  Tokyo  on  the  5th  April  with  the 
object  of  nursing  our  wounded  and 
sick.  She  is  the  widow  of  the  late 
Colonel  Richardson  of  Glanbrj^dan 
Park,  Carmarthenshire,  a  large  land- 
owner in  that  part  of  the  country 
and  w^ho  formerly  commanded  the 
3rd  Glamorgan  Rifle  Volunteers,  of 
which    King     Edward     is     Honorary 


Dr.  McGee  and  Party. 

Dr.  A.  N.  McGee  and  her  party  of 
Red  Cross  Society  nurses,  accompanied 
by  Surgeon-General  K.  Takagi  (re- 
tired) and  other  members  of  the 
Japan  Red  Cross  Society,  arrived  at 
Shimbashi  from  Yokohama  shortly 
after  10  a.m.  on  the  23rd  April,  and 
at  once  drove  to  the  Atago  Hotel, 
Shiba,  where  the  party  w^ill  remain  for 
the  present.  At^  the  station,  Mrs. 
McGee  and  nurses  were  welcomed  by 
a  large  number  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, both  foreign  and  Japanese,  among 
whom  were  His  Excellency  L.  C. 
Griscom,  the  U.  S.  Minister  to  Japan, 
and  Mrs.  Griscom,  Mrs.  Richardson, 
an  English  lady  who  has  volunteered 
her  services  to  the  Red  Cross  Society 
of  this  country,  Major  Wood,  Military 
Attache  to  the  U.  S.  Legation,  and 
Mrs.  Wood,  and  over  30  foreign  ladies 
as  well  as  Princesses  Kujo,  Mori, 
Konoye,  Tokugawa  and  Sanjo,  Mar- 
chioness Gyama,  Marchioness  Hachi- 
suka,  Marchioness Nabeshima,  Countess 
Okuma,  Viscountess  Tanaka,  Baroness 
Senge,  Mr.  Ozaki,  Mayor  of  Tokyo, 
members  of  the  Japan  Red  Cross 
Society  and  many  others.  The  station 
and  neighbourhood  were  crowded  by 
thousands  of  people,  who  had  assem- 
bled to  welcome  the  eminent  American 
lady  and  her  companions. 


278 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


A  speech  by  Miss  Tsuda. 

On  the  occasion  of  tKe  reception 
given  at  the  Koraku'  garden  at  Koi- 
shikawa,  Tokyo  on' the  37th  April  in 
honour  of  the  British  and  American 
volunteer  lady  nurses,  Miss  Tsuda 
delivered,  the' following,  speech  : — 

Obr  Honoured  Guests,  Dr.  Mc-Gee, 
Mrs.  Richardson,  and  Ladies,— On 
behalf:  of  the  ladies  here  present  to-day, 
I'  have  the  honour  to  extend  to  you  a 
most  warm  welcome  to  our  gathering 
here  in  :these  historic  gardens,  and  to 
bid  you  a  heartfelt  greeting  to  our 
country.  We  hope  that  in  this  slight 
expression  of  our  welcome  to  you 
shown  to-day  by  this  meeting,  com- 
posed as  it  is  of  representative  women 
of  our  capital,,  you  will  realize  to 
some  little  degree  the  warm  enthusiasm 
and:  gratitude  that  we  Japanese  as  a 
nation,  throughout  every  place,  from 
north  to  south,  even  in .  far  away 
mountain  villages,  have  felt  to-wards 
your  coming  to  us  ever  since  we  first 
heard  of- it. ; 

■:  On  the  31st -of.  March,  1854,  just 
fifty  •  years  ago,  was  forged  the  first 
link  in  the  chain  of .  events  which 
have  brought  us  to  what  we  are  to- 
day as  a  nation,  the  signing  of  the 
first  treaty  with  America.  -The  half 
century  intervening  has  seen  our  nation 
making  rapid  strides  and  entering  into 
the  sisterhood  of  the  nations,  always 
helped  and  encouraged  in  every  matter 
by  the  two  guardian  nations,  America 
and  England.  To  the  former,  we  owe 
the  opening  of  our  gates  so  long  closed 
to  the  world,  and  when  we,  as  a  people, 
issued  from  our  seclusion,  we  turned 
to  America,  our  nearest  neighbour  on 
the  West,  for  instruction  and  help,  and 
how  generously  it  has  been  given  many 
of  us  personally  bear  evidence.,  Eng- 
land,  too,  our  great  ally,  has  furthered 
and  encouraged  our  interests  and  Wel- 
comed our  youths,'  and  helped  us  on  in 
the  paths  of  difficulties,  which  especially 


in  the  past  ten  years:  have  been  trying 
ones.    Some   "one    has    spoken    of  the 
Japan-China  War  as  our   entrance'  ex- 
amination into'  the  school  of  the  great 
nations  of  the  world,  and  the^  present 
war  as  our  graduation  test.    That  we 
shall  be  graduated,  none  of  us  doubt* 
but  can  the  most  hopeful. of  us  think 
the   sti-uggle   and   the  test  will  be  an 
easy  one  ?     It   is   at   this  momentous 
crisis    in    our   nation's   history,    when 
we  are  struggling  in  a  conflict  whose 
issues    concern    not    only    our    future 
welfare,  and  that  of  the  East,,  but  the 
peace  of  the  whole  world,  that  America 
and  England  are  showing  us  the.  war- 
mest evidence  of  sympathy  and  interest; 
For  what  could  be  greater  than  your 
presence  among  us  at  this  time?    You 
have  come  these  many  miles  to  bring  to" 
us   for  our  use   the  rare  wisdom,  the 
skilled  touch,  and  the  hard-earned  ex- 
perience of  years,  experience  which  the 
lesson  of  war  has  already  taught  you 
and  the  fame  of  which  has  reached,  us 
before    this, — hitherto  ,  used  to .  relieve 
suffering  among  your  own  countrymen, 
but  now  offered  to  help  those  among  us 
who  must  suffer  in  the  nation's  cause; 
For  this   precious'  gift  given  so  gener- 
ously, and  brought..so  far,  and  above 
all  for  the  warm   sympathy   and   love 
which   accompanies   it,    we   women  of 
Japan  thank  you.     Our   gratitude  is 
to   you   personally  above  all  for  your 
coming  arid  through  you  to  your  na- 
tions, America  and  England,  whose  re- 
presentatives you  are.    It  is  peculiarly 
fitting  that  the  nations  who.  have  first 
given   us   insight   into   modern  science 
and  arts  should  how  send  their  repre- 
sentatives to  help  us  in  the  application 
of   these    newly    learned    methods    of 
caring  for  the  sick  and  injured,  a  field 
into    which   our   women,   though   but 
lately     initiated,     are    entering    most 
eagerly.    The  bond  between   East  and 
West  grows  closer  when   thus   women 
of  one ,  nation  -stretch  out  their  hand  to 
those  of  another  land  and  riace  so  far 


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GENERAL  NEWS. 


279 


away,    when    women   of  the  East  and 

West  meet  and  watch  together  at  the 

bedside    of   the    sick    and    dying.     And 

none  of  us  here  to-day   forgets  that  it 

is  to  help  those  near  and   dear  to  us — 

our     owm     friends    and     relative .    (for 

there    is    hardly    one    of  us    here  who 

has  not  some  one  at    the    front) — that 

it    is    to    help   some  of  these  dear  ones 

that  you  have   come,    with    the    latest 

and  the  best  which  this    age    gives    us 

for  relieving  suffering.     In  thus  offering 

you  a  most  cordial  welcome,  I  cannot 

attempt  to   express  to  you  what  is  in 

the    hearts    of   everyone    here    to-day. 

May  it  be  granted  that  the    task    you 

have    undertaken    for    us    be    not    too 

long  nor  arduous,  that  the  black  cloud 

of  war  in  the  East  be    soon    dispelled, 

and  peace  with  its  joys  come  to  all  the 

nations.      May    every    blessing    attend 

your  mission  of  love    and    mercy,    and 

the    bond     of    friendship    between   our 

nations  ever  grow  closer. 


Russian  Prisoners. 

The  Hochi  Shimhnn  reports  that 
on  the  14th  May  the  first  batch  of 
Russian  prisoners  from  the  Yalu  reach- 
ed Moji  by  the  S.S.  Colombo,  and 
were  to  be  at  once  despatched  to 
Takahama  in  lyo,  where  there  is  a 
large  hospital.  The  batch  number  16 
officers — of  whom  9  are  wounded — and 
436  rank  and  file,  of  whom  285  are 
wounded.  Our  contemporary  alleges 
that  800  prisoners  have  to  follow, 
among  them  being  170  wounded. 
These  did  not  surrender  during  the 
battle,  but  were  found  in  the  groves 
and  farm-houses  near  the  field.  It  is 
stated  that  when  this  first  batch  of 
prisoners  was  sent  back  from  the  front, 
they  were  told  by  the  Japanese  Head 
Quarter  Staff  that  they  might  feel 
perfectly  easy  as  to  the  treatment 
they  would  receive  in  Japan.  A  sum 
of  50  yen  was  handed  to  each  officer. 
They   all— men   and    officers    ahke— pre- 


sented   the    appearance    of  being  very 
badly    nourished.      The     officers     were 
handsomely     dressed,     most     of    them 
wearing  long  boots  lined  with  fur,  but 
the  garments  of  the  men  were  in  many 
cases  meagre  and  greatly  soiled.    They 
all  ate  as  though  they  had  been  famish- 
ed, and  their  consumption   of  whiskey 
is  vsaid  be    frank.      Among    them    is    a 
medical  man  who  was  in  the  Russian 
service    though    not    a    Russian.      He 
earnestly  sought  permission  to-witness 
the    treatment    of   the    wounded    and 
sanction  was  given.    But  it  is  a  mistake 
to  say,  as  has  been  said,  that  Russian 
surgeons  were  employed  by  the  Japan- 
ese to   tend  the  wounded.     There   was 
nothing  of  the  kind.     The  wounded  are 
all  said  to  be  doing  well.      The   Hochi 
states  that  although    the    officers    felt 
quite    confident    about    the    treatment 
they  would  receive  in  Japan,   some  of 
the    men    imagined    that    "when    they 
reached  these  shores  they  w^ould   have 
their  heads  cut  offi     Among  the  officers 
there  are  two  Colonels  and  one  Lieut.- 
Colonel  ;  the  remainder  being  captains 
and  lieutenants.     One  of  the  officers  is 
said    to    be    a    man    of   62.     They   are 
reported     to     have     stated     that    the 
Russian  troops  on  the  Yalu  were  picked 
men,  and  that  their  quality  was  proved 
b}^  the  stand  they  made  at  Hohmutang, 
where    only    the    rear    attack    of  the 
Japanese  finally  discomfited  them. 


Bureau  of  Information  for 
Prisoners  of  War. 

In  conformity  with  the  resolutions 
of  the  Hagne  Convention  of  1899,  the 
Japanese  Government  has  established  in 
Tokyo  a  Bureau  of  Information  for 
all  matters  regarding  prisoners  of  war. 
The  Imperial  d:cree  establishing  the 
Bureau  was  issued  on  February  22nd, 
1904,  and  the  bureau  itself  was  or- 
ganized for  business  about  the  29th  of 
the  same  month.  It  is  the  first  time 
that  our  Government   has   undertaken 


280 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


O 
< 


^ 


a 

O 


2 
< 


GENERAL  NEWS. 


281 


this  kind  of  charitable  work  which  is 
indeed  without  example  as  yet  in  the 
history  of  the  world. 

The  work  undertaken  by  the  bureau 
is  as  follows  : — 

Making  full  investigation  into  the 
antecedent  and  present  condition  of 
each  prisoner,  making  individual 
badges,  receiving  and  answering  com- 
munications relating  to  the  prisoners, 
receiving,  transmitting  and  distribut- 
ing gifts  of  money  and  other  presents 
sent  for  their  use ,  sen  din  g  letters , 
remittances  and  presents  from  the 
prisoners  to  their  relatives  and  friends, 
taking  charge  of  articles,  papers  and 
testamentary  documents  left  by  deceas- 
ed prisoners  of  war  and  transmitting 
them  to  their  representatives  or  heirs- 
at-law,  collecting  information  from  our 
forces  in  the  field  respecting  any  of 
the  enemy's  troops  who  have  died  on 
the  field  of  battle  and  answering  any 
correspondence  concerning  them,  and 
taking  charge  for  due  transmission  of 
any  articles  or  written  papers  found 
upon  their  persons. 

There  are  at  present,  as  prisoners 
of  war,  in  the  country,  19  ofiicers  and 
419  men,  respecting  w^hom  the  Bureau 
is  now  making  investigation.  As  the 
war  goes  on  this  number  will  probably 
be  much  increased,  and  with  a  view 
to  such  an  emergency  every  prepara- 
tion has  been  made  for  dealing  with 
large  numbers  of  prisoners  by  Major 
General  Ishimoto,  Vice  Minister  of 
War,  and  Head  of  the  Bureau,  and 
his    able    staff  of  ofiicers    and    clerks. 

The  Bureau  is  ready  to  com- 
municate with  Goverment  Departments, 
military  corps  or  individuals,  and  in 
any  language. 

All  that  any  one  needs  do  to 
obtain  information  respecting  any  one 
who  is  a  prisoner,  or  supposed  to 
be  a  prisoner,  is  to  send  the  person's 
name  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Furyo 
Joho-Kioku,  Tokyo,  Japan.  The  Bu- 
reau  will   then   send  back  particulars 


about  the  man,  and,  should  he  have 
had  '  he  misfortune  to  die,  will  forward 
any  papers  or  other  valuables  that 
he  may  have  left  behind  him.  The 
Bureau  hopes  that  it  will  receive  many 
communications  of  this  kind  and  thus 
be  able  to  reHeve  the  anxieties  of  many 
Russian  families  who  are  anxious  to 
hear  of  missing  sons  or  brothers. 

All  letters,  parcels  and  postal 
orders  relating  to  prisoners  of  war 
will,  in  accordance  with  the  provisi  ns 
of  the  C on vention,  be  sen t  free  of 
charge,  provided  that  they  are  marked 
Service  des  prisonniers  de  guerre,  and 
provided  the  sender  belongs  to  one  of 
the  countries  that  signed  the  Conven- 
tion. Articles  for  prisoners  of  war  pass 
free  of  duty  in  Japan. 


An  Appeal  to  Travellers  and 
Others. 

The  Mayors  of  the  seven  principal 
cities  in  Japan,  namely,  Tokyo,  Kyoto, 
Osaka,  Yokohama,  Kobe,  Nagasaki 
and  Nagoya,  have  telegraphed  to  the 
authorities  and  newspaper  offices  at 
Shanghai,  Hongkong,  Manila,  Singa- 
pore, Australia,  Calcutta,  Bombay, 
Cairo,  Alexandria,  Berlin,  Paris,  Lon- 
don and  New  York  as  follows: — 

Though  Japan  is  engaged  in  -war, 
the  scene  of  which  is  beyond  the  limits 
of  her  Empire,  the  country  is  in  its 
normal  condition  and  there  is  no  ex- 
citement among  the  people.  Under 
the  circumstances,  visitors  to  Japan, 
either  for  pleasure  purposes  or  on 
business,  will  experience  no  inconveni- 
ence, and  can  travel  safely  throughout 
the  country  as  in  ordinary  times.  It 
may  be  stated  that  the  communica- 
tions on  land  and  sea  are  in  perfect 
working  order,  and  that  owing  to 
the  supremacy  of  the  Japanese  Navy, 
there  is  no  fear  of  a  Russian  invasion 
of  this  country. 


282 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Okura  Museum. 

This  extremely  valuable  Art  Col- 
lection was  established  a  few  year's 
ago  by  Mr.  Kihachiro  Okura,  one  of 
Tokyo's  wealthiest  merchants.  It  is 
located  inAoicho,  Akasaka,  Tokyo,  and 
comprises  many  valuable  curios  and 
other  works  of  art,  which  may  be 
most  conveniently  classified  as  follows : 

1.  Japanese  Secular  Art.  At  the 
Time  of  the  Great  Restoration,  when 
the  whole  country  seemed  to  be  in 
confusion,  very  many  objects  of  art 
were  offered  for  sale  by  prominent 
daimyo  and  samurai.  Of  these  Mr, 
Okura  purchased  a  large  number,  and 
they  form  one  section  of  his  Museum. 

2 .  Japanese  Ecclesiastical  Art. 
These  articles  were  mostly  purchased 
by  Mr.  Okura  at  the  same  time  as 
the  articles  in  Class  I.  It  had  been 
the  practice  during  the  feudal  ages  to 
unite  both  Buddhist  and  Shinto  wor- 
ship in  the  same  shrine,  and  many  of 
the  Shinto  Shrines  therefore  contained 
Buddhist  Idols  and  other  objects  of 
veneration.  At  the  Restoration  a 
"purification"  of  Shintoism  was  effect- 
ed :  the  Shinto  worship  was  made 
quite  distinct  from  the  Buddhist,  and 


the  Buddhist  idols  &c.,  found  in  Shin- 
to shrines,  were  taken  out  and  sold. 
Mr.  Okura*s  large  purchases  at  this 
time  enabled  him  to  make  the  second 
Class  of  his  Museum  an  exhibition  of 
Jai)anese  Sacred  Art. 

3.  Chinese  Art.  The  specimens 
exhibited  in  this  section  were  mostly 
collected  in  China  during  the  Boxer 
troubles. 

Hitherto,  Mr.  Okura  has  declined 
to  be  tempted  to  sell  any  of  his 
valuable  treasures,  even  at  the  high 
prices  which  have  at  times  been  offer- 
ed him  for  them.  He  feels,  however, 
that  in  the  present  crisis  his  country 
needs  all  the  money  that  her  sons 
can  offer  her,  and  he  has  therefore 
resolved  to  put  the  whole  of  this 
priceless  collection  on  the  market.  We 
hear  that  Mr.  Okura*s  patriotic  re- 
solve has  been  highly  commended  by 
the  foreign  newspaper  correspondents 
now  in  Tokyo,  and  that  two  of  these 
gentlemen,  Mr.  Egan,  a  representative 
of  the  American  Press,  and  Mr,  Max- 
well, of  the  London  Daily  News,  have 
undertaken  to  put  Mr,  Okura's  gen- 
nerous  offer  before  the  public  in  their 
respective  countries. 


THE 


Russo= Japanese  War 


FULLY  ILLUSTRATED 


No.    3. 


TOKYO. 
KINKODO-SHOSEKI-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA. 

(KiNKOro  Publishing  Co.) 


HOME  AGENT: 

MARUZEN-KABLSHIKI-KAISHA. 

^      (Z.  p.  Maruya  &  Co.,  L'd.) 
FOREIGN  AGENTS: 

TOKOHAMA  ;    Kellt  and  Waish,  L'd.  PARIS:  Hachettb  et  Cib. 

LEIPZIG:  Otto  Harrassowitz.  NEW  YORK :    The  International  News  Co. 

LONDON  :         Kegan  Paul,  Trench,  Tuubker  &  Co.,  L'd. 

1904. 


THE  RUSSO=JAPANESE  WAR 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

1.  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Japanese  People,  from  the  Earliest  Time 

to  the  Time  of  the  Tokugawa  Government  :— 

The  Oldest  Age 283 

The  Age  of  Korean  Dependence 290 

The  Age  of  the  Introduction  of  Buddhism 294 

The  Age  of  the  Nara  D3masty 298 

2.  Judo       , 3;,^3^ 

3.  The  Introduction  of  Western  Learning  into  Japan 325 

4.  Early  Intercourse  with  Europeans 333 

5.  The  Rise  of  Japan  was  not  Unexpected  (by  Count  Okuma)     ....    347 

6.  War  Record  : — 

Fighting  on  Land 355 

Fighting  on  Sea ^ ,    .    385 

7.  War  Time  Anecdotes 407 

8.  General  News 420 

•      •••••••• 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Sketch  Maps  :    Nan-shan,  Te-li-ssu,  Fen-shui-ling,  and  Kai-ping. 

8  Coloured  Plates  :  Minamoto  Yoshiiye,  the  Famous  General  in 
the  Heian  Dynasty  ;  a  Japanese  Puppet-player  ;  the  Fierce  Battle 
at  Nan-shan;  a  March  of  the  Japanese  Troops  in  a  Stormy  Night 
before  the  General  Attack  on  Nan-shan  ;  an  Assault  of  the  1st 
Infantry  Regiment  upon  Nan-shan  ;  a  Russian  Gunboat  sinking  oflF 
Port  Arthur  ;  Japanese  Cavalry  Scouts  ;  a  Japanese  Girl. 

1  Collo-Type  :  A  Japanese  Sailor  going  ashore  with  a  Rope  dur- 
ing a  Shipwreck. 

18  Full-Page  Photographs  :  Princes  Nashimoto  and  Kitashira- 
kawa  ;  General  Nogi  ;  the  British  and  U.  S.  Ministers  to  Japan  ; 
Commodore  Perry  landing  at  Uraga ;  a  Military  Review  of  Russian 
Troops  ;  the  Chinese  Empress  Dowager  and  Empress ;  Count 
and  Countess  Okuma  in  Their  Garden  ;  Lieut-Generals  Oshima, 
Ogawa,  Tsuchiya,  Ueda,  and  Kawamura  ;  Major-Generals  Tojo 
and  Marui ;  the  Staff  of  the  Japanese  2nd  Army  ;  the  Single 
Combat  between  Japanese  and  Russian  Troopers,;  the  Staff  of 
the  Nisshin;  Foreign  News  Correspondents  in  the  Shiba  Detached 
Palace  ;  the  Daibutsu  in  Nara  ;  the  Souvenir  of  the  Kodokwan 
Party,  when  the  late  Commander  Hirose  was  going  to  Russia  ; 
the  Staff  of  the  Guard  Division. 

Other  smaller  Illustrations  over  150. 


Minamoto    Yoshiiye,    the    Famous    General    in 
the    Heian    Dynasty. 


ir 


CDe  Ku$$o  Japanese  (Uar 


Vol.  I. 


JULY,     1904. 


No.  3. 


Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Japanese  People, 

from  the  Earliest  Time  to  the  Time  of 

the  Tokugawa  Government- 


N  describing  the  manners 
and  customs  of  the  people 
of  Japan  from  the  earliest 
time  to  the  time  of  the 
Tokugawa  Government,  it 
will  be  convenient  for  our  readers  if  we 
divide  the  whole  period  into  the  fol- 
lowing epochs  and  explain  their  charac- 
teristics one  by  one  : 

1.    The  Oldest  Age  (660  B.C.-98 
B.C.) 

The    Age    of    Korean    Depen- 
dence (97  B.C.-539  A.D.). 
The   Age   of  the    Introduction 
of    Buddhism    (540    A.D.-644 

A.D.). 

The  Age  of  the  Nara  Dynasty 

(645  A.D.-781  A.D.). 
The  Age  of  the  Heian  (Kyoto) 
Dynasty  (782  A.D.-1155A.D.)- 
The  Age  of  the  Genji  and  the 


2. 


3. 


4. 


5. 


7. 


9. 


10. 


Heishi  (Military  Clans  of  the 
Minamoto  and  the  Taira) 
(1156  A.D.-1183  A.D.). 
The  Age  of  the  Kamakura 
Government  (1184  A.D.-1318 
A.D.). 

The    Age    of    the    Muromachi 
Shogunate     (1319    A.D.-1557 

A.D.). 

The  Age  of  Oda  and  Toyotomi 

(1558  A.D.-1602  A.D.). 

The    Age     of    the    Tokugawa 

Government  (1603    A.D.-1867 

A.D.). 


6. 


1,    The  Oldest  Age  (660  B.C.-98 
B.C.). 

The  Empire  of  Japan  consists  of 
the  five  larger  islands  of  Honshu,  Shi- 
koku,  Kyushu,  Hokkaido,  and  Taiwan, 
(Formosa)  and  of  many  other  smaller 


284 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


islands.     Of  these,  Honshu  is  the  largest 
and   the  center  of  civihzation  for    the 


But  the  manners    and    customs    of 
our  people   in   the   most    remote   age, 


The  River  Sumida. 


whole  country.  The  whole  surface  of 
the  country  is  traversed  by  many 
mountain  ranges,  from  which  a  large 
number  of  rivers  run  into  the  sea  to 
the  north  and  south.  Along  the  banks 
of  these  rivers  are  situated  many  cities 
and  towns,  such  as  Tokyo  on  the 
banks  of  the  River  Sumida  and 
Osaka  on  the  River  Yodo.  At  the 
present  time  all  the  manners  and 
customs  throughout  the  country 
have  originated  from  these  two 
great  cities,  Tokyo  influencing  the 
eastern  part  of  the  country  and 
Osaka  the  western  part. 


which  we  are  now  considering,  cannot 
so  easily  be  traced,  though  we  know^ 
that  they  lived  in  families,  each  under 
its  own  chief,  with  the  Emperor  as 
head  over  all.  There  were  distinctions 
of  classes    amongst    them,    the    upper 


Armour  and  Arms  used  in  the  Oldest  Age. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  285 


classes  being  divided  into  various  clans, 
each  with  its  own  particular  service  or 
occupation, —  e.g.  the  military  and 
ceremonial  classes,  the  jewel-makers, 
mirror-makers,  &c.  Agriculture  was 
already  known,  rice,  wheat,  millet, 
beans,  and  other  vegetables  being 
cultivated  ;  horses  and  cattle  were 
used  for  work  in  the  fields,  though 
they  were  never  used  as  articles  of 
food.      They    had  farming    implements 


eastern  parts  of  the  country  had  no 
agriculture  ;  they  fed  and  clothed  them- 
selves with  the  produce  of  the  chase. 
The  people  in  general  had  a  few  ele- 
mentary industries,  such  as  weaving, 
dressing  skin  and  leather,  the  manu- 
facture of  domestic  implements  and 
utensils,  of  bows,  arrows  and  armour. 
All  these  occupations  and  professions 
were  hereditary,  and  thus  were  formed 
many  clans  or  castes. 


Life  of  the  Japanese  in  the  Oldest  Age. 


and  understood  how  to  get  silk  from 
silk-worms,  but  the  art  of  weaving  silk 
was  yet  in  its  infancy,  and  they  gene- 
rally wore  clothes  made  from  flax  or 
hemp.  Fishing  was  a  popular  occupa- 
tion, as  was  natural  in  a  country 
surrounded  by  sea,  and  many  kinds  of 
fishing  tackle  were  in  use ;  hunting 
was  also  a  favourite  occupation,  being 
carried  on  with  bows  of  wood  with 
bamboo  arrows,  and  Hme-traps.  The 
barbarous    tribes    living    in  the  north- 


Communication  and  trade  was 
developed  especially  in  Kyushu,  the 
science  of  navigation  was  well  known 
to  our  ancestors,  and  intercourse  with 
Korea  was  constant.  This  was  carried 
on  by  means  of  large  boats  known 
as  Amano-iwa-bune,  Torino-iwakusu- 
bune,  Amano-hato-bune,  &c.  which 
were  dug-out  canoes  made  from  the 
trunks  of  cedar,  camphor,  and  other 
large  trees. 

Our  ancestors    had    no    religion    in 


28G 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ancient  times,  though  they  cherished  a  country,    and    in    this     revererce     for 

few  miraculous  legends,   not  unlike  the  ancestors,  we  may  see  the  origin  of  our 

myths  of  ancient  Greece,  which  are  the  Japanese     loyalty     to    Sovereign    and 

origin  out  of  which  the  religion  known  parent. 


Cave-Dwellings. 


as  Sliintoism  was  in  later  times  deve- 
loped ;  but  there  was  nothing  at  all 
approaching  a  system  or  doctrine  of 
religion.  In  common  with  all  other 
primitive  races,  our  forefathers  feared 
the  great  natural  phenomena,  fire, 
water,  waves,  mountains,  thunder, 
and  visitations  of  locusts,  and  they 
believed  that  behind  these  sensible 
phenomena  there  lurked  certain  *'  gods 
of  fear  "  who  governed  and  controlled 
the  various  operations  of  nature. 
They  had  boundless  reverence  for  their 
chiefs,  and  after  death  honoured  them 
as  having  gone  into  the  invisible  world 
in  which  dwelt  these  gods  of  fear. 
The  Emperors  honoured  their  fathers 
in  this  way  as  gods,  and  the  people 
joined  in  their  reverence  and  worship. 
Thus  was  laid  the  Institution  of  the 
Sacred  Line  of  Divine  Imperial  An- 
cestors   which    is    so    peculiar    to    our 


In  the  way  already  described,  our 
forefathers  worshipped  many  gods,  but 
their  prayers  w^ere  confined  to  the  hopes 
and  fears  of  this  present  life,  and  had 
no  reference  to  a  future  life.  They 
believed,  nevertheless,  in  the  immortali- 
ty of  the  soul,  which  dwelt  in  the 
human  body  and  consisted  of  two 
elements,  the  mild  soul  which  had  the 
qualities  of  humanity,  generosity,  and 
gentleness,  and  the  wild  soul  which 
was  brave  and  strong,  but  rude  and 
uncontrolled.  When  a  man  died,  his 
soul  remained,  and  hence  there  came 
the  custom  of  offering  food  and  other 
things  to  the  dead,  just  as  to  the 
living.  Animals  and  plants  were  ho- 
noured as  gods,  as  were  also  large 
serpents  and  trees.  The  souls  of  the 
dead  might,  it  was  thought,  migrate 
into  the  bodies  of  animals,  birds,  insects 
fish,  trees  and   grasses,    and  even   the 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  287 


souls  of  living  men  might  remove  into 
any  of  these  objects. 

When  they  had  some  request  to 
prefer  to  the  gods,  it  was  their  custom 
to  find  out  beforehand  by  divination 
what  was  the  present  disposition  of 
the  deities,  and  just  as  the  Roman 
haruspices  inspected  the  entrails  of 
animals  sacrificed  for  the  purpose,  so 
the  diviners  of  our  ancient  times  "were 
in  the  habit  of  burning  stags'  horns  in 
the  fire  and  then  inspecting  the  cracks 
which  appeared  on  the  surface.  Having, 
by  means  of  this  preliminary  divina- 
tion, ascertained  the  disposition  of  the 
gods,  they  would  then  proceed  to  make 
offerings  of  food  and  sake  as  pro- 
pitiatory gifts.  In  extreme  cases, 
human  sacrifices  were  offered,  and  our 
history  records    two  notable  instances 


rebels  of  the  eastern  provinces,  en- 
countered a  violent  storm  which 
threatened  to  overwhelm  his  ship,  his 
tw^o  brothers  jumped  into  the  sea  and 
offered  their  lives  as  a  propitiatory 
sacrifice  to  the  anger  of  the  sea-god, 
and  the  similar  sacrifice  of  the  noble- 
hearted  Princess  Tachibana  saved  the 
life  of  her  husband  Prince  Yamatodake 
from  a   similar  fate. 

The  ancient  records  of  our  country 
show  us  that  the  manners  of  the  people 
were  simple  in  the  extreme,  and  that 
they  were  very  free  from  restrictions 
imposed  on  them  by  custom  and 
etiquette.  At  sunrise  they  went  forth 
to  their  day's  work,  at  sunset,  they 
returned  to  their  home.  When  hungry, 
thev  ate,  when  tired,  they  slept.  The 
eldest    so-i    was    not    always   the  heir, 


Amanohash!date,  One  of  the  Three  Most  Pictukesque  Scenes  tn  Japan. 

of  such   sacrifices,  which,  it  is  w^orthy  for  the  nomination    to    the  inheritance 

of  no  e,  were  both  free-will  and  volun-  rested    entirely    with  the    father,     and 

tary  offerings.  When  our  First  Emperor,  affection    would    often    prompt  him  to 

Jimrau,    on    his    way    to    subdue    the  prefer  his  favourite  youngest  son  before 


288 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the    rest.      Adoption    of  children   from  gate.     The  rooms  were    carpeted    with 

outside  was  already  known  and  pract-  rtish  mats,   or  skins,     and    sometimes 

ised.      Polygamy    was    permitted    but  with  pieces  of  silken  cloth, 
not  polyandry  ;    marriages    took  place  Their    clothes,     which     were    alike 


between  very  near 
relations,  and  it 
was  the  practice  for 
each  wife  to  live  in 
a  house  of  her  own 
with  her  children . 
In  the  higher  classes 
it  was  customary 
to  live  in  houses, 
which  were  of 
clumsy        construc- 


for  both  sexes,   were  made 

of    linen,    more    rarely     of 

silk,    and   as  they  did   not 

like    to    have    any  part  of 

the  skin  exposed  they  wore 

on    their    heads   a    kind   of 

veil       with 

which        to 

cover       the 

face. 

The  men 
parted  their 
hair  in  the 
middle,  and 
the  hair 

being  long 
was  worn  in 
two  plaits 
tied  at  the 
ears  with 

leaves  or 
plants,  w^hich 
were  used 
freely  as  full- 
dress  orna- 
ments for  the 
head.  A  hat 
called  a  kam- 


Eating  Utensils  and  Ornaments  in  the  Oldest  Age. 


tion  ;  the  lower  classes  dwelt  in 
caves,  dug  out  of  the  sides  of  hills  in 
places  favourably  situated  for  defence 
against  enemies,  rains,  floods,  and 
where  food  could  easily  be  procured. 
For  this  latter  reason ,  they  rarely 
chose  to  dwell  near  the  summit  of 
high  hills.  In  summer  they  slept  under 
a  rude  shelter  outside,  in  winter  they 
retired  into  the  recesses  of  their  caves. 
The  houses  of  the  upper  classes 
were  built  of  timber,  fastened  together 
with  ivy-stems,  and  thatched  with 
reeds.  In  front  of  the  house  was  a 
stone  wall,  or  a  hedge,  and  a  wooden 


muri  was 
sometimes 
worn  by  all 
classes.  The  nobleman's  kammuri 
of  later  years  was  a  relic  of  this 
custom,  but  in  primitive  time  it  was 
worn  indiscriminately  by  men  of  all 
classes.  The  women  "wQt^e  their  hair, 
which  was  long,  in  a  loose  knob  at 
the  back.  Combs  with  long  teeth  were 
commonly  used  as  ornaments  by  both 
sexes.  Ornaments  of  different  shapes 
and  patterns  for  various  parts  of  the 
body,  rings,  armlets,  necklaces,  earrings 
&c.,  were  much  used.  These  were  made 
of  gold,  silver,  crystal,  agate,  amber, 
or  glass. 

For    food    they    had    rice,     wheat, 


'^ 


H.    I.    H.    Prince    Nashimnto. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  289 


millet  and  beans,  besides  the  produce 
of  the  chase,  birds,  fish,  stag,  and 
wild-boar.  They  had  many  kinds 
of  vegetables,  and  for  fruits,  walnuts, 
grapes,  &c.  They  made,  salt  by  boiling 
sea  water,  and  they  knew  how  to 
distil  sake  from  rice  and  fruits.  They 
had  some  rude  earthenware,  the  leaves 
of  plants  were  sometimes  used  for  cups 
or  bowls,  and  bamboo  chopsticks  were 
in  use. 

Fire  was  made  by  friction,  later, 
but  also  -within  this  period,  from  sparks 
produced  by  striking  flint  against  stone. 

They  had  a  great  love  for  clean- 
liness and  purity,  and  birth  and  death 
were  alike  looked  upon  as  causing  pol- 
lution. At  death,  a  corpse  was  put 
into  a  new  house  specially  constructed 
for  the  purpose,  and  a  pregnant  mother 
was  removed  to  a  similar  building, 
known  as  "  uhuya  "  or  "  birth-house," 
for  her  confinement.  A  girl  could  not 
be  married  withovit  the  consent  of  her 
father  or  brother:  she  did  not  go  to  live 
with  her  husband,  but  remained  with 
her  own  family  and  received  daily 
visits  from  her  husband. 


Rice-Planting. 


Takenouchi-no-Sukune, 
Minister  of  the  Empress  Jingo. 

Funerals  were  conducted  with  great 
solemnity  and  reverence  :  sacrifices  w^ere 

offered  for  several 
days  and  nights 
before  the  body 
of  the  deceased, 
which  was  then 
taken  to  its  grave 
with  banners, 
torches,  and 
music.  By  the 
side  of  the  cofhn 
were  deposited 
all  the  domestic 
utensils,  &c,  be- 
longing to  the 
deceased,  so  that 
he  might  use 
them  in  the  spirit 
world  at  his  con- 
venience. Tombs 
were  oval,  round, 
or  gourdshaped, 
according  to  the 


290 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


rank  of  the  deceased :  an  Imperial 
Mcuid,  called  Misasagi,  was  generally 
gourd-shaped.      *As    long    as    a    dead 


giving  pleasure  to  the  spirits  worship- 
ped. The  kotOf  flute,  and  drum  were 
their  chief  musical  instruments. 

They  had  a  fair  know- 
ledge of  military  arts,  and 
knew  how^  to  build  forti- 
fications for  their  own 
defence.  Even  women  went 
to  war  when  necessary, 
and  the  Empress  Jingo  is 
famous  in  our  annals. 
Both  sexes  wore  armour 
of  copper  or  iron  plates, 
and  carried  bows  and  ar- 
rows, swords  and  shields. 
The  horses  were  also  pro- 
vided with  suitable  harness. 


A  jMuunted  Warrior  in  the  Retgn  of  the 
Emperor  Nintoku. 


bod}^  lay  in  a  house,  the  other  inmates 
lived  elsewhere  for  fear  of  ceremonial 
pollution. 

Agx'iculture  being  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal occupations  of  the  country,  the 
gods  -who  controlled  the  harvest  were 
principally  worshipped  :  these  festivals 
and  those  in  honour  of  the  deceased 
ancestors  being  the  ones  principally 
celebrated.  At  festivals,  oiferings  of 
food  and  drink  were  made,  and  music 
and  dancing  provided  with  the  idea  of 


2.  The  Age  of  Korean 

Dependence. 

(97  B.C.-539  A.D.) 

After  the  expedition  led 
by  the  Empress  Jingo, 
K  orea  w^as  for  a  w^hile 
en  tirely  under  the  power 
and  influence  of  Japan,  and 
the  intercourse  between  the 
two  countries  was  very 
constant.  But  if  the  mili- 
tary influence  of  Japan 
was  predominant  in  Korea, 
it  was  impossible  for  Japan 
wholly  to  escape  from  the 
influence  of  the  country 
she  had  conquered :  for 
Korea  in  those  days  was 
far  ahead  of  Japan  in  the 
arts  and  literature,  and  the  constant 
intercourse  with  the  people  of  the 
Peninsula  could  not  fail  to  affect  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  Island 
Empire. 

During  this  age  great  improvements 
were  made  in  the  governmental  system 
of  the  country.  Ministers  were  ap- 
pointed to  superintend  the  different 
departments  of  national  business,  the 
country  was  divided  into  provinces  with 
local  governors,  each  clan  had  its  own 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  291 


hereditary  chief,  and  each  profession  its  government  and   Imperial  Residence  at 

own   chief  appointed    by    the    Govern-  Takatsia    in    the    province    of    Settsu, 

ment.     The  lower  classes  of  the  people  connected  the  town  of  Naniwa  (Osaka) 

were  divided  into  castes,  each  with  its  wiLh  the  sea  by  means  of  a  long  canal, 

own     occupation,    hunters,    fishermen,  opened    the    port    of    Sumiyoshi,     and 

foresters,  &c.,  and  as  all  these  occupa-  built    a    broad   road    from    Kyoto    to 

tions     were       hereditary     in       certain  the  province   of    Kawachi.      Thus  the 

families    they    soon   acquired  the  force  district,    in  which    Hideyoshi    in    later 

and  value  of  surnames  or  family  names,  years  built  the  city  of  Osaka,  owed  its 

The  lowest  class  of  all  w^ere  the  senmin,  first  prosperity   to    the  -wise  measures 

or  common  people,  in  reality  a  kind  of  of  an  early  Emperor.      Markets  were 

serfs  in  bonds  to  masters,  who  exercised  established    for    the    exchange   of  com- 

over  them  the  power  of  life  and  death,  modities,   mostly  by  barter;    and    the 

Agriculture  progressed  ;   ponds  and  word  for  market   {ichi)   was  in   course 


of  time  applied  to  every  place  at  -which 
people  were  \vont  to  congregate. 

In  the  sixteenth  year  of  the  Emperor 
Ojin  (A.D.  285),  Chinese  learning  was 
for  the  first  time  introduced  into  the 
country,  and  Japan,  which  had  no 
writing  before  this  time,  now  found 
herself  in    a    position  to   preserve    her 


ditches    were    dug    for    irrigation    and 
drainage ;  the  streams  of  the  rivers  were 
regulated  by  dykes  and  embankments, 
and    many    new    roads    were    built  to 
improve  the  communications  through- 
out the  country.      Abundant  harvests 
produced  a  superabundance  of  rice  and 
cereals,  which  were  stored  in  granaries 
against    coming   years   of 
dearth     and     need.        In- 
dustry and  the  arts  were 
liberally     patronized    and 
many     skilled     workmen 
from  Korea  came  to  settle 
amongst     us.        Koreans 
naturalized       in        Japan 
taiight    our     people     the 
art    of    weaving    "  ay  a  " 
cloth,  and  silk,  of  rearing 
silkworms,     and    getting 
the  silk  from  the  cocoons. 
Architecture       advanced  ; 
many       large       buildings 
were  erected.     Pictures, 
brocades,  china,  and  har- 
ness   were  all  introduced 
from   Korea. 

Trade  and  commerce, 
too,  expanded  on  all 
sides,  and  the  city  of 
Tsiikushi  in  Kyushu, 
which  was  the  chief  centre 

of  the  trade  between  the  two  countries,     important  records  in  a  more  imperish- 
became  a  flourishing  centre  of  popula-     able  way  than  the  tradition  of  human 
tion    and    wealth.      In   A.D.    323   the     memory. 
Emperor    Nintoku,    fixed    the    seat   of  The  reverence  for  the  gods  deepened 


The  Shrine  of  Amaterasu  Omikamt, 


292 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


from  year  to  year.  The  shrine  of  boiling  water,  at  others  by  holding  in 
Atnaterasu  Ornikarni,  the  first  Divine  his  open  palm  the  red-hot  head  of  an 
Ancestor,  was  erected  at  Ise  in  B.C.  5  axe.  The  Emperor  Siiijin  resorted  to 
by  the  Emperor  Suijin,  and  in  A.D.  dreams  when  making  a  selection 
478 ,  the  Em  per  or 
Yuryaku  establish- 
ed at  the  same 
place  the  shrine  of 
Toyouke  -  hi  me  -no- 
Kaxni,  the  goddess 


The  Hanzwa 

of  corn  and  plenty.  Every  visitor  to 
Japan  goes  to  Ise,  and  there  sees  the 
famous  temple  of  the  Naigu  at  Uji,  and 
the  Gegu  at  Yamada,  which  are  the 
direct  lineal  descendants  of  these  two 
ancient  shrines.  The  erection  of  these 
two  shrines  brought  about  a  distinction 
between  the  Palace  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  temples  of  the  gods.  Hitherto 
they  had  been  one. 

Superstition  was,  however,  as 
prevalent  in  this  age  as  in  the  former, 
and  all  doubtful  cases  were  settled  by 
an  appeal  to  the  gods  for  their  decision. 
Sometimes  a  suspected  person  was 
made  to  clear  himself  by  kugadachi, 
or  the  plunging  of  the  bare  arm  into 


between  two  princes  whose  claims  to 
the  dignity  of  Crown  Prince  were 
about  equal. 

Houses  built  after  the  Korean  style 
became  gradually  more  and  more 
magnificent,  landscape  gardening  was 
much  in  vogue,  and  the  people  began 
surrounding  their  dwellings  with  gar- 
dens and  ponds.  Carriages  came  into 
use,  as  did  also  the  practice  of  storing 
ice  in  ice-houses  fqr  summer  use.  The 
Korean  manner  of  dressing  was  fre- 
qiiently  follo^ved,  and  shoes  began  to 
be  worn. 

In  the  oldest  periods  of  our 
national  life,  there  had  been  a  cruel 
custom  which  made  it  essential  for 
noblemen  and  dignitaries,  at  death,  to 
be  followed  into  the  next  world  by  a 
certain  number  of  th  ir  servants  and 
attendants  who  were  buried  alive  with 
their  master's  body.  The  Emperor 
Suijin,  whom  we  have  already  mentioned 
prohibited  this  barbarous  custom  in 
B.C.  2,  and  clay  dolls  were  from  that 
time  placed  in  the  tombs  instead  of 
living  slaves.  These  clay  dolls  are  still 
to  be  found  from  time  to  time  in  an- 
cient tombs.   They  were  representations 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  293 


1  i;Alr:  !■ 


not  only  of  men,  but  of  animals,  birds,  and  allowed  to  float  down  witli  the 
and  serpents  as  well,  and  were  placed  current  ;  and  it  was  required  of  each 
around  the  coffin  in  a  circle  known  as  gviest  to  compose  a  poem  before  his 
the  haniwa.  cup  reached    the  place   where    he    was 

Music  was  also  brought  from  sitting.  Failure  to  do  so  involved 
Korea,  and  many  Korean  minstre's  the  penalty  of  drinking  a  cup  full  of 
came    into   Jaran    during    this  period,      wme. 

A  lorm   of  recreation   known   as   ''uta-  In    military    art    there  is  but  little 

gaki "  was  very  common  during  this  to  record.  Korean  workmen  gave 
age,      especially-      in    the     vicinity     of     better  and  more  elaborate  weapons  to 

mount    Tsukuba    in    Hita-  

chi.  Young  and  o'd  of 
both  sexes  would  assemble 
on  a  hill  or  in  a  field  and 
there  recite  poems  and  ex- 
change thoughts  on  poetry 
cr  literature.  Even  nobles 
and  princes  diJ  not  disdain 
the  pleasures  of  an  tita- 
gaki,  and  love  marriages 
were  often  the  happy  out- 
come of  these  meetings. 
Of  other  amusements  there 
was  no  lack  ;  beautiful 
and  rare  birds,  waterfowl 
and  fish  were  kept  as  pets 
in  gardens  and  in  ponds 
which  also  .^erved  for  mimic 
contests  of  model  yachts  ; 
cock-fighting  gave  much 
pleasure  to  some,  and  the 
large  tracts  of  uncultivated 
land  afforded  abundance  of 
game  to  the  sportsman. 
Hawking  was  originated 
in  this  country  by  a  present 
of  hawks  sent  by  the  king 
of  Korea  to  the  Emperor 
Nintoku  in  A.D.  355,  and 
the  Emperor  Genso  (A.D. 
486)  is  famous  as  the  first 
to  introduce  from  China 
the  style  of  banquet 
known  as  the  Kyokusui- 
no-yen  or  Banquet  on  the 
Crooked    Stream.      It  was 

held  in  spring,  when  the  peaches  -were  their  Japanese  conquerors,  and  the 
in  bloom  on  th?  river  bank.  Each  practice  of  flying  flags  and  banners  in 
guest  had  a  cup  which  was  put  into  armies  and  on  ships  was  taken  during 
the  water  a  little  way  up  the   streata,      this  period  also  from  Korea. 


Hawking. 


294 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


3.      The  Age  of  the  Introduction     not    only     gave    greater    facilities     of 

of  Buddhism.   (540  A.D.  communication,  but  also,  by  regulating 

fi44.    A  "n  "i  the  rivers,  gave  increasrd  opportunities 

for  irrigation. 
Intrigues    and    party-strife    among  The   Japanese    had    hitherto    been 

the    officials    of  the    Court    were  very     polytheists    in    religion,     worshipping 

many  gods,  but  principally  the 
god  of  Heaven,  from  whom 
the  Emperor  Himself  was  sup- 
posed to  be  desc  iided,  besides 
the  numerous  deities  of  the 
country  and  their  own  ances- 
tors. But  when,  during  the 
reign  of  the  Emperor  Keitai 
(in  A.D.  522),  the  teaching  of 
Buddha  was  brought  over  from 
Korea,  the  people  acquiesced 
in  it,  accepting  the  Budd.as  as 
the  national  gods  of  the 
Koreans.  In  A.D.  552,  the 
Emperor  Kimmn  received,  as 
a  gift  from  the  king  of  Korea,  an 
imagj  of  Buddha  and  several  books 
of    devotion,    and    became    a    believer 


^^ 


rife  in  this  age,  with  the  natur  1  con- 
sequence that  the  influence  exercised 
by  Japan  over  Korea  was  ccnsiderably 


weakened.     The  growing    commerce  of     in    Buddhism,    though    his    conversion 


the  nation  and  her  increased  skill  in 
the  art  of  navigation  brought  about 
direct  communication  with  China, 
and  from  this  resulted  a  great  modi- 
fication of  our 
ancient  native 
manners  and 
customs. 

A  sharply 
defined  distinc- 
tion was  now 
made  between 
frje  citizens  [ryo- 
win)  and  senmin, 
all  intermarriage 
between  the  two 
classes  being 
strictly  pro  .ib't- 
ed.  Agriculture 
was  much  deve- 
loped, and  the 
opening  of  canals 
and  construction 
of  dikes  and 
embankments, 


was  the  cause  of  much  religious 
controversy  and  dispute  among  his 
ministers  and  courtiers.  Buddhism, 
however,     succeeded     in     establishing 


ti^/r-i"\i!i', 


The  Banquet  calt.ed  Kyokusui-no-yen. 


H.    I.    H.    Prince    Kitashirakawa,    now    in    the    Front. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  295 


itself.      Among  its  more  prominent  ad-  even  near  relatives,  killed  on  the  road- 

vocates   at  this   time  may  be  reckoned  side    or    drowned,     would    run     away 

the  Prince    Umayado,    and    the    father  and  leave  them. 

and  son  Soga  Iname  and  Soga  Umako,  The  introduction  of  Buddhism  gave 

both  Ministers  of  the  Crov^'n.     Seventy  great  encouragement   to  industry   and 

years    after    its    first    establishment  in  art.        Splendid    temples     and     stately 

the    country    there    were     ^drcady    46  pagodas    were    erected,   with  beautiful 

Buddhist    temples    in     the    land,    with  carvings    on    the  rafters   and    columns 


and    figures    in  relief  of   birds,   beasts, 
and  fiowers.     Among  these 
temples  we  may  reckon  the 
Shitcnnoji    at     Osaka,     the 
Horyuji   at    Nara,   and   the 
Hok  oji,    Koryvji,     Hyugaji, 
Genkoji     and     Chuguji,    all 
founded  by  the  pious  labours 
of  Prince  Umayado.     Metal 
casting,  engraving  on  metal 
and     stone,     and     painting, 
all   progressed    greatly,    for 
Buddhism 
gave        con- 
stant       em- 
ployment to 
Sacred     Art. 
Nor         were 
more     useful 
arts  neglect- 
ed ;  spinning 
and      weav- 
ing   received 
much     deve- 
lopment and 
the    practice 
of      making 
cloth      from 
the    hair    or 

the  village   where   he  died  was  deemed     wool  of  animals  was  introduced  during 
to  have  been    polluted,    and    the    com-     this  period. 

panions   of  the    deceased    were    forced  Internal       commerce        flourished : 

to  offer  many  prayers,  occasionally  at  markets  and  fairs  were  held  at  many 
great  expense  to  themselves,  in  order  centres,  peddlers  carried  their  goods 
that  the  evils  hanging  over  the  place  to  the  remotest  villages,  a  coastwise 
might  be  averted.  The  same  thing  hap-  trade  was  inaugurated,  and  the  ports 
pened  if  a  man  happened  to  be  drowned  of  Japan  were  visited  by  foreign  ships. 
in  a  river.  To  find  a  man  dying  by  A  great  obstacle  to  satisfactory  trading 
the  roadside,  or  dead  on  a  river  bank,  was  removed  by  the  introduction,  in 
was  thus  a  sure  way  of  bringing  one-  the  period  of  Sushtm,  A.  D.  588,  of  the 
self  into  trouble,  and  people  who  had  balance  from  China,  and  by  the  pro- 
the  misfortune  to  have  companions,  or     mnlgation,  in  A.  D.  640,  of  proper  and 


816    priests,    and    569   nuns. 

Most  of  these   temples 
were  in  the  capital  and  its 
vicinity  ;     in    country     dis- 
tricts the   people  remained 
attached  to  their  old  faith 
and  practices.      They   had 
a    great    and    unreasoning 
dread   of  ceremonial  pollu- 
tion    or     defileiTient  ;     the 
touching    of   an    unknown . 
person,  or  even   of  articles 
carried  by  a  stranger,  was 
supposed   to   defile   a  man. 
This     super- 
stition   pro- 
duced  many 
practical 
evils.        For 
instance,      if 
a  man, 

working  at 
some  place 
far  distant 
from  his 
home,  fell 
sick  and 
died  on  his 
road    home, 


The  Ku'ai>cn. 


296 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The  Imperial  Prince  Umayado. 


shingles  put  on  the  Imperial  Palace. 
Thatch  had  hitherto  been  the  univ- 
ersal material  for  roofing,  except 
in  the  case  of  Buddhist  temples, 
which  were  always  tiled. 

In  603  A.  D.,  Prince  Uma- 
yado devised  a  system  of  grades 
and  ranks  for  the  different  orders 
of  nobles  and  court  officials.  There 
w^ere  twelve  orders  in  all,  each  dis- 
tinguished by  its  own  kammuri, 
or  hat,  and  the  introduction  of 
these  hats  necessitated  a  new 
style  of  hair-dressing,  for  the  old 
fashion  of  fastening  the  hair  -with 
rosettes  at  the  ears  became  im- 
possible. These  changes  of  fashion 
of  course  affected  only  the  upper 
classes. 

But  the  changes  in  diet  intro- 
duced by  Buddhism  affected  all 
classes.  Buddhism,  as  is  well 
known ,  prohibits  the  taking  of 
life  of  all  kinds,  and  on  being  con- 
verted to  the  new  faith  the  fisher- 
man tore  his  net  and  the  hunter 
broke    his  bow.    A    large    propor- 


uniform     standards     of    weights    and 
measures. 

We  may  also  note  as  a  sign  of 
progress  that  in  A.  D.  642,  the  newly 
erected  Daigokuden  or  Government  Hall 
was  roofed  with  tiles,   and   a   roof  of 


The  Temple  of  Horyuji  and  PagodA, 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.         297 


Daigokuden 

tion  of  the  people,  especially  in  the 
upper  classes,  entirely  gave  up  meat 
or  fish  as   an    article   of  food. 

Buddhism  and  the  native  Shintoism 
are  two  religions 
which,  apparent- 
ly, have  very 
little  in  common. 
But  the  people 
managed  to  re- 
concile the  two, 
for  Shintoism 
says  little  or 
nothing  of  life 
after  death, 
while  Buddhism 
is  full  of  specula- 
tive teachings  of 
this  kind,  and  by 
observing  this 
distinction  they 
were  able  to  be 
both  Buddhists 
and  Shintoists 
at  the  same 
time. 

A  violent  flood 
with  heavy  rains 
in  A.  D.  567, 
which         caused 


much  distress 
and  threw  many 
labourers  out  of 
"VA^ork,  "was  at- 
tributed by  the 
soothsayers  to 
the  anger  of  the 
god  Kamo,  to 
appease  whom 
the  Emperor 

Kimmei  institut- 
ed      a       great 
festival     in     the 
month   of   April. 
Fair         weather 
and       abundant 
harvest     follow- 
ed,       and       the 
famous       Kamo 
Festival      has 
been    held    at     Kyoto    annually    ever 
since,   the  shrine   of  the  god  being  on 
the  bank  of  the  Kamo  river. 

Buddhism  also  gave   a  strong  im- 


The  famous  Kamo  Festival. 


298 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


petus  to  music  £Lnd  dancing,  both  of  Jomei  is  said  to  have  spent  four  months 
which  arts  are  necessary  for  the  proper  at  Arima  and  five  at  Dogo,  for  the 
performance  of  the  elaborate  religious     benefit  of  his  health. 


Japanese  Foot-Ball. 


ceremonies  of  that  religion  ;  and  it  may 
almos':  be  said  that  the  great  love  of 
flowers  and  flower-arranging  which 
characterizes  the  Japanese  has  its 
origin  in  the  same  religion ,  for  the 
Japanese  noblemen  in  the  past  had 
been  great  hunters,  and  ladies  had  not 
disdained  to  join  in  the  sport,  but 
Buddhism  put  an  end  to  the  hunt 
and  substituted  the  flower-collecting 
picnic  in  its  stead.  Foot-ball  (quite  a 
different  amusement  to  the  rough  sport 
of  the  West)  was  also  introduced  in 
this  period. 

Hot  springs  were  also  discovered 
in  this  period,  or  at  any  rate  utilized 
for  medical  purposes.  D5go  in  lyo, 
and  Arima  in  Settsu,  were  the  most 
celebrated  spas,  and  miuch  frequented 
by  nobles  and  persons  of  quality. 
Even  the  sovereigns  themselves  fre- 
quented the  onsen,  and    the    Emperor 


4.  The  Age  of  the  Kara  Dynasty. 

(645  A.  D.— 781  A.  D.) 

Great  eflbrts  were  made  in  this  age 
as  in  that  which  preceded  it  to  natural- 
ize the  civilization  of  China  in  Japan 
and  a  great  effect  was  thereby  produced 
upon  the  laws,  religion,  literature  and 
art  of  the  latter  cpuntry.  The  year 
645  A.  D.  saw  a  very  great  change 
in  the  governmental  system  in  the 
country,  for  whereas  the  high  offices 
about  the  court  and  palace  had  hitherto 
been  hereditary  in  certain  families  quite 
irrespcc  ive  of  personal  qualifications, 
these  hereditary  posts  were  now 
abolished  and  the  country  was  divided 
into  a  certain  number  of  provinces 
each  with  a  governor  appointed  by 
the  Imperial  Court.  The  highest 
Ministry  was  now  known  as  the  Daj5- 
kwan,  under    which    there    were    eight 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  299 


departments  and  three  independent 
offices.  Official  ranks,  formerly  twelve 
in  number,  were  now  augmented  to 
thirteen,  each  with  its  distinctive 
kammuri  or  coronet. 

In  701,  the  official  ranks  w^ere  in- 
creased in  number  to  48,  each  with  its 
distinctive  title  instead  of  a  kammuri. 
While  these  ranks  and  gradations  of 
titles  served  to  keep  alive  the  zeal  of 
ambitious  officials,  another  most 
valuable  reform  —  the  institution  of 
official  salaries, — reduced  to  a  minimum 
the  constant  danger  of  official  pecula- 
tion. Every  officer  had  a  sufficient 
salary  secured  to  him,  according  to  his 
rank,  and  was  paid  in  land,  or  cloth, 
rice,  salt,  or  other  equivalent  of  money. 
The  private  ownership  of  land  vsras 
forbidden  :  and  the  cultivable  land 
throughout  the  country  was  divided 
tip  amongst  the  people  equally   at  the 


The  distinction  between  free-bom 
subjects  and  senmin,  or  serfs,  was 
during  this  age  defined  with  the  same 
amount  of  sharpness  as  that  which 
separated  the  franklin  from  the  vilein 
in  mediaeval  Europe.  Children  bom 
from  secret  marriages  were  all  senmin, 
as  also  those  born  out  of  wedlock, 
and  it  was  possible  for  a  man  free 
born  to  descend  into  the  rank  of  the 
senmin  as  a  consequence  of  poverty  or 
indebtedness.  All  these  provisions  date 
from  the  reforms  of  A.  D.  645. 

From  the  same  year  also  date 
reforms  which  w^e  may  almost  look 
upon  as  the  harbingers  of  the  military 
conscription  laws  of  the  Meiji  period. 
We  have  already  mentioned,  in  No.  2 
of  this  Record,  that  two  clans  were 
in  ancient  times  possessed  of  the 
monopoly,  if  we  may  so  call  it,  of  the 
military    profession.      The    reforms    of 


The  Shishinden,  Imperial  Palace  in  Kyoto. 


rate  of  2  tan  (=  V?  acre)  per  man  and  645  swept  away   this   monopoly.     It 

1  Vs  tan  per  woman.     Taxes  were  paid  was  ordered  that   all    arms    should  be 

in    rice,    in    staple  commodities   of  the  brought   to    the    Court    Arsenals,    and 

countrVi  or  in  labour.  that  none  but  men  actually  in  militar^r 


300 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


service  should  henceforth  be  permitted  {Eji).  These  troops  were  divided  into 
to  wear  them.  Thirty  years  or  so  palace  and  frontier  guards  :  the  period 
later,  (676  A,  D.)  the   Emperor  Tenmu      of  service  was  for  three  years,  and  the 

frontier  guards 
were  moved  from 
station  to  station 
every  year.  Special 
troops  were  raised 
for  purposes  of 
actual  w^ar.  It 
was  a  very  fine 
law  ;  but  alas ! 
the  military  fer- 
vour departed  and 
the  Government 
battalions  grew 
weak,  until  at 
length  the  law 
-was  withdrawn. 
The  true  military 
spirit  of  the 
nation  w^as  con- 
tinued in  the 
samurai ^^^ho  were 
no-w  coming  to 
the  fore. 

Another  legisla- 
tive     reform      of 
this     period     was 
the  law  of  houses, 
the  main  features 
of      which      were 
briefly  as  follows. 
A  house  {ko)  was 
defined     as     con- 
sisting of  the  head 
of  the  house  and 
his     family,     and     every     five     houses 
made  a  ho  or  aggregation   of  houses, 
the  members  of  which  w^ere  bound   to 
assist  one  another  ;    one  of  the    heads 
of  these  five    houses    was    chosen     as 
head  of  the  ho  and   charged  with  the 
inspection   of  the    whole    aggregation. 
supplemental    reforms    of    702,   "which     If  the    family    living    in    one    of  these 
provided    for    the    constant    enrolment     houses    absconded,   the  whole  ho  was 
of  one  third  of  the  adult  male   popula-     held  responsible  for  them,  and  for  any 
tion,   and  which    divided    the    country     tax-obligations  which    the  absconding 
into  districts  every  five  or  six  of  which     family  might  have   incurred.      A  house 
formed    the  basis   of  an  army  division     always  contained  a  large  family  united 


The  Shrine  of  Kasuga  in  Nara. 


organized  trained  bands  of  infantry 
and  cavalry,  while  one  of  his  succes- 
sors, the  Empress  Jito,  issued  a  regular 
conscription  law  which  provided  that 
one  fourth  of  the  adult  male  popula- 
tion should  be  trained  in  military  arts. 
This    was    further    developed    by    the 


General    Nogi. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  301 


under   one  chief,— his    brothers,   uncles,      if  there  were  children,  or  if  there  were 
aunts,  wife,   concubines,   children,  men-     none,  for  two. 

servants    and    maidservants,     so    that  The  husl:)and  had  a  right  to  divorce 

a  household  would  often  contain  more  his  wife  for  any  of  the  following 
than  100  persons  living  together.  The  reasons, — childlessness,  del^auehery,  dis- 
head  of  a  house  was  succeeded  by  his  obedience  to  her  husband's  parents, 
son,  and  an  uncle  could  never  succeed  to  gossipping,  theft,  jealousy,  conta  ious 
the  heirship.  Women  were  at  times  disease  ;  but  even  in  such  a  case,  he 
admissible  as  heads,  and  under  certain  must  always  obtain  the  consent  of  his 
conditions  were  allowed  the  use  of  parents,  and  grand-parents.  Con- 
separate  houses.  In  a  house  in  which  cubines  were  recognized  by  the  reforms 
the  family  was  of  a  rank  above  the  of  745,  but  yet  there  could  only  be 
third  grade  of  court-officials,  the  one  lawful  wife,  and  there  were  certain 
grandson  by  legitimate  descent  was  prohibited  degrees  within  which 
appointed  heir  in  default  of  a  legitimate  marriage  was  not  permissible.  Mar- 
son,  and  if  there  ^vere  no  grandson,  riages  between  citizens  and  sentnin 
the  son  of  the  eldest  son,  to  succeed,  were  absolutely  prohibited  as  before, 
the  inheritance  passed  to  the  second  though  if  such  a  marriage  was  con- 
son  ;  failing  all  legitimate  male  issue,  tracted  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that 
the  son  or,  if  need  were,  the  grandson  one  of  the  parties  was  a  scnmin,  the. 
by  a  concubine  might  be  appointed,  marriage  was  considered  valid  and  the 
In  families  below  the  fourth  rank  the  children  free  bora.  This  provision  was 
grandson  could  not  succeed  ;  if 
there  were  no  son ,  an  heir  was 
adopted  v^ho  must  always  be  a 
relative. 

A  man  w^as  considered  mar- 
riageable at  15,  and  a  woman  at 
13  ;  but  the  consent  of  the  grand- 
parents, as  well  as  of  the  parents, 
vvas  necessary.  A  contract  of 
marriage  might  be  broken,  if  (  i  ) 
the  contract  were  not  ratified 
within  three  months  from  the  be- 
trothal, without  proper  and  valid 
reason,  (ii)  if  the  betrothed  man 
ran  away  and  did  not  come  back 
within  a  month,  (iii)  if  he  went 
abroad  and  stayed  there  for  over 
a  year,  or  (iv)  if  he  were  found 
guilty  of  some  crime  or  misde- 
meanour. In  all  these  cases  the 
woman  might  demand  her  freedom. 

After  marriage,  she  might  get 
a  divorce  for  the  following  reasons. 
(i)  If   the    husbar.d    went    abroad 

and  stayed  there,  for  five  years,  if  much  modified  in  later  years,  mixed 
there  were  children:  and  if  there  were  no  marriages  of  this  kind  were  tolerated, 
children,  for  three  ;  (ii)  if  he  ran  away  and  all  the  children  treated  as  free 
and    deserted    his  wife,  for  three  years      born  citizens. 


WoMEN^s  Ornaments  used  tn  the  Nara  Age. 


302 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


A  man  had  complete  freedom  of 
testamentary  action  with  regard  to 
all  his  property,  including  his  servants. 
If  he  died  \Yithont  a  -will,  his  property 
was  divided  amongst  his  family  in 
accordance  with  the  la  w  regulating 
the  distribution  of  property.  Property 
could  always  be  sold  :  cultivated  lands, 
homesteads,  and  servants,  could  not 
be  disposed  of  without  the  sanction  of 
the  authorities,  the  Government  being 
always     theoretically    the    proprietor, 


interest  was  never  allowed  to  exceed 
the  amount  of  the  capital,  however 
long  the  loan  might  remain  unpaid. 
If  the  debtor  could  not  pay,  he  forfeited 
his  proper  ty ,  and  even  tually  might 
become  his  creditor's  bondman:  any 
physical  or  other  disability  had  to  be 
compensated  for  by  the  witness 
who  might  thus  have  to  become  a 
bondman  in  the  s  tead  of  a  sickly 
debtor. 

The    reforms    of    the    period    also 


The  Interior  of  the  Temple  of  Chi-on-in  in  Kyoto. 


but  horses  and  cattle,  &c.,  could  be 
sold  at  any  time  in  the  presence  of  a 
witness. 

There  were  two  ways  of  lending 
money  ;  with  interest  and  without. 
Priests  and  nuns  were  forbidden  to 
take  interest,  and  Government  officials 
were  forbidden  to  borrow  money  from 
those  beneath  them.  The  rate  of  in- 
terest was  one  eighth  of  the  capital 
every   sixty   days,    but  the   amount  of 


touched  the  question  of  mortgages ; 
and  it  was  made  illegal  in  751  to  give 
mortgages  on  fields  or  homesteads. 
This  was  done  to  prevent  the  accumu- 
lation of  property  in  the  hands  of  the 
wealthy.  It  was  an  age  of  great 
agricultural  prosperity  ;  large  districts 
were  brought  newly  under  tillage,  and 
the  cultivation  of  barley,  wheat, 
mulberries,  flax,  pears,  chestnuts. 
turnips  and  buck-wheat  was  encouraged 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.         303 


A  High  Official  and  a  Young  Gentleman  of  the  Nara  Age. 


•with    a    view    to    su  pplementing    the 
deficiencies  of  the  rice-crop. 

Among  the  arts,  architecture  es- 
pecially felt  the  rising  influence  of 
Buddhism  and  Chinese  art.  Pagodas 
of  from  three  to  nine,  in  rare  cases 
even  thirteen,  stories  were  erected  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  and  a 
decree  of  the  Emperor  Shomu  (A.  D. 
741)  ordered  the  building,  in  each 
province  of  a  Buddhist  temple,  designed 
to  conlain  three  images  of  Buddha  in 
his  different  aspects,  and  a  copy  of  the 
Daihannys-kyb,  the  voluminous  book 
of  Buddhist  Scripture,  better  known 
to  western  scholars  as  the  Mahapra- 
jnaparamita  Siitra.  At  the  head  of 
all  these  provincial  temples,  as  design- 
ed by  the  Emperor  Shomu,  stood  the 
Todaiji  Sit  Nara,  with  its  colossal 
Daibutsu,  or  image  of  Buddha,  of 
about  fifty  feet  in  height  ;  and  the 
care  expended  on  the  ornamentation 
and  decoration  of  this  and  similar 
temples  gave  an  immense  impetus  to 
Sacred  Art. 

In     this     age     we    find    traces    of 


advance  in  other  branches  of  art.  In 
weaving,  we  first  find  the  traces  of 
figures  woven  into  the  texture  :  red 
lacquer  and  its  application  first  appear 
in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Tenmu,  and 
several  varieties  of  lacquer  work  made 


A  Peasant  leading  His  PAcK-iroRSB. 


304 


THE  KUSSO-JAPAKESE  WAR. 


The  Dailmtsu  IN  NarA. 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.    305 


their  appearance,  such  as  maki-e  (gold 
or  silver  lacquer),  ratcn  (mother  of 
pearl),  and  lacquers  of  other  colours 
than  red. 

Markets-  were  held  everywhere  ; 
they  were  opened  at  noon,  and  closed 
at  sunset,  to  the  sound  of  drums, 
generally  in  shady  places,  with  places 
apart  for  men  and  women. 

The  earliest  copper  coin,  known  as 
wado-kaishin,  was  issued  in  the  reign 
of  Genmci  (A.  D.  708),  and  gold  and 
silver  money  made  its  appearance  a 
little  later.  But  its  use  was  not  at 
first  popular,  as  the  people  were 
accustomed  to  barter,  and  the  govern- 
ment, desirous  of  promoting  its  use, 
first  ordered  the  payment  of  taxes  in 
coin,  and  then  issued  patents  of  nobility 
to  all  persons  who  kept  a  certain 
amount  of  money  in  their  storehouses. 
The  effect  of  this  latter  regulation 
however  was  to  withdraw  money  from 


circulation  ;   it  was   shortly  rescinded  ; 
and  decrees  issued  against  hoarding. 

Buddhism  was  very  prosperous. 
It  was  the  faith  of  the  Emperor  and 
of  the  upper  classes.     The  lower  orders 


The  Earliest  Coins. 

did  not  believe  in  it,  as  yet,  but  nobles 
and  priests  combined  in  a  vigorous 
propaganda  amongst  them.  Even  so, 
however,  they  refused  to  accept  the  new 
faith,  until  it  was  discovered  that  the 
two    religions  might  readily  be  united- 


SlIINTOTST    PrTESTS    AT   THE    ShR'NE   OF   IyEYASU   IN   NiKKO. 


306 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


This  system,  known  as  Ryobu  Shinto, 
is  ascribed  to  the  priest  Gyoki.  Divina- 
tion by  burning  tortoise  shell  took  the 


A    PoST-HORSE    IN    THE  NARA   AgE. 


place  of  the  former  method  of  divina- 
tion by  burning  stags*  horns,  and  the 
influence  of  China  may  be  seen  in  the 
Bureau  of  Astrology  instituted  in  this 
period  to  regulate  and  encourage  this 
nevsrly  imported  and  popular  art. 
A  ugury  was  much  practised ,  an  in- 
teresting way  of  forecasting  the  future 
being  that  of  standing  in  one's  gate 
and  listening  to  the  chance  words  of 
the  passers-by,  w^hich  were  pften  sup- 
posed to  be  a  revelation  of  the  wll  of 
Heaven.  Superstition  prevailed,  and 
there  was  no  lack  of  the  spurious 
miracle  to  confirm  the  people  in  their 
faith  in  Buddhism.  The  belief  in  trans- 
migration was  much  used  by  Buddhist 
priests  as  a  means  of  persuading  care- 
less listeners,  and  re-birth  as  a  dog  or 
swne  had  terrors  for  many.  It  was 
said  that  the  skull  of  a  dead  man  had 
come    to    the    house    of  a    man    who 


had  buried  him  to  thank  him  for  the 
benefit  which  had  been  conferred  upon 
him    by     his    admission    to     the    next 

world; 
and  the 
chief  of 
a  certain 
village 
is  said 
to  have 
been 
divinely 
punished 
with  a 
crooked 
m  o  u  t  h 
for  blas- 
phe  m  y 
against  the  Holy 
Writings  of  Budd- 
hism. 

Of  lesser  supersti- 
tions    there      were 
many,  just  as  there 
have    al  ways    been 
in  all  nations.    If  a 
woman    wished   to 
dream  of  her  lover, 
she    went  to    sleep    in    her    nightdress 
turned  inside  out  ;  an  itching  eyebrow^, 
or    a    sneeze,   or    the   sudden  loosening 
of  the    girdle    portended    a    visit  from 
the    beloved  one  ;   if  a  man  tied  grass 
in  a    knot    by    the  roadside,    and    the 
knot    remained    tied   for  several  hours, 
it     portended     the     fulfilment     of    his 
desires.    White  deer,  w^hite  foxes,  w^hite 
rats,    w^hite     pigeons,     or    two     lotus 
flowers    grow^ing    on    one    stem,    were 
presented     to     the     Court    as    a    gift 
of    good     omen     which    the    Imperial 
Household    knew    how    to    prize    and 
how  to  reward. 

Chinese  learning  was  so  much 
sought  after  that  it  seemed  almost 
indigenous,  and  a  university  established 
for  the  purpose  of  promoting  these 
studies  contained  over  four  hundred 
students.  Filial  piety  was  considered  to 
be  the  centre  and  source  of  all  virtues 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  307 


end  dutiful  sons  or  grandsons,  faithful 
wives  and  merciful  husbands,  were 
praised  and  rewarded  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

In  the  year  710,  the  Emperor 
Kinmei  removed  his  residence  to  Nara, 
the  famous  Heijo  Capital  of  Japanese 
History,  which  was  much  beautified 
and  adorned,  as  befitted  the  capital  of 
the  Empire,  A  celebrated  poem,  of 
the  period  of  which  -we  here  give  a 
rough  translation,  will  serve  to  give 
the  reader  some  idea  of  the  general 
beauties  of  the  city. 

"  In  spring,  the  cherry-blossom  gives 
its  brightest  silveriest  strains 

**  Upon  the  slopes  of  Kastiga,  and 
Mikasa^s  broad  plains  ; 

"  In  spring,  the  birds  beneath  the 
trees  pour  out  their  noblest  lays 


"When  the  stag  its  absent  mates  doth 
chide  in  the  forest's  leafless  shade, 

"  Then,  rich  with  ruddy  maples  and 
the  hajs^i  shrub  of  brown, 

"  Sweet  are  the  circling  hills,  and 
sweet  the  streets  of  Nara's  town." 

But  after  the  lapse  of  some  seventy 
years,  it  was  found  more  convenient 
to  select  some  other  spot  for  the 
abode  of  central  Government,  and  the 
capital  w^as  removed  to  Nagaoka  in 
Yamashiro  by  the  Emperor  Kammu 
in  A.  D.  784. 

The  reforms  inaugurated  in  A.  D, 
645,  w^hich  the  reader  will  easily  under- 
stand, to  have  been  one  of  the  most 
important  crises  in  our  national 
history,  had  a  great  effect  on  the  ways 
and  means  of  communication  through- 
out the  country.     Not  only  were  roads 


Ayu  Fishing  by  Cormorants. 


"  On  Heijo's  virgin  capital,  the  town  built  and  ports  opened,  but  a  system 
beyond  all  praise."  of     government     postal     service     was 

established  wilh  post-houses,   relays  of 

"  In  autumn,  when  the  rime  and  frost  horses,  messengers,  guard-houses,  and, 
lie  thick  on  field  and  glade,  at  provincial  frontiers,  barriers  for  the 


308 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


examination  of  passports,  &c.,  which  ration  on  his  road  to  his  native 
were  often  of  great  service  in  the  village.  To  remedy  this,  provision 
capture  of  runaway  criminals.  The  was  made  by  the  Empress  Genmei 
most  famous  of  these  ancient  guard-  (A.  D.  708)  and  afterwards  again  by 
houses  were  Suzuka  in    Ise,    Fuwa    in      the  Empress  Gensho  (723)  for  the  esta- 

blishment 

of  houses 
of  enter- 
tai  nment 
for  travel- 
lers, at 
which  food 
and  lodging 
could  be 
procured  at 
a  fixed 

rate  ;      rich 
people     liv- 
ing     along 
the  lines   of 
travel  were 
also   encou- 
raged       to 
sell    rice   to 
travellers, 
and      those 
w^ho      thus 
sold      more 
than       100 
koku    per    annum,     were     honourably 
reported  to  the  Government.    In  A.  D. 
759,   at  the  suggestion   of  a  practical 
Buddhist  priest,    the    custom    was    in- 
augurated of  planting  fruit-trees  along 
the  road  side  for  the  benefit   of  travel- 
lers. 

The  houses  of  the  capital  were 
roofed  with  tiles,  and  the  discovery  of 
red  lacquer  led  to  the  practice  of 
painting  temples  vermilion.  The  upper 
classes  generally  dressed  in  silk,  rather 
than  in  linen,  and  official  dresses  were 
regulated  according  to  the  rank  of  the 
wearer.  Women  took  to  riding  astride, 
like  men,  in  consequence  of  a  decree 
issued  in  A.  D.  681.  Up  to  that  time 
they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  sitting 
sideways  on  the  horse  with  both  legs 
hanging  down  on  one  side,  an  attitude 
in    which  they  can  scarcely  hav-^  been 


Kammnri  And  Dresses  in  the  Nara  Age. 


Mino,  and  Arachi  in  Echizen.  The 
Buddhist  clergy  did  very  much  for  the 
country  in  designing  and  planning 
ne-w  roads  across  mountainous  dis- 
tricts. 

Travelling  for  the  upper  classes 
was  a  comparatively  simple  affair. 
They  rode  on  post-horses,  and  found 
at  the  different  jjosting  stations  houses 
of  accommodation  -vA^here  they  could 
find  shelter  and  rest  for  the  night. 
But  for  the  poor  it  was  a  different 
matter.  They  had  to  travel  on  foot, 
and  to  carry  not  only  their  luggage 
but  also  the  food  for  their  journey. 
There  were  no  inns,  no  places  of  rest, 
and  no  places  where  they  could  buy 
food.  Consequently  it  frequently  hap- 
pened that  an  artizan  returning  home 
from  a  piece  of  w^ork  which  had  called 
him  far  from  home,  would  die  of  star- 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  JAPANESE  PEOPLE.  309 


able  to  exercise  any  command  over  the 

animal. 

Attempts  were  made  to  regulate 
the  modes  of  hairdrcssing  for  women, 
only  ladies  of  rank  being  allowed  to 
wear  their  hair  loose  over  the  should- 
ers ;  but  the  women  seem  to  have  had 
their  own  w^ay  in  this  matter,  for  the 
regulation  speedily  became  obsolete. 
Hats  were  made  of  sedge-straw  {suge- 
gnsa),  or  of  silk  (kiniigasa) ,  the  latter 
covered  with  brocade  of  various  hues 
to  denote  rank.  Nobles  and  high 
officials  were  distinguished  by  tassels. 

Etiquette  was  .strictly  enforced. 
In  passing  the  gate  ,  of  the  Imperial 
P-ilacc,  it  was  necessary  to  go  down 
on  hands  and  knees  and  crawl  past. 
This  custom  -was  abolished  by  the 
Emperor  Tenmu,  avIio  ordained  that  a 
bow  towards  the  Palace  was  sufficient. 
This  Emperor  (A.  D.  681)  had  the 
floor  of  his  Palace  boarded  and  ftn-nish- 
ed  with  chairs  after  the 
Chinese  fashion.  There 
was  another  form  of  re- 
verential salute  used  in 
addressing  the  gods  or 
the  Emperor.  It  consisted 
of  clapping  the  hands, 
and  is  still  in  use  a- 
mongst  lis  in  ceremonies 
of  "worship. 

Animal  food  was 
strictly  prohibited ,  but 
still  taken  in  secret. 
Milch-cow^s  were  intro- 
duced from  Korea  by 
the  Emperor  Xotoku  in 
A.  D.  650,  and  milk  be- 
came for  a  -while  a  fashio- 
nable article  of  diet  a- 
mong  the  upper  classes. 

The  Imperial  Birth- 
day "was  first  kept  as  a 
national  holiday  in  A.  D. 
775  under  the  Emperor  Konin. 

It  still  remained  the  custom  for  the 
husband  to  pay  daily  visits  to  his 
wife  in   her  parents'    house  ;    and    if  a 


man  wanted  to  have  his  wife  living 
with  him,  he  had  to  build  a  specia,! 
house  for  the  purpose.  A  woman 
never  told  her  real  name  to  any  one 
except  her  betrothed  husband,  and 
when  a  girl,  on  growing  to  woman-> 
hood,  "  did  up  "  her  hair  for  the  first 
time,  it  was  always  her  future  husband 
that  tied  it  for  her. 

Funeral  customs  remained  much  as 
before.  The  coffin  was  placed  in  a 
rnoya,  or  house  of  the  dead,  and  of- 
ferings of  sake  and  food  w^ere  made 
before  it.  One  of  the  relatives  read 
the  shinuhigoto  or  funeral  address, 
setting  forth  the  various  merits  of  the 
deceased,  and  the  coffin  was  then  taken 
to  the  tomb  with  a  procession  of  flags 
and  music.  The  nearest  relatives  re- 
mained on  guard  at  the  tomb  for  about 
a  week.  But  with  Buddhism  came  in 
the  custom  of  cremation,  derived  fi-om 
India  ;  the  first  cremation  was  that  of 


A  Country  Woman  and  Man  in  the  Nara  Age. 


a  priest,  Dosho,  in  A.  D.  700,  and  the 
Empress  Jito  following  this  precedent 
in  the  next  year,  made  the  practice 
prevalent.     The   Imperial  Mausoleums 


310 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR; 


-were  now  stirrotinded  with  fences  and 
tombstones  erected  setting  forth  the 
virtues  of  the  deceased.  The  custom 
of  wearing  mourning  was  also  intro- 
duced from  China,  the  periods  varying 
from  one  week  to  one   year   in   accor- 


The  Two  Famous  Wrestlers,  Nomt  and  Taema  in  B.  C.  23. 


dance  with  Chinese  precedents.  The 
clothes  worn  during  the  period  of 
mourning  were  made  of  a  coarse  cloth 
woven  from  the  bark  of  the  wistaria 
and  dyed  black.  They  were  called 
fajigoromo  (wistaria-garments). 

{To  be  continued,) 


Many  sports  were  in  vogue. 
Wrestling,  archery,  horse-racing,  satis- 
fied the  desires  of  the  active.  (We 
may  state  that  the  first  mention  of 
wrestling  is  in  B.  C.  23,  and  that  the 
two  earliest  Japanese  wrestlers  whose 
names  have  come 
down  to  us  were 
Nomi  no  Sukvne  and 
Taema  no  Kehaya..) 
Plum-blossoms  and 
lotus-flowers  had 
their  admirers,  and 
the  love  of  birds 
and  flowers  became 
everywhere  the 
source  of  much 
pleasure.  The 

Muses  were  con- 
stantly cultivated , 
and  the  utagaki 
of  a  previous 
generation  developed 
into  a  kind  of  im- 
promptu drama. 
Sugoroku  and  gOy 
games  n  ot  unlike 
chess  or  draughts, 
gave  amusement 

within  doors,  w^hile  out  of  doors 
our  forefathers  of  this  period  amused 
themselves  with  football,  dakyUj  (a 
kind  of  polo),  hunting  with  dogs,  and 
hawking. 


JUDO. 


311 


Judo. 


HIS  is  the  name  given  weak  to  overcome  the  strong  in  battle, 
by  Mr.  Kano  Jigoro,  its  and  to  give  the  unarmed  or  imperfect- 
greatest  living  exponent  ly  armed  warrior  the  skill  required  to 
to     one     of    the     ancient     enable  him  to  cope  successfully  with  a 

fully  armed  and  equipped  adversary. 
The  art,  in  ancient  times,  had 
many  famous  professors,  a  few  anec- 
dotes about  w^hom  wll  serve  to  sho^w 


military  arts  of  Japan 
which  he  has  done  more  than  any  one 
else  to  bring  to  scientific  perfection. 
In    ancient    times,     when     there  were 


many   schools   of    this   art,   they    were     how  much  can  be  accomplished  by  its 
known    by     the    name     of  jujutsu,     a     use, 

name    vsrhich    is    still    current    among  Every  one  who  knows  Japan  knows 

about  its  burly 


foreigners.  Mr. 
Kano's  system 
of  judo    is    an 
eclectic        com- 
bination of  the 
best  features  of 
all  the  various 
systems  of  ju- 
jutsu.        There 
are    also  other 
systems       of 
judoy    promot- 
ed   by  various 
instructors , 
w^hich    are    in- 
dependent      of 
Mr.        Kano's, 
though     going 
by     the     same 
name. 

No  one  can 
have  spent  any 
length  of  time 
in  Japan  with- 
out        coming 


across 

the 

military 

art, 

known 

as 

yB.-wa.ra  J 

tai- 

jutsUj     or 

jw- 

Mr.  Kano  Jigoro, 
presroent  of  the  tokyo  higher  normal  school. 


vsrho    w^as   taking    his 


and  brave 
wrestlers.  The 
strongest 
wrestler  during 
the  later  years 
of  the  18th 
century  was 
the  famous 
Onogaw^a  Ki- 
saburo,  about 
whom  the  fol- 
lowing story 
is  told.  He 
w^as  one  day 
spending  a 

riotous  after- 
noon w^ith 
some  boon- 
companions  in 
a  restaurant 
at  Kawasaki, 
a  small  town 
half  w^ay  be- 
tw^een  Tokyo 
and  Yoko- 
hama, when  he 
got  into  con- 
versation w^ith 
a  little  shrivell- 
ed old  man 
lunch     in     the 


jutsu,       which 

has    from    ancient   times    flourished  in 

the  country.    The  art  may  be  described     next  room.     The  conversation  turned 

as  a  system  calculated  to  enable    the     on   physical    strength,    which   the    old 


312 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE   WAR. 


man  did  not 
value  very 
highly,  for  lie 
said  to  Ono- 
gawa       that, 


wrestler 


^^\\ 


On    another    occasion,    we  read   of 
a  wrestling  match   between   a  jujutsu- 
ist    and  a  wrestler    of  great    physical 
strength    and    bodily    presence.       The 
lifted     his     antagonist     high 
over  his    head,  and  threw 
him   down  to    the    ground 
some    distance     off.        But 
the  jujutsuist  lighted    like 
a    cat    on    his     feet,    and 
pointing    to  a    little    piece 
of  clay,     which     was    ad- 
hering    to    the    wrestler's 
chest,  said:      "I    put  that 
clay  there  when  you   were 
going  to  throw  me   down. 
I     could   have   struck     you 
just  as  easily." 

But  jujutsu  is  not  an 
art    which    encourages     a 


\V0 


Tnugamt,  an  Old  Jujutsuist  throwing  down 
Onogawa,  the  Famous  Wrrsti.kk. 

though  he  had  a  strong  body  and  great 
limbs,   he   thought  that    his   own   lean 
frame  might  yet  be  a  match  for  him. 
Onogawa    ridiculed   the    idea,    but, 
the   old   man    insisting,   a  contest  was 
arranged.     Both  combatants  went  out 
into  the  yard,   and  the  old  man  stood 
still  with  his  arms  hanging  loosely  by 
his    side,    while    Onogawa    seized    him 
from  behind.     "Are  you  ready?"   cried 
the     old     man     twice. .  "  Yes, "      said 
Onogawa,      and      before      the      word 
was  well  out  of  his  mouth, 
he    had    been    thrown    with 
great    violence  to  some  con- 
siderable distance  by  the  old 
man,  who   turned  out  to  be 
Inugami    Gumbei,   a    famous 
"  Jujutsuist y*'  and  the  founder 
of       a       method       of      this 
** noble    art    of    self-defence*' 
known  as  Kyusbmryu,    Ono- 
gawa    learned     that     there 
was  something  in. the  world 
besi  des      physical     strength , 
and  became  one  of  Inugami 's 
disciples. 


A  Jujutsuist  STRUCK  His  Antagonist  though  thrown  down. 


JUDO. 


313 


mdn    to   run    recklessly   into    danger. 
It    was    noticed     one     day,     when     a 
famous    expert,    named    Terada,     and 
his      pupil      were      passing     along     a 
narrow     road     w  here      some      horses 
were      kicking ,       that       the       trained 
disciple    watched    for    his    opportunity 
and    at    considerable    risk    to     himself 
dodged    between    the    kicldng    steeds, 
whilst    the    expert    jujatsuist    Terada 
quietly  avoided  danger  by  going  round 


The  Origin  of  Jujutsu 

is  variously  given.  It  is  ascribed  by 
many  to  pre-historic  times,  and  is  said 
to  have  been  invented  by  one  Miura 
Yoshin,  as  an  improvement  on  the 
wrestling  methods  then  in  vogue.  The 
experts  oith^  Kitoryit  school  oi  Jujutsu- 
ists  maintain  that  it  originated  from 
China.  A  Chinaman  named  Cheng 
Yuampin,    who   became   a    naturalized 


U^^x-.:-..- 


Umegatani,  a  Greatest  Wrestler  at  the  Present  Time. 


another  way.  People  asked  what  was 
the  use  of  Terada's  skill  if  it  did  not 
enable  him  to  pass  with  safety  through 
the  kicking  horses,  but  a  principle  of 
the  science  was  here  involved.  The 
jvjutsuist  is  trained  to  take  no  un- 
necessary chances  and  to  run  no  risks 
that  can  be  avoided.  He  is  to  win 
his  victory  by  reasonable  conduct  and 
self-restraint:  and  this  formed  one  of 
the  essential  features  of  the  best 
schools  oi  jujutsu. 


Japanese  subject,  told  about  the  box- 
ing to  three  ronin,  Fukuno,  Miura,  and 
Isogai,  from  whom  the  three  principal 
schools  of  jujutsu  derived  their  origins. 
But  it  is  abundantly  clear  that  jujutsu 
flourished  long  before  this. 

Again  another  account  tells  us  that 
a  Japanese  named  Akiyama  Shirobei, 
a  native  of  Hirado,  in  the  south  of 
Japan,  went  over  to  China  where  he 
learned  an  art  known  aS  hakuda, 
which    was    supposed    to    enable    the 


314 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


weak  to  overcome  the  strong.  Re-  jujutsu.  The  story  excellently  illu- 
turning  to  Japan,  he  opened  a  school  strates  the  Japanese  mind  and  policy 
in  which  he  taught  his  art,  and  had  during  the  last  half  century.  When 
many  pupils  at  first.  But  one  by  one  America  knocked  at  her  gates  and 
his    pupils    left    him,    for    the    art    he     Russia  came  grabbing  at  her  outlying 

islands,  she 
bowed,  like  the 
willow  before 
the  snow-storm. 
She  was  merely 
waiting  for  the 
right  moment  at 
which  to  give 
that  dexterous 
shrug  of  the 
shoulder  which 
should  enable 
her  to  discard 
the  load. 

We        have 
touched      on     a 
few       of       the 
principal  schools 
of  jujutsu   toge- 
ther    with     the 
theories     pro- 
pounded as  to  their  origin.    Mr.  Kano, 
w^ho  is  the  President  of  the  Kodokwan 
in  Tokyo,  is  of  the  opinion    that  this 
Japanese    art  of  self-defence    has    been 


The  Shrine  of  Tenjin  at  Dazaifu,  Chikuzen, 


taught  them  was  not  all  that  he 
claimed  for  it.  In  great  distress,  he 
determined  to  pray  to  the  Tenjin  or 
Patron    God,    of  Dazaifu,    for  a  more 

perfect  method  of  instruction,  and,  at  known  from  the  very  earliest  periods 
the  end  of  three  weeks  of  prayer,  was  of  Japanese  history,  but  that  it  was 
vouchsafed  a  dream  which  revealed  to 
him  the  principles  by  which  he  should 
regulate  his  teachings  of  the  art.  In 
his  dream  he  beheld  a  heavy  snow- 
storm, which  covered  the  ground  many 
feet  deep  and  loaded  the  branches  with 
its  burden.  A  great  pine-branch,  over- 
weighted with  its  burden  broke:  a 
supple  willow  bov^ed  its  head  for  a 
while,  and  then,  shaking  offits  burden, 
sprung  up  lithe  and  strong.  Akiyama 
understood  the  meaning  of  the  dream 
which  the  god  had  sent  him.  He 
studied     the    art     of    bending     before 


not  until  about  the  beginning  of  the 
Tokugawa  period,  say  about  1660 
A.D.,  that  the  principles'  of  the  art 
were  systematized. 


Systems  of  Jujutsu. 

The  various  schools  o£  jujutsu  are 
divided  into  great  classes,  the  object 
aimed  at  in  one  set  of  methods  being 
to  seize  your  antagonist,  in  the  other 
set,  to  throw  him.  There  are  also  some 
schools  which  teach  atemi,  the  art  of 


directing  kicks  or  blows  at  vital  parts 
heavy    attack,    and  shaking  it  off  by      of  the  antagonist's  body, 
dexterous    movements.       He     regained  Where      seizing      the       antagonist 

his  lost  pupils,  and  founded  the  Yoshin-     is    the   object    aimed  at,  the  object   is 
ryu     or     "  willow- spirit ''     school     of     attained   by   getting  him  into  a  posi- 


JUDO. 


315 


tion  from  which  he  cannot  move,  and 
keeping  him  there,  and  this  is  done 
in  many  ways:  e.g.  by  twisting  the 
firms,  throttling,  bending  back  the 
joints,  &c.,  &c.  In  the  same  way  there 
are  many  methods  of  throwing  your 
antagonist', '  or  ol  practising  atcmi ; 
but  all  methods  of  jujutsii  may  be 
classed  imder  these  three  heads  — 
"seizing,"  "throwing,"  or  atemi. 


ing  nothing  of  their  opponents'  tactics 
and  principles,  fought  practically  in 
the  dark. 


Jujutsu  Forms. 

It  would  be  a  very  dangerous 
practice  to  do  Jujutsu  strictly  at  all 
times;  for  some  of  the  Jujutsu  tricks 
are  extremely  rough  and  violent.  The 
student  is  therefore  taught  by  kata, 
(forms)  which  gives  him  the  principles 
of  the  art,  and  enables  him  to  put  them 
into  practice  when  the  need  arises. 
When  men  use  the  actual  practices,  not 
the  kata,  in  practice-wrestling,  it'  is 
called  randori. 


Jujutsu  under  the  Tokugawas. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  Tokugawa 
Shogunate,  there  was  established  in 
Yedo  a  training-school  for  military 
arts,  known  as  the  Kobusho,  in  which 
all  the  men-at-arms  of  the  Shoguns 
were  trained  in  various  kinds  of  military 
exercise.  In  this  school  all  the  dif- 
ferent systems  of  Jujutsu  were  taught, 
so  that  a  man  could  make  himself 
accpiainted  with  them  all .  Efforts 
were  also  made  to  give  the  training 
an  ethical  tone,  so  as  to  make  it 
available  for  mental  as  well  as  for 
physical  culture.  This  was  extremely 
good  when  carried  out  conscientiously, 
for    the    system  gives    excellent    train- 


>*. 


Jujutsu  Training. 

Any  of  the  systems  may  be  learn- 
ed, either  by  the  kata,  or  by  the  ran- 
dori. In  ancient  Japan,  each 
province  had  its  own  school, 
established  by  the  feudal  lord, 
and  each  provincial  school 
taught  its  own  system  and 
that  only.  A  few  students 
would  occasionally  pass  from 
one  training  hall  to  another,  to 
learn  other  systems  than  their 
own,  but  it  was  a  rare  thing. 
Most  experts  knew  nothing  but 
their  own  local  "use,"  and 
under  these  circumstances  no 
very  great  degree  of  proficiency 
was  to  be  expected. 

Taryujiai,  or  contests  between  the  ing  in  patience,  self-control,  endurance, 
adherents  of  different  schools,  were  &c.;  but  few  of  the  trainers  laid  any 
sometimes  held;  but  these  did  not  stress  on  it,  the  only  object  of  the 
conduce  much  to  the  spread  of  the  teachers  being  to  see  their  pupils  vic- 
science,  for  they  were  badly  organized  torious  in  their  matches  and  contests. 
as  a  rule,  and  the  combatants,  know-  


A  Randori. 


316 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


After  the  Restoration  (1864.) 

Jujutsu  fell  into  disfavour  for  a 
while,  as  did  everything  that  savoured 
of  the  feudal  system  and  medisevalism. 
All  the  training-schools  in  Tokyo  were 
closed,  with  the  sole  exception  of 
one  kept  by 
Fukuda  Hachino- 
suke,    a    professor 


Kobusho  of  the 
this     way 


m 


Shogunal  times,  and 
acquired  the  Kito 
system  of  the  art, 
Kitoryu  was  one  of 
those  systems  in 
which     it      is      the 


A  Randori^ 


of  the  Tenjin- shinyo  system,  who 
lived  in  the  Nihonbashi  District  of 
Tokyo.  Many  expert  jujutsuists,  of 
course,  were  to  be  found;  but  the 
old  associations  had  all  been  broken 
up,  no  one  practised  the  noble  art, 
and  it  was  in  a  moribund  condition. 
Then  it  was  that 

Mr,  Kano 

took  up  the  subject,  and  restored  the 
science  under  the  new  name  of  Judo. 
Kano  was  originally  a  disciple  of 
Fukuda's,  under  whom  he  studied  the 
Tenjin-shinyoryUj  a  system  which  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  stud3'ing  more 
thoroughly  when  a  few  years  later, 
Fukuda's  Master,  and  a  famous  ex- 
ponent of  the  Tenjin-shinyo  system, 
an  old  man  of  the  name  of  Iso 
Masatomo,  opened  a  new  training 
hall.  After  Iso's  death,  Kano 
found  an  opportunity  to  get  some 
training  from  likubo  Tsunetoshi,  w^ho 
had    been     a     professor    in    the     old 


principal    object    to    throw    the    oppo- 
nent:   in    the    system    which    he    had 
previously  learned  he  had  been  taught 
the    art    of    seizing    him .        The    two 
systems    were    at    the    opposite    poles 
of    the   jujutsu    art,   and  Mr.   Kano's 
eyes    were    opened    to    the    fact    that 
there     was     a     great     deal     more     in 
the    art    than    the    adherents    of    any 
single  school  seemed  to  be  aware   of; 
and  so,  "when  he  had  learned  all  that 
likubo   could   teach  him,  he  proceeded 
to  master  other  systems  as  well.     The 
times    were    favourable    for   this    com- 
parative study  of  the  science.      In  the 
old    times,    when    the    science   was   in 
its  palmy  days,    professional   rivalries 
made  the    experts  chary    of  divulging 
their  secrets  to  the  adherents  of   other 
schools.     But  now  they  were  only  too 
glad  to  find  any  one  that  was  willing 
to    listen,     and     would    readily     open 
their    hearts    to    any    one  who  wotdd 
condescend    to   take  an   interest  in   a 
discarded  pastime.      Books  too    could 
now   be   purchased    which  before   had 


JUDO. 


317 


been  treasured  for  the  initiated  only: 
and  '*  whereas  in  the  old  times,"  said 
Mr.  Kano,  '*no  one  could  be  initiated 
without  first  undergoing  a  three 
weeks*  ceremonial  lustration,  I  could 
now  pick  up  all  the  information  I 
wanted,  for  a  few  sen  at  a  book-stall." 

Mr.  Kano's  studies  therefore  led 
him  to  the  conclusion  that  all  the 
existing  systems  of  jvjutsu  were  too 
one-sided  and  narrow  to  be  of  real 
service  as  arts  of  self-defence,  and  he 
resolved  to  make  the  experiment  of 
devising  a  more  comprehensive  system 
which  should  include  all  the  excellen- 
cies of  the  various  schools  already  in 
existence.  His  own  experience  (for 
his  health  had  been  far  from  robust 
wh?n  he  entered  upon  his  course  of 
studies)  led  him  to  hope  that  his 
efforts  would  be  for  the  physical  \vcll- 
being  of  his  fellovsr-eountrymen ;  he 
perceived  also  that  any  such  system 
must  infallibly  have  a  great  moral 
influence  as  well,  and  he  therefore 
gave  to  the  system  which  he  proposed 
to  himself  to  promulgate  the  name  of 
Judo,  the  "art  of  pliancy."  He  began 
to  teach  Judo  in  the  spring  of  1882,  in 
his  training  hall  known  as  the  Kodo- 
kwan:  by  1885  he  had  got  it  practical- 
ly complete,  in  the  form  in  which  it  is 
still  being  taught. 

Mr.  Kano's  efforts  w^ere  not  very 
well  received  in  those  early  days. 
They  were  the  days  of  the  great  pro- 
foreign  wave,  when  the  Japanese  nation 
seemed  to  be  throwing  away  every- 
thing connected  with  its  own  past, 
and  bHndly  adopting  everything  that 
was  brought  to  it  from  Europe  or 
America.  Few  men  seemed  to  think 
that  there  could  be  any  good  in  a 
system  so  purely  native  to  the  soil 
as  Mr.  Kano's,  and  his  pupils  were 
in  proportionately  scanty  numbers, 
but  he  patiently  kept  on  his  way. 
His  training  hall  was  kept  open  for 
the  reception  of  all  that  would  come : 
its   enthusiastic    proprietor  was  ready 


at  all  hours  of  the  day  to  give  in- 
struction, and  in  order  that  no  Japan- 
ese should  be  deterred  from  learning 
the  principles  of  the  *' art  of  pliancy" 
by  considerations  of  expense,  he  has 
from  the  very  first,  for  more  than  20 
years,  borne  all  the  expenses  of  the 
training  hall  himself.  Even  this  does 
not  sum  up  his  devotion  to  his  voca- 
tion. When  he  first  opened  his  hall, 
his  pupils  v^ere  mostly  day-scholars, 
and  he  noticed  \vith  regret  that  few 
remained  with  him  to  take  the  full 
course,  thereby  giving  him  not  only 
disappointment,  but  also  a  large 
amount  of  fruitless  labour.  To  ob- 
viate this,  he  opened  his  house  for 
the  reception  of  boarders,  whom  he 
trained  and  educated  at  his  own 
charges,  so  as  to  be  sure  that  he  had 
them  under    his   own    influence   during 


Mr.  Kano  in  His  Boyhood. 

the    whole    period     of    their    training. 
Many    of  these    pupils    are   now    men 


318 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


z 

o 
u 

CO 

> 


a 

< 
o 

u 

w 

< 

H 

w 


>- 
H 

< 
Oh 

id 
o 
Q 
O 

w 

X 
H 

O 


^3 


O 

w 


JUDO. 


<il9 


well-known  among  their  conntrymen. 
Lieut. -Comxnander  Yuasa,  who  com- 
wianded  the  Sagami-Maru  during  the 
last  blocking  of  Port  Arthur,  was 
one ;  of  the  others  we  may  mention 
Messrs.  Tomita  Tsunejiro,  now  the 
Manager  of  the  Kodokwan  and  in- 
structor of  Judo  at  the  Peers'  School 
and  the  Military  Cadets'  School  : 
Munakata  Itstiro,  Head  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Middle  School  at  Nara :  Pro- 
fessor Honda  Masajiro,   of  the  Tokyo 


Success  of  the  Kodokwan. 

The  results  of  Mr.  Kano's  labours 
and  self-denial  began  to  show  them- 
selves some  six  years  after  the  first 
establishment  of  his  training  hall, 
when  his  disciples  began  to  go  out 
into  the  world,  and  do  credit  to  their 
Master.  We  may  assign  the  year 
1888  as  the  year  in  which  Judo  first 
began  to  influence  the  outside  world; 
at  the  present  moment  there  are  more 


The  Peers'  School  jn  Tokyo. 


Higher  Normal  School :  Oshima  Eisuke 
Head  of  the  Kurume  Middle  School, 
Yamashita  Yoshitsugu,  who  is  now  in 
America,  teaching  President  Roose- 
velt, and  others.  Yokoyama  Sakujiro, 
Instructor  of  Judo  in  the  Tokyo  Higher 
Normal  School,  (Mr.  Yokoyama  has 
not  been  defeated  in  a  single  match  for 
some  ten  years  up  to  1898)  and 
Mr.  Sato  Hoken,  now  of  Kyoto,  but 
formerly  Instructor  in  the  Naval  College 
at  Etajima.  ■ 


than  7,000  followers  who  have  formally 
enrolled  themselves  as  Mr.  Kano's  "  dis- 
ciples," his  informal  adherents  being, 
of  course,  far  more  numerous.  When 
Kano  began  his  work  there  was  hardly 
a  training  hall  in  Tokyo  except  his 
own  and  a  few  others  visited  by  a  small 
numbers  of  pupils,  and  not  a  single 
school  or  college  in  Japan  which  includ- 
ed jujutsu  in  its  regular  curriculum. 
To-day,  almost  every  large  school, 
from  the  Imperial  University  down  to 
the  Normal  and  Middle  Schools  in  the 


320 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


provinces,  has  its  own  training  hall 
in  physical  culture,  and  in  almost 
every  case  the  instructors  are  disci- 
ples of  Mr.  Kane.  There  are  also  in 
various  parts  of  the  country  training- 
halls  where  rival  systems  of  physical 
culture  are  being  taught  (Tokyo,  for 
instance,   has   between   thirty  or  forty 


colours  they  wear,  are  arranged  in 
two  parties,  in  such  a  way  that  thd 
weakest  on  each  side  are  matched 
together,   and   the   rest    according    to 


A  David  throwing  down  A  Goliath. 


of  them),  but  they  are  all  more  or 
less  influenced  by  Kodok-wan  methods, 
and  it  is  noticed  that  as  the  older 
instructors  in  these  independent  halls 
die  out,  their  places  are  taken  by 
Kodokw^an  men.  Amongst  the  dis- 
ciples of  Mr.  Kano  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  in  recent  years  we 
may  mention  the  late  Commander 
Hirose  of  Port  Arthur  fame,  Messrs. 
Isogai  Hajime,  Nagaoka  Hideichi, 
Uchida  Ryohei  (the  great  traveller  in 
Manchuria  and  Korea),  and  lidzuka 
Kunisaburo, 

Hirose,  whose  war  record  has  been 
so  glorious,  was  equally  famous  in 
the  more  peaceful  combats  of  the  Judo 
school  arena.  His  memory  remains 
green  in  the  Kodokwan,  especially  in 
connection  with  a  celebrated  ''red  and 
white"  contest  in  -which  he  once  took 
part.  In  a  **red  and  white"  contest 
some   100    men,    distinguished  by    the 


regular  graduations.  A  series  of 
single  combats  then  takes  place,  be- 
ginning at  the  bottom  with  the  weak- 
est man  from  each  side.  The  victor 
in  the  first  combat  then  fights  the 
man  next  above  the  one  he  has  just 
conquered  on  the  other  side,  and  so 
goes  on  with  a  succession  of  combats, 
each  with  a  stronger  opponent,  until 
at  last  he  reaches  his  level  and  is 
defeated,  when  he  stops  for  the  day, 
having  scored  the  same  number  of 
steps  as  he  has  gained  victories. 
Hirose's  record,  seven  successive  vic- 
tories in  one  day,  has  never  yet  been 
broken  in  the  annals  of  the  Training 
Hall. 

Lieut.-Commander  Yuasa,  likewise 
ot  Port  Arthur  fame,  is  another  stu- 
dent whose  memory  remains  in  the 
traditions  of  the  Hall.  Whilst  a 
boarder  in  Mr.  Kano's  house,  and 
before   he  entered   the    Navy,    he    was 


JUDO. 


321 


selected   hy  his  master,  to  meet   two  in  all   the    training    institutions    con- 

jvjutswsts  from  the  Gumma  Prefecture  nected  with  the  Navy, 
who    challenged    the    students    of    the  When  the  news    came    of  Hirose's 

Kodokwan   to   meet  them  in  a   taryu-  gallant  death,   Mr.   Kano,   considering 

Jiai  (or  combat  between  professors  of  that  he  had  shown   the  Judo   spirit  in 

rival  methods),   in  which  defeat  would  its  highest  forms,   conferred  upon   him 

have    brought    great    disgrace    on   the  the  sixth  degree   which  was    then   the 

Hall.     Yuasa  was   only  sixteen   at   the  highest,of  the  Judo  Fraternity.  We  may 

time    and    many   of  his   senior    fellow-  mention  that  the  disciples  of  Mr.  Kano 

students  doubted  his  ability  to  sustain  are  either  graduates  or  undergraduates, 

the    honour    of  the    Hall,    but    Yuasa  that    the   1st   or  lowest   degree  is    not 

justified    Mr.    Kano's    choice    so    well  given  until  a  certain  standard   of  pro- 

that    when    another    challenge    came,  hciency  in   the  art  has  been  attained, 

this    time    from    a    veritable    Goliath,  and    that    the    succeeding    degrees    are 

of  the  name   of  Sakata    Danji,    Yuasa  proportionately  difficult  of  attainment, 

was  at  once  chosen  to   play  the  part  At  the  time   of  his  death,   Mr.   Hirose 

of  David,   and  again   acquitted  himself  held  the  4th   degree,  as  does  also  Mr. 

with    credit.      Sakata    eventually    en-  Yuasa  at  the  present  moment,   though 

rolled  himself  among  Kano's  disciples,  it    is    rumoured    in    Kodokwan    circles 

and    in   due    time  became  a  police    in-  that    it    is    Mr.    Kano's    intention    to 


structor  of  Judo. 
Hirose  and 
Yuasa  both  ex- 
erted themselves 
vigorously  to 
have  Judo  intro- 
duced into  the 
Navy,  and  it  was 
in  the  year  1888 
that  it  was  for- 
mally admitted 
into  the  regular 
curriculum  of  the 
Naval  College  at 
Etajima,  the  pro- 
posal coming 
from  Hirose  and 
his  classmates, 
who  were  then 
students  in  the 
College.  Admiral 
Ariji,  who  was 
at  that  time  Pre- 
sident of  the  Col- 
lege, consulted 
Mr.  Kano  about 
the  appointment 
of        instructors, 


promote  him. 


Vice-Admiral  Arijt. 


Uchida  Ryohei 
also  met  w^ith 
many  adventures 
in  Korea,  of 
which  the  follow- 
ing is  one.  When 
the  Tonghak  dis- 
turbances broke 
out  in  1894,  he 
was  staying  in  a 
temple  not  far 
from  Kongjyufu 
in  the  province  of 
Ch^'ung  -  chyong  - 
do,  and  going 
one  day  to  shop 
in  the  little  town 
of  Kj^ong-thyon 
found  himself  sud- 
denly surrounded 
by  some  thirty 
or  forty  turbulent 
Koreans,  one  of 
whom  presently 
had  the  audacity 
to  seize  him  by 
the  throat. 


and  the  results  were  found    to  ,  be  so     Uchida     promptly     pushed     him     off, 
satisfactory  that  Judo  i?  now  universal     whereupon     the     whole     company     of 


322 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Koreans  set  upon  him  with  loud  cries  many  bruised  and  broken  limbs,  it  is 

and  brandished  clubs,   so  that  he   had  claimed  for  Judo,    that  it    secures  the 

great    difficulty    in    defending    himself,  same  results  by  means  that  are  far  less 

and  only    succeeded  with   much  effort  violent.     And  whereas  the  old-fashion- 


Mr.  Uchida  fighting  against  some  Koreans. 


in  saving  the  life  of  his  interpreter, 
who  made  but  a  poor  show  in  a  fight 
against  such  tremendous  odds.  How- 
ever, he  fought  on,  determined  not  to 
give  in,  and  at  last,  exhausted  and 
bleeding  profusely  from  a  wound  in 
his  head,  he  was  rescued  by  a  priest 
who  appeared  on  the  scene  and  in- 
duced the  rioters  to  disperse. 

Mr.  Kano  may  therefore  claim  to 
have  brought  his  system  to  comple- 
tion. He  has  not  only  filled  his  own 
school  to  over-flowing,  but  has  supplied 
so  many  instructors  to  institutions  of 
all  kinds  that  the  Jvjutsu,  which  was 
practically  moribund  twenty  years  ago, 
may  be  said  to  have  come  to  life 
again  in  the  Judo  which  he  has  so 
successfully  propagated.  It  has  come 
to  life,  too,  in  a  vastly  superior  shape, 
for  whereas  the  rough-and-tumble 
methods  of  the  older  jujutsu  produced 


ed  jujutsuist  was  rough  in  his  be- 
haviour, and  had  an  insolent  and 
overbearing  contempt  for  learning, 
culture  and  good  manners,  it  is  claim- 
ed for  Judo  that  it  emollit  mores,  nee 
sivit  esse  feros.  Like  the  palaestra  of 
the  ancient  Greeks,  Mr.  Kano's  system 
of  gymnastics  has  had  a  civilizing  and 
spiritualizing  effect  on  its  votaries 
w^hich  has  shown  itself  very  markedly 
in  the  rising  generation  of  young 
Japan.  We  can  here  only  reproduce 
an  outline  of  the  system  of  instruction 
given  at  Mr.  Kano's  Kodokwan,  but 
we  think  that  even  this  outline  will 
show  the  reader  how  great  has  been 
its  significance  in  the  life  of  the  nation. 

The  Kodokwan  system  of  instruc- 
tion is  comprised  four  heads : — randoriy 
Kata,  lectures,  and  discussions. 

1.  Randori,  is  the  art  by  which 
the  Judo   disciple  is  taught  to  throw 


JUDO. 


326 


his  antagonist,  to  liold  him  down,  an  adept  in  this  art  without  posses- 
and  to  inflict  pain  on  him  by  bending  sing  these  virtues.  But  the  students 
his  joints,  twisting  his  limbs,  or  are  not  left  to  acquire  these  virtues 
throttling  him.  It  is  also,  conversely,  unconsciously  and  as  it  were  by 
the  art  by  which  he  is  taught  to  de-  chance,  as  it  is  on  the  playing-fields 
fend  himself  against  attacks  of  a  of  an  English  school,  where  the  cricket 
similar  kind.  professional  limits  his   educational  ser- 

2.  But  randori  is  generally  pain-  vices  to  instruction  in  bowling,  bat- 
ful,  and  to  inflict  pain  on  your  adver-  ting,  and  fielding.  It  is  required  of 
sary  often  means  to  spoil  his  temper  the  Judo  instructor  by  means  of  Icc- 
^nd  encourage  him  to  retaliate  by  tures,  which  are  often  more  informal 
painful  means  -which  are  not  always  talks  than  anything  else,  to  bring  out 
perfectly  legitimate,  such  as  kicking  the  moral  lessons  to  be  learned  from 
or  thrusting.  Hence,  too  liberal  an  the  combats  in  which  they  have  been 
allowance  of  randori  would  defeat  the  engaged  in  the  arena,  how  impatience 
objects  for  which.  Judo 
was  instittited  as  a 
civilizing  and  quieting 
influence.  Btit  the  same 
skill  may  be  obtained  by 
the  practising  of  certain 
"  forms  "  or  *'  tricks," 
v^^hich  while  perfectly  in- 
nocuous themselves  teach 
the  pupil  to  use  the  stern 
reality  whenever  the 
necessity  for  it  arises. 
These  Kata  bear  to 
actual  self-defence  the 
same  relation  that  the 
grammatical  exercise 

bears  to  the  actual  com- 
position of  an  essay;  if 
a  man  thoroughly  under- 
stands the  one  he  can 
with  ease  accomplish  the 
other.  Hence  a  large 
part  of  Judo  instruction 
is  by  Kata  only. 

3.  Judo  further  is 
tnade  subservient  to 
moral  and  intellectual 
culture.  Endurance,  cou- 
rage, magnanimity,  kind- 
ness and  forbearance,  ob- 
servation, attention,  per- 
severance, dogged  refusal 

to  acknowledge  defeat,  prudence,  &c.,  lost  him  a  point  here,  how  imprudence 
all  these  virtues  are  inherent  in  made  him  too  hasty  there,  how,  if  he 
Judo   itself,    for   no    man    can   become     had  kept   his  ears    and  eyes    open    at 


Lieut- Commander  Honda, 
hi  Command  of  the  Totomi-Maru  at  the  3rd  Blockading 
AND  One  of  the  Pupils  of  Mr,  Kano. 


324 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


such  and  stich  a  moment,  he  might 
have  scored  far  more  heavily  off  his 
opponent  than  he  did;  how  the  fruits 
of  a  victory  may  be  frittered  away  at 
any  moment  by  that  moral  relaxation 


questions  and  criticizing  one  another^ 
we  shall  see  that  the  system  of  Judo 
as  taught  by  Mr.  Kano  (who  by  the 
way  is  an  eminent  educationalist  and 
Head  of  Higher  Normal  College  in 
Tokyo),  is  one  which  mnst  be  taken 
seriously  as  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant factors  in  the  rejuvenated  life  of 
old  Ja^Dan* 

One  more 
point  should 
be  mentioned 
before  we 
close  this 
somewhat 


The  Training  of  Jujutsu. 


which  an  English  or  American  athlete     days    during 

might  describe  as  "going  out  of  train-     the    year,  i.e. 

ing"    or    "going    on    the    bust."      All 

these     and     numberless     other     points 

come    within    the    scope     of  the    Judo 

lectures,    as  being   in  their  way  quite 

as  important  as  the  mere   training  of 

the    muscles,    limbs,     and    eyes,    which 

give    the  manual    dexterity    which    is 

what    the    professional     pugilist    most 

values. 

4.    When  to  the  lectures  are  added 
the   discussions  which  give  the    pupils     ed  with  pupils    as    during    those  cold 
the     valuable     opportunity    of    asking     dark  midwinter  mornings. 


-^  lengthy  article. 
It  is  kangeiko, 
or   the    winter 


morning    exer- 
cises     of     the 
school.     Those 
who  know  the 
Tokyo  climate 
will        know 
what  it  means 
when    we    say 
that      for     30 
the     coldest    season    of 
from    January    10th    to 
February     10th,     these    exercises     are 
held    in     the     Kodokw^an     every     day 
from  4  to   7  a.m.      Those    who    enter 
their  names  pledge  themselves  never  to 
be    absent,   and  never    to  be  late,  and 
the  reward,  which  is  highly  honoured, 
is  a  certificate  that  the  exercises  have 
been    duly    performed .      It    is    a    real 
undergoing  of  hardship : — yet  never  are 
the  halls  of  the  Kodokwan  so  crowd- 


A  March  of  the  Japanese  troops  in  a  stormy  niglit  before  the  General 

Attack  at  Nan-shan, 


■  f._. 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  WESTERN  LEARNING  INTO  JAPAN.     325 


The  Introduction  of  Western  Learning 

into  Japan. 


HE  war  which  we  are  now 
waging  with  Russia  is  one 
which  has  in  a  sense  taken 
the  world  by  surprise  ;  for 
not  only  has  our  pigmy 
nation  dared  stand  up  against  the 
giant  of  Northern  Asia  and  Europe, 
but  the  results  of  the  war  have,  at 
the  time  of  writing  this,  been  as  yet 
uniformly  in  our  favour,  and  our  arms 
have  defeated,  embarrassed  and  har- 
assed those  of  our  foe.  We  feel  that 
our  successes  are  due  to  no  chance 
turn  of  Fortune^s  wheel  :  they  rest  on 
a  more  solid  basis  than  that,  and 
the    grounds    for    them  will    be    found 


Of  all  Western  sciences,  gunnery 
was  the  one  to  be  first  introduced  ; 
and  next  to  it  came  the  science  of 
medicine.  Christianity  is  not  strictly 
speaking  a  science,  but  it  has  been  the 
motive  power  of  the  science  of  healing, 
and  as  such  ought  to  be  placed  by  its 
side. 

Musketry  first  reached  our  country 
in  the  period  of  Ko-an,  A.  D.  1268, 
in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Gouda. 
The  Mongolians  who  at  that  time 
invaded  our  coasts,  were  armed  with 
riflefe;  but  our  own  people  did  not  as 
yet  understand  the  art  of  making 
and  using  these   mysterious    -weapons. 


Portuguese  Merchant-Ships  coming  to  Kokubu,  Bunco. 


partly    in    the  ancient    characteristics  Towards    the    close    of  the    Ashikaga 

of    our    people,     and     partly     in     the  Shogunate,  in  the  3rd  year  of  Kioroku, 

thoroughness  with  which  we  have  in-  (A.  D.  1530)   and  in   the  reign    of  the 

troduced  and  assimilated  the  learning  Emperor     Gonaraj     some     Portuguese 

and  science  of  the  West*  merchant-ships    came    to    Kokubu 


m 


326 


THE  RUvSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


the  province  of  Bungo,  bringing  with 
them  a  large  number  of  mnskets,  which 
then  for  the  first  time  actually  came 
into  the    hands    of  Japanese.      In    the 


instructed  to  make  a  musket  after  the 
pattern  of  those  bought  from  the 
Portuguese.  Their  first  attempt  was 
a  complete  failure  :   they  could  not  find 


sixth  year  of  Tenbun  (1538)  a  Japa-     out  the  way  of  stopping  the  breech. 


The  Temple  of  Sanjusangendo  in  Kyoto. 


nese  named  Tafuse  Gensuke,  who  had 
been  sent  to  Portugal  for  the  purpose 
of  learning  the  art  of  cannon-founding 
returned  to  Japan  and  began  the 
manufacture  of  what  -was  then  called 
Tafuse  gunnery.  In  the  12th  year  of 
Tenbun  (1543)  a  squadron  of  six 
Portuguese  vessels,  on  their  road  to 
Japan,  encountered  a  severe  storm 
which  drove  one  of  their  number  to 
seek  shelter  in  the  island  of  Tanega- 
shima  in  Osumi,  and  the  Governor  of 
the  island  bought  from  the  captain  two 
muskets  of  which  he  learned  at  the 
same  time  the  use.  The  Governor  then 
Set  himself  to  have  these  useful  weapons 
imitated.  Shinokawa  Koshiro,  one  of 
his  retainers,  was  set  to  work  to 
investigate  the  manufacture  of  gun- 
powder,    and    the    local    smiths    were 


The  next  year  some  more  ships 
came  to  Tanegashima,  and  remained 
for  some  time.  One  of  them  carried  a 
smith  who  was  kind  enough,  at  the 
request  of  the  Governor,  to  give  a  few 
lessons  to  the  local  blacksmiths,  and 
the  result  was  so  good  that,  soon 
afterwards,  the  Governor  of  Tanega- 
shima was  enabled  to  offer  to  Shimazu 
Takahisa,  Lord  of  Satsuma,  a  musket 
made  by  a  smith  of  the  name  of  Kiyo- 
sada.  This  musket  was  sent  on  by 
Shim^zii  as'a  present  to  the  Ashikaga 
Shogun,  then  residing  at  Kyoto,  by 
special  messenger. 

The  arrival  of  the  musket  at  Kyoto 
created  some  excitement,  and  a  few 
months  afterwards  there  arrived  in 
Tanegashima,  a  band  of  smiths,  headed 
by  one  Tsuda  Kenmotsu,  a  native  of 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  WESTERN  LEARNING  INTO  JAPAN.      327 


Kishti,  all  desirous  of  joining  with 
Kiyosada  and  his  associates  in  the 
enterprise  of  making  guns  and  cannons. 
It  was  an 
age  of  civil 
wars,  and 
orders  came 
from  every 
province,  for 
the  daimyos^ 
one  and  all, 
hastened  to 
arm  their  re- 
tahaers  with 
fire-  arms 
which  every- 
where super- 
seded the 
bows  and 
arrows  of 
former  war- 
fare. The 
Tanegashima 
factory  was 
very  prosper- 
ous    and     in 

the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Ogimachi 
(1560-1586)  even  exported  arms  to 
China  and  Korea. 

The  Western  science  of  medicine 
was  first  introduced  into  this  country 
by  a  missionary  who  used  his   medical 


A  Korean  Official. 


knowledge  as  an  aid  in  the  recommen- 
dation of  Christianity  to  our  people. 
In  the  year  1547  (16th  of  Tenbun),  a 
wild  young  man  named  Ryosei,  a 
native  of  Yaniato,  had  the  misfortune 
to  kill  a  man,  and  fled  for  safety,  first 
to  the  province  of  Satsuma,  and  thence 
by  ship  to  Goa,  which  was  at  that 
time  the  capital  of  the  extensive 
Portuguese  possessions  in  India.  In 
this  way  Ryosei  v^^as  brought  into 
constant  contact  with  the  Portuguese, 
became  a  convert  to  Catholic  Christiani- 
ty, and  being  baptized  took  the  name 
of  Paul  Anjiro.  Anjiro  remained  three 
years  in  Goa,  acquiring  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  Christianity.  In  the 
course  of  conversations  he  frequently 
told  the  priests  that  Japan  offered  a 
very  promising  field  for  their  evan- 
gelistic labours,  and  at  last  induced  a 
band  of  missionaries,  amongst  whom 
was  the  famous  Francis  Xavier,  to 
undertake  a  mission  to  Japan,  Anjiro 
himself  accompanying  them. 


Portuguese  Missionaries  giving  Alms  to  Poor  Natives. 


328 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


It  was  in  the  year  1549  or  1550,  or  in  most  parts,  entirely,  in  some  few 
thereabouts,  that  this  first  Christian  parts,  fi-om  the  outward  surface  of 
Mission  reached  Japan.     The   pioneer     things:    but  the  medical  science,  which 


The  Castle  of  Yedo. 


missionaries  were  followed  by  many 
others,  who  all  devoted  themselves  to 
works  of  charity,  and  the  relief  of  the 
poor  and  the  sick,  as  one  of  the  main 
features  of  their  work.  Medical  work 
thus  came  into  prominence,  and  by  its 
means  large  numbers  of  converts  were 
gained  to  the  modern  religion.  It  is 
even  said  that  some  of  the  Catholic 
missionaries  established  at  Ibukiyama 
in  Omi,  a  garden  of  medical  herbs. 

In  1640,  after  the  insurrection  at 
Shimabara,  the  profession  of  Christiani- 
ty was  absolutely  prohibited  by 
lyemitsu,  the  third  of  the  Tokugawa 
Shoguns,  and  foreign  priests  and  native 
converts  were  alike  made  to  feel  the 
heavy  hand  of  a  hostile  civil  power, 
Christianity  disappeared.  We  cannot 
say  that  it  was  destroyed,  for  we  know 
now  with  what  constancy  it  was  pre- 
served in  secret  by  the  faithfulness  cf 
some  humble  believers  in  outlying  dis- 
tricts of  the  country.      It  disappeared, 


had  been  brought  in  by  the  Christian 
missionaries,  remained  and  was  practis- 
ed. In  the  period  of  Genwa  (1615- 
1624)  we  have  records  of  a  famous 
Japanese  physician  Nishi  Kichibei,  who 
hd.d  learned  his  art  first  among  the  Por- 
tuguese, and  then  amongst  the  Dutch 
who  throughout  the  period  of  seclu- 
sion maintained  a  trading  station  at 
Nagasaki.  His  son,  Nishi  Gempo,  who 
had  acquired  his  science  among  the 
Dutch,  removed  from  Nagasaki  to  Yedo, 
by  order  of  the  Shogun,  and  became 
both  linguistic  interpreter  and  medical 
adviser  to  the  Yedo  Court.  Nishi  had 
many  disciples  and  followers,  but  their 
work  was  mainly  on  surgical  lines  ; 
the  treatment  of  internal  diseases  was 
as    yet    rudimentary. 

By  the  order  of  the  Shogun,  and 
in  collaboration  with  a  doctor  of  the 
name  of  Mukai,  Nishi  produced  a 
translation  of  a  Portuguese  book  on 
astronomy,    the    first   European  book 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  WESTERN  LEARNING  INTO  JAPAN.     329 


Christians  who  still  remained  faithful 
to  their  religion.  The  Bngyo  of  Naga' 
saki  promptly  reported  the  matter  to 
the  Court  of  Yedo,  but  his  messenger 
arrived  there  just  as  the  Shogun 
Tsunayoshi  (1681-1709)  was  dying, 
and  some  delay  occurred  before  his 
successor,  lenobu,  could  send  for  the 
Italian  priest  to  be  brought  to  Yedo. 
At  Yedo,  Sidotti,  who  spent  the  rest 
of  his  life  there  as  a  prisoner,  was 
repeatedly  examined  by  the  Shogun's 
Adviser  Arai  Hakuseki,  a  celebrated 
scholar  and  a  just  man,  who  was  also 
aided  by  a  Dutch  interpreter.  A  large 
map  of  the  world,  published  in  Holland, 
had  recently  been  added  to  the 
Shogunal  Library,    which    formed    the 


that  was  ever  translated  into  Japanese 
(if  we  except  the  translations  of 
Christian  books  made  by  the  mission- 
aries). Mukai  was  an  excellent 
Portuguese  scholar,  but  he  declared 
himself  a  Christian  in  the  3rd  year  of 
Shoho  (1647),  and  was  sentenced  to 
death.  For  some  time  after  the  publi- 
cation of  this  treatise,  very  little  at- 
tention was  paid  to  the  science  of 
astronomy,  but  this  branch  of  study 
was  revived  under  the  8th  Shogun 
Yoshimtme  (1716-1745),  when  trans- 
lations from  Dutch  books  on  this 
science  were  made. 

In  August  of  the  5th  year  of  Hoei 
(A.  D.  1708),  a  Portuguese  vessel   was 
seen  off  the  province   of  Osumi,   which 
landed       a 
man  on  an 
island    not 
f  a  r     f r  o  m 
Satsuma. 
The  inhab- 
itants   not 
k  n  owing 
what  to  do 
with     him, 
forwarded 
him         to 
Nagasaki 
where      he 
was       ex- 
amined   by 
the  Bugyo, 
(Governor) 
aided       by 
some  Dutch 
interpret- 
ers,       who 
discovered 
that  he  was 
a      Roman 
C  a  tholic 
priest,       of 
the      name 
of  Sidotti,  a 

native  of  Sicily,  w^ho  had  been  sent  on  basis  for  many  conversations  between 
a  dangerous  mission  to  Japan,  to  visit  Arai  and  his  prisoner,  and  as  a  result 
and  encourage  the  few  Roman  Catholic     of  these  conversations   Arai    Hakuseki 


Arai  Hakuseki  questioning  Sidotti  on  the  World  Map. 


330 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


published  a  work  on  universal  geo- 
graphy entitled  Sairan  Igen,  to  which 
he  added  as  an  appendix  an  "  Occi- 
dental Record,^'  containing  the  infor- 
mation specially  obtained  from  Sidotti. 
It  is  difficult  to  overrate  the  services 
rendered  to  his  country  by  Arai.  He 
was  a  level-headed  scholar,  as  well  as 
a  cautious  statesman,  and  it  was  to 
his  books  that  for  many  years  his 
countrymen  owed  their  knowledge  of 
foreign  affairs. 

Yoshimune,  the  Sth  Shogun,  whom 
we     have     already    had    occasion     to 


mediary  of  the  trading  station  at 
Nagasaki,  Dutch  books  took  the  place 
which  had  once  been  occupied  by  works 
in  Portuguese. 

In  1764  the  first  translation  was 
made  of  a  Dutch  book.  It  was  entitled 
the  "  New  Book  on  Anatomy  "  and 
was  the  result  of  four  years'  work 
bestowed  upon  it  by  Maeno  Ryotaku, 
Sugita  Genpaku,  Katsuragawa  Hoshu 
and  other  medical  men.  Some  years 
later,  in  1783,  Sugita's  pupil,  Otsuki 
Gentaku,  published  the  first  Japanese- 
Dutch    grammar,     "  Elements    of   the 


Scholars  translating  a  Dutch  Book  into  Japanese. 


mention,  was  a 
wise  ruler,  and  one 
w^ho  encourag- 
ed literature 
and  science. 
From  the  time  of 
lemitsu  the  im- 
portation of  books  written  in  foreign  Dutch  Language,"  which  had  been 
languages  had  been  absolutely  pro-  shortly  preceded  by  Inamura  Sam- 
hibited  :  this  prohibition  was  removed  paku's  laborious  undertaking  of  a  die- 
by  Yoshimune,  doubtless  under  Arai's  tionary  of  the  Dutch  and  Japanese 
influence, .  and  the  interdict  remained  languages  which  took  many  years  to 
only  on  books   on  religion.     European  achieve, 

literature  now    began    freely    to    come  In  the    period    of   Bunkwa    (1804- 

into  the  country,   and  many   students,  1818),  our  people   first  experienced  the 

among  whom  we   may  mention    Aoki  necessity     of     learning     Russian     and 

Bunzo  began  to  distinguish  themselves  English    as    well    as    Dutch.       Russian 

for  their  knowledge   of  foreign   science  vessels  made   descents  with   pillage   on 

and  thought.    Dutch  was  of  course  the  the  islands  of  Saghalien    and    Eturup, 

only  vehicle  for  the  communication    of  from     which     they     carried     off    some 

thought,    and  thus,   through  the  inter-  prisoners     whom     they     subsequently 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  WESTERN   LEARNING  INTO  JAPAN.     331 


^^^^ 


A  Russian  Ship  arriving  at  Eturup. 


brought    back    to     Hakodate    with    a 
request  to  the  Governor  of   that    city, 
demanding  the   opening    of  commerce. 
In    1809 ,    an    EngHsh    vessel     arrived 
at     Nagasaki,     with     a     request     for 
provisions    and     water,    and    thus    by 
degrees  it   became    apparent    that    the 
seclusion  of  Japan   from   other  nations 
could    not    absolutely    be    maintained. 
The     Shogunal    Government    therefore 
ordered  its  Dutch  interpreters  to  learn 
English  and  Russian  as  well  as  Dutcli, 
which    was    all    they   had   hitherto   re- 
quired,   and    established  a  Translation 
Bureau,    with   Otsuki    Gentaku    as    its 
chief.     Prior  to  this,   in   the    fifth    year 
ofKwansei  (1794),  a  Russian  ship  had 
brought  back  to    Yezo    two   Japanese 
fishermen  who  had  been  blown  out  to 
sea    by    a    storm    and    landed    on    the 
Siberian  coast.     Katsurakawa    Hoshu 
was    ordered    to    question    these     two 
men,  Isokichi  and  Kodayu,  about  their 
experiences,  and    afterwards    published 
the    results     of  his    examination    m    a 
small  book  called  **A  Brief  Account  of 
the  North  Country.'*     As  for  English, 
it   was  not  much  in  favour  with  the 
Dutch    interpreters,    but    the    number 
of    English     studen  ts    increased     very 
rapidly  about  and   after  the  beginning 
of  the  period  of  Kaei  (1848).     It  was 


in  this  year  too  that  Murakami  Eisliun 
laid  the  foundation  of  French  studies. 
The     sixth    year    of    Kaei     (1S54) 


The  T.atk  Baron  Kanda. 


332 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


marks  an  epoch  in  the  study  of  foreign 
languages  in  this  country.    It  was  the 


The  Late  Mr,  Fukuzawa. 

• 

year  in  which  the  U.S.  Squadron  arrived 
at  Uraga,  and  aw^akened  our  country- 
men from  their  long  sleep.  This  historic- 
al event  impressed  upon  the  nation  the 
urgent  need  of  studying  foreign  lan- 
guages. The  Translation  Bureau  was 
changed  by  the  Shogunal  Government  to 
the  ^'Institution  for  the  Study  of  Europ- 
ean Languages,"  withMitsukuriGenpo, 
Sugita  Seikyo,  and  other  scholars  of 
eminence,  as  teachers.  The  institution 
vv^as  free  to  all,  w^hether  retainers  of  the 
Shogun  or  of  the  territorial  barons,  and 
English,  French,  German,  and  Russian 
were  taught  there  from  1860. 

By  the  ^xar  1865  (Keio)  the  Dutch 
language  had  quite  gone  out  of  fashion, 
a  fact  which  was  already  becoming 
patent  when  the  language  was  not  in- 
cluded in  the  curriculum  of  the  institu- 


tion. The  name  of  the  institution  was 
changed  in  1863  to  the  Kaiseijo  and  the 
study  of  mathematics  was 
added  to  the  linguistic  cur- 
riculum, with  the  late  Kan- 
da  Kohei,  as  the  first  profess- 
or of  mathematics.  Courses 
in  physics  and  chemistry 
wer^  shortly  afterwards 
added,  with  a  Dutchman, 
the  late  Dr.  Yerbeck,  as  pro- 
fessor. There  was  also  est- 
ablished, likewise  at  Yedo, 
a  school  of  medical  science. 
These  two  institutions 
were  continued  after  the  Re- 
storation, by  the  Imperial 
Government,  the  Kaiseijo 
taking  the  name  of  the 
Southern  University  and  the 
Medical  School  that  of  the 
Eastern  University.  These 
titles  not  being  satisfactory 
the  names  were  again  chang- 
ed, the  one  becoming  the 
Kaisei  Gakko  and  the  other 
the  Tokyo  Medical  College. 
In  1877,  the  two  institu- 
tions were  joined  under  the 
name  of  the  Tokyo  Univer- 
sity, w^ith  the  four  faculties 
of  Law,  Science,  Medicine, 
and  Literature,  and  when, 
in  1886,  the  College  of  Engi- 
neering, which  had  till  then 
existed  as  a  separate  insti- 
tution, was  amalgamated 
with  it,  it  received  the  name  of  the 
Imperial  University  under  which  it  is 
still  pursuing  its  noble  career,  ever 
increasing  in  usefulness. 

No  account  of  Japanese  education 
would  be  complete  without  some  men- 
tion of  that  pioneer  of  Western  learn- 
ing, the  late  Mr.  Fukuzawa.  That 
scholar  was  always  the  fearless  ad- 
vocate of  the  introdxiction  of  foreign 
learning  of  all  kinds,  and  he  fought 
the  battle  of  Western  culture  not  only 
with  hjs  pen  in  papers  and  books,  but 
in  his  great  school,  the  Keiogijuku, 
which  still  remains  as  the  great  monu- 
ment of  his  patriotic  zeal.  A  similar 
school,  with  equally  noble  aims,  is  the 
Waseda  University  which  owes  its 
pr-osperity  to  the  fostering  care  of  our 
venerable  statesman  Count  Okuma. 


O 

H 


•r-t 

,4 


> 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


333 


Early  Intercourse  with  Europeans. 


HOUGH   Chinese  and  Kore-  nation  on  to  progress  of  all  sorts  with 

ans,    on  account   of  their  such  rapid   strides  as     weis    witnessed 

geographical      proximity,  after  the  American  treaty  in  1854. 
have  had  communication  It  was  in  the  month  of  July,  1541, 

with  us    from  very  early  that    a    large    sailing   ship    of  strange 

times,  it  was  but   three  hundred    and  appearance  with  280  men  in  outlandish 

sixty   three   years   ago  that  Europeans  garb   on   board   anchored   off  Jinguno- 

for    the    first    time    set    their    foot    on  ura  in  the  province  of  Bungo,  Kiushu. 

the    land    of    the    Rising    Sun.       Late  The    people   on   the   shore,    amazed    at 

though  they   came,    their  coming  was  the    strange    sight,    and     struck     with 

far    more    prolific  of  important   conse-  utter   surprise,   knew   not   what  to   do 

quences    to    Japan,     as    may    be    seen  till    the    strangers   came    to    land    and 
in     the     later    develop- 


ment  of  the  country. 
They  came  really  for 
the  purpose  of  trading, 
but  at  the  same  time 
introduced  their  religion 
and  arts.  In  a  very 
short  time,  they  gained 
so  strong  a  hold  and 
exercised  so  wonderful 
an  influence  upon  the 
minds  of  the  people 
that  the  Shogunal  Gov- 
ernment of  the  time  w^as 
soon  led  to  fear  that 
foreign  territorial  ag- 
gression might  be  the 
ultimate  result  of  the 
intercourse  wth  them. 
Hence  the  policy  of  pro- 
hibiting European  inter- 
course, followed  by  the 
expulsion  of  Europeans 
an*d  the  persecution  of 
Catholic  missionaries. 
The  breach  thus  forcibly 
made  and  continued  for 
more  than  a  century  did 
not  exterminate  the 
seeds  once  sown  on  the 
fertile  soil  of  Japan  but 

rather  served  to  store  up  those  latent     managed     in     an    imperfect     way     by- 
energies  that  subsequently  pushed  the     hands  and  gestures  to  communicate  to 


The  Late  Prince  Twakura, 
First  Japanese  Envoy  to  Europe  and  America. 


334 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


them  where  they  came  from  and  what 
they  wanted.  They  were  Portuguese 
and  wished  to  trade  with  the  natives. 
They  brought  presents  of  guns  and 
other  articles  to  Otomo,  the  lord  of 
the  province.  Their  request  was  grant- 
ed and  they  were  made  happy.  In 
October  of  the  same  year,  six  other 
large  Portuguese  ships  made  their  ap- 
pearance. This  time,  they  brought 
with  them  several  Catholic  mis- 
sionaries, who  had  no  sooner  landed 
than  they  set  to  work  to  spread  their 


he  invited  the  Portuguese  to  come 
back  to  him  and  teach  him  the  same 
art,  and  in  compliance  with  this 
request  Pinto  staid  with  him  for 
more  than  a  month,  and  was  treated 
with  great  respect.  When  he  came 
back  to  Japan  six  years  later,  he  is 
said  to  have  expressed  his  surprise  at 
seeing  the  wonderful  progress  the 
natives  had  made  in  the  manufacture 
of  gun-powder.    After  this,  the  Portu- 


A  Tanegashima  Gun, 

faith  among  the  natives.  It  is  really 
"wonderful  to  learn  how  rapidly  they 
succeeded  in  their  mission,  for  in  a 
short  time  a  large  number  of  converts 
had  been  made  and  the  Lord  Otomo 
himself  became  one  o  f  their  firmest 
believers.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Portuguese  traders  were  busily  engag- 
ed in  bartering  with  the  natives,  un- 
der certain  conditions  prescribed  by 
Otomo.  They  imported  principally, 
-woolen  stuffs,  furs,  and  silk  goods, 
and  in  return  received  gold,  silver,  and 
copper.  One  of  these  ships  sailed 
thence  to  Tanegashima,  in  Osumi, 
w^here  they  were  allowed  to  land  pre- 
senting to  the  lord  of  that  island 
several  rifles,  with  a  request  to  be 
permitted  to  trade.  Three  Portuguese, 
Pinto,  Poulo,  and  Jaimot  remained  on 
the  island  for  some  time  and  taught 
the  natives  the  art  of  manufacturing 
gun-powder,  for  which  service  they 
received  a  very  handsome  reward  from 
the  lord  of  the  island.  This  will  ex- 
plain the  fact  that  the  early  Japanese 
guns  were  always  called  tanegashi- 
ma. When  Lord  Otomo  heard  of 
what  was  being  done  in  Tanegashima, 


guese   ships    used    to    visit   our  shores 
every  year,  and  Hirado,  Nagasaki,  and 
Sakai  being  made  the  centres   of  trade 
quickly    attained    unprecedented  pros- 
perity .        The     Portuguese     gradually 
gained    the    confidence    of    the    people 
and  some  even  settled  down  and  mar- 
ried daughters  of  wealthy  native  mer- 
chants, whilst  the  Catholic  missionaries 
who  continued  to  meet  with  wonder- 
ful success  erected  churches  known  as 
Tenshukaku,  (literally  "Towers   of  the 
Lord    of  Heaven'*)   in  various  places. 
The  feudal  barons  Otomo,  Arima,  and 
Omura  were  converted  to  the  Catholic 
faith.       In   1551,   the  Portuguese  mis- 
sionary Francis  Xavier  came,   and  on 
leaving  Bungo  ,  took    with    him    two 
Japanese  baptized  by  himself  and  one 
of   Otomo 's  officers  charged   with  the 
mission    to    present    a     message    and 
some    presents  to  the   Pope   in  Rome. 
They    were  the  first   Japanese  known 
to  have  gone  to  Europe.      Soon  after, 
Otomo    again    sent  his   officers    Uyeda 
and    Watanabe    to    the    Pope.       The 
former  died  in  Portugal  but  the  latter 
came  home  safely,  after  having  studied 
gunnery  in  Europe.       The  Portuguese 
ship    which    took    these    officers  sailed 
through  the  Indian  Ocean  and  rounded 
the    Cape    of    Good    Hope,    occupying 
three    years    and    one    month    on    the 
trip  to  Rome.        Years  after,  the  son 


.iP'v:" 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


335 


of  Otomo  who  had  succeeded  his 
father,  Omura,  and  Arima,  all  firm 
believers  in  the  Catholic  religion  sent 
their  ambassadors  to  Rome  for  the 
purpose  of  paying  tribute  to  the  Pope. 
The  party  left  Nagasaki  in  October 
1584,   were  presented   on  the  w^ay    to 


carriages,  costumes,  etc.  About  the 
same  time,  Gamo  Ujisato,  a  powerful 
baron  of  the  large  province  of  Aizu 
in  the  northern  part  of  Japan,  sent 
an  embassy  to  Rome.  This  party 
consisted  of  12  persons,  and  his  pre- 
sent   to    the    Pope  w^as   100   pieces    of 


Philip  II  of  Spain,  and  in  March  1585  gold,  for  which  a  volume   of  the   Bible 

entered  Rome,  where  they  were  received  was    received    in    return.      They    also 

•with    all    the    magnificence   and    pomp  brought    back    with    them   100    rifles 

of  state  envoys.     They  were  introduced  which  they  had  purchased  during  their 


to  the  Pope  Gregory  XIII  for  whom 
their  letters  and  gifts  were  intended. 
Eight  years  elapsed  before  they  re- 
turnd  to  their  country,  but  when  they 
did  so,  they  brought  back 
with  them  many  products 
of  European  art ;  terres- 
trial and  astronomical 
globes,  clocks,  and 
watches  being  received  by 
their  countrymen  with 
the  liveliest  surprise. 
They  also  brought  many 
tales  about  European 
civilization  and  much  in- 
formation especially  res- 
pecting streets,  buildings, 


stay  in  Rome.  During  the  next  four 
years,  Gamo  is  recorded  to  have  twice 
sent  a  similar  embassy. 


The  Pope  Gregory  XIII  interviewing  the  Japanese  Mission. 


336 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Nobunaga  who  had  the  virtual 
power  of  a  Shogun  at  that  time  treated 
the  Portuguese  with  respeet,  and,  the 
time  being  one  of  internal  strife,  evinced 
great  interest  in  learning  from  them 
about  the  methods  of  constr^^cting 
forts  and  the  science  of  war  in  general. 


issued  a  general  injunction  prohibiting 
the  Christian  faith  and  compelling  the 
Christian  missionaries  to  depart  from 
the  country  within  the  space  of  20 
days.  This  sudden  coercive  action 
was  not  without  a  cause.  A  Spanish 
ship    having     drifted     ashore    off    the 


St.  Peter's  Church  in  Rome. 


He  pleased  the  missionaries  by  erecting 
a  large  church  in  Kyoto,  then  the 
Imperial  capital  of  Japan.  The  church 
was  known  by  the  name  of  "  Nanban- 
ji  "  and  existed  for  18  years  till 
destroyed  by  Hideyoshi.  But  later  on 
having  discovered  that  the  religion 
■was  proving  injurious  to  the  existing 
institutions,  he  seems  to  have  repented 
of  his  kind  actions  tov^ard  the  mission- 
aries though  it  was  then  too  late  to 
do  anything  to  modify  the  existing  con- 
ditions. The  Christian  churches  then 
in  existence  were  reckoned  to  be  42  in 
all  and  the  number  of  converts  was 
estimated  at  150,000.  In  1587,  Hide- 
yoshi who  took  power  on  the  death 
of  Nobunaga,  by  bringing  under  his 
control    all    the    barons    of    the    land, 


province  of  Tosa,  in  Shikoku,  Hide- 
yoshi despatched  an  officer,  'Masuda 
Nagamori  by  name,  to  make  inquiry 
into  the  cause  of  her  coming.  During 
the  interview  with  the  officer,  the 
captain,  with  an  air  of  pride,  produced 
a  map  of  the  world  and  pointed  out 
the  large  territories  of  the  Spanish 
Empire,  To  the  question  how  Spain 
came  to  possess  such  large  dominions 
in  various  parts  of  the  world,  he  in- 
discreetly answered  that  his  country 
adopted  the  policy  of  sending  out 
missionaries  to  those  places  to  convert 
the  natives  first  and  then  dispatched 
troops  to  co-operate  with  them  in 
subjugating  the  countries.  The  exact 
report  of  this  conversation  being 
conveyed  to  him  by  the  officer    incited 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


337 


Hideyoshi  instantly  to  order  the  ship 
and  cargo  to  be  confiscated  and  from 
that  day  forward  bitterly  to  hate  the 
foreign  missionaries.  He  would  have 
made  strenuous  efforts  to  expel  all  the 
Portuguese  but  for  the  invasion  of 
Korea  which  was  occupying  his 
w^hole  attention  at  that  time. 

In  1598,  the  Dutch  for  the  first 
time  came  to  Hirado  and  were  permit- 
ted to  trade.  Hirado  and  Nagasaki 
were  rapidly  growing  in  wealth  year 
by  year. 

lyeyasu  who  founded  the  Toku- 
gawa  Shogunate  after  the  death  of 
Hideyoshi  considered  it  best  to  recover 
the  condition  of  people  impoverished 
by  continual  warfare  by  encouraging 
the  foreign  trade  which  was  now 
growing  so  rapidly.  So,  he  gave  all 
foreigners  permission  to  trade  and 
suffered  the  Catholic  faith 
to  revive  wth  new  force. 
The  feudal  barons  of  Kiu- 
shu,  aware  of  his  spirit, 
soon  followed  his  ex- 
ample ;  and  particularly 
the  lord  of  Satsuma,  not 
content  with  the  Portu- 
guese trade,   earnestly  in- 


and  afterwards  naturalized  themselves, 
leaving  their  names  immortalized  in 
the  streets  of  Yedo,  now  the  city  of 
Tokyo.  Adams  had  done  great  services 
for  lyeyasu,  for  he  not  only  taught 
gunnery  to  his  soldiers  but  also  built 
ships  for  him,  at  first  building  one  of 
80  tons  and  then  larger  ones.  One  of 
these  ships,  lyeyasu  sent  to  America 
in  ]  610.  The  ship  reached  Acapulco 
in  Mexico  and  came  home  with  a 
cargo  of  woollen  stuffs,  wine,  and  a 
piece  of  strange  wood  1  ft.  thick,  9  ft. 
w^ide,  and  120  ft.  long.  In  this  con- 
nection, there  may  be  mentioned  the 
large  ship  sent  to  America  by  Date 
Masamune,  the  baron  of  the  large 
province  of  Sendai.  Desiring  to  con- 
struct the  largest  ship  possible  at  the 
time,  Masamune  called  from  Yedo  the 
master  ship-builder  Mukai  Shogen  and 


Japanese  Natives  trading  with  Portuguse  at  Hirado,  Hizen. 


vited  the  Loochoo  and  Chinese  mer- 
chants to  his  province.  In  1600,  John 
Yost,  a  Dutchman,  and  William  Adams, 
an  Englishman,  came  to  Yedo  and 
were  cordially  trea  ted  by  lyeyasu . 
They  were  comfortably  accommodated 


caused  him  to  make  one  whose 
measurement  was  36  ft.  in  width,  109 
ft.  in  length,  and  54  ft.  in  draft.  This 
ship  left  Oginoshima  in  September 
1613,  and  arrived  at  Acapulco  in 
January  1614.      The  officers  and  crew 


338 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


met  with  a  kind  reception  from 
the  governor  of  that  place. 
They  then  sailed  for  Spa!n  and 
entered  the  port  of  San  Lucar 
in  August.  They  were  received 
by  the  King  of  Spain  in  Janua- 
ry 1615  and  then  by  the  Pope 
in  September.  Thev  came  home 
in  1620.  - 

In  1610,   King  James 
I.    of  England    sent     one 
Saris   of  the   East    India 
Company    to   Japan 
with    an    autograph 
letter    addressed     to 
lyeyasu,      requesting 
the  opening  of  trade. 
After  receiving  cour- 
teous   treatment     at 
Yedo     and     Suruga, 
Saris    was    given    a 
very  polite  reply  ac- 
cepting    almost     all 
the  conditions  asked 
by  the  English  King. 
The    principal    points    granted 
reply  were  as  follows  • — 


1. 


Date  Masamune. 


in    the 


The  English  were  permit- 
ted to  engage  in  trade  w  th 
the  privileges  of  sailing 
along  the  coasts  of  Japan. 
Their  cargo  should  be  sold 
to  the  Government  w^hen 
so  required. 

3.    The  English  ships  might 
enter    any    port     w^hen 
compelled        by 
rough  seas. 

4.  The  Englishmen 
might  build 
houses  for  them- 
selves whether 
in  Yedo  or  else- 
where, and  in 
case  they  left 
the  country 
their  property 
might  be  dis- 
posed of  at 
their  will. 

5.  If  any  English- 
man should  die 

effects  should  be 


in    Japan,    his 
sent  to  his  heir. 


Tjie  Tower  of  London. 


o 


CO 

a> 

-4-3 


.a 


CQ 


T3 

a 

cd 

^ 

w 

-t-» 

T3 

ai 

03 

o 
Q 

o 

0^ 

pq 

s 

Eh    O 
03 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


339 


6.  The  English  should  not  be  com- 
pelled to  buy  or  sell. 

7.  Such  Englishmen  as  broke  the 
law  of  the  land  should  be 
handed  over  to  the  English 
Captains. 

On  his  way  home,  Saris  took  15 
Japanese  sa'lors  to  England, — the 
first  Japanese  who  went  to  Eng  and- 
His  ship  left  Yedo  in  December  1613 
and  reached    London   in   September    of 


favour  of  lyeyasu  and  informed  him 
that  the  Portuguese  were  not  propa- 
gating their  faith  for  the  sake  oi 
religion  but  that  they  were  so  doing 
with  the  intent  to  aggrandize  their 
own  territories. 

In  1616,  when  the  English  ships 
came  to  Hirado,  the  Dutch  attempted 
to  attack  them,  but  through  the  inter- 
vention of  the  lord  of  the  province, 
the  impending  collision  was  avoided. 
But  making  use  of  the  fact  that  King 
James  I  w^as  a  sovereign,  who,  though 
not  formally  a  Catholic,  was  one  at 
least  in  heart,  the  Dutch  advised  the 
Japanese  Government  that  it  would 
be  highly  dangerous  to  let  the  English 
engage  in  trade  without  placing  them 
under  strict  conditions  and  restraints. 
In  the  two  following  years,  the  East 
India  C ompan y  sent  their  warships 
several  times,  but  on  each  occasion  they 
were  intercepted  on  their  way  by 
Dutch  ships  and  did  not  once  succeed 
in  reaching  the  is- 
lands. After  a  series 
^7ii}][  of  fightings,   a  com- 

promise   w^as    made, 
and    the    English    a- 
gain  were  seen  trad- 
ing   in    Kiushu,    but 
in  consequence  of  the 
Dutch 
competi- 
tion they 


found 
their 
dealings 
quite  un- 
remune- 
ra  t  i  V  e 


Japanese  Converts  saluting  a  Catholic  Missionary. 


the  next  year.  In  his  account  of  this 
trip,  he  describes  Yedo  as  far  surpas- 
sing the  city  of  London  in  point  of 
prosperity  and  magnificence. 

The  Dutch  who  had  a  strong 
ambition  to  monopolize  the  Japanese 
trade  seerd  to  have  sought  every 
means  to  drive  other  foreigners  fi-om 
the  land.      They  diligently  courted  the 


and  left  Hirado  not  to  vivsit  it  again 
for  some  years  after.  Thus  the  En- 
glish trade  in  this  country  suddenly 
declined.  The  Dutch  who  knew  very 
well  that  lyeyasu  was  beginning  to 
hate  the  Catholics  lost  no  chance  of 
hardening  him  in  this  sentiment  by 
saj^ing  that  Spain,  Portugal,  and  other 
European  countries  were  ardently  con- 


340 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


tem  plating  the  aggrandizement  of 
their  own  dominions.  Then  they 
contrived    to    induce    their    own    ruler 


An  Old  Japanese  Gou)  Coin,  called  Oban, 

to  send  an  embassy  to  the Shogun.  The 
Dutchman  who  came  on  this  mission 
was  named  Jacks  Kurunske  and 
brought  a  royal  message  and  a  present 
of  cups,  raw^  silk,  and  ivory.  lyeyasu 
treated  him  kindly  and  assured  him 
in  his  reply  that  the  Dutchmen  might 
use  all  the  Japanese  ports  and  that 
their  representatives  w^ould  be  ac- 
commodated with  buildings  wherever 
they  wished  to  remain.  All  Dutchmen 
domiciled  in  the  country  acted  with 
perfect  obedience  and  humility  in  strik- 
ing contrast  with  the  haughty  man- 
ners of  the  Portuguese.  The  latter 
always  passed  through  the  streets 
armed,  sometimes  enticed  women  to 
their  ships,  and  frequently  stirred  up 
quarrels  with  the  natives.  In  one  of 
these  strifes,  several  men  were  injured, 
and  the  judges  were  ordered  to  ex- 
amine the  case.  The  Portuguese  who 
participated  in  the  disturbance  fled  to 
their    ships,   where    the  captain,   being 


commanded    to    deliver    up    the   law- 
breakers, refused  to  comply  with  the  re- 
quest.   The  matter  was  reported  to  the 
government  which  had   already   found 
many  disloyal  subjects  among  the  con- 
verts and  many   Catholics   among  the 
feudal  lords  ready  to  rise  in  open  revolt. 
Several  other  things  now  combined  to 
convince  the  Government  of  the  harm- 
ful effects    exercised   by    the  European 
religion    upon    the     customs    and    in- 
stitutions   of    the    country.  Baron 
Omura,    the    leader    of    the    Catholic 
party,  had,  it  is  said,  borrowed  money 
from  the  Portitguese   on    the    security 
of  the  port  of  Nagasaki   which  he  had 
offered    in    pledge,    and    though    it    is 
difficult  to   see  what  this   transaction 
had  to  do  with  religion,  it  was  clear  that 
it  was  now  high  time  for  the  Govern- 
ment   to    take  a  decisive    measure    to 
eradicate    the    supposed    cause    of   the 
evils.      So,   a    proclamation     prohibit- 
ing the  Catholic  faith  throughout  the 
land   w^as    issued,    accompanied    by    a 
general  persecution  of  the  missionaries. 
In    1624,    an    embassy   from    the 
Spanish  King    came    to    Satsuma    and 
asked  for  permission  to  trade  but  met 
with    a    cold    refusal    on    the    ground 
that    Spain    was    a    Catholic    nation. 
From    this    time    forward,    the     only 
Europeans  allowed  to    enjoy    trade    in 
Japan  were  the  Dutch  w^hose  constant 
care  and  perseverance  secured  for  them 
the  good  will  of  the    Shogun    and    the 
success  of  monopolizing  the  market  of 
Japan.      Ten    years    later,  the  famous 
rebellion  broke  out  at  Shimabara.     The 
rebels  were  the  Japanese  converts  and 
missionaries,  who    had   been   removed 
to    that   island   in    consequence  of  the 
general    persecution.      They    offered    a 
stubborn  resistance  to  the  Government 
for  some  time,  but  were  finally  brought 
to  subjugation.    Naturally,  the  hatred 
of  the    Government    against   the   Por- 
tuguese, w^hom  they  deemed  to   be  the 
instigators  of  the  rebellion,    became  in 
consequence    more    and    more    intense, 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


341 


and  the  latter  now  feared  to  bring 
their  ships  to  the  country ;  so  that 
the  Dutch,  left  without  competitors, 
were  able  at  once  to  control  the 
markets  and  immediately  raised,  in  some 
cases  exorbitantly,  the  prices  of  all 
their  goods.  For  instance,  they  sold 
woollen  stuff  for  $  17  per  yard.  But 
when  English  traders  came,  w^hich  was 
very  seldom,  the  Dutch  were  cunning 
enough  to  cut  down  their  prices  to  a 
w^onderfully  low  figure  in  order  to 
compete  ■v\ath  them  successfully.  They 
i-eceived  gold  in  payment  at  the  rate 
of  1  to  4  in  silver  which  was  then 
the  fixed  standard  in  the  country.  No 
won  del  that  a  careful  statistician 
estimates  the  total  amount  of  gold 
flowing  out  from  the  country  through 
the    Dutch    traders,    in    90     years,    at 


powers  in  the  world,  conquerin 
country  after  country  both  in  the 
New  World  and  on  the  Pacific.  Un- 
fortunately events  occurred  one  after 
another  to  confirm  this  belief.  The 
Portuguese  missionaries  w^ho  took 
refuge  in  Satsuma,  when  questioned 
as  to  the  object  of  their  work,  are 
reported  to  have  answered  that  their 
intention  was  to  convert  all  the  people 
in  the  world  and  make  them  all  their 
own — an  answer  perfectly  legitimate  in 
the  sense  in  Avhich  it  was  given,  but 
nevertheless  liable  to  gross  misunder- 
standing. In  1644,  a  foreign  ship 
appeared  off  H'zen,  but  was  destro\ed 
by  Barons  Kuroda  and  Matsuura.  In 
1739,  the  people  of  Mutsu,  the  northern 
province  of  Japan,  were  surprired  at 
seeing    a    large    foreign    ship    drawing 


Atno  in  Hokkaido. 


$  225,000,000  gold.    After  the  Shima-  near    their    coast.      The    new    comers 

bara  rebellion,  the  Dutchmen  constant-  gave  them  some  coins    from    which    it 

ly  made  efforts   to    keep    the    Japanese  was  ascertained  that  the  strangers  were 

Government    alive    to    the    belief    that  Russians,     who     afterwards     repeated 

Spain  and  Portugal  were  the  greatest  their  v  sit    seve  al    times    and   wanted 


342 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


to  trade  with  the  natives  but  in   vain.  About  this  time,  the  western  coasts 

Disappointed  and  indignant,  they  then  of     America      were     showing     sudden 

turned  away  to  attack  Hokkaido  and  activity  and  excitement..     Men  rushed 

Saghalien.     In    1822,    an  English  ship  to  CaHfornia  from   all    quarters   after 


View  of  the  Port  of  Nagasaki. 


came  to  Nagasaki  but  soon  retired. 
For  more  than  one  hundred  years,  the 
country  thus  remained  jealously  closed 
to  all  fox^eigners  except  the  Dutch  and 
the  Chinese ;  but  even  they  traded 
under  strict  restrictions  which  greatly 
impeded  the  growth  of  trade. 

In  June  1850,  the  Dutch  sent  a 
message  to  the  Shogun  reporting  the 
general  state  of  affairs  in  Europe, 
pointing  out  the  mistake  of  China  in 
having  closed  up  her  doors  to  foreign- 
ers and  the  consequent  loss  of  her 
ports  from  the  attacks  made  by  the 
combined  forces  of  England  and  Prance. 
They  also  intimated  that  England  and 
America  were  preparing  to  despatch 
their  warships  to  Japan,  and  persuad- 
ed the  Shogun  of  the  advantages  of 
opening  the  country  for  foreigners. 


the  news  of  the  gold  discovery,  and 
trade  wth  China  was  looked  forward 
to  with  great  interest.  At  once  the 
question  of  getting  coal  and  provisions 
in  Japan  became  one  of  prime  impor- 
tance. The  U.  S.  Commodore  Aurick 
who  was  stationed  at  Hongkong  wrote 
to  Secretary  Webster  about  the  necessi- 
ty of  requesting  Japan  to  open  her 
ports  for  America. 

Upon  the  death  of  Webster,  his 
successor  Everett  took  steps  to  carry 
the  purpose  into  effect  by  dispatching 
Commodore  M.  C.  Perry  with  four 
warships.  The  latter  left  America 
towards  the  close  of  1852  and  came 
to  Uraga  by  way  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  Hongkong,  and  the  Loochoo 
islands.  He  was  at  first  refused,  but 
after  remonstrances   and   threatenings 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


343 


succeeded  in  leaving  a  message  for  the 
Shogun  from  President  Fillmore.  This 
message  contained  the  three  following 
points  : — 

1.  The  Americans  desire  to  form  a 
treaty  with  Japan  for  the  protec- 
tion of  wrecked  vessels  and  suffer- 
ing cre^?\rs. 

2.  They  want  permission  to  procure 
food  and  coal  at  various  ports 
of  Japan,  to  take  refuge  in 
Japanese  ports  under  stress  of 
weather,  and  to  secure,  when 
necessary,  a  coaling  station  in 
one  of  the  small  islands. 

3.  They  desire  to  have  several  ports 
opened  for  trade. 

The  authorities  tried  to  send  Perry 
to  Nagasaki  but  with  no  success. 
They  attempted  to  prevent  the  A- 
mericans  sounding  the  harbor  of  Uraga 
but  in  vain.  Perry  sq,id  that  he  had 
come  under  the  instructions  of  his 
government,  and  knew  not  how  to 
observe  the  order  or 
law  of  the  Japanese 
Government.  The  au- 
thorities, finding  that 
they  could  not  send  hirn 
aw^ay,  decided  to  accept 
the  Presidential  message 
as  an  exceptional  case, 
and  asked  him 
to  allow  time 
Sufficient  for    the- 


promising  to  come  again  next  year 
to  receive  a  decided  reply  from  the 
Shogtin. 

At  that  time,  Shogun  lyesada, 
who  was  a  weak-minded  person,  found 
himself  unable  to  solve  the  serious 
question  confronting  him  on  the  oc- 
casion. The  power  once  vested  in  the 
first  Shogun  lyeyasu  was  almost 
absolute.  It  was  in  his  discretion 
whether  he  admitted  foreigners  or 
excluded  them.  No  one  disputed  his 
rights.  But  the  same  power  in  the 
frail  hands  of  the  13th  Shogun  proved 
too  much  for  him  to  use  in  deciding  a 
question  of  entirely  the  same  nature. 
Whether  he  should  reject  the  American 
request  and  face  what  might  come,  or 
open  ports  for  commerce  and  disregard 
the  policy  followed  by  his  predecessors, 
required  more  courage  and  judg- 
ment to  decide  than  he  possessed. 
Consequently,  he  referred  the  matter 
to  all  the  barons  of  the  land  and  in- 
tended to 
hear  their 
o  p  i  nion  s. 
This  step,  how- 
ever, instead  of 
proving  a  success 
toward  deter- 
mining the  ques- 
tion, only  in- 
creased the  dif- 
ficulties of  the 
situation  more 
and  more.      For 


A  Japanese  Sailing  Ship  for  Trade. 


consideration    of  the    subject    matter,     opinions  were  divided,   and    supported 
Thereupon, Perry  sailed  away  for  home,     enthusiastically        on       both         sides. 


^k^ii^ 


344 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The    authorities,    *who    came    to    con-  again  appeared  at  Uraga  and  resolute* 

stant    contact    with    foreigners,    knew  ly     demanded      the      promised     reply, 

much  better  about  the  affairs  outside,  Fortunately  for  the  country,  likamon- 

and     fully     realized    the    necessity    of  no-kami.  one  of  the  ablest  statesmen 


View  of  Uraga. 


throwing  the  doors  open  for  foreigners; 
the  people  in  general,  who  had  been 
kept  for  ages  in  seclusion  and  igno- 
rance, could  not  fail  to  remain  natural- 
ly conservative  and  to  hate  things 
new  and  foreign.  At  the  same  time, 
to  the  Shogun,  who  happened  to  have 
no  son  to  succeed  him,  the  question  of 
appointing  his  heir-apparent  arose  to 
claim  his  decision.  Two  men  of  the 
Tokugawa  Family  came  to  front  as 
candidates,  both  having  strong  sup- 
porters. Thus  the  country  was  thrown 
into  perfect  turmoil  and  commotion. 
It  shook  throughout  its  length  and 
breadth.      In    the    mean    time,    Perry 


Japan  ever  produced,  whose  wisdom, 
foresight,  and  courage  will  certainly 
command  the  respect  and  gratitude  of 
posterity,  came  forward  to  wield 
the  power  for  the  Shogun  in  the 
quality  of  his  prime  minister.  In  the 
face  of  the  strong  opposition  manifest- 
ed by  powerful  barons  as  well  as  by 
the  majority  of  the  people,  he  decided 
the  two  questions  clear  to  the  bone. 
He  signed  a  treaty  with  Perry  at 
Shimoda,  which  cost  him  his  life,  for 
a  few  years  after  he  was  assassinated 
on  his  way  to  the  Castle  of  the  Sho- 
gun. Surely  his  master-hand  guided 
the    nation     through    a     crisis    which 


EARLY  INTERCOURSE  WITH  EUROPEANS. 


345 


otherwise  would  have  made  the  also  a  convert  and  said  to  have  been 
nation  tell  quite  a  different  story  of  proficient  in  both  Portuguese  and 
her  subsequent  development  from  what     Latin.  Her     Christian 


name 


has  been  given. 

Perry  might  not  have  taken  any 
warlike  measures  if  his  reqtiest  had 
been  refused,  but  it  seemed  to  him 
that      he      coiild      not       obtain       his 


was 

Grace.  The  foreign  missionaries  who 
came  during  the  Tokugawa  Shogunate 
were  men  of  great  learning  and  high 
culture,  and  seem  to  have  commanded 
the    respect    of  the    people,   which  ac- 


object  without  showing  a  very  strong  counts  for  their  rapid  successes  in  their 

front.       The     treaty     signed    by     him  field,   but  the  prohibition    of  the    reli- 

is  the  famous  Shimoda  Treaiy  of  1854.  gion      checked      the     importation      of 

In  1858,  England,   Russia,   France,  foreign  books    and    books    of   religion 

and    Holland    followed    this    example,  especially  were  committed  to  the   fire. 

and  our  first  treaties  with  those  pow-  After   1720,   the   prohibition    was  get- 

ers  were  framed.  ting     less     strict    and    some     scholars 

As    we    see,   the  early   part  of  the  studied  foreign  books  secretly. 
Tokugawa    Shogunate   was    disturbed  During    the    time    that    the    strict 

by  the  introduction  of  Christianity  but  exclusion    policy    was    in    force    under 


it  should  be  observed  that  the  same 
religion  served  to  introduce  into  the 
country  the  elements  of  Western 
civili;;ation.  The  first  Japanese  who 
studied  European  languages  was 
Ryosei,   a  native    of  Yamato,  who  in 


the  Tokugawa  Shogunate,  there  was 
a  man  who  rose  from  the  humblest 
position  to  a  great  fortune  by  trading 
with  foreigners  on  the  seas.  This  was 
Zeniya  Gohei.  He  was  a  poor  boat- 
man   of    Ishikawa    by    profession    but 


1543  got  on  board  a  Portuguese  ship  being  a  very  clever  and  adventurous 
from  Kagoshima  and  went  to  Goa  in  fellow,  engaged  in  coasting  trade.  One 
India.  There  he 
studied  Portu- 
guese under  the 
famous  mission- 
ary, Francis 
Xavier. 

Six      years 
later,      we     find 
him  with  Xavier 
in      Kagoshima, 
preaching  Chris- 
tianity       and 
much     respected 
by     people.      He 
translated  many 
books    into     Ja- 
panese and  was 
talked    of  as    a 
Japanese        w^ho 

had  studied  the  religion  in  a  foreign  day  his  boat  met  with  a  large  black 
land.  The  first  Japanese  lady  who  ship  and,  being  invited  to  board  her,  he 
studied  foreign  languages  was  the  was  only  too  pleased  to  have  the 
wife  of  Hosokawa  Tadaoki,  the  lord  opportunity  of  exchanging  his  goods, 
of  the  province  of  Tanba.      She    was     The  ship  was  Russian.    When    he   left 


Zeniya  Gohei  trading  with  a  Foreigner, 


346  THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE   WAR, 

her  he  promised  to  meet  her  again  goods,  and  sailed  direct  to  San  Fran-, 
and  so  he  did  many  times  more.  He  cisco.  Afterwards,  he  exported  raw- 
thus  increased  his  money  so  that  he  silk  to  America.  A  few  years  later, 
soon  established  37  branches  in  various  when  he  attempted  to  reclaim  a 
places.  swamp,  the  fishermen  in  the  neigh- 
In  1832,  when  he  was  61  years  borhood  made  a  complainf,  whereupon 
old,  he  sailed  on  his  ship  northward  he  tried  to  drive  away  the  fish.  On 
and  on  the  way  drifted  over  35  days  the  alleged  crime  that  he  had  poisoned 
on  the  ocean  till  his  ship  reached  a  the  fish,  he  was  thrown  into  prison 
place  5  miles  distant  firom  San  Fran-  where  he  subsequently  died  from  sick- 
cisco.  He  and  his  crew,  now  reduced  ness.  His  property  then  was  con- 
to  six,  landed  in  California  and  staying  fiscated  by  the  government ;  it  con- 
there  for  several  months  returned  to  sisted  of  240,000  Ryo  in  cash  and 
Shimoda  the  next  year.  In  the  same  assets  of  270,000  Ryo,  besides  25 
year,  he  equipped  a  ship  laden  with  vessels,  80  rice  warehouses  containing 
a  cargo  of  lanterns,  umbrellas,  bamboo  35,000  Koku  of  grain  and,  various 
sticks,  rain-coats,  fans,  and  other  fancy  curious  articles. 


WAR  SONG. 

My  brothers,  you  know  Russia,  the  land  of  steppe  and  plain, 
With  miles  on  miles  of  forest  gloom,  and  sluggish  streams  that  drain 
Reluctantly  through  fen  and  moss  to  ice-bound  shores,  as  though 
Nature  had  fixed  her  boundaries  with  walls  of  ice  and  snow. 

Yet  spite  of  Nature's  obstacles,  her  daring  never  ceased. 

By  force,  and  guile,  and  stratagem,  to  press  to  South  and  East, 

Stealing,  annexing,  conquering,  if  haply  she  might  find 

An  ice-free  haven  somewhere  in  the  land  of  the  southern  wind. 

But  now  her  march  has  ceased :  she  has  brought  up  face  to  face 
With  the  champions  of  Yamato,  the  daring  warrior  race ; 
Across  the  seas  to  meet  her  came  the  heroes  of  Japan, 
And  far  advanced  on  Manchu  plains  now  stands  our  battle  van. 

Not  once  or  twice  in  hist'ry's  page,  our  hosts  have  crossed  the  sea 

To  Chosen  or  to  China,  to  keep  our  country  free : 

'Twas  Jingo  left  her  spear  affixed  in  triumph  to  the  gate 

Of  vanquished  Shiragi,  that  learned  to  bow  before  its  fate. 

And  when  the  Mongol  legates  came  bearing  their  message  proud, 
Our  Tokimune  struck  them  dead,  before  the  gaping  crowd; 
And  Taikosama — who  but  knows  his  brave  and  doughty  deeds, 
Who  dreamed  of  India  subject,  and  China  for  his  needs? 

Nay,  those  who  now  against  the  foes  in  Liautung's  valleys  stand. 
Or  from  the  decks  of  Togo's  ships  bombard  the  Regent's  Land, 
Already  once  have  stood  in  arms  upon  Manchuria's  shore, 
Already  once  'gainst  Liautung's  rocks  have  made  the  cannon  roar. 

So  Eussia  stops  her  onward  march ;  but,  when  the  fight  is  o'er, 
And  the  Muscovite  is  driven  back  from  fair  Manchuria's  shore, 
Pray  we  the  God  of  Peace  and  War  that  our  foes  and  we  may  be 
Friends,  as  we've  never  been  before,  in  Truth  and  Equity. 

A.  LI. 


c 


d 


bo 
a; 

>^ 

■i-i 

C 


en 


nj 
'j-j 


< 


THE  RISE  OF  JAPAN  WAS  NOT  UNEXPECTED. 


347 


The  Rise  of  Japan  was  not  Unexpected. 


!HE  followng  interesting 
speech  was  delivered  by 
Count  Okuma,  the  leader 
of  the  Progressive  Party 
in  Japan,  and  vve  take 
great  pleasure  in  reproducing  it  in  an 
English  dress. 

The  recent    development  and  pros- 
perity       of 
the   Japan- 
ese Empire 
is    no    sud- 
den        and 
unexpected 
event 
which     has 
come  before 
the     world 
w  i  t  h  o  ti  t 
any     ade- 
quate cause 
or     reason 
for       its 
coming 
into      exis- 
tence.   It  is 
the     neces- 
sary     out- 
come      of 
certain 
causes  well 
known     to 
all       who 
have  studi- 
ed our 
national 
history. 

If  we  turn  to  the  history  of  Europe 
we  shall  find  one  rule,  to  which  there 
is  absolutely  no  exception.  Any  na- 
tion, no  matter  what  its  constitution 
or  form  of  Government  may  be,  will 
prosper  so  long  as  it  keeps  itself 
swimming  with  the    great    current   of 


Count  Okuma. 


human  thought :  to  attempt  to  stem 
the  current  or  s v^rim  again st  it ,  in- 
volves  national  ruin.  There  is  no  ex- 
ception to  this  rule. 

At  the  end  of  the  Middle  Ages,  we 
find  the  people  of  Spain  and  Portugal 
full  of  a  vigorous  spirit  of  adventure: 
the  discovery  of  America,  the  circum- 
navigation 
of  the  Cape 
of  Good 
Hope,  the 
opening  of 
t  he  new 
trade  rou- 
tes to  In- 
dia,were  all 
due  to  their 
energy,  and 
b  r  o  u  ght 
them  into 
i  n  timate 
relations 
with  the 
peoples  of 
the  Far 
East.  Spa- 
nish settle- 
ments v\rere 
to  be  found 
in  every 
quarter  of 
the  globe, 
and  the 
name  of 
Spain  was 
feared  and 
respected  over  the  whole  continent  of 
Europe. 

But  her  ruin  soon  came.  The 
whole  extent  of  her  power  scarcely 
covered  two  centuries  of  pleasant  but 
profitless  dreams.  A  few  great  nobles 
held  the  whole  power  ;  neither  at  home 


348 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


nor  in  their  colonies  were  the  people  prominence  around  her,  and  the  re- 
allowed  the  slightest  voice  or  interest  suit  was  easy  to  foresee.  It  is  a  long 
in     the     management     of    their     own     time    since    it   has    been    possible    to 


Constantinople. 


affairs  ;  the  most  clear  and  distinct 
lessons  of  contemporary  history  were 
neglected  by  a  despotic  and  blinded 
oligarchy, — progress  was  hindered,  the 
nation  stood  still,  and  stagnation 
brought  decay — Spain's  power  fell  as 
quickly  as  it  had  risen. 

The  same  phenomenon  may  be 
observed  in  the  case  of  Holland,  more 
distinctly  still  in  that  of  Turkey. 
Turkey  was  a  great  power  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  when  she  destroyed 
the  Eastern  Empire  of  Rome,  and 
took  Constantinople;  but  the  Renais- 
sance and  Revival  of  Learning,  which 
her  arrival  at  Constantinople  brought 
to  Western  Europe,  she  rejected  for 
herself.  She  turned  her  back  deliberate- 
ly on  the  modern  civilization 
and    culture    that    was    coming     into 


com  pare    Turkey    to    anything    but    a 
sick    man    in   a  hospital,    waiting    for 
the     hour     of     dissolution ,      and     only 
saved  from  it  by  the  disagreements  of 
European  po-wers. 

But  it  would  be  wrong,  in  the 
case  of  any  of  these  countries,  to  lay 
the  blame  for  their  decay  on  to  the 
shoulders  of  the  people  in  general.  In 
Spain  and  Portugal,  a  grossly  super- 
stitious form  of  religion,  administered 
by  avaricious  ecclesiastics  and  an 
ignorant  hierarchy,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  on  the  other  an  ostentatious 
court  and  despotic  aristocracy  had 
combined  to  poison  the  wells  of 
national  life,  and  it  was  owing  to 
these  that  the  Spanish  Colonial  Em- 
pire of  which  it  could  once  be  said 
that   "the  sun  never  set   on  its  domi- 


THE  RISE  OF  JAPAN  WAS  NOT  UNEXPECTED. 


349 


nions "  had  dwindled  and  dwindled 
until  the  loss  of  Cuba,  Porto  Rico, 
and  ■  the  Philippines  had  reduced  it 
to  one  or  tw-Q  insignificant  islets  in  the 
Atlantic.  The  same  causes  had  been 
at  work  in  Turkey,  and  had  produced 
precisely  similar  results.  Russia  is 
now  following  the  bad  examples  of 
these  countries :  the  same  poison  is  at 
\vork  in  her  political  and  social  system, 
and  the  same  symptoms  of  disease 
are  manifesting  themselves.  An  igno- 
rant and  arrogant  hierarchy,  an  osten- 
tatious Court,  a  corrupt  moral  atmos- 
phere in  the  aristocracy,  in  the  military 
and  naval  services,  in  the  very  entour- 
age of  the  Czar  himself,  this  is  the 
poison  that  is  destroying  her  life. 
Russia  is  trying  to  swim  against  the 
stream  of  human  enlightenment ;  she 
cannot  well  escape  from  the  punish- 
ment that  inevitably  follows  tipon 
such  a  line  of  action. 

If  now  you  v\rill  turn  to  the  his- 
tory of  Japan,  you  will  be  able  to 
see  at  a  glance  w^hy  it  is  that  this 
Empire  has  always  been  so  successful 
in  all  her  undertakings.  It  is  because 
our  nation  has  always  acted  from  the 
beginning  on  the  principle,  which  has 
been  so  clearly  enunciated  for  us  in 
the  Imperial  Rescript  at  the  time  of 
the  Great  Restoration,  of  "  seeking 
knowledge  throughout  the  world,"  * 
i.e.  oi  adopting  what  is  good  from 
every  country,  and  entering  into  an 
honourable  rivalry  in  culture  and 
civilization  with  all  nations  through- 
out the  world. 


This  is  the  fundamental  principle 
which  accoiints  for  the  rise  of  Japan  in 
the  world;  she  has  never  hesitated  to 
adopt  anything  that  she  has  found  to 
be  good;  she  has  ever  tried  to  swim 
with  the  tide  of  human  progress ;  she 
has  never  shrunk  from  any  sacrifice  in 
eradicating  Avhat  she  has  found  to  be 
bad.  The  voice  of  the  people  can  make 
itself  heard  in  the  management  of 
public  affairs,  and  it  was  the  same 
Imperial  Rescript,  in  a  phrase  which 
gave  us  the  ke3^note  of  a  liberal  form 
of  governmental  administration,  that 
bade  us  "  settle  affairs  by  public 
opinion — ".  This  principle  of  appealing 
to  a  ptiblic  opinion  illuminated  and 
guided  by  knowledge  sought  through- 
out the  world,  has  rendered  possible 
the  granting  of  a  wise  and  just  Con- 
stitution and  Body  of  Laws,  and  Re- 
presentative Government  co-existent 
with  a  large  measure  of  local  autonom}^, 
the  execution  of  Juridical  Reforms,  the 
abolition  of  vexatious  restrictions  on 
commerce  and  the  free  development  of 
every  form  of  national  life.  It  has,  in 
other  words,  enabled  and  encouraged 
the  people  of  Japan  to  swim  pros- 
perously with  the  stream  of  human 
progress. 

If  this  principle,  of  keeping  abreast 
with  the  tide  of  human  progress,  is  to 
be  made  effective,  it  requires  that  the  in- 
tellectual faculty  should  be  applied  to  all 
the  concerns  of  human  life,  and  that 
cannot    be     done    without    education. 


*  The  original  words    of  this    important 
Imperial  Rescript  are  as  follows: — 

1.  In  administering  the  business  of  the 
State,  We  shall  settle  affairs  by  public 
opinion  which  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  expressing  itself  in  public 
representative  assembly. 

2.  Our  administration  shall  be  in  the 
interests  of  the  whole  people,  and 
not  of  any  particular  class  of  Our 
subjects. 


3.  No  person,  whetlier  official  or  private 
citizen,  shall  be  hindered  in  the  pro- 
secution of  his  legitimate  business. 

4.  The  bad  customs  of  past  ages  shall  be 
abolished,  and  Our  Government  shall 
tread  in  the  paths  of  civilization  and 
enlightenment. 

5.  We  shall  endeavour  to  raise  the 
prestige  and  honour  of  Our  country  by 
seeking  knowledge  throughout  the 
world. 


350 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


For  more  than  thirty  years,  the  Govern- 
ment of  Japan  has  devoted  a  very 
large  amount  of  attention  and  energy 
to  the  question  of  education,  and  the 
best  training  that  could  be  procured 
has  been  given  with  a  generous  hand 
to  students  of  poHtical ,  social  an  d 
mihtary  affairs,  as  well  as  for  those 
preparing  theiuselves  for  humbler  but 
no  less  important  walks  of  life  in 
commerce,  industry,  and  agriculture. 
The  country  has  also  stepped  out  into 


gress  throughout  the  Empire,  you  will 
find  that  the  national  wealth  has 
increased  six  or  seven  fold  during  the 
last  thirty  years,  and  that  if  you 
compare  the  present  wealth  of  the 
country  with  what  it  was  at  the  con- 
clu  si  on  of  the  Japan-Chin  a  War  ten 
years  ago,  it  has,  even  during  that 
short  period,  more  than  trebled  itself 
The  utilization  of  the  Chinese  War 
indemnity  added  immensely  to  the 
permanent  wealth  of  the  nation.    This 


The  Residence  of  Count  Okuma. 


the  wider  arena  of  the  world  of  reality 
and  has  become  a  formidable  com- 
petitor in  the  field  of  international 
trade  and  commerce,  her  free-trade 
policy  during  the  last  thirty  years 
having  greatly  assisted  her  develop- 
ment along  this  line.  The  Japanese 
people  is  not  merely  a  nation  of 
fighters :  it  has  no  mean  skill  in 
agriculture,  industry,  and  commerce, 
and  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to 
investigate  the  statistical  tables  of  pro- 


may  be  seen  by  looking  at  the  great 
increase  of  capital  and  deposits  in 
banks,  at  the  increased  circulation  of 
money  evidenced  by  the  bill-exchanges 
at  Tokyo,  Osaka,  and  other  places, 
at  the  increased  revenue  derived  from 
the  Post  and  Telegraph  Services,  at 
the  development  in  the  amount  of  for- 
eign trade  and  the  growing  number  of 
merchant  vessels,  at  the  vastly  in- 
creased investments  in  mining,  spinning, 
and  manufacturing  industries.    Japan's 


THE  RISE  OF  JAPAN   WAS  NOT  UNEXPECTED. 


351 


victories  are  not  confined  to  the  fields 
of  military  and  naval  glory.  She  has 
conquered  in  every  direction,  and  it 
speaks  volumes  for  her  credit  that  in 
a  young  nation  which  has  only  emerged 
into  the  world  during  the  last  thirty 
years,  the  national  wealth  should  have 
trebled  itself  in  ten  years. 

And  now,  you  will  ask  me,  what 
will  be  the  eifect  of  the  present  war  ? 

I  think  that  at  the  conclusion  of 
the  present  struggle  we  shall  have 
far  better  times  than  we  had  after  the 
war  with  China  ;  for   our  people   have 


progress  which  Japan  has  made  by 
carrying  out  her  fundamental  principle 
of  "  seeking  knowledge  throughout 
the  world,"  and  swimming  with  the 
tide  of  human  progress.  The  object 
which  her  statesmen  have  had  before 
them  has  been  to  bring  Japan  in  every 
respect  up  to  the  present-day  level  of 
European  and  American  civilization, 
and  in  doing  so  they  have  deliberately 
excluded  the  question  of  religion,  as 
not  coming  within  their  purview. 
When  Japan  was  first  opened  to 
foreigners,    some    fifty    years   ago,    she 


The  Department  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce. 


much  increased  in  wisdom  since  then, 
and  there  is  far  more  practical 
knowledge  and  savoir-faire.  Our  com- 
mercial organs  are  far  greater  than 
they  were  then,  we  shall  be  able  to 
take  in  and  digest  larger  quantities  of 
*'idditional  wealth,  make  it  productive 
in  larger  amounts  and  in  a  far  shorter 
time.  Our  credit  and  means  of  com- 
munication will  be  much  improved  : 
in  short,  I  look  forward  to  a  period 
of  .great  national  prosperity. 
,  ,    So  far,  I  have  tried  to  sketch  the 


already  possessed  two  religions,  the 
Buddhism  and  the  Shintoism  ;  but  in 
accordance  with  her  Constitution, 
which  allows  her  subjects  absolute 
freedom  of  religious  faith  and  worship, 
Christianity  has  also  been  able  to 
come  in,  and  establish  itself  by  the 
side  of  the  ancient  national  creeds  of 
the  country.  In  the  history  of  Europe, 
we  find  that  the  introduction  of  a  new 
religion  has  rarely,  if  ever,  taken  place 
without  a  collision,  accompanied  by 
bloodshed,  between  the  old  faith  and 


352 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR 


the  new.     The  Thirty  Years'  War  was  every    religion    is    free    to     enter    our 

a  war  of  religion  (not  of  religions,  for  country. 

the   combatants   only  represented  two  Nor  must  it  be   supposed  that  the 

forms  of  the  same  faith)  ;  it  lasted  for  history  of  Japan  is,  as  some  foreigners 

a    whole    generation  ;    brought    to    an  perhaps  think,  at  all  analogous  to  the 


^^j^i^MMMiS^iliM'^. . 


The  Temple  of  Higashi  Honganjt. 


end  by  a  conference  of  the  pov^ers 
concerned,  it  continued  to  bear  its 
evil  effects  in  Europe,  for  over  a  century 
more,  and  the  questions  which  it  raised 
were  not  finally  solved,  till  the  law 
stepped  in  which  proclaimed  tolera- 
tion and  the  freedom  of  the  conscience. 
In  Japan,  you  will  find  nothing  of 
the  kind  ;  for  the  principle  underlying 
our  national  life  is  very  different  from 
that  which  underlies  Western  count- 
ries. It  has  always  been  our  principle 
to  seek  the  good  by  seeking  know- 
ledge throughout  the  world  ;  we  have 
never    had    a   religious    war,*    because 

*  The  destruction  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Missions  in  the  sixteenth  century  was  carried 
out,  not  because  they  were  Christian,  but 
because  they  were  considered  to  be  inseparably 
bound  up  with  tlie  agpressive  policy  of  Spain, 
which  was  at  that  period  a  serious  menace  to 
the  independence  and  integrity  of  Japan. 


history  of  other  Oriental  nations. 
Japan  has  had  a  history  quite  her  own, 
and  quite  distinct  from  that  of  the  peo- 
ples of  Central  Asia  such  as  China,  Mon- 
golia, Persia,  or  Turkey.  No  analogy 
can  be  drawn  from  the  history  of 
these  nations  to  that  of  Japan. 

The  origin  of  our  modern  Japanese 
development  must  not  be  sought  in 
the  opening  of  the  country  half  a 
century  ago.  If  you  read  her  history 
for  the  last  two  thousand  five  hundred 
years  you  will  find  that  her  people 
have  always  possessed  in  a  very  high 
degree  the  power  of  assimilation.  Ja- 
pan came  into  contact  first  with  the 
civilization  of  China,  and  assimilated 
it,  without  any  trouble.  When  some 
years  later  the  Buddhism  of  India  in- 
vaded Japan  through  China,  her  native 
Shinto    found    a    way    to    make  room 


THE  RIvSE  OF  JAPAN  WAS  NOT  UNEXPECTED. 


353 


amicably  for  the  new-comer,  though 
in  China  a  fierce  feud  arose  between 
the  followers  of  Buddha  and  those  of 
Confucius.  It  is  \vorth  while  noting 
that  fifteen  hundred  years  ago  Japan 
understood  and  appreciated  the  princi- 
ple of  religious  toleration.  She  was 
ready  to  -w^elcome  all  that  was  good. 

In  the  16th  century,  when  Spain 
and  Portugal  opened  intercourse  -^vith 
Japan  they  brought  with  them  their 
Christian  faith.  The  most  famous  of 
the  Jesuit  missionaries,  St.  Francis 
Xavier,  tells  us  in  his  memoirs  that 
though  the  Spaniards  interested  them- 
selves in  the  propagation  of  their  faith 
wherever  thcv  went  he  had  found  no 
country  in  which  it  was  embraced  so 
readily  and  willingly  as  in  Japan.  In 
the  course  of  some  forty  years  over, 
six  millions  of  converts  had  been  made, 
and  there  had  been  no  hostile  collision 
between    the    promoters    of    the    new 


and  intriguing  Spanish  priests  had 
caballed  with  disaffected  barons  and 
officials  of  the  Government  to  get 
political  power  into  their  own  hands. 
Had  they  succeeded,  their  action  could 
have  had  but  one  result,  the  dis- 
memberment of  Japan,  and  its  eventual 
absorption  by  Spain,  and  the  stern 
action  of  lyeyasu  finds  abundant  justi- 
fication in  the  political  circumstances 
of  the  times.  lyeyasu 's  age  was  the 
age  which  in  Europe  witnessed  the 
fierce  religious  wars  of  the  Reformation 
in  German^^,  the  Wars  of  the  Huguenots, 
and  the  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's 
Day  in  France,  the  religious  troubles 
of  England,  and  the  establishment  of 
the  Spanish  Inquisition  :  —  reasons 
enough  to  justify  him  in  closing  the 
country  against  the  introduction  of 
such  a  spirit. 

During  the   216  3'ears  of  her  seclu- 
sion from  the  w^orld,  Japan  was  quietly 


The  Waseda  University,  founded  by  Count  Okuma. 


religion  and  the  defenders  of  Shinto- 
ism  and  Buddhism.  A  few  years  later 
Tokugawa  lyeyasu,  the  greatest  of 
Shoguns,  banished  all  Christian  mis- 
sionaries and  absolutely  prohibited  the 
profession  of  Christianity.  The  reason 
was  enticely  a  political  one.    Ambitious 


developing  her  internal  resources,  and 
her  treasures  of  national  literature 
and  vigour.  It  was  with  w^ell  hus- 
banded stores  of  energy  and  activity 
that  she  at  length  emerged  once  more 
from  her  seclusion  to  attain  to  emin- 
ence by  strides  of  unparallelled  rapidity. 


354 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR.  , 


When  peace  shall  have  crowned  the 
efforts  which  Japan  is  making  in  the 
present  war,  the  effect  upon  herself 
-will  be  that  she  will  be  able  to  make 
still  greater  progress  in  the  paths  of 
civilization,  and  that  the  true  spirit 
of  the  Japanese  nation  will  have  more 
room  to  display  itself  Japan  has 
never  been  an  advocate  of  war,  and 
will  never  draw  her  sword  from  its 
sheath  unless  compelled  to  do  so  by 
the  pressure  of  foreign  powers.  We 
are  fighting  now  for  peace  and  not 
for  war;  and  w^hen  peace  is  secured 
wc  shall  be  only  too  glad  to  put  by 
the  sword  and  devote  ourselves  to 
the  promotion  of  the  higher  interests 
of  our  country. 


I  think,  Gentlemen,  that  if  you 
will  study  the  history  of  the  country, 
you  will  find  that  the  present  eminence 
of  our  country  is  no  mushroom  growth. 
It"  has  its  roots  in  the  past,  and  finds 
its  true  explanation  in  historical  causes 
which  anyone  may  understand  that 
reads  them.  I  hope,  too,  that  many 
foreigners  may  be  induced  to  devote 
attention  to  the  history  of  Japan. 
They  will  then  understand  that  the 
present  war  is  not  one  of  race  against 
race  or  religion  against  religion,  but 
that  the  victory  of  Japan  means 
the  fusion  into  one  harmonious 
whole  of  the  civilizations  of  East  and 
West. 


PORT  ARTHUR. 


For  full  six  months  our  Squadrons  lay 
Outside  Port  Arthur.     Night  and  day 
We  harrassed  our  foe  with  powder  and  shot, 
With  a  rain  of  shells  that  was  frequent 

and  hot, 
With  attacks  by  day  and  attacks  by  night 
Under  the  search-lights*  glaring  light, 
With  dartiug  torpedoes,  and  hand  to  hand; 
And  once  we  got  a  chance  to  land. 
And  tried  to  scale  the  rocky  wall 
Of  the  citadel.     Nor  was  this  all : 
For  we  strewed  with  mines  the  harbour's 

mouth, 
East,  and  West,  and  North,  and  South ; 
A  nd  to  stop  all  chance  of  untoward  slips, 
We  blocked  the  harbour  with  sunken  ships. 

'Twas  a  tiring  time :  no  rest  had  we : 
For  full  six  months  we  kept  the  sea. 
It   was   watch   and   fight,   and   fight   and 

watch ; 
For  our  foes  and  we  were  an  equal  match, 
And,   though   we've   got   the   better,    we 

know 
It  was  done  by  hard  fighting,  blow  for  blow. 
'Twas  a  pitiful  time.  We  saw  them  sail 
In  the  blocking  ships  through  mistandgale. 
We  saw  Hirose  go  to  his  doom, 
And  heard  thegreat  guns' destructive  boom, 
As,  one  by  one,  the  doom'd  ships  heel'd, 
And  sank  in  the  fairway.     Their  hearts 

were  steeled : 
And  all  would  rather  die  than  yield. 
We  saw  the  enemy's  ships  go  down, 
With  crew  and  commander,  we  saw  them 

drown ; 
And  none  of  us  dared  to  laugh  or  scoff 
At  the  tragic  death  of  brave  Makaroff. 
We  saw  the  fate  of  the  UcUsuse 
And   Yoshino,  on  that  dismal  day ; 
And  we  learned  that  the  strongest  man 

must  stand 


For  life  or  death  in  God's  great  hand. 

We  knew  that  our  deeds  were  the  talk 

of  men. 
And   should   the   need  come  we  should 

do  them  again ; 
For'tis  sweet  to  be  praised,   but  sweeter 

still, 
To  do  one's  duty  with  all  one's  will. 

Six  months  we've  laboured :   the  end  is 

near. 
From  the  other  side  of  the  town  we  hear 
The  roar  of  great  guns  which  we  know 

to  be 
The  guns  of  our  own  artillery, 
And  then  a  rush,  a  charge,  and  the  clash 
Of  sabres  and  bayonets — on  they  dash, 
Our  comrades  brave,  till  the  heights  are 

won. 
And  we  see  them  hoist  the  Rising  Sun 
On  the  landward  Forts.    But  long  ere  that, 
We  Navy  men,  who  mean  to  be  first. 
Shall  have  dared  the  War-god  do  his  worst. 
Shall  have  scaled  the  cliffs,  and  gained 

the  flat. 
And,  storming  the  mighty  seaward  Fort 
Shall  have  turned  its  guns  on  the  inner 

Port. 

When  Liautung  is  ours  again. 

And  our  army's  encamped  at  fair  Mukden, 

We  hope  the  proud   Russians  at  length 

will  see 
That  ours  is  the  cause  of  might  and  right, 
That   our   arms    are    strong,    our    sabres 

bright, 
That  they  can't  stand  against  us  in  honest 

fight, 
That    it    pays    to    be    friends    with    the 

Japanese. 

4,  July  1904.        A,  LI. 


•i-i 


QJ 


O 


OJ 


H 


WAR   RECORD. 


355 


War  Record. 


Detailed  Account  of  the  Battle 
of  Nan-shan. 

THE   GEOGRAPHICAL  SITUATION   OF 
CHIN-CHOU  AND  ITS    ENVIRONS. 

HIN-CHOU  is  situated  close 
to  the  east  coast  ofChin- 
chou  Bay  (Adams  Bay) 
and  at  the  throat  of  the 
Peninsula  of  the  same 
Two  principal  roads  reach  this 
the  one  alo  ng  which  runs  a 
branch  line  of  the  Manchurian  railroad 
from  the  north,  through  Kai-pin,  Hai- 
cheng,  Liao-yang,  and  Mukden  ;  the 
other  running  north-easterly  along  the 
north  coast  of  the  Yellow  Sea  to    the 


name, 
place  ; 


wan,  and  when  the  Russians  lost  Chin- 
chou,  Port  Arthur  and  Ta-lien-wan 
naturally  became  exposed  to  our  land 
attack.  Chin-chou  is  an  old  citadel 
surrounded  with  strong  brick  walls  600 
m,  wide  and  760  m,  long.  Nan-shan 
Hill  is  situated  south  of  the  citadel. 
This  hill  has  an  open  plain  on  its 
southern  and  eastern  sides,  and  has 
easy  communication  with  Port  Arthur 
and  Ta-lien-wan.  It  may  be  an  im- 
portant place  for  the  defence  of  the 
Chin-chou  Peninsula,  -while  the  citadel 
of  Chin-choti  itself  is  less  valuable  from 
a  tactical  point  of  view,  because  in  the 
latter  an  enemy  has  no  line  for  retreat, 
if  attacked  from  three  sides,  and  it  is 
moreover    commanded    by     elevations 


View  of  Nan-shan. 


Korean  frontier.  It  is  about  60  km. 
from  Chin-chou  to  Port  Arthur  and 
a    little    more    than  8  km.  to    Ta-lien- 


lying  on  the  east.  This  is  why  the 
Russians  defended  and  strengthened 
the     Nan-shan      position     with      their 


356 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


principal  forces  and  their  utmost 
vigilance  in  order  to  protect  Ta-lien- 
T.'an  and  Port  Arthur. 


Major-General  Saisho. 


THE  CAPTURE  OF  NAN-SHAN  AND 
CHIN-CHOU. 

The  Second  Army  consisting  of  the 
1st,  3rd,  and  4th  Divisions  and  an 
Artillery  Brigade,  under  the  general 
command  of  General  Oku  were  con- 
centrated in  the  vicinity  of  Chin-chou 
on  May  25.  Prior  to  this,  an  engage- 
ment took  place  at  Shi-san-li-tai  on 
May  16,  and  the  enemy  retreated  to 
Chin-chou  in  consequence,  making 
Nan-shan  the  centre  of  defence.  General 
Oku  ascertained  from  the  reports 
of  reconnoitring  officers  that  the  enemy 
had  made  strong  defense  works  on 
Nan-shan  hill  and  had  provided  several 


heavy  guns  in  addition  to  their  field 
artillery ;  hence  he  judged  that  the 
enemy  would  make  a  stubborn  resis- 
tance at  that  place.  There- 
upon, General  Oku  decided  to 
attack  Nan-shan  and  Chin-chou 
at  once  without  losing  a  mo- 
ment, and  to  do  so  with  his 
whole  strength. 

On  May  24,  a  detachment 
from  each  division  of  our  army 
occupied  the  heights  connecting 
Wang-chia-tung,  Chiu-li-chuang, 
Shao-chin-shan,  and  the  heights 
north  of  Chin-chou,  in  order  to 
cover  the  general  deploying 
movement  of  the  army.  It  had 
been  originally  ai'ranged  that 
the  attack  on  Chin-chou  should 
take  place  very  early  on  the 
following  day  (the  25th)  in  co- 
operation with  the  navy,  but 
the  warships  did  not  put  in  an 
appearance  that  day  owing  to 
stormy  weather.  However,  our 
Brigade  of  Artillery  opened  fire 
as  arranged.  The  heavy  guns 
on  Nan-shan  returned  the  fire. 
Two  or  three  guns  at  Chin-chou 
also  fired,  but  were  silenced  in 
some  ten  minutes.  They  after- 
wards opened  fire  on  our  detach- 
ment on  Shao-chin-shan,  but 
were  again  quickly  silenced. 
infantry  did  not  participate  in 
action. 

At  this  time  a  balloon  belonging  to 
the  enemy  was  observed  from  Shao- 
chin-shan  to  be  reconnoitring  our 
position.  Our  artillery  fired  some  dozen 
shells  at  the  balloon,  but  the  skies 
were  overcast,  and  the  colour  of  the 
balloon  blending  into  that  of  the 
clouds,  they  failed  to  hit  it.  By  this 
means  the  enemy  observed  the 
movements  of  our  troops  for  six 
hours.  The  nature  of  the  ground, 
however,  seems  to  have  made  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  utilize  the 
results    of  their  skillful  reconnaisance. 


Our 

this 


WAR  RECORD. 


357- 


The  fifth  company  of  our  First 
Regiment,  which  advanced  on  the  first 
line  of  attack,  noticed  that  the  en- 
trenchments at  the  foot  of  Nan-shan 
were  still  tinder  construction.  The 
fight  of  the  25th  thus  ended  at  3  p.m., 
when  the  concentration  of  our  army 
was  effected. 

The  general  order  to  attack  Nan- 
shan  and  Chin-chou  was  issued  on 
the  25th  at  6.  p.m.,  and  the  army 
began  operations  by  midnight  of  the 
same  day.  Placing  the  1st  Division 
in  the  centre,  the  4th  Division  as 
right  wing  and  the  3rd  Division  as 
left,  the  whole  army  advanced  towards 
Nan-shan.  About  that  time,  a  heavy 
thunderstorm  set  in,  and  Shao-Chin- 
shan  v^^as  struck  by  lightning 
several  times.  The  enemy  dis- 
charged fire-lights  during  the 
intervals  of  the  flashes  of  light- 
ning, and  the  movements  of 
our  troops  were  thus  disclosed. 
A  detachment  was  at  the  same 
time  sent  out  to  attack  Chin- 
chou. 

At  2  a.m.  the  thtmderstorm 
cleared  away  to  the  east,  but 
the  night  was  so  dark  that 
even  the  enemy's  search-lights 
and  beacons  failed  to  disclose 
the  advance  of  our  troops.  The 
booming  of  guns  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Chin-chou  became 
louder  and  louder,  and  the 
shouts  of  our  charging  troops 
arose  from  time  to  time. 

The  enemy  was  defeated  at 
Chin-chou  at  5.20  a.m.  the  next 
morning.  A  detachment  of  the 
Fourth  Division  pursued  the 
Russians,  who  had  lately  oc- 
cupied the  place.  The  enemy 
ran  into  the  water  at  Chin-chou 
Bay  and  shot  at  their  pursuers, 
who  also  went  inio  the  sea 
knee-deep.  Their  force  which 
numbered  about  600  were  all  killed, 
with     the     exception      of     some      ten 


who  were  taken  prisoners.  In  this 
fight  the  sea  was  turned  crimson  with 
blood  and  the  bay  was  covered  with 
the  dead  bodies  of  the  Russians.  On 
seeing  the  danger  of  their  comrades, 
the  Russian  artillery  poured  a  galling 
fire  on  our  pursuing  troops,  who  in 
consequence  sustained   heavy    losses. 

The  artiller}^  fire  should  have  com- 
menced at  4.30  a.m.  on  the  26th,  but 
owing  to  a  dense  fog  it  was  not  till 
5.30  a.m.  that  the  whole  of  our  bat- 
teries, under  the  command  of  Major- 
General  Uchiyama,  began  to  bombard 
Nan-shan,  About  6  a.m.  four  ships  of 
otir  navy  began  to  help  our  canon- 
nade  from  Chin-chou  Bay.  The  enemy 
replied    with   all   his    batteries    and    a 


Major-General  Nishijima, 
Brigade  Commander  of  the  4th  Division. 


fierce  artillery  duel  ensued.    After  three 
hours  the  enemy's  firing  at  Nan-shan 


358 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


greatly  slackened.  The  infantry  of  all 
Divisions  now  began  a  forw'^ard  move- 
ment,    now     pushing     on     and     then 


Major-General  Uchiyama, 
Artillery  Brigade  Commander 


halting,  and  advanced  in  the  face  of  a 
deadly  fire  as  near  as  from  300  to  500 
metres  to  the  first  line  of  the  enemy. 

By  11  a.m.  all  the  unsheltered 
guns  of  the  enemy  had  been  silenced 
by  our  heavy  fire,  but  two  batteries 
of  his  quick-firing  field  guns  seemed  to 
have  retired  early  to  the  heights  of 
Nan-kuan-ling,  from  which  position 
he  fired  on  us,  from  time  to  time,  to 
the  end. 

About  10  a.m.  a  gunboat  of  the 
enemy  appeared  to  the  east  of  Ho- 
shang-tao  battery  and  fired  at  the 
rear   of  the  left  wing   of  the  3rd  Divi- 


sion until  about  2  p.m.  The  enemy 
also  attempted  to  land  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Hung-tu-ai  a  body  of 
marines,  who  were  on 
board  hvc  steam 
launches,  but  had  to 
retire  on  advance  of 
our  detachment  settt 
against  them. 

The  enemy's  four 
guns  at  Ta-fan-shan, 
south  of  Nan-shan, 
continued  to  fire  a- 
gainst  the  3rd  Division 
until  about  7  p.m.  The 
artillery  of  our  left 
wing  answered  the  fire, 
but  owing  to  the  great 
distance  our  fire  was 
not  very  effective. 

The  enemy's  posi- 
tion on  Nan-shan  was 
strengthened  by  the 
high  rugged  slope  of 
the  mountain,  and  in 
the  semi-permanent 
fortifications  vsrere  a- 
bout  70  guns  of  differ- 
ent calibres  and  8 
machine  guns.  Round 
the  line  of  forts  which 
encircled  the  mountain 
side  several  times,  one 
above  the  other, 
sheltered  trenches  for 
rifle-fire  were  constructed  ;  and  in  front 
of  those  works,  a  great  number  of 
mines  and  a  network  of  barbed  wire 
entanglements  were  placed,  the  spaces 
between  being  occu  pied  by  a  great 
number  of  machine  guns. 

The  whole  of  our  artillery  tried 
hard  to  destroy  these  works,  and 
assisted  the  advance  of  the  infantry 
by  changing  the  position  of  the  guns 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  enemy. 
Owing,  however,  to  the  strong  resis- 
tance of  the  enemy's  infantry,  the 
situation  remained  unchanged  until  5 
p.m.      Up    till    now  '  Wc)    opening    had 


Lieut.-General    Ogawa. 
(4th    Division) 


Lieut. -General    Oshima. 
(3rd    Division) 


WAR  RECORD. 


359 


been  obtained  for  our 
infantry  to  advance,  and 
the  3rd  Division,  our 
left  wing,  was  not  only 
in  danger  of  being  sur- 
rounded, but  the  enemy 
had  reinforced  his  infantry 
in  front  of  its  left  flank, 
and  his  two  batteries  at 
Nan-kuan-ling  were  as- 
sisting the  attack.  Thus 
the  left  flank  of  the  Divi- 
sion became  more  and 
more  threatened. 

Thereupon  the  infant- 
ry of  the  1st  Division 
rushed  forward  to  the 
enemy's  position  in  the 
most  gallant  and  daring 
manner,  but  owing  to  the 
plunging  and  flanking 
shots  of  the  enemy's 
vigorous  fire,  a  great 
number  of  our  men  were 
quickly  killed  orv^^ounded. 
The  situation  seemed 
critical,  as  a  further  ad- 
vance was  impossible. 
Just  at  this  juncture^  our 
fleet  in  Chin-chou  Bay 
vigorously  renewed  its 
heavy  fire    on    the    left     win 


Chin-chou  Station, 


Major-General  Kodama, 

BRIG.U)E    COMiMANDl  R   OF    THE    3KD   DIVISION. 


of  the  enemy's  line,  and  our  4th  artillery  re- 
giment also  joined 
in  the  cannonade 
against  the  enemy's 
fire.  Taking  advant- 
age of  this  oppor- 
tunity, the  4th  Divi- 
sion brought  its  full 
force  against  the  left 
wing  of  the  enemy 
and  advanced  first 
to  the  line  of  high 
ground.  It  was  6 
p.m.  when  the  whole 
division  forming  in 
one  line  advanced  to 
Avithin  200  metres 
of  the  enemy's  front. 
Simultaneously     the 


3G0 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


artillery    poured  a   deadly    fire  on  the 
entrenched  foe.      Taking   advantage   of 


Colonel  Ohara,  Commander  of  the 
1ST  Infantry  Regiment  (ist  Division), 

this,  the  officers  no-w 
ordered  a  general 
assault  to  be  made, 
and,  braving  the  risk 
of  the  enemy's  mines, 
one  company  of  the 
8th  Regiment  rushed 
to  the  entrenchments 
and  was  the  first  to 
plant  our  flag  on 
Nan-shan  hill.  This 
company  was  soon 
followed  by  the 
whole  of  the  Divi- 
sion. The  whole  line 
of  soldiers  of  the  1st 
and  3rd  Divisions, 
which       had       been 


supporting,  now  rushed  up  in  the  most 

gallant     manner,     jumping     over     the 

bodies  of  their  dead  comrades, 

and  forced    their  way  into   the 

enemy's  trenches. 

Prior  to  this,  the  3rd  Com- 
pany under   Captain   Terasaki, 
of  the   3rd  Infantry  Regiment, 
and  the  12th  Company,   under 
Captain    Arisaka,     of    the     1st 
Regiment,   all   belonging  to  the 
1st  Division    w^ere    selected    to 
force  a  way   onward  and  they 
dashed  forward   amid  cheers  of 
banzai.    Both  Companies  start- 
ed together  and  dashed  on  and 
on,  until  at  a  little  past  5  p.m. 
they    had    reached    within    50 
metres  from   the    barbed    wire 
entanglements.      By    this    time 
the   enemy   had  brought  all  his 
machine  gun  fire  to   bear  upon 
our    gallant    troops,    ^vith    the 
result   that  not    only   Captains 
Arisaka     and     Terasaki     were 
wounded,       but      many      other 
officers    and     men     were     also 
either       killed       or      wounded. 
Sergeant    Mori,     of    the    12th 
Company,     alone    escaped    un- 
scathed    during     the      perilous 
undertaking    and     it    was     he 


Chinese  Natives  returning  Home  after  the  Battle. 


WAR  RECORD. 


361 


who     led      his      comrades     into     the     left  on  the  battle-field  alone  amounted 

enemy's    first    entrenchment.        Equal-      to  more  than  500.     There  were  also   a 

ly  worth  of  mention  is  the  bravery  of     number  of  prisoners. 

Captain    Arisaka  and    Sub-Lieutenant  Our  trophies  were  68  guns,  and  10 

Imamura,    of  the  3rd   Company,    who,      machine    guns,    an    electric    battery,   3 

in  spite   of  their    serious  wounds,   un-     search-lights,     one    dynamo,  50  mines, 

dauntedly     scaled    the    enemy's    forts,      and  a  great  number  of  rifles,  ammuni- 

The  12th  Company  lost  69  killed  and     tion  and  other  material. 

wounded  and  the  3rd  Company  about  casualties  at  the  nan-shan 

half   its    strength    over    their    daring  engagement, 

attempt.  According  to   the  latest    investiga- 

The  last  fighting  was 
so  fierce  that  our  bayonets 
crossed  with  those  of  the 
enemy.  At  last  the  strong- 
hold of  Nan-shan  was 
taken,  and  at  a  little  past 
7  o'clock  in  the  evening 
our  national  flag  was  flying 
on  the  top  of  every  fort. 

The  routed  enemy  fled 
in  disorder  towards  Port 
Arthur  leaving  some  600 
dead  on  the  battle-field. 
While  retreating,  the  enemy 
blew  up  the  powder  maga- 
zine at  Ta-fan-shan.  After 
sending  a  detachment  in 
pursuit,  the  remainder  of 
our  army,  bivouacked  on 
the  battle-field.  The  spirit 
of  the  whole  Army  was 
splendid  and  in  every  direc- 
tion loud  shouts  of  Banzai 
were  heard.  Our  artillery 
pursued  the  fleeing  enemy. 

The  enemy's  force  which 
opposed    us     on    the    26th  Colonel  Nambu  (now  Major-General), 

seems  to  have  consisted   of  Commandbr  of  the  6th  Infantry  Regiment. 

the   Third,    Fourth,    Fifth,  ^^Rd  D.vision). 

Twelfth,    Thirteenth,    Fourteenth,   and     tion,   our  total  casualties   at   the   Nan- 
Sixteenth  Regiments   of  Infantry,     the     shan  engagement  were  4,204,  classified 
Garrison  Artillery    of  Kuan-tung,    ^\q     as  follows  :— 
Companies  of  Railway  Guards,  and  a  Killed  :      749  ;     wounded  :     3,455  ; 


number  of  bluejackets.  The  enemy 
withdrew  to  San-shi-li-pao  on  the 
night  of  the  26th  and  at  midnight 
proceeded  to  Port  Arthur  by  train. 

The    enemy's  casualties   cannot   be 
ascertained,    but  the  number    of  dead 


namely,  ofiicers  killed,  33  ;  oflicers 
wounded,  100;  sergeant-majors  killed, 
3  ;  sergeant-majors  wounded,  12  ; 
privates  killed,  713  ;  and  privates 
wounded,  3,343. 

The     casualties     were     distributed 


362 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


among  the  (lif- 
erent Divisions 
which  took  part 
in  the  engage- 
ment, as  fol- 
lows : — 

The  First 
Division  :  Killed, 
4 officers  and  201 
men  ;  wounded, 
38  officers,  3 
sergeant  -  majors 
and  1,  101  men; 
total,  1,357. 

The  Third 
Division:  Killed, 
5  officers,  2 
sergeant  -majors 
and  127  men  ; 
wounded,  25  of- 
ficers, 4  ser- 
geant-majors 
and  1,148  men  ; 
total  1,311. 

The  Fourth 
Division  :  Killed,, 


The  Late  Lieutenant  Nogt,    . 
A  Son  of  General  Nogi, 

WHO    WAS    KILLED    AT    NAN-SHAN. 


13  officers,  1 
sergeant  -  m  a  j  o  r 
and  365  men ; 
wounded,  33  offi- 
cers, 4  sergeant- 
majors  and 
1,044  men ; 
total,  1,460. 

Independent 
D  e  t  achment : 
Killed,  1  officer 
and  20  men  ; 
wounded,  4  offi- 
c  rs,  1  sergeant- 
major  and  50 
men;  total,  73. 

RUSSIANS  BURIED. 

The  Military 
A  dministrati  ve 
Commissioners, 
assisted  by  our 
gendarmes  , 
honorably  buried 
the  enemy's 
killed,  left  on 
the      field      after 


Dalny   Staiiox. 


ETCH  MAF    OF   IHE    BATFLE    OF    NAN- SHAN 

(2  6   MAV  1904^) 


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\     '\^       Ji^Jtwslayu  G-uniofU'  '' 


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Scale     i  ■  100  0  00 


WAR  RECORD. 


363 


the  battle  in  the  vicinity  of  Nan-shan, 
the  number  of  dead  being  as  follcws  : — 

Officers 10 

Non-commissioned  officers  and 

men  664 

In  addition,  20  to  30  of  the 
enemy's  killed  had  been  buried  in  the 
vicinity  of  our 
camp.  The  exact 
number  of  the 
enemy's  dead  and 
•wounded  is  not 
known. 


freight  and  passenger  cars  were 
available.  But  all  the  small  bridges 
on  the  railway  in  the  vicinity  had 
been  destroyed.  Some  of  the  docks 
and  piers  were  in  perfect  condition, 
though  the  largest  pier  had  been 
destroyed.      A  steam   launch  had  been 


Occupation  of 

Liu-shu-tun 
and  Talny. 

On  the  same 
day  when  the 
detachment  under 
Major-General 
Nakamtira  occupi- 
ed Nan-kuan-  ling 
without  serious 
resistance,  a  por- 
tion of  his  force 
occupied  Liu-shu- 
tun,  and  took  4 
guns  with  a  quan- 
tity of  ammuni- 
tion as  well  as  5 
covered  railway 
waggons  and  41 
trucks.  On  the 
following  day  a 
small  detachment 
was  sent  to  oc- 
cupy Dalny.  Ac- 
cording to  the 
report  of  the 
detachment  which 
occupied  this 

harbour  after 

having  driven  away  a  feeble  force 
of  the  enemy,  the  barracks  and  ware- 
houses at  that  place  consisting  of 
over  100  buildings  were  in  perfect 
condition.  The  telegraph  office  and 
railway  station  remained  intact  and 
over  200  railway  cars,  including  both 


The  Dock  at  Dalny. 


sunk  at  the  entrance  of  the  docks. 


Batt.e  of  Li-chia-tun. 

Our  cavalry  detachment  encount- 
ered a  force  of  the  enemy,  consisting 
of  one  or  two   companies   of  infantry, 


364 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


five  or  six  squadrons  of  cavalry  and 
a  battery  of  artillery,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Li-chia-tun  about  22 
miles  north  of  Pu-lang-tien,  on  the  30th 
May  at  12.30  p.m.,  and  after  fighting 
for    two    hours    repulsed    the   enemy, 


and     K.    Imani,      slightly     wounded  ; 
and  25  soldiers  killed  and  33  wounded. 


A  Cossack. 


w^ho  retreated  to  the  north.  Our 
casualties  were  Sub-I^ieutenant  Nomu- 
ra killed ;  Captain  K.  Hiratsuka, 
seriously  wounded  ;  Lieutenant  H. 
Kusunoki,    Sub-Lieutenants     T.    Sato 


Fighting  at  Lung-wang-miao. 

On  the  30th  May  at  about  noon, 
our  cavalry,  which  had  proceeded   to 
Chu-chia-tun  ascertained  the  presence 
of  the  enemy's  troops  at  Te-li-ssu, 
and  a  body  consisting  of  infantry 
and  cavalry  was  detailed  with  the 
object  of  engaging  them.    Our  men 
first  attacked  some  three  squadrons 
of  the  enemy's  cavalry  at  Chen-chia- 
tun.     The  enemy  retired,  but  w^ere 
pursued    by    our  cavalry  as  far  as 
Chang-chia-tun,    where    two    more 
squadrons    of    the    enemy's    troops 
were  encountered  and  defeated.    Our 
cavalry    then    proceeded    to    Lung- 
wang-miao,  where    they    discoTcred 
^Ye    or    six    companies    of  Russian 
infantry  and  a  battery  of  artillery. 
Our    men    at     once    attacked     the 
Russians   and    repulsed    them,    the 
enemy  retiring  towards  Te-li-ssu  at 
3  p.m.    The  enemy,  who  belonged  to 
the    Eighth    Regiment    of  Siberian 
Cossacks,  stayed  at  Te-li-ssu  during 
the  night  within  a  close  distance  of 
our  cavalry. 


Another  Skirmish  at 
Chu-chia-tun. 

A    detachment   of  our   cavalry, 

while  reconnoitring  the  enemy  near 
Chiu-chia-tun  on  the  3rd  June,    en- 
countered a  Russian  infantry  force  at 
12.30  p.m.  and  were  hard  pressed  by 
the   latter.      The    different   sections 
were  assembled  on  alarm  and  took 
the  positions  previously  selected,  and 
our  combined  forces  withstood  the 
advance  of  the  Russians,  who  consist- 
ed of  some  2,000  infantry,  a  cavalry 
force,  and  a  battery  of  artillery,  till  5.30 
p.m.  and  finally  succeeded  in  repulsing 
the    enemy,    w^ho    retreated    tow^ards 
Te-li-ssu.      Our   casualties  were  4  noni- 


T.ipnt  -dpnpral      TIpHa 


T.ipnt.-ftfiTipral     Tsnchiva. 


WAR  RECORD. 


365 


commissioned    officers 
and  4  wounded. 


and  men   killed 


The  fierce  Battle  at 
Te-li-ssu. 

As  above  mentioned,  skirmishes  had 
often  taken  place  between  advanced 
cavalry  parties  of  our  Second  Army 
and  the  enemy's  advanced  force  to 
the  north  of  Pu-lang-tien.  The  enemy's 
force  was  daily  increased  by  reinforce- 
ments arriving  from  Liao-yang  by 
train ;  and  their  intention 
seemed  to  be  to  obstruct 
our  intended  attack  on 
Port  Arthur  by  menacing 
our  army  from  the  north. 
Thereupon  General  Oku 
decided  to  attack  this 
hostile  force  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  concentrated 
his  forces  in  the  vicinity  of 
Pu-lang-tien.  To  do  this 
required  some  ten  days  and 
as  soon  as  all  the  prepara- 
tions were  ready,  a  general 
order  for  attack  was  issued 
on  the  13th  June.  The 
Army  began  operations  as 
follows  : — 

On   June    13    our  army 
advanced  from  the  Ta-sha- 
ho,   near    Pu-lang-tien,    the 
right  w^ing  advancing  along 
the     Ta-sha-ho     river,     the 
centre     along    the    railway 
line,   the    left  along    the    road  leading 
to  Wu-chia-tun  (on  the  Fu-chou  road), 
Ssu-chuan-kou      and      Ta-ho-ya,     and 
the  cavalry  detachment  along  the  Pi- 
tsu-wo-hsiung-yo   road,    driving  before 
them    small    detachments    of   Russian 
troops  they  encountered  on  the  way. 
On  the  14th  the  left  column   reached 
the  neighbourhood  of  Na-chia-tsen,  and 
the    right    and    the    central    columns 
arrived  at  the  Chaochiatun-Tapinkou 
line  about  12  kilometres  south  of  Te-li- 
ssu.      By  that  time  they  were  aware 


of  the  occupation  by  the  enemy  of  the 
line  between  Ta-fang-shen  and  North 
Lting-wang-miao,  and  w^e  therefore 
advanced  and  occupied  the  line  between 
Wang-chia-tun,  Pang-chia-tun,  and  Wii- 
ho-tun.  We  bombarded  without  in- 
termission the  enemy's  position  from 
8.  p.m.  till  sunset. 

On  the  15th  our  army,  with  the 
view  of  attacking  the  enemy  at  Te- 
li-ssu  and  neighbourhood,  ordered  the 
right  column  to  firmly  hold  the  line 
between  Sung-chia-tun  and  Weng-chia- 


COLONEL    TAMURA, 

Cavalry  Regiment  Commander. 


tun,  and  during  the  night  the  central 
column  was  sent  from  Wu-ho-tun  to 
occupy  the  hills  west  of  Ta-yan-kou. 
On  that  morning  there  was  a  dense 
fog.  Fire  was  opened  at  5.80  a.m., 
and  as  the  firing  on  both  sides  increas- 
ed in  strength,  a  portion  of  the 
central  column  posted  north  of  Fuchou 
found  itself  gradually  hard  pressed, 
but  was  steadily  advancing,  w^hen  a 
detachment  consisting  of  infantry  and 
artillery,  which  had  been  hurrying 
from   Fuchou  since  daybreak,    arrived 


366 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


on  the  heights  west  of  Wang-chia-tun 
at  9.30  a.m.,  and  co-operatnig  with  the 
central  column  succeeded  in  repulsing 
the  enemy  in  the  vicinity  of  Ta- 
fang-shen  at  11  a.m.  The  enemy's 
artillery  stationed  on  Lung-tan-shan 
and  the  heights  of  Lung-wan-miao 
poured  a  heavy  fire  on  the  central 
column  and  the  detachment  from  the 
neighbourhood  of  Fuchou,  but  the 
latter  pressed  forward,  c'imbing  cliffs 
and  precipices.     The  enemy  confronting 


arrived  on  the  scene  and  threatened 
the  left  of  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  The 
enemy  was  now  surrounded  by  our 
columns,  but  made  a  vigorous  resis- 
tance, and  on  receiving  reinforcements 
tried  to  regain  the  situation  by 
repeated  counter-attacks.  However, 
our  attacks  prevailed  at  last,  and  the 
enemy's  forces  began  to  retreat  at 
about  3  p.m.  and  were  thrown  into 
confusion  by  our  pursuit.  But  the 
ground  being  unsuited  for  an  effective 


Japanese  Troops  marching. 


the  right  wing  of  the  right  column 
was  still  in  superior  force  and  several 
times  assumed  the  offensive-  Our 
forces  in  this  direction  were  in  con- 
sequence twice  reinforced  from  the 
general  infantry  reserve  of  the  army. 
In  the  meantime,  the  position  of  the 
right  column  became  almost  insup- 
portable,   but    a    cavalry    detachment 


pursuit,   they  passed  the  night   on   the 
battle-feld. 

On  that  day  the  main  force  of  the 
left  column  occupied  a  position  facing 
the  north  at  Kao-chia-tun ,  covering 
the  left  wing  of  the  Army.  At  10.50 
a.m.,  ascertaining  that  about  seven  or 
eight  hundred  infantry  were  retreating 
from    Ma-chia-fang-shen    toward    Wu- 


WAR    RECORD. 


367 


Major- General  A\do, 

Brigade  Commander  of  the 

4TH  Division. 


chia-tun  by  way  of  Hsi- 
lung-kou,   two  companies 
of  infantry  and  a  battery 
of  artillery  were  sent  out 
on    the    heights    east    of 
Lung -chia-tun,     to      in- 
tercept      the      retreating 
Russians.      A    little    past 
1  p.m.  the  enemy,  as  was 
expected,  arrived  west   of 
Lung-kao-ho  and  fell  into 
the    ambush,     sustaining 
great      losses.         The 
enemy*s      forces     in      the 
field   from    the    beginning 
of  the  battle  consisted  of 
25  battalions  of  infantry, 
17   squadrons  of  cavalry, 
and   98    guns.      In    addi- 
tion, some  reinforcements 
arrived  during  the  engage- 
ment.    Although   the 
losses    sustained     on    the 


part  of  the  enemy  are  not  known  yet, 
the  Russian  killed  left  on  the  field  where 
the  right  column  was  engaged  numbered 
about  600.  Among  the  trophies  taken 
vsrere  a  regimental  colours  and  14 
quickfiring  guns.  The  number  of 
prisoners  is  300,  including  the  com- 
mander of  the  4th  Regiment  and  5 
other  officers.  According  to  the 
statement  of  the  captured  officers,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  1st  Army 
Corps  was  slightly  wounded,  the  com- 
mander of  the  1st  Regiment  was  killed 
and  the  commanders  of  the  2nd  and 
3rd  Regiments  were  also  wounded. 
Our  casualties  were  as  follows  : — 
Killed  : — 7  officers  and  210  non- 
commissioned officers  and  men,  total- 
ling 217. 

Wounded  : — 43  officers  and  903 
men,  totalling  946  ;  grand  total  1,163. 
In  addition,  26  horses  were  killed  and 
67  wounded. 


RUSSIAN  LOSSES  AT  TE-LI-SSTJ. 

Of  the  enemy's   killed    left    on   the 


Gjlonel  Natto, 
Infantry  Regiment  G)MM\ndf.r. 


368 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


field  after  the  battle  of  Te-li-ssu,    the 

number  abready  interred  by  our  Army 

is    1,854.      To    these    must    be    added 

those     subsequently     buried     by     the 

specially  appointed  burial  detachment,      occupied      Hsiung-yo-cheng      on      the 

With  regard  to  the   spoils,  in  addition     afternoon  of  the  21st  June, 

to  the  quantities  of  grain  the  following  Hsiung-yo-cheng   is    about    t-wenty 

are  among  the  more  important  : —  miles  south  of  Kaiping. 


Occupation  of  Hsiung-yo 
Cheng. 

A    portion    of    our    Second    Army 


■:iJ!^y^ 


^^'' 


Japanese  Troops  and  Horses  halting  in  a  Place. 


16   quick-firing  guns. 
'        46  ammunition  wagons. 

953  rifles. 

37,233  rounds  of  small   arm    am- 
jnunition. 

1,121  rounds  of  artillery  ammuni- 
tion. 

232  sappers'  and  miners'  tools. 

1,110  barrels   of  cement. 
In  addition,  we  captured  a  large  num- 
ber of  other  weapons,  camp  utensils, 
etc. 


The  Eaiping  Fight. 

After  the  fierce  battle  of  Te-li-ssu, 
on  the  15th  of  June,  the  Russian  took 
positions  between  Kaiping  and  Ta-shi- 
chao,  concentrating  their  main  forces 
near  Hai-cheng;  but  they  were  obliged 
to  defend  Kaiping  with  a  view  of 
obstructing  our  northerly  advance 
which  w£i  s  carried  on  with  no 
delay.  Our  Second  Army  under  General 
Oku,  on  the  6th  of  July,  began 
the  operations  to  attack  the  enemy 
in     the     neighbourhood     of    Kaiping. 


WAR  RECORD. 


369 


Major-General 
Brigade  Commander  of 

We     give     here    a    short 
account  as  follows  :— 

On  the  6th  at  9  a.m. 
a    portion     of    the  army 
attacked    some    1,600    of 
the      enemy     posted      on 
eminences   to    the    north- 
east   and    north     of  Ssu- 
fang-tai    and    having 
driven    them     back,     oc- 
cupied the  position.     The 
Russians  withdrew  to  the 
north.      Our    main   body, 
driving  back  the   enemy's 
cavalry    as    it    advanced, 
marched    from  Chin-chia- 
kou  through Hsiao-lan-chi 
to  Erh-tao-po.    A  part  of 
our     left    wing    captured 
the  highland  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood    of      Tsui-chia- 
tun.      Our  losses  were   2 
killed    and    11    wounded, 
including  Major  Iwnsaki. 
The  enemy   left  about  20 
dead     on    the   fie  d.      The 
Russians  drive  :    back    by 
our  right  wing   retreated 
towards  Kaiping. 


Tsukamoto, 
THE  5th  Division. 


On  the  7th  our  troops 
drove  back  the  enemy  at 
Sha-kcng-tai,  and  by  noon 
reached  the  highlands  on 
the  east  of  Ta-tzu-kou  and 
Ta-wang-hai-chai.  A  force 
of  the  enemy  consisting  of 
infantry,  cavalry,  and  artil- 
lery, oifered  a  continuous 
resistance  in  the  defiles  as 
we  advanced.  The  Chinese 
said  that  there  were  about 
20,000  Russians  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Kaiping  ;  that 
there  were  2,000  at  Hai- 
shan-chai  (on  the  j:  im- 
mediate west  of  Kaiping), 
and  about  10,000  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  latter  place. 
They    had    artillery    posted 


Colonel  Kagawa, 
Infantry  Regiment  Commander  of  the  6th  Divtsion. 


370 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


on  the  heights  near  Kaiping  and  Hsitai. 
As  for  the  Russians  at  Ta-shi-chiao, 
they  were  in  their  old  position  and 
were  gradually  being  re-inforced. 

Since  the  5th  our  casualties  were 
Major  Iwasaki,  severely  wounded; 
Second  Lieutenant  Morita,  slightly 
wounded  ;  4  rank  and  file  killed  ;  11 
severely  wounded  ;  and  7  slightly 
wounded  ;  a  total  of  24. 

The  enemy,  on 
the  8th,  were  found 
to  be  occupying  the 
district  between 
Kaiping  and  Hai- 
shan-chai  as  well  as 
the  highlands  to  the 
north  of  Shitai. 
From  1  p.  m.  they 
were     seen     to     be 


Since  the  evening  of  the  8tli,  the 
enemy  had  been  conspicuously  with- 
drawing his  troops  from  the  vicinity 
of  Kaiping.  In  spite  of  the  obstinate 
resistance  offered  on  the  Shih-men, 
Hai-shai>chai,  and  Kao-chi-tun  line, 
our  troops  overcame  it  and  obtained 
possession  of  these  heights.  The  Rus- 
sian artillery  was  posted  on  the 
heights    of  Hung-chi-chang,     Yao-ling- 


A  Bridge  thrown  on  the  Yalu. 


receiving  re-inforcements  by  train.  A 
Russian  force  was  also  at  Hua- 
hung-kou,  which  is  about  5  miles  south 


tzu,    and    Shi-fu-ssu, 
whence      the      guns 
fir  d   on    our  pursu- 
ingtroopsfrom  noon 
to  3  p.m.,  by  which 
time    they    were    al- 
most    silenced.       In 
this     fight      Major- 
General  Koizumi  was 
shot     through     the 
right  thigh. 
The  enemy's  infantry,  cavalry,  and 
artillery,     who     had     been     occupying 
Hun-chi-chan    and     Yao-ling-tzu,     con- 


of  Tang-ti.  centrated   near  Ta-ping-chuang  on  the 

At  5.20  a.m.  on  the  9th  we  began     following  day,  but  subsequently  retired 
to  cannonade  the  enemy  in  the  neigh-     to    Ta-shih-chiao,    leaving     a    detach- 


bonrhood  of  Kaiping.  At  9  a.m.  we 
drove  back  the  enemy  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  highlands  of  Ta-ping- 
tun,  of  Ts  li-chia-tun,  and  of  Tung- 
shuang-ting-shan.  The  enemy  took  up 
an  extended  position  at  Shih-men  and 
was.  offering  a  stubborn  resistance. 


ment  at  Wu-tai-shan.  The  enemy 
consisted  of  a  portion  of  the  First 
and  Ninth  Rifle  Divisions  and 
about  29  squadrons  of  cavalry, 
with  six  batteries  of  artillery.  The 
enemy's  strong  defensive  works  existed 
in   a  line  extending   between    Ta-ping- 


THE  SCENE  OF  THE  RVTTLB]  OF  KAI-PING 


/ 


Scale     i  :  300  0  00 


WAR  RECORD. 


371 


slian,  Niu-hsin-shan,  Wang-ma-tai  and 
Ching-shih-shan.  The  Russians  en- 
camped at  several  places  near  Kno- 
chia-pu-tzu,  east  of  T^i-shih-cbiao. 

The  casualties  which  occurred  on 
our  side  during  the  engagements  fought 
from  the  night  of  the  8th  to  the  9  th 
are  roughly  estimated  at  150  killed 
and  wounded. 

The  enemy  seems  to  have  sustained 
no  small  loss,  but  the  report  has  not 
yet  been  received  in  this  connection. 


Further  Advances  of  the 
First  Army. 

The  Japanse  First  Army  occupied 
Feng-hwan-cheng  on  May  and  concen- 
trated its  principal  force  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  this  place,  while 
two  detachments  were  sent  out :  the 
one  in  the  direction 
of  Ai-yang-pien-men 
and  the  other  to- 
wards Hsiu-yen. 
Both  detachments 
are  now  advancing, 
the  former  to  Liao- 
yang  and  the  latter 
to  Hai-cheng,  repuls- 
ing the  enemy  on 
their  march. 


Shinozaki  encountered  about  20 
Russian  cavalrymen  at  Tai-tzu-shan 
and  drove  them  off  to  the  north.  On 
the  13th  and  14th,  several  colHsions 
took  place  between  the  scouts  of  both 
parties  ;  and  on  the  15th  it  v^^as  as- 
certained that  about  6000  cavalrymen 
of  the  enemy  -were  assembled  in  the 
vicinity  of  Sai-ma-chi.  Thereupon  a 
company  of  infantry  commanded  by 
Captain  Matsunaga,  which  was  follow- 
ing our  cavalry  as  its  support,  occupied 
Tai-tzu-shan  and  its  neighboring  heights, 
but  though  fighting  bravely  against  the 
attacking  enemy,  they  were  overcome 
by  superior  numbers  and  gradually 
retreated  to  Lung-an  where  they 
renewed  a  most  stubborn  resistance,  but 
were  again  obliged  to  retreat  to  Tai- 
tien-tzu  o-wing  to  the  artillery  fire  of 
the     enemy.       Meanwhile     they     were 


Collision  of  Caval- 
ry at  Tai- 
tzu-shan. 

On  the  12th 
May,  Cavalry  Regi- 
ment Commander 
Aiura  who  had  pro- 
ceeded to  Ai-yang- 
pien-men      with     his 

reeiment  in  the  van  _  _.  ,         ,,         « 

f    +Ti      r\  +     h        f  Colonel  yamamoto  (now  Major-General), 

-,         +  |i    "I  rii   -  Commander  of  the  4Th  Infantry  Regiment  (2nd  Division).  ■" 

dron    under  Captain    Chikami   to    Ta-  reinfocred  by  a  company    of    infantry 

tien-tzu  to  guard  a  line  extending  from  and   two   sections    of  cavalry,   and  at 

Ai-yang-pien-men     and     Sai-ma-chi     to  the  same  time  ascertained  the  strength 

Hsiieh-li-chan.    The  squadron  departed  of  the  enemy  to  be  8  squadrons  and 

during  the  earlier  part  of  the  morning  ;  4  guns  with  no  infantry  support.     This 

and  a  scouting   party  under  Sergeant  information,    together   with    the   rein- 


372 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


forcemcnts  enabled  our  men  to  occupy 
a  line  extending  along  the  ridge  of 
Cbang-lin-tzu  and  there  to  wait  for  the 
enemy  so  as  to  get  the  opportunity 
of  making  a  counter-attack.  But  the 
enemy  retreated  to  Sai-ma-chi  during 
the  evening.  In  this  fighting  we  lost  2 
dead  and  6  wounded  :  the  enemy  left 
behind  him  5  dead. 


The  Skirmish  at  Pa-tao-ho. 

After  the  skirmish  at  Ta-pao  on 
May  21st,  the  enemy  defended  the 
vicinity  of  Pa-tao-ho.  A  section  of 
our  infantry  and  cavalry  advanced 
from  Ta-tien-tzu  and  attacked  the 
Russians  at  1  p.m.  The  enemy's  force 
retreated  in  great  confusion,  stopping 
finally  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Tieh-fou-ssu.  In 
these  two  skirmishes  only 
three  horses  were  wounded, 
on  our  side.  The  enemy 
also  left  three  horses  on 
the  field.  According  to 
the  natives,  the  enemy 
carried  away  three  killed 
and  18  wounded. 


The  Further  Skirmish 
at  Shih-tou-cheng. 

On  the  24th  May  a 
body  of  Russian  cavalry 
numbering  about  a  thou- 
sand, made  its  appearance 
on  the  south  of  Shih-tou- 
cheng,  which  lies  between 
Feng-hw^ang  and  Ai-yang- 
pien-men.  A  company  of 
Japanese  infantry  opened 
fire  and  drove  the  Cossacks 
in  a  northerly  direction, 
the  Japanese  suffering  no 
loss. 


Russian  Railway  Guards, 


Another  Skirmish. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  May 
one  section  of  our  infantry  encountered 
200  Russian  cavalry  at  Tou-tao-kou, 
about  7  miles  north-east  of  Kuan-tien, 
and  caused  the  Russians  to  retreat  in 
the  direction  of  Ai-yang-pien-men.  The 
enemy  had  20  men  killed  and  lost  4 
horses.  There  were  no  casualties  on 
our  side. 


Opposing  Scouts  in 
Collision. 

On  May  27,  at  6  p.m.,  a  Russian 
Sub-Lieutenant  named  Rogovsky  and 
seven  men,  from  the  First  Ardamsky 
Regiment,  were  captured  at  Tai-chia- 
pao-tzu  to  thesouth-westof  Kao-li-men. 
These  men  came  from  Sai-ma-chi  on 
foot  for  reconnoitring  purposes  and 
were  under  the  command  of  an  officer 
named  Renenkamp.  The  captured 
ofiicer  originally  belonged  to  the  First 


''•'J 


Japanese  Cavalry  Scouts. 


WAR  RECORD. 


373 


Dragoon  Division  and,  in  company  with 
nine  other  officers,  left  St.  Petersburg 


The  Wall  of  Liao-Yang. 

for  Liao-yang  on  April  14,  where  he 
arrived  on  May  4.  According  to  this 
officer,  several  Russian  scouting 
officers  have  been  either  captured 
or  killed  and  wounded  at  the  rear 
of  our  army.  A  few  others,  how- 
ever, effected  their  mission  and  re- 
turned. In  some  cases  these  men 
had  been  ordered  to  reconnitre, 
but  others  had  acted  on  their  own 
initiative,  wishing  to  distinguish 
themselves  and  thus  obtain  the 
order  of  the  Saint  George.  A 
body  of  our  scouts  commanded 
by  an  officer  were  fired  at  on 
the  same  day  by  some  20  of 
the  enemy's  infantry  at  Tan- 
chia-pu-tzu  on  the  Liao-yang 
road,  and  had  a  man  and  two 
horses  wounded.  The  enemy 
retired  to  an  elevation  north  ot 
Tan-chia-pu-tzu . 


any  guns,  stationed  at  Ai-yang-pien- 
men  on  May  28  at  10  a.m.  After  an 
engagement  lasting 
one  hour  and  a  half, 
the  enemy  was  forced 
to  retire,  our  troops 
following  in  pursuit. 
In  the  meantime  re- 
inforcements were 
received  by  our 
detachment  and  the 
above  place  was  then 
occupied  by  our 
troops.  The  enemy 
left  no  dead  on  the 
scene  of  the  fight. 

The  enemy's 
main  body  fled  in 
the  direction  of  Sai- 
ma-chi ,  the  re- 
mainder proceeding 
towards  Kwa-pai-chan.  The  enemy's 
casualties  were  not  ascertained.      Our 


The  Occupation  of 

Ai-yang-pien-men. 

A  detachment  under  command 
of  Colonel  Yoshida  attacked  the 
enemy,    2,000     strong,    without 


Major  General  Sasaki, 

Brigade  Commander  of  the 

I2TH  Division. 


374 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


detachment  lost  three  men   killed   and     with  considerable  losses.      The  casiaalt- 
22  \vounded,  and  the  reinforcing  body     ies  on  our  side  were  one  private  killed 


one  man  killed  and  six  wounded. 

Our  cavalry  scouts  on  the  road 
leading  to  Liao-yang  encountered  a 
body  of  Cossacks  on  the  same  day  at 
8  a.m.  Eight  of  the  enemy  were  killed, 
as  -well  as  two  horses,  and  in  addition 
two  horses  were  captured.  Our  infan- 
try scouts  on  the  Hai-cheng  road  also 


and  three  others  slightly  wounded. 


The  Occupation  of  Sai-ma-chi. 

On    the    7th    June    a    detachment 
under   Major-General    Sasaki   drove   a 
force    of   the   enemy   from   the   neigh- 
bourhood   of    Sai-ma-chi,    the    enemy 
retiring    in    the    direction    of 
Ssu-fang-lih,     and      occupied 
Sai-ma-chi    at    3    p.m.      Thfe 
enemy  consisted  of  a  battalion 
of    infantry    and    two    guns. 
Our    casualties   were   3   men 
killed  and  24  wounded.     The 
Russians  left  on  the  field  23 
killed,    and    two   officers  and 
five  men  were  taken  prisoners. 
In  addition,  according  to  the 
natives,  two   ofiicers  and    70 
men  were  w^ounded. 


The  Late  Major  Kubota. 

met  five  Cossacks  one  mile  north  of 
Sha-tsz-kang  at  1  p.m.  the  same  day. 
One  of  the  enemy  was  killed,  together 
with  his  horse. 


A  Fight  near  Sin-kai-tsen. 

On  the  3rd  June  a  detachment  was 
sent  from  Ai-yang  towards  Sai-ma-chi 
for  reconnoitring  purposes  and  en- 
countered 500  or  600  Cossacks  west 
of  Sin-kai-tsen  at  about  2  p.m.  the 
same  day.  After  a  fight  lasting  some 
time  the  enemy  was  forced   to   retire, 


A  Skirmish  at  Lin- 
chia-tai. 

Another  detachment  under 
Major  Itabashi  despatched  in 
the  direction  of  Tung-yuen- 
pao  encountered  50  or  60  of 
the  enemy's  infantry  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Lin-chia-tai 
on  the  morning  of  June  6, 
and  repulsed  them.  Again, 
on  the  7th  at  5  p.m.  our 
detachment  after  two  hour's 
fighting  repulsed  about  six  companies 
of  infantry  and  300  cavalry,  at  Chang- 
chia-shih.  The  enemy  retreated  toward 
Tung-yuen-pao.  The  enemy's  casualties 
were  a  hundred  killed  and  wounded. 
Our  losses  w^ere  4  killed  and  16 
wounded. 


The  Enemy  attacked  Our 
Force  at  Ai-yang-pien-men, 

The  detachment  which  advanced  to 
Sai-ma-chi  left  that  place  pn  the  ,9th 
June  and  went   back  to  Ai-yang-pien- 


WAR  RECORD. 


375 


Q 

Q 

o 

w 
X 

fa 

o 
fa 

H 
W 

X 


376 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


men  as  its  object  -was  merely  to  make 
a  reconnaissance  in  force  in  that 
direction.  After  the  withdrawal  of 
our  detachment,  the  enemy  reassembled 
their  force  at  Sai-ma-chi  and  prepared 
to  make  an  attack.  Their  force  con- 
sisting of  a  regiment  of  infantry,  two 
regiments  of  cavalry,  and  a  battery  of ' 
artillery,  proceeding  from  Sai-ma-chi,  on 
the  22nd  June  attacked  our  detachment 
at  Ai-yang-pien-men,  and  were  driven 
back  towards  Sin-kai-tsen.     Major  Ku- 


yen  in  co-operation  with  a  detachment 
of  the  army  which  had  landed  at  Ta- 
ku-shan.  The  enemy's  force  consisted 
of  4,000  cavalry  with  6  guns.  They 
retreated  in  the  direction  of  Chai-mu- 
cheng,  and  Kai-ping.  Our  casualties 
were  one  man  killed,  and  Lieut.  Ike- 
bata  and  21  men  slightly  wounded. 

A  detachment  of  our  army  which 
landed  at  Ta-ku-shan  in  co-operation 
with  a  detachment  of  the  First  Army, 
repulsed   the  enemy  in  the  neighbour- 


ed 


View  of  Siu-yen. 


bota  was  killed  in  this  engagement. 
The  enemy's  casualties,  witnessed  from 
our  side,  were  ^ye  killed  and  twenty 
w^ounded. 


The  Occupation  of  Siu-yen. 

A  detachment  of  our  army  defeated 
the  enemy  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ta- 
hu-ling  in  the  afternoon  of  the  8th 
June,   and  at   5.20  p.m.   occupied  Siu- 


hood  of  Siu-yen  on  the  afternoon  of 
the  8th  and  occupied  Siu-yen  at  5.20 
p.m.  The  enemy's  force  at  Siu-yen 
consisted  of  1,500  or  1,600  cavalry 
and  6  guns.  The  artillery  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  cavalry  retreated  in  the 
direction  of  Chai-mu-cheng,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  cavalry  towards 
Kai-ping.  Our  casualties  were  one 
man  killed,  and  Sub-Lieut.  Mihara  and 
7  men  wounded. 


WAR   RECORD. 


377 


Prior  to  this,  a  small  detachment 
of  the  same  army  which  had  been  sta- 
tioned at  Fan-chia-tung  on  the  road  to 
Chuan-chou,  attacked  about  30  of  the 
enemy's  cavalry  at 
Chien-chia-tung,  10 
kilometres  north-west 
of  Ta-ku-shan,  on  the 
morning  of  the  5th 
June  and  routed  them. 
The  enemy  fled  in  a 
north-westerly  direc- 
tion. In  this  fight  we 
captured  two  men  and 
13  horses.  The  enemy 
belonged  to  the  Second 
Company  of  the  Fifth 
Regiment  of  the  Sibe- 
rian Cossacks. 


Further  Advance  of  the  12th 
Division. 

On  June  27th,  the  12th  Division  of 


The  Occupation  of 
Hwai-jen. 

On  the  11th  June, 
a  portion  of  the  Yoshi- 
da  detachment  engag- 
ed and  repulsed  some 
100  mounted  Russian 
infantry  at  Kan-chuen-kou.  On  the 
12th,  a  small  section  of  the  enemy's  force 
was  dislodged  from  its  former  position 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Hun-chang  and 
at  3  p.m.  Hwai-jen  was  occupied  by 
our    troops. 

The  enemy  consisted  of  300  Rus- 
sian troops  (v\rho  seemed  to  belong  to 
the  Fifteenth  East  Siberian  Regiment, 
as  judged  from  the  shoulder  strap  of 
a  Russian  private  taken  prisoner)  and 
some  mounted  bandits.  The  enemy  re- 
tired towards  Wu-tao-ho. 

No  casualties  occurred  on  our  side. 
The  enemy's  loss  was  not  clearly  known, 
but  his  casualties  at  Kan-chuen-kou 
were  three  killed  and  two  wounded, 
one  of  the  latter  being  captured  by 
us. 


Russian  Sanitary  Soujiers. 


the  First  Army  drove  off  a  small  Rus- 
sian detachment  near  Liu-tao-kou  on 
the  Mukden  road  and  occupied  the 
road  from  Ssu-tao-kou  to  Tsao-ko-ling 
in  the  morning.  Of  some  5,000  Rus- 
sian infantry  and  cavalry  who  had 
occupied  Sai-tna-chi,  the  main  force  re- 
treated towards  Pen-hsi-hu. 


Occupation  of  Lien-shan-kuan 
and  Mo-tien-ling. 

A  detachment  from  the  North- 
eastern Division  occupied  Fen-shui-ling 
oh  the  Liao-yang  road  on  the  27th, 
and  subsequently  our  officers*  patrol 
entered  Lien-shan-kuan,  which  had 
been  evacuated  by  the  enemy,  w^ho 
burned  his  provisions  and  forage.  On 
the  29th,  our  van-guard  advanced  to 
F^en-shui-ling  and   Lien-shan-kuan  and 


378 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


a    portion   of  them   occupied   Mo-tien- 
ling. 

The  Central  Division  of  the  First 
Army  then  occupied  the  line  of  Mo- 
tien-ling,  Siao-mo-tien-ling,  and  Sin-kai- 
ling.  About  2,000  Russian  troops  who 
were  in  front  retired  to  the  west  of 
Tien-shui-chan. 


Lieut.- Colonel  Kuratsuji, 
Chief  of  the  Civil  Administration  in  Feng 

Again  on  June  29th,  a  portion  of  our 
North-eastern  Division  occupied  North 
Fen-shui-Iing  without  meeting  with 
any  resistance  from  the  enemy.  The 
enemy  evacuated  the  heights  west  of 
Pen-hsi-hu. 


Russian  Attack  on  Mo-tien-ling. 

On  July  4th,  at  4  a.m.,  two  or  three 
Russian   soldiers  appeared  in  front    of 


our  outpost  pickets  about  two  kilome- 
tres   north-west    of  Mo-tien-ling,     fol- 
lowed by  about  a  company  of  Russian 
troops,  who  opened  fire  on  the  pickets. 
Sub-Lieut.  Yoshida,  in  charge    of   the 
pickets,  at  once  reported  the  event  to 
the  rear,  and  was  gradually  retreating, 
in   order  to  join  our  main  force,  when 
another  company   of  Rus- 
sians appeared   from    the 
hills    on    the   north    and 
enveloped      our       troops. 
Sub-Lieut.       Yoshida    de- 
spatched      the        greater 
portion  of  his  men  to  the 
hills  on  the  south.   He  and 
five  or    six    men  engaged 
in  close  fighting  with  the 
enemy,   and    after    killing 
some  ten  of  the  latter  cut 
their  way  through. 

On  hearing  the  sound 
of  the  rifle  fire,  our  van- 
guard were  about  to 
take  up  their  positions, 
when  it  was  perceived 
that  a  portion  of  the 
enemy's  force  had  already 
penetrated  our  lines,  A 
deadly  hand-to-hand  com- 
bat then  ensued.  A 
number  of  our  van-guard 
opened  fire  from  the 
southern  hills  on  the  flank 
of  the  Russians,  who  in 
consequence  began  to 
waver.  At  this  moment, 
a  portion  of  the  main 
force  of  our  van-guard 
arrived  on  the  scene  and  drove  off  the 
enemy.  Colonel  Baba,  at  the  head  of 
a  body  of  his  troops,  pursued  the 
enemy  as  far  as  Chin-chia-pao  (4  miles 
from  the  western  foot  of  Mo-tien-ling), 
and  occupied  the  positions  in  its 
neighbourhood,  facing  the  enemy  on 
the  heights  on  the  west  of  Ta-wan. 

Shortly  after  the  Russian  attack  on 
Mo-tien-ling,  our  van-guard  west  of 
Siao-kao-ling  were  attacked  by  another 


1- HWANG- TIEN, 


WAR  RECORD. 


379 


Russian  force,  but  the  latter  was  also 
driven  off. 

The  enemy's  force  consisted  of 
about  two  battalions.  As  the  engage- 
ment was  principally  a  hand-to-hand 
conflict,  our  losses  in  killed  and  wound- 
ed were  mostly  sustained  by  bayonet 
w^ounds. 

Our  casualties  were  Sergeant  Yo- 
shiba  and  18  men  killed,  and  Lieut. 
Kono  and  Sub-Lieut.  Kobayashi  and 
36  men  wounded. 

The  Russians  who  attacked  Mo- 
tien-ling  belonged  to  the  10th  and  24th 
Infantry  Regiments  and  those  who 
attacked  Sin-kai-tsen  to  the  22nd  In- 
fantry Regiment.  They  retired  to- 
wards Yang-tsze4ing,  leaving  a  small 
force  at  Ta-wan  and  on  the  heights 
west  of  Ta-wan.  The  enemy's  killed 
buried  by  us  numbered  53,  and  their 
wounded  were  about  40.    Their  casual- 


the   Russian  official    report,  the  enemy 
lost  over  nine  cfficers  and  200  men. 


Another  Russian  Attack. 

On  6th  July,  the  First  Regiment  of 
Cossacks,  consisting  of  1,300  sabres, 
under  Col.  Chichinsky,  made  a  frontal 
attack  upon  the  Japanese  detachment 
guarding  the  Feng-shui-ling  defile,  on 
the  northern  road  to  Liao-yang.  The 
Cossacks  were  driven  back  and  retired 
in  a  northerly  direction.  The  Japanese 
losses  were  four  killed  and  three 
wounded. 


The  Further  advance  of  a 

Detachment  of  the 

1st  Army. 

On    the    6th    July,     at     night,    a 
detachment  of  Japanese  troops    drove 


General  Kuropatkin  and  the  Governor-General  Tseng-chi,  in  Mukden. 


ties  during  our  pursuit  were  unknown,      back  300  Russian    cavalry    and    took 
but  seemed  to  be  great.     According  to      possession  of  Hanchan. 


380 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Operations  of  the  Ta-ku- 
shan  Army. 


Conflict  on  Chi-pan-tsen. 

A  body    of  scouts,  including  both 


sequently  our  detachment  dislodged 
the  enemy  from  the  heights  north  of 
the  San-tao-ho,  and  occupied  the  posi- 
tion at  8.30  a.m.  The  enemy  retired 
towards  the  north-west,  leaving  more 
than     60     dead     on     the     field,     and 


infantry  and  cavalry,  despatched  from     subsequently  joined  the  infantry   and 


^'ji.  *.  ^    <^^  ^t&h 


H^-^. 

k 


r  ■■■■-/■  --    X  i.A     '   ' 


View  of  Ta-ku-shan. 


the  array  which  landed  at  Ta-ku-shan, 
encountered  the  enemy,  on  June  18th, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Chi-pan-tsen, 
and  captured  an  officer  and  two  men 
together  with  many  rifles  and  lances, 
and  killed  over  50  Russians.  Our 
casualties  were  one  man  killed  and  five 
men  w^ounded. 


artillery  troops  occupying  the  positions 
near  Hsiu-ha-tou  and  Tang-erh-kou. 
The  enemy's  force  consisted  of  two 
battalions  of  infantry  and  a  battery 
of  artillery. 


Conflict  on  the  Road 
to   Ta-shih-chiao. 

On  June,  23  at  dawn,  a  detachment 
of  our  army  which  landed  at  Ta-ku- 
shan  assaulted  and  routed  a  squadron 
of  the  enemy's  cavalry  at  Hsien-chia- 
yii,  10  miles  north-west  of  San-tao-kou 
on    the    road    to    Ta-shih-chiao.     Sub- 


The  Occupation  of  Fen-shui-ling. 

Fen-shui-ling  is  situated  half  way 
between  Hsiu-yen  and  Chai-mu-cheng ; 
it  is  an  important  point  for  the  defence 
of  Hai-cheng,  so  that  the  Russian 
had  made  strong  defence  works  at  that 
point  spending  two  or  three  months 
on  their  construction.  Here  they  made 
a  brave  resistance,  this  place  was 
nevertheless  occupied  by  our  army. 
We  give  here  the  following  detailed 
accounts  on  the  battle  of  Fen-shui-ling. 


Lieut -General    Kawamura. 
Major-General    Marui.       (10th    Division)       Major-General    Tojo. 


WAR  RECORD. 


381 


The  Ta-ku-shan   Army   on  June  26     the  Tojo  detachment.     The  main  force 


was  formed  into  three  columns  and 
began  operations  with  a  view  to  the 
occupation  of  Fen-shui-ling.  The  Asa- 
da  detachment  proceeded  from  Yang- 
pan-kou     towards     Fen-shui-ling,     the 


of  the  Marui  detachment  began  to 
advance  at  3  a.m.  on  the  27th,  in 
order  to  turn  the  enemy's  rear  at 
Fen-shui-ling.  On  the  way,  it  was  op- 
posed   by    two  battalions    of  Russian 


Kamada  detachment  from  Ta-sang-po-  infantry  at  Erh-tao-kou,  but  our  troops 

yu  to  the  enemj^'s  right  wing,  and  the  drove     off    the    assailants   at   11   a.m. 

Marui     detachment    from     Tsieh-kuan-  and  finally  reached  San-tao-kou. 
yin  taking  a  devious  route  to  the  rear  The  Asada  detachment  repulsed  an 

of  his  right  wing,  the  Tojo  detachment  enemy's  force  consisting  of  about  2,000 

at    the    same    time    being    deputed    to  infantry  and  cavalry  in  the  neighbour- 


cover   the  rear    of   the    Marui   detach- 
ment. 

The  Tojo  detachment  advanced  on 
its  mission,  and  on  the  26th  attacked 
the  enemy  occupying  Shang-hoh-tah 
and  Tung-chia-chuang,  but  his  force, 
consisting  of  about  three  battalions  of 
infantry  and  a  body  of  horse   artillery 


hood  of  Wan-chia-pao  on  the  26th  and 
passed  the  night  to  the  south  of  Wa- 
fan-tien  at  the  eastern  foot  of  Fen- 
shui-ling,  At  5  a.m.  on  the  27th,  our 
artillery  opened  fire  on  the  enemy, 
who  Avas  entrenched  in  a  strong 
fortification,  to  which  he  skilfully 
replied.  He  poured  a  heavy  fire  on 
our  troops  at  the  ranges  already 
with  six  guns  and  two  machine-guns,  determined,  which  temporarily  placed 
stubbornly  defended  its  position.  The  our  artillery  in  a  difficult  position, 
fight  continued  from  5 
a.m.  into  the  evening, 
and  our  deta.chment 
bivouacked  in  battle  for- 
mation. 

The  detachment  re- 
sumed its  attack  from 
midnight  on  the  27th, 
drove  off  the  enemy,  and 
occupied  his   positions. 

In  the  afternoon,  how- 
ever, the  enemy  was 
reinforced  by  about  three 
battalions  of  infantry 
with  16  guns.  He  re- 
peatedly assaulted  our 
positions  and  attempted 
to  recover  thein,  but  in 
vain.  Our  force  repelled 
the  enemy,  but  the  artil. 
lery  duel  continued  until 
7.30  p.m. 

The     Marui       detach- 
ment  reached  Tsieh-kuan- 
yin    on    the    night  of  the 
26th  and  despatched  a  detachment  to 
attack  the  flank  and  rear  of  the  enemy 
at  Hsia-hoh-tah,  who  were    opposing 


Colonel  Fukaya, 
Infantry  Regiment  Commander  (Imperial  Guard). 


Fortunately  the  Kamada  detach- 
ment which  had  been  dispatched  at 
midnight     of    the     26th    to     turn     the 


382 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


enemy^s  right  wing,  dislodged  two 
companies  of  Russian  infantry  from 
halfway    up  the    Ti-hiung-shan,    south 


Colonel  Kurosawa, 
Chief  Staff  Officer  of  the  ioth  Division 

of  Fen-shiti-ling,  w^here  after  great 
difficulty  our  detachment  succeeded 
at  7  a.m.  in  placing  its  guns,  which 
now  opened  fire  on  the  enemy's  force 
at  Fen-shui-ling  from  the  right  flank. 
The  infantry  then  passed  from  Ti- 
hiung-shan  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy. 

The  Fukaya  regiment,  which  had 
been  despatched  from  the  Asada  detach- 
ment began  operations  from  mid- 
night ot  the  26th  and  cleared  the 
heights  west  of  Yang-pan-kou  of  about 
two  companies  of  the  enemy's  force  at 


7  a.m.,  and  then  turned  to  the  enemy's 
left  rear.  Thus  the  enemy  was  virtual- 
ly enveloped  by  our  forces  and  his 
operations  were  confined.  His 
artillery  was  silenced  at  7.50 
a.m.  and  the  general  retreat 
began  at  8  a.m.  The  infantry 
of  the  Asada  Detachment,  who 
approached  the  enemy  from  his 
front,  pressed  hard  on  his  force, 
destroying  his  defensive  works, 
assisted  by  our  sappers,  and 
occupied  the  summit  of  Fen- 
shui-ling  at  11.30  a.m.  The 
artillery  hotly  pursued  the 
retreating  Russians. 

The  enemy's  force  retreat- 
ed towards  Chai-mu-cheng  in 
great  confusion,  after  bitrning 
the  store-houses  at  Sang-to-tsze. 
We  took  six  officers  and  82  men 
prisoners.  The  Russians  who 
were  killed  in  the  mou  tains 
and  valleys  were  innumerable 
and  those  left  on  the  main  road 
alone  numbered  over  90. 

Our  casualties  on  the  Chai- 
mu-cheng  road  were  Major  Oba 
killed  and  about  20  men  killed 
and  wounded.  The  Tojo  detach- 
ment sustained  about  50  casual- 
ties. 

Fen-shui-ling  forms  the  key 
to  the  Chai-mu-cheng  road,  and 
its  fortifications  were  of  semi- 
permanent nature,  in  the  con- 
struction of  which  the  enemy 
had   spent   three   months.     They  con- 


sisted of  entrenchments  for  infantry, 
ba  tteries,  passages ,  equipments  for 
bivouac,  &c.  The  front  approach  was 
so  strongly  defended  with  wire  en- 
tanglements and  barricades,  that 
its  occupation  by  a  frontal  attack 
alone  was  out  of  the  question.  But 
the  Asada  Detachment  skilfully  operated 
in  this  direction,  and  the  other  columns 
cut  the  enemy's  lines  of  retreat  one  by 
one,  with  the  result  that  this  strong 
position  fell   into  our  hands. 


WAR  RECORD. 


383 


'S^^  Tr^35^-^=^*^A^^S?^-'*ii;^^' 


^^ft 


^^^, 


View  of  Chai-mu-cheng. 


We  learn  the  following  from 
the  prisoners  of  war  : — 

The  enemy's  force   opposing 
the  Marui  detachment  consisted 
of      two      battalions      of     the 
Eniseisk  Reserve  Infantry  ;  that 
at    Fen-shui-Iing     the    Twenty- 
first   Rifle   Regiment,    two    bat- 
talions    of   Irkutsk  Reserve  in- 
fantry,    the   Seventh    Regiment 
of    Siberian    Cossacks,    half  oi 
the  Welfnejinsk  First  Regiment, 
the     Second    Battalion     of    the 
Siberian  Reserve  Artillery,  seven 
battalions     of    Gochi    infantry, 
nine  squadrons  of  cavalry,  and 
two   batteries  of  artillery ;  that 
opposed  to    the    Tojo    detach- 
ment  on   the    26th    was    three 
battalions   of  Reserve  Infantry, 
the    First    Regiment    of  Machi- 
chinsk    Cavalry,     half    of     the 
Welfnejinsk  First  Regiment,  and 
the  First  Battery  of  the  Trans- 
baikal  Horse  Artillery,  with  two 
machine  guns  ;  but  on  the  after- 
noon  of  the  27th  these  troops 


The  Late  Major  Oba. 


384 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


were  reinforced   by  three  battalions   of 
infantry  and  two  batteries  of  artillery. 
The    Takushan    Ax-my    on    July  9 


Colonel  Yasuda, 
THE  lOTH  Cavalry  Reglment  Commander, 


sent  a  column  of  troops  towards 
Tang-chih  via  Hsien-chia-ku  and  Chieh- 
kuan-ting  and  another  column  to 
Chai-mu-cheng  via  Fen-shui-ling.  The 
former  reached  the  heights  south  of 
Hsien-chia-ku  and  Chin-tsai-ku  respec- 
tively between  9  and  11  a.m.  on  the 
9th .  The  enemy  who  occupied 
the  heights  -west  of  Hsien-chia-ku 
offered  a  stubborn  resistance  and 
held  his  positions  till  the  evening.  The 
main  body  of  our  troops  who  had 
proceeded  towards  Chieh-kuan-ting 
engaged  a  force  of  the  enemy,  consist- 
ing of  some  two  battalions  of  infantry 
and    a   battery    of  artillery,   until  the 


evening  of  the  9th,  when  they  suc- 
ceeded in  driving  them  off.  Our  troops 
passed  the  night  in  battle  formation. 

The    troops  who    were 
advancing    towards    Chai- 
mu-cheng      drove     off    the 
enemy  in   their    front    and 
attacked       his       advanced 
positions  at    Hsi-yaung-la- 
ku.     The  enemy   seemed  to 
be  greatlypanic-striken,  but 
subsequently    he    was     re- 
inforced  by  some    10    bat- 
talions    of    infantry     and 
two    batteries   of  artillery, 
Ourtroops,  having  attained 
the   object    of  their    recon- 
naissance, avoided  a  conflict 
and    retired    to    a    certain 
position.      But    the    enemy 
did    not    quickly  advance. 
The    enemy's    force    to  the 
south  of  Chai-mu-cheng  con- 
sisted of  about  a  division. 
The     main     force     of    his 
cavalry  seemed  to  be  near 
Niu-hsin-shan. 

Early  on  the  morning 
of  the  10th  our  columns 
repulsed  the  enemy  from 
the  heights  west  of  Hsien- 
chia-ku,  and  pursued  him. 
During  the  pursuit  our 
troops  attacked  the  enemy 
who  was  strongly  occupy- 
ing the  heights  of  Hsiu-tsai- 
kou,  and  took  possession 
of  them. 
During  this  engagement  Lieut.  Ta- 
keuchi  was  killed. 


The  First  Conflict  in  North- 
Eastern  Korea. 

A  body  of  infantry  which  had  been 
despatched  towards  Munchhon  for 
reconnoitring  purposes,  encountered 
about  20  of  the  enemy's  cavalry  south 
of  Munchhon  on  the  3rd  June  at  1 
p.m.,  and  killed  five  of  them.  The 
enemy  retreated  north.  No  casualties 
on  our  side. 

Munchhon  is  situated  some  20 
miles  north-west  of  Gensan. 


THE    SCENE  OF    THE   BATTLE    OF    FEN-SHUI-LING 


^t- 


\ 


^  -^'e^ 


Yayi^-paj7^^  -Aocc- 


^->i^.. 


■*^'/. 


'^'C^. 


'^. 


"^ 


'ju-y&a 


Scale     i  ;  500000 


WAR  RECORD. 


385 


Fighting  on  Sea. 


Another  Reconnaissance 
in  Force  of  Port  Arthur. 

Four  of  our  gunboats,  two  flotillas 
of  torpedo-boat  destroyers,  and  two 
torpedo-boat  flotillas  reached  the  ap- 
proaches of  Port  Arthur  on  May  30 
at  1  a.m.,  and  despite  the  heavy  fire  from 
the  batteries  made  a  reconnaissance 
in  force  of  the  harbour  mouth.  During 
the  operations,  the  third  gun-boat 
was  struck  by  a  shell,  which  killed 
one  warrant  officer  and  w^ounded  three 
blue-jackets  and  also  damaged  a  gun. 
The  result  showed  that  the  enemy  had 
erected  a  new  search-light  on  the  top 
of  the  Lao-tieh-shan  and  also  a  few 
batteries  on  the  hill  side. 


Captain  Takagi  of  the  Chitose,  which 
vessel  was  engaged  in  blockading 
duties  off"  Port  Arthur,  stated  that  on 
the  summit  of  Lao-tieh-shan  four  poles 
and  a  signal  station  had  been  erected, 
one  of  the  poles  having  been  fitted 
with  a  ''gaff"  for  wireless  telegraphy. 
Since  the  morning  of  the  4th  June., 
several  violent  explosions  had  been 
heard  in  the  direction  of  Port  Arthur, 
being  accompanied  by  dense  columns 
of  black  smoke. 

According  to  a  report  received  from 
Commander  Ishida  of  the  Second 
flotilla  of  Torpedo-boat  Destroyers,  the 
Ikazuchi  found  off  Nan-san-shan-tao 
one  of  the  enemy's  mechanical  mines, 
which  was  accordingly  exploded  and 
sunk. 

According  to  a  telegram  from  Cap- 


Welcome  of  General  Kuropatkin  at  Port  Arthur. 
^        •        -TTT*     1  rr«i^«,^«*xl%«  Q+      tain    Takagi  of  the  Chitose,  no  poles 

Russian  Wireless  Telegraphy  at     ^^^    ^.^^^^^   telegraphy    have    been 

Port  ArtJlUrt  erected     on     Pe-hwang-cheng-tao    and 

A    wireless   message  received   from     Ta-chin-tao.    The  telegram  added  that 


386 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


shortly  after  7 
p.m.  on  the  4th 
June,  several 
violent  explo- 
sions were  again 
heard  in  the 
direction  of  Port 
Arthur,  but  no 
smoke  was  seen 
to  arise. 


\y///'^  i"""- 


The  Loss  of 
Two    Russian 

"Warships.  the  Ikazuchi,  Torpedo-Boat  destroyer. 

According  to 
Lieut.-  Com- 
mander G.   Nagai,   Commander  of  the     a  certain  naval  base  from  blockading 
Torpedo  Destroyer  Flotilla  No.  4,  which     duties    off  Port    Arthur,  the    Russian 
returned  on  the  morning  of  June  6  to      warship  which  struck  a  mine  and  sank 

off  that  port  on  June  4 
at  7.40  p.m.  was  of  the 
gun-boat  Gremiastchy 
type.  At  the  time  of  the 
disaster,  the  torpedo 
Flotilla  No.  4  was  keep- 
ing watch  off  Sien-shan 
Promontory  and  was 
fired  at  from  the  land 
batteries,  whereupon 
the  flotilla  retired  south- 
ward. On  perceiving 
this  a  Russian  warship 
of  the  Gremiastchy  type, 
which  was  outside  the 
harbour,  steamed  to- 
wards the  flotilla,  on 
w^hich  she  opened  fire. 
When  one  mile  south 
of  Ching-tou-shan,  the 
Russian  vessel  suddenly 
blew  up  and  sank.  Nor 
was  this  all.  Another 
Russian  vessel  of  the 
gun-boat  Gaidamak 
type,  which  was  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of 
the  disaster,  also  met 
a  similar  fate  about 
the  same  time.  The 
enemy   appeared  to   be 


'/■'■^■: 


Captain    Nagai, 
Commander  of  the  Torpedo-boat  Destroyer  Flotilla  No.  4. 


WAR  RECORD. 


387 


busily  engaged  in  dragging  for  mines 
off  Ching-tou-slian  and  Lao-tieh-shan, 
and  a  number  of  boats  were  seen  below 
Ching-tou-shan,  some  of  which  were 
searching  for  mines  east  of  Lao-tieh- 
shan.  These  disasters. having  occurred 
so  quickly,  all  the  above  boats  hur- 
riedly steamed  into  the  harbour. 

During  the  operations,  some  of  the 
enemy's  shells  fell  quite  close  to  the 
flotilla,  but  the  latter  escaped  injury. 


natives,  the  enemy  left  the  latter  place 
more  than  ten  days  ago,  after  taking 
away  the  apparatus.  The  enemy  is 
said  to  have  poisoned  all  the  springs 
that  furnish  drinking  w^ater.  The 
matter  is  under  investigation.'* 

Another  report  from  Admiral  Togo, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Combined 
Fleet,  is  as  follows  : — 

"  The  dragging  for  mines  in  Ta-lien- 
wan  has  rapidly  progressed,  in  spite 
of  th^    southerly   gale    and   high   seas, 


The  City  Hall  of  Dalny. 


The  Clearance  of  Dalny. 

A  report  from  Yice-Admiral  Kata- 
oka,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Third 
Squadron,  received  at  the  Imperial 
Head-quarters  on  June  6  at  9.30  p.m., 
is  as  follows  : — 

"On  the  4th  of  June  our  detach- 
ment engaged  in  dragging  for  mines 
at  Dalny  reconnoitred  North  San-shan- 
tao  and  Ta-ke-kou  village,  and  reports 
that  there  were  no  houses  or  other  estab- 
lishments of  the  enemy  on  North  San- 
shan-tao.  A  Russian  telegraph  office 
exists  at  Ta  ke-kou.     According  to   the 


since  the  3rd  June.  We  have  succeeded 
beyond  our  expectations,  and  were 
able  to  discover  and  destroy  41  mines 
before  2  p.m.  on  the  6th.  A  promising 
fair-way  has  been  found  by  the  aid  of 
a  pilot,  w^ho  had  been  in  the  enemy's 
service.  Already  the  water  is  negotia- 
ble for  vessels  of  light  draught.  The 
dragging  is  still  vigorously  proceeding. 
The  vessels  and  crews  of  the  party 
have  sustained  no  loss.'* 


A  Night  Reconnaissance  in  Force. 

Four  of  our  gunboats  reached  oflf 


388 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Port  Arthur  on  the  night  of  the  5th  rpj^^  Clearance  of  Dalny 

June  at  little  past  midnight  and  carried  Harhoiir 
out  a    reconnaissance  in  force,   as    ar- 
ranged previously.  The  enemy  poured  a  ^^^    ^^st    section    of    Ta-Iien-wan 
galling  fire  on  us.    Our  gunboat  No.  4  Bay  has  already  been  cleared  of  mines. 
was   struck    by   eight    shells  and  was  Two  sunken  ships  were  discovered,  one 


The  Cruiser   Yakumo. 


more  or  less  damaged.  One  of  the 
crew  was  killed  and  two  were  wounded. 
There  were  no  other  losses. 


Torpedo-Boats  oflF  Port 
Arthur. 

From  the  night  of  the  7th  to  the 
morning  of  the  8th  June,  our  boats, 
which  were  carried  by  the  warships  to 
the  ?cene,  reconnoitred  Port  Arthur  in 
force.  The  enemy  fired  on  our  boats 
intermittingly.  A  warrant  officer  and 
a  man  on  board  the  torpedo-boat  sent 
out  from  the  Yakumo  were  killed. 
We  sustained  no  other  losses.  The 
officer  and  man  killed  were  Third  Class 
Warrant  Officer  Yonematsu  Fukunaga 
and  First  Class  Blue-jacket  Kumataro 
Watanabe. 


at  a  place  1,000  metres  west  of  North 
San-shan-tao  and  the  other  south-west 
of  South  San-shan-tao.  The  former  is 
believed  to  be  the  cruiser  Boyarin  and 
the  latter  the  steamer  NonnL 

Our  detachment  engaged  in  clear- 
ing the  harbour  of  Dalny  of  mines, 
discovered  and  exploded  11  mechanical 
mines  on  the  7th  June  and  10  the 
following  day.  The  vessels  and  crews 
sustained  no  loss. 

The  enemy's  mines  destroyed  at 
Dalny  numbered  62. 


Our  Marines  landed  at  South 
San-shan-tao. 

The  marines  from  the  Matsushlma 
landed  at  South  San-shan-tao  (an 
island    at    the    entrance    to    Dalny)  on 


WAR  RECORD. 


389 


the  6th  June  for  reconnoitring  pur- 
poses.   They  report : — 

*'The  light-house  seems  to  have  been 
in  process  of  reconstruction,  the  build- 
ing materials  being  scattered  about  in 
the  vicinity.  No  lighting  apparatus, 
however,  was  found.  Four  brick  build- 
ings are  attached  to  the  lighthouse. 
One  of  them  has  been  totally  de- 
molished, but  another,  the  floor  of 
which  has  been  destro5^ed,  is  available. 
The  boiler  and  dynamo  have  been 
destroyed  by  explosives.  An  earth- 
work, apparently  a  watch  tower 
covered  with  iron,  stands  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. 

'*Two  small  wharfs  exist  at  the 
northern  corner  of  the  western  bay. 
Though    they    are    slightly    damaged, 


thing  has  been  taken  from  thebuildings, 
and  the  floor,  windows,  and  doors 
are  destroyed.  The  stoves,  roofs,  and 
walls,  ho"wever,  are  in  almost  perfect 
condition,  and  Tvill  need  only  slight 
repairs.  One  of  these  buildings  is  a 
disinfection  room,  and  has  an  ordinary 
boiler  and  a  disinfection  boiler.  The 
former  can  be  used  as  it  is,  but  a  por- 
tion of  the  latter  has  been  taken  away, 
and  has  not  yet  been  discovered.  In 
addition  there  are  two  houses  with 
zinc  roofs,  and  a  filtering  pond.  There 
are  two  wells,  one  sunk  by  the  Rus- 
sians and  the  other  by  the  Chinese. 
The  water  obtained  therefrom  is  iit,  it 
is  believed,  for  drinking  purposes, 
provided  it  is  filtered  and  boiled  ;  but 
the   quantity  is   small.       We  have   ob- 


The  Light  house  at  South  San-shan-tao. 


they  still  afford  good  berthing  places. 
Along  the  south-eastern  foot  of  the 
northern  promontory  of  the  island 
stand  five  brick  buildings,  apparently  a 
hospital  for  isolation  purposes.    Every 


tained    a    number 
fowls,  and  pigs" 


of    cows,    horses, 


Another  Clearance  of  Dalny. 

Our   detachment  engaged  in  drag- 


390 


THE   RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


ging  for  mines  in  Ta-lien-wan  dis- 
covered and  destroyed  16  mines  on  Jtine 
8th  and  9th.     We  sustained  no  loss. 


the  wells  by  the  Russians,  the  Chinese 
who  furnished  the  news  has  absconded, 
and  it  is  surmised  that  his  object  was 
to  prevent  the  Japanese 
from  utilizing  the  water. 
The  matter  is  now  being 
strictly  investigated  and 
the  water  subjected  to 
chemical  analysis. 


Captatn  Sakamoto, 
Commander  of  the   Yashima. 


In  Ta-ke-lcou,  there  are  four  "water 
reservoirs,  one  100  tsuho  long  and 
three  30  tsubo  long,  constructed  by 
the  Rvissians.  All  these  reservoirs  are 
six  feet  deep.  There  is  a  jetty  with  a 
system  of  iron  pipes  for  the  conveyance 
of  water  which  has  been  partially 
destroyed  and  needs  some  repairs. 

Regarding  the  alleged  poisoning  of 


Further  Naval 

Operation. 

The  following  report 
from  Admiral  Togo  was 
received  by  the  Imperial 
Head-quarters  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  12th 
June  :— 

''The  Combined  Fleet  is 
still   engaged   in   blockad- 
ing Port   Arthur    and    in 
covering  the  rear   of  our 
army,  which    has  landed, 
and  has  caused  its  detach- 
ments to  engage  at  times 
the  enemy   on  hind.     The 
Sixth  Fighting  Squadron 
(the    Akagi,    Uj'i,  and    Tenth    Torpedo 
Flotilla)  which  had  been  despatched  to 
Liaotung  Bay,   bombarded  the   enemy 
on  the  coast  of  Kai-ping,  and  inflicted 
damage  on  him,  and  after  discharging 
its    duties,   arrived  here  this  morning. 
The   Fourth    Destroyer    Flotilla   bom- 
barded   the    enemy^s    cavalry    in    the 
neighbourhood  of  Ying-cheng-tsze  and 


The  TJatti.e  sun-    Yashima, 


WAR  RECORD. 


391 


Shwang-tai-keu  on  the  10th  between 
11  a.m.  and  1  p.m.  and  inflicted  on 
them  some  damage.  The  Second 
Destroyer  Flotilla  which  was  cruising 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Ta-lien-wan 
encountered  four  Russian  destroyers 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Siao-ping- 
tao  about  noon  the  same  day,  and 
pursued  them  as  far  as  Sien-sheng 
Promontory,  but  the  enemy  retreated 
at  full  speed  and  escaped  into  Port 
Arthur, 


the  current,  and  our  Torpedo  Destroyer 
Flotilla  No.  4  discovered  and  sank  one 
of  the  explosives  at  a  point  north  of 
Tieh-tao.  Three  of  the  mines  are 
reported  to. have  drifted  to  Tung-chia- 
keu.  Foggy  weather  is  very  prevalent 
at  this  season  of  the  year  and  the  fog 
that  set  in  on  the  9th  June  only  cleared 
this  morning.  The  movements  of  our 
warships  have  been  greatly  in- 
convenienced by  this  unwelcome  visitor. 
Our    officers   and   men   are  discharging 


The  Russo-Chtnese  Bank  in  Ying-kou. 


"The  dragging  work  for  mines  in 
Ta-lien-wan  and  the  neighbouring 
waters  is  being  pushed  forward 
vigorously.  The  work  on  the  first 
stage  has  already  been  finished  as 
previously  arranged,  and  over  75 
mechanical  mines  have  been  exploded 
and  sunk.  The  work  on  the  second 
stage  is  about  to  be  started.  Me- 
chanical mines  laid  by  the  enemy  in 
the  open  sea  have  not  yet  been  com- 
pletely cleared  but  more  than  30  have 
been  discovered,  fired  at,  and  sent  to 
the  bottom  by  our  navy  up  to  the 
present.  Some  of  these  mines  have 
drifted  inside  the  Pe-chi-li  Gulf  owing  to 


their  du  ties  as  strenuously  as  ever, 
and  it  is  not  without  a  sense  of 
rejoicing  to  have  to  report  that  no 
further  accident  has  occurred  since  the 
sinking  of  the  cruiser  Yoshino.^^ 


Bombardment  of  Kai-ping 
and  its  Neighbourhood. 

On  the  7th  and  8th  June,  the  Sixth 
Fighting  Squadron,  acting  as  pre-ar- 
ranged, bombarded  the  enemy  stationed 
along  the  coast  between  the  Kai-ping 
Promontory  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Hiun-yoh  river,  and  also  reconnoitred 
the    coast   facing  the  Liao-tung    Bay. 


392 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


The    squadron    returned   tills   morning  bombardment    of    our    squadron,    the 

(12th)  and  reported  as  follows  : —  3,000    Russian    troops    with    20    guns 

*' The  enemy  has  placed  about  3,000  who  had  been  stationed  at  that  port 

infantry  and  cavalry  along  the  coast  have  left  there  for  the  north.      Again 

near  Kai-ping  in  order  to  prevent  the  on  the  8th,  th^  Tenth  Torpedo  Flotilla 


The  Gunboat  Akagt, 


Japanese  from  landing  there.  According 
to  the  natives,  outposts  have  been 
placed  at  several  points  along  the  coast, 
but  the  Russians  who  were  stationed  at 
those  places  have  fled  to  the  interior 
owing  to  the  bombardment  of  the 
squadron.  During  the  bombardment 
on  the  7th,  a  southward  bound  train 
appeared  in  sight,  but  stopped  at  a 
point  about  seven  and  a  half  miles 
from  Hiun-yoh-chcng  and  immediately 
steamed  northward.  Since  then,  up  to 
the  8th,  no  trains  have  passed  the 
neighbourhood.  On  that  date,  the 
squadron  fired  at  some  two  companies 
of  the  enemy's  infantry  and  a  squadron 
of  cavalry  in  the  vicinity  of  Kai-ping 
Promontory  and  inflicted  serious 
damage  on  them.  The  captain  of  a 
foreign  steamer,  which  left  Ying-kow 
on  the  7th,  states  that,  scared  by  the 


captured  tw^o  Russian  soldiers  at 
Fu-chow  Bay.  The  prisoners  came 
from  Man-chia-ling,  in  Hing-teh-hien, 
and  were  leaving  Fu-chow  Bay  for 
Port  Arthur  by  sea.  They  belonged 
to  the  First  Regiment  of  the  Fourth 
Cavalry  Brigade,  and  state  that  two 
regiments  of  infantry  and  a  regiiiient 
and  a  half  of  cavalry,  with  eight  guns, 
commanded  by  Maj  .-General  Samson 
arrived  at  Man-chia-ling,  Wa-fang-keu, 
and  Wa-fang-tien  on  two  occasions 
between  May  28  and  31.  This  state- 
ment concerning  the  Russian  forces 
agrees  with  the  report  of  the  Chinese, 
that  the  Russians  in  this  vicinity 
numbered  5,000.  The  prisoners  also 
state  that  trains  are  arriving  at 
Man-chia-ling  three  or  four  times  daily 
from  the  north,  but  seldom  proceed 
farther  south.   When  they  do  go  south, 


WAR  RECORD. 


393 


they  run  slowly  as  far  as  Wa-fang-kou. 
The  captives  possess  numerous  official 
documents." 


Bombardment  of  Kai-chow. 

A  report  received  from  Rear- 
Admiral  Togo,  second-in-command  of 
the  Third  Squadron  which  had  been 
engaged  in  Liao-tung  Bay  since  the  6th 
June,  -was  substantially  as  follows  : — 

"On  the  7th  June  the  detached 
squadron  blockading  the  land  side  at 
Port  Arthur,  sent  some  vessels  north- 
ward for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
demonstrative  bombardment  on  the 
coast  near  Kai-chow.  At  that  time  a 
railway  train  carrying  troops  was 
observed  near  Tan-shan  moving  in  a 
southerly  direction,  but  on  being  hred 
on  by  our  ships  forthwith  returned 
northward.  No  other  trains  were 
subsequently  seen.  The  enemy,  ap- 
parently with  the  object  of  preventing 
our  landing,  gradually  increased  his 
infantry  and  cavalry  forces  in  the  vici- 
nity of  Kai-chow  Promontory,  where 
under  cover  they  awaited  our  arrival. 
The  shallow-draught  gunboats  Akagi 
and  Ujiy  however,  approached  the  shore 
and  opened  on  the  enemy  a  heavy  fire, 
which  seems  to  have  inflicted  numerous 
casualties  on  him." 


Fighting  of  Torpedo-Boats. 

A  flotilla  of  torpedo-boats,  w^hich  were 
carried  on  board  the  warships  and  com- 
manded by  Lieut.  Yamamoto,  under  the 
cover  of  the  Third  Destroyer  Flotilla,  the 
First,  Fourteenth,  and  Sixteenth  Tor- 
pedo-boat Flotillas,  carried  out  a  recon- 
naissance in  force  at  Port  Arthur.  The 
boats,  without  being  discovered  by  the 
enemy  or  disclosed  by  the  search-lights, 
skilfully  laid  mechanical  mines,  and 
safely  returned  to  the  rendezvous. 


Serious  Accident  to  Mine- 
Laying  Party. 

The  mine-laying-ship  Taihoku-ma- 
ru,  attached  to  the  Combined  Fleet, 
was  engaged  on  the  night  of  the  7th 
June  in  laying  mines  in  front  of  the 
enemy  when  a  mine  suddenly  exploded, 
causing  the  following  casualties  :— Kill- 
ed; Lieut. -Commander  Yasuichi  Masa- 
ki,  12  warrant  officers,  6  bluejackets  : 
seriously  wounded  ;  Paj^master-Lieut- 
enant  Mori  (who  died  after  admission 

to  hospital),  4  warrant  officers,  and  1  According  to  a  report  from  Com- 
bluejacket  and  a  boy :  slightly  wounded ;  mander  Tsuchiya  of  the  Third  Destroyer 
Commander  Kiyozo  Oda  and  a  boy.  Flotilla,  on  June  14th  that  Flotilla  and 
The  ship  sustained  no  serious  damage,      the    First,    Fourteenth,   and  Sixteenth 


Commander  Oda. 


394 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Torpedo-boat  Flotillas  were  bouibard- 
ing  the  enemy's  forces,  watch-hoiises, 
etc.  on  the  Siao-ping-tao,  in  order  to 
assist  our  array  reconnoitring  in  force, 
when  at  12.30  p.m.  the  Novik  and  ten 
Russian  destroyers  rushed  up  from  the 
direction  of  Port  Arthur.      Our  flotil- 


morning  of  the  same  day.  They  un- 
fortunately met  the  Russian  squadron 
off  Okinoshima  at  about  10  a.m.,  and 
the  Hitachi-maru  which  was  the  lead- 
ing ship  was  attacked  by  the 
Russian  and  sunk.  The  Sado-maru 
was  also  attacked  and  torpedoed,  but 

,  she  did 
not  sink. 
After  doing 
this  the 
e  n  e  m  y'  s 
s  q  u  a  d  r  on 
hurriedly 
went  away 
p  o  ssibly 
because 
they  descri- 
ed our  Sec- 
ond Squa- 
d  r  o  n  ap- 
proaching 
towar  d  s 
them.  Ac- 
cording to 
the  report 
of  Vice- 
Admiral 
Tsunoda, 
las  opened  a  heavy  fire  and  slowly  the  torpedo  boats  belonging  to  the 
retired  with  a  view    to    inducing    the     Takeshiki    Station    left    that    port    at 


The  Cruiser  Chiiose. 


enemy  to  follow.  At  3  p.m.  the  enemy 
steamed  back  to  port.  We  sustained 
no  loss,  and  after  sunset  the  flotillas 
proceeded  to  the  picket  line  fixed  for 
that  night.  The  Chitose  which  arriv- 
ed here  at  4  p.m.  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Cap  Island,  reports  that 
explosions  and  a  cannonade  were 
heard  in  the  direction  of  Port  Arthur. 
The  reason  is  unknown. 


The  Okinoshima  Incident. 

Three  Russian  warships  belonging 
to  the  Vladivostok  Squadron  appear- 
ed oif  Okinoshima  on  the  15  June  at 
about  8.30  a.m.  Prior  to  this,  our  mili- 
tary transports  the  Hitachi-maru, 
Sado-maru,  Iburi-maru,  and  Hino-maru 
had  left  the  port  of  Moji  on  the  early 


9.50  a.m.  to  encounter  the  enemy's 
squadron,  but^^did  not  succeed  in 
finding .  them,  owing  to  the  heavy 
rain  which  made  it  impossible  to  see 
more  than  a  mile  in  any  direction. 
On  the  following  day,  a  torpedo-boat 
flotilla  was  despatched  to  Okinoshima 
to  obtain  news  about  the  transports 
and. the  disaster.  This  torpedo-boat 
flotilla  returned  on  the  17th  at  12.30 
a.m.  having  in  tow  several  boats  con- 
taining First  Accountant  S.  Imazawa, 
Third  Accountant  Y.  Nishihama  arid 
77  others. 

According  to  the  statement  of  1st 
Accountant  Imazawa  of  the  Sado-ma- 
ra,  the  latter  left  Bakan  at  dawn  on 
the  15th  June.,  proceeding  towards  the 
south  of  Okinoshima  and  was  about 


CO 

CO 


WAR  RECORD. 


39^. 


to  overtake  the  Hitachi-mam,  wlien 
one  of  the  enemy's  warships  was  sight- 
ed through  the  rain. 

The  Hitachi'mara  turned  back,  as 
did  the  Sado-maru,  but  the  two  ves- 
sels w^ere  quickly  fired  upon  by  the 
enemy's  warships,  Eossia  and  Gromo- 
boi.  After  the  Hitachi-mafu  had 
received  some  50  or  60  shots,  a  large 
volume  of  white  smoke  was  seen  rising 
from  the  vessel,  fire  having  presumably 
broken  out. 

The  Sado-mam  received  more  than 
ten  shots  at  close  range,  but  she  stop- 
ped as  the  enemy  suspended  firing. 
The  naval  superintendent  of  the  trans- 
port went  to  the  enemy's  warship  to 
negotiate,  and  after  securing  40  min- 
utes* grace  ordered  all  persons  to  leave 
the  vessel.    Non-combatants  were  for- 


lishman).  The  enemy,  moreover,  be- 
fore the  expiration  of  the  alloted  time, 
discharged  torpedoes  firom  both  sides, 
which  struck  the  transport  and  explod- 
ed, whereupon  all  on  board  jumped 
into  the  sea,  most  of  them  being 
drowned.  The  Hitachi-maru  had  oa 
board  1,095  troops  inducing  several 
officers  with  Lieut.-Colonel  Suchi  as 
their  chief,  besides  a  crew  of  120  men, 
and  320  horses.  Almost  all  of  them 
were  killed  by  the  firing  of  the  enemy. 


The  Operations  of  the  Second 

Squadron  during  the  Okino- 

shima  Incident. 

Our  Second  Squadron  under  the  com- 
mand of  Vice-Admiral  Kamimtira 
departed  from  its  naval  base  on  the 
15th    at    9.25.    a.m.    to    attack    the 


General  Kuropatkin  on  Board, 


warded  to  the  enemy's  ships,  relying 
upon  his  consent  to  take  them  on 
board,  but  the  enemy  reiused  to  receive 
them,  except  the  first  officer  (an  Eng- 


enemy's  squadron,  but  could  not  sight 
the  enemy  owing  to  the  bad  weather. 
Admiral  Kamimura's  report  on  the 
matter  was  as  follows  :— " 


396 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


duty    to    join    my    fleet.     The 

main  fleet  sailed,  passing"  the 
southern  end  of  Tsushima,  At 
the  time,  the  -weather  became 
gradually  bad,  and  the  rain 
fell  so  heavily  that  we  often 
lost  sight  of  the  ships  in  the 
rear.  In  this  neighbourhood 
my  fleet  was  joined  by  a  tor- 
pedo-boat flotilla,  and  in  order 
to  attack  the  enemy  from  the 
north,  we  directed  our  course 
to  the  north  of  Okinoshima. 
Meanwhile  our  picket  ship 
Tsushima  remained  close  to 
the  enemy  and  continually  re- 
ported his  movements.  At 
noon,  she  reported  by  w^ireless 
telegraphy  that  the  enemy's 
ships  were  sailing  to  the  north- 
west 15  miles  south  of  Okino- 
shima. Immediately  after,  she 
lost  sight  of  the  enemy  owing 
to  the  heavy  rainfall,  but  at 
1.30  p.m.  again  saw  him  5 
miles  south  of  Okinoshima.  but 
immediately  lost  him,  owing 
to  the  fog  and  rain.  iThe  fleet 
therefore  changed  its  direction 
*' Being  informed  by  wireless  telegraphy  and  proceeded  at  full  speed  toward 
by  the  picket  boat  Tsushima  that  at  the  south  of  Okinoshima,  vsrhere  it 
'8  a.m.  on  the  15th  the  enemy's  squad-  was  expected  the  enemy  would  be 
ton  had  appeared  in  the  neighbourhood  found.  At  this  time,  the  mist  in- 
of  Okinoshima  and  was  sailing  south-  creased  in  density  and  the  field  of 
ward,  I  despatched  a  torpedo-boat  vision  narrowed,  so,  believing  that  at 
flotilla  at  once  to 
watch  the  channel 
between  Iki  and 
Tsushima,  so  as  to 
cause  the  ships 
coming  from  the 
w«st  to  take  re- 
fuge at  Takeshiki ; 
wired  to  the  Moji 
Harbour  Ofl&ce  to 
stop  all  vessels  sail- 
ing- to  the  west, 
and  ordered  all  the 
warships  at  Take- 
shiki and  on  picket 


Captain  T.  Kato, 
Staff  Officer  of  the  Kamimura  Squadron. 


^^'/  ;*^Kj  '•*!JB^^!W>Ew»l<>  ''^™ ''^j^a^^^^^ 


The  Rurik. 


WAR  RECORD. 


39T 


any  moment  we  might  come  upon  tion  and  arrived  at  this  port  on  the 
the  enemy's  warships,  I  ordered  all  our  19th.  I  regret  to  have  to  report  that 
vessels  to  be  on  guard.  We  continued  our  searching  operations  for  the  last 
our  search  for  the  enemy,  who,  how-  four  da3'S  and  nights  were  unsuccess- 
ever,  could  not  be  found.  The  picket  ful.  I  also  wish  to  express  the  deepest 
ship  Tsushima  then  entered  our  line,  regret  for  the  unfortunate  loss  of  life 
Concluding  that  the  enemy  had  retired  by  the  disaster  in  the  Genkai  Sea." 
nor  h,  taking  advantage  of  the  thick  We  liere  subjoin  Admiral  SkrydroflPs 
weather,  I  changed  our  course 
northward,  and  started  in 
pursuit.  The  rain, however,  in- 
creased and  prevented  us  from 
seeing  anything,  so  that  the 
discovery  of  the  Russian  war- 
ships was  almost  hopeless. 
With  a  view  to  engaging 
the  enemy  the  next  morning, 
our  fleet  proceeded  to  a  certain 
point  to  cut  off"  his  retreat. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  report 
that  n  o  mishap  occurred  to 
our  fleet,  which  during  the 
search  for  the  enemy  moved 
at  full  speed  through  the  dense 
fog.  The  torpedo-boat  flotilla 
searched  for  the  enemy  during 
the  night,  but  was  unsuccessful. 
"On  the  16th  at  dawn,  w^e 
reached  a  pre-arranged  point. 
By  this  time  the  weather  had 
cleared  up,  but  nothing  could 
be  seen  of  the  enemy.  We 
changed  our  course  and  con- 
tinued the  search,  which  was, 
how^ever,  fruitless.  On  the 
17th ,  it  appeared  that  the 
enemy's   ships   were  still  close 

to  the  Japanese  coasts,  and  in  order  report  on  the  raid  of  the  Yladivostock 
to  engage  him  on  his  way  back  we  Squadron,  as  transmitted  from  St. 
proceeded  south,  the  cruisers  deplopng  Petersburg  by  Renter's  correspon- 
ip.  a  search   line.      The  day  was  calm     dent : 

and  the  fields  of  vision  broad,  so  *'  Our  cruisers  met  the  Izumi-tnaru 
that  we  expected  to  meet  with  the  in  the  Korean  Chaunel  on  June  15. 
enemy,  but  our  hopes  were  not  realiz-  The  steamer  had  troops  on  board  and 
ed.  On  arrival  in  the  afternoon  at  was  sailing  from  the  south  for  the 
a  point  100  miles  north-east  of  the  Japanese  shore,  which  was  dimly  visi- 
northern  extremity  of  Tsushima,  I  ble  on  the  horizon.  We  gave  the  men 
was  informed  by  wireless  telegraphy  on  board  a  time  of  grace,  and  a  por- 
that  the  enemy  was^  at  Hokkaido,  tion  of  them  escaped  in  boats.  After 
Then  we  stopped  the  searching  opera-     the  grace  had  expired,  we  fired  at  the 


Vice-AdmirAl  Samejima, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Sasebo  NavAl  Station. 


398 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR, 


steamer  and  sank  her.  Subsequently, 
we  observed  two  transports,  the  Hi- 
tacbi-mara  and  Sado-maru,  towards 
the  south-east.  One  of  them  had 
troops  on  board,  and  both  refused  to 
surrender.  When  the  time  of  grace 
given  to  them  had  expired,  we  sank 
them  by  torpedoes  and  gun-fire.  These 
three  transports  had  a  total  tonnage 
of  15,000  tons,  and  were  carrying  a 


troops,  under  the  command  of  Lieut. 
Petroff,  and  ordered  her  to  proceed  to 
Vladivostock.  She  has  just  arrived  at 
Vladivostock  and  is  to  be  tried  at  the 
Prize  Court.'* 

Renter's  correspondent  adds  that  the 
raiders  were  commanded  by  Yice- 
Admiral  BesobrasofF,  and  not  by  Vice- 
Admiral  Skrydroff,  who  remained  at 
Vladivostock. 


Naval  Operations  off  Fort 
Arthur. 

On  June  16  at  1  p.m.,  at  a 
point  ten  nautical  miles  off 
Lao-tieh-shan,  the  Japanese 
Destroyer  Flotilla  No.  4  dis- 
covered and  exploded  three  me^ 
chanical  mines  laid  by  the  ene- 
my. Several  other  extemporiz- 
ed mines  were  also  discovered 
at  the  same  place  and  they 
were  fired  at  and  exploded. 


Vice-Admiral  Skrydroff. 


large  quantity  of  ammunition  and 
railway  materials.  On  the  16th  our 
fleet  met  with  the  British  steamer 
Aranton,  carrying  coal  from  Muroran 
on  board,  and  sailing  southward.  Her 
papers  were  so  ambiguous  and  her  log- 
book was  so  defective,  that  we  con-; 
eluded  that  her  cargo  was  to  be 
regarded  with  suspicion.  In  conse-« 
quence,  we  placed  on  board  a  body  of 


Minor  Russian 
Disasters. 

According  to  the  report  from 
Admiral  Togo,  on  the  21st 
June,  at  8  a.m.,  our  Fifth 
Destroyer  Flotilla,  while  engag- 
ed in  blockading  Port  Arthur, 
arrested  two  Chinese  issuing 
from  the  harbour  by  junk,  who 
when  questioned  informed  us 
that,  two  Russian  destroyers 
•;;  ;  w^hile  operating  some  four 
'  ,•  .  tniles  off  the  harbour,  three 
or  four  days  ago,  were  blown 
tip  by  mines  and  .  sunk,  causing 
about  140  casualties.  In  addition,: 
the  steamer  Sin-tair-ping  was  also 
blown  up  and  sunk  while  operat- 
ing outside  the  harbour'  a  few  days, 
ago.  These  arid  other  reports  given  by^ 
the, Chinese  are  confirmed  from  otherr 


sources. 


■  '.:■.■'>'! 


■rfl;-.,;.'^ 


^ 


WAR  RECORD. 


399^. 


b  k 


Port  Arthur  Engagement. 

DETAILED   OFFICIAL  REPORT. 

The  Combined 
Fleet  attacked 
the  enemy's 
squadron  outside 
Port  Arthur  on 
the  23rd  June. 
Early  in  the  morn- 
ing the  enemy's 
squadron,  con- 
sisting of  the 
battleships  Peres- 
viet,  Po/tava,  and 
Sevastopol,  the 
armoured  cruiser 
Bay  an  and  the 
cruisers  Pallada, 
Diana,  Ask  old, 
and  Novik  -were 
seen  to  gradually 
emerge  from  the 
port,  following 
several    steamers 


which  took  the  lead,  dragging  for 
mines.  Our  guard  sliip,  which  was  on 
blockade    duty,    reported    the    enemy's 


Captain  Teragaki. 
■^         Commander  ok  ths  Shikhhima, 


A  Junk. 

movements  by  wireless  telegraphy, 
whereupon  all  our  fleets  stationed 
in  different  directions  immediately 
prepared  to  advance,  and  those 
vessels  anchoring  at  the  base  steam- 
ed out.  All  proceeded  promptly 
toward  Port  Arthur,  the  whole  of 
our  fleet,  excepting  those  vessels 
engaged  in  special  duties,  concen- 
trating themselves  at  a  position 
previously  determined  according  to 
a  plan  pre-arranged  to  meet  a 
sortie  from  the  enemy. 

Meanwhile  the  First  Destroyer 
Flotilla  (under  Captain  S.  Asai)  as 
well  as  the  Fourth  Destroyer 
Flotilla,  the  Fourteenth  Torpedo- 
boat  Flotilla,  etc.,  which  had  been 
from  the  beginning  outside  Port 
Arthur,  were  constantly  watching 
the  enemy's  movements.  At  about 
11  a.  m.,  the  whole  strength  of 
the  enemy,  with  the  battleships 
Cesarevitch,  Retvisan,  and  Po- 
bieda  joining    the   fleet,     appeared- 


4^0 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


outside     the     port.        Many      vessels 
attached  to  the  fleet  were  seen  endeav- 


The  Torpedo-boat  Destroyer   Vugt'ri, 


direct  to  the  south.     At  that  time  our 
fighting   fleet,    which    was  lying   cou- 

cealed  to  the 
south  of  En- 
counter Rock, 
had  collected 
the  destroyers 
and  torpedo- 
boats  together, 
and  was  wait- 
ing prepared 
to  attack  the 
enemy,  directly 
he  appeared 
in  the  open 
sea.  It  was  at 
6.15  p.m.  that 
the  enemy's 
fleet  was  clearly 


«uripg  to  open  the  passage  for  the 
fleet  by  clearing  the  face  of  the  sea 
•where  our  mechanical  mines  w^ei-e 
laid,  w^hich  task  we  frequently  harass- 
ed by  approaching  nearer.  At  about 
3  p.m.  the  Fourth  Destroyer  Flotilla  and 
14th  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla  engaged  and 
repulsed  seven  of  the  enemy's  destroy- 
ers, which  were  covering  the  opera- 
tions of  the  vessels  dragging  for  mines. 
A  fire  occurred  on  one  of  the  destroy- 
ers, which  was  struck  by  one  of  our 
shells,  and  she  was  seen  retreating  into 
the  harbour.  But  as  immediately 
afterward  the  Novik  approached  and 
opened  fire  on  us  in  order  to  protect 
the  Russian  destroyers,  our  destroyers 
and  torpedo-boats  retreated  and  joined 
the  main  force.  Stich  was  the  opening 
stage  of  the  battle  of  the  day. 

The  enemy  then  began  to  rapidly 
drag  for  mines,  and  his  fleet,  with  the 
Novik  in  the  van,  proceeded  toward 
the  ofiing  following  the  dragging 
steamers.  A  little  after  4  p.m.  our 
Third  Fighting  Fleet  in  strength, 
keeping  close  to  the  enemy,  gradually 
lured  him  toward  the  south.  The 
enemy  appeared  to  take  at  first  a 
south-easterly  course,  but  soon  turned 


Rear- Admiral  Yamada, 
Commander  of  the  3rd  Fighting  Flbet. 


u 

5J 


3 


o 


o 

(— ' 

"^ 

I— 
'o 

LO 

o 
f/) 

a 


<1 


WAR  RECORD, 


401 


observed  for  the  first  time  at  a  point  8 
nautical  miles  northwest  of  Encounter 
Rock.  The  enemy  was  moving  toward 
the  south, forming  asingle  column  of  ten 
ships,  the  battleships  in  the  van  head- 
ed by  the  Cesarevitchy  and  the  cruisers 
in  the  rear,  while  the  Novik  and  seven 
destroyers  formed  the  right  flank. 
Our  fleet  awaited  the  opportunity  for 
an  engagement,  hoisting  the  colours 
for  action.  By  7,30  p.m.  the  distance 
between  the  hostile  fleets  had  been 
reduced    to    14,000  metres.     Our   line 


to  the  enemy  in  line  of  battle.  But  as 
sunset  (8.22  p.m.)  was  approaching 
and  the  time  was  ripe  for  torpedo 
operations,  our  destroyer  and  torpedo- 
boat  flotillas  were  ordered  to  attack 
the  enemy,  and  the  fleet  at  the  same 
time  resumed  the  single  column  forma- 
tion, turning  90  degrees  to  the  left. 
The  destroyer  and  torpedo-boat  flotil^ 
las  passing  at  once  round  the  rear  of 
the  main  fleet,  dashed  forward  at  full 
speed  against  the  enemy.  At  about 
9.30     p.m.     the    14tli    Torpedo-boat 


The  Russian  Battleship  Poltava, 


formed  the  inverted  Japanese  letter  ( >f  ) 
with  the  enemy's  line.  As  the  enemy 
gradually  turned  to  the  right,  appar- 
ently intending  to  advance  in  the  same 
direction  with  us,  we  also  changed 
our  course  slightly  toward  the  right, 
and  constantly  endeavoured  to  menace 
the  head  of  the  enemy's  column. 

Shortly  after  8  p.m.  the  enemy  chang- 
ed its  course  to  the  north,  presumably 
intending  to  return  to  Port  Arthur. 
Consequently  our  fleet  turned  at  once 
90  degrees  to  the  right  and  gave  chase 


Flotilla  made  its  first  attack  on  the  rear 
of  the  enemy's  fleet  at  a  distance  of 
about  5  nautical  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  port ,  being  followed  by  the  Fifth 
Flotilla  of  destroyers.  The  enemy's 
fleet  proceeded  toward  the  mouth  of 
Port  Arthur  in  utter  confusion,  but 
being  unable  to  effect  an  entrance  into 
the  harbour,  all  the  vessels  anchored 
outside  the  port  at  about  10.80  p.m.» 
under  the  cover  of  the  Man-ton  battery 
and  the  fort  of  Cheng-tou-shan, 
Throughout  the  night,   our  flotilla   of 


40i 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


Captain  Matsumoto, 
I  Commander  of  the  Fuji, 

destroyers  and  torpedo-boats  braving 
the  numerous  search-lights  and  the 
terrible  fusillade  from  the  enem^'^s  forts 
as  -well  as  from  his  warships,  carried 
out    no    less     than     eight     successive 


attacfks,    of  whirh  the  onte 
made  at  11.30  p.m.  by  the 
16th  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla, 
which  fell  upon  the  enemy 
by  making  a  detouf  from 
the   direction    of    Sen-shan 
Promontory,  w^as  confirm- 
ed    to      have     been     con- 
spicuously  successful.     The 
5A/raA:w/23o,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  -Commander 
AVakabayashi,    it    is     said, 
discharged  diagonally  two 
torpedoes  at  the  bow  of  a 
ship  of  the  Peresviet  type, 
and    saw    the    latter    sink 
amidst  an  immense  flame. 
As  to  the  other   effects  of 
the     engagement     nothing 
could    be    definitely    ascer- 
tained  at  the  time  by  any 
of  our    vessels,     owing   to 
the    terrible    noise    of    the 
enemy's  defending  fire,   as  well  as  the 
numerous  columns  of  water  caused  by 
the  enemy's  shells  falling  upon  the  sea. 
It  may  be  inferred    from  the  obser- 
vations made  at   dawn  the  following 


The  Russian  Crutsrr  GromohoL 


WAR  RECORD. 


403 


morning  by  the  Torpedo  Destroyer 
Flotillas  No.  4  and  No.  5  and  by  the 
gnardships,  that  the  enemy's  squadron 
was  reduced  by  a  warship  of  the 
Peresviet  type,  and  that  three  vessels, 
one  of  the  battleship  Sevastopol  type 
and  the  other  two  of  the  cruiser  Diana 
type,  were  injured  to  such  an  extent 
,  as  to  lose  the  pow^er  of  motion.      " 

The  bright  moon,  which  caused  much 
inconvenience  to  our  assault,  and  the 
narrow  front  presented  to  our  range 
of  fire  by  the  enemy's  ships  lying  at 
anchor,  prevented  us  from  securing 
greater  results. 

On  the  other  hand,  our  ships,  in 
spite  of  the  enemy's  heavy  fire,  have 
suffered  very  little,  the  damage  being  as 
follows  ;  The  Shirakumo,  of  the  First 
Torpedo  Destroyer  Flotilla,  received 
a  she  1  in  her  wardroom,  which  caus- 
ed a  fire  and  damaged  her  steering 
gear,  killing  three  men  and  w^ounding 
Surgeon  Second  Sub-Lieutenant  Miya- 
gawa  and  two  men.  The  Chidorij  of 
the  14th  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla,  was 
struck  in  her  aft  engine-room  by  a  big 
shell  which,  however,  did  not  explode. 
The  torpedo  boat  No.  64  of  the  20th 
Flotilla,  and  the  torpedo-boat  No.  66 
of  the  16th  sustained  insignificant 
damage.  A  cadet  on  board  the  torpedo 
boat  No.  53  of  the  12th  Flotilla  was 
wounded.  It  is  almost  unnecessary  to 
add  that  the  vessels  belonging  to  the 
various  fighting  detachments  did  not 
sustain  any  loss.  It  is  solely  due  to 
the  illustrious  virtues  of  His  Majesty 
the  Emperor  that  our  Combined  Fleet 
overcame  the  enemy  with  such  insigni- 
ficant losses. 

On  the  24th  June,  the  enemy's  ships 
outside  Port  Arthur  gradually  with- 
drew into  the  port,  some  under  steam 
and  some  in  tow,  and  when  a  ship 
that  had  apparently  gone  ashore  below 
Cheng-tou-shan  had  sailed  in,  no  more 
Russian  vessels  were  to  be  sighted 
outside  the  harbour.  Thereupon 
all    the    sections     of    the    Combined 


Fleet   returned   to   their    pre-arranged 
duties. 


Two  Russian  Ships  sunk 
off  Port  Arthur. 

The  Twelfth  Torpedo  Squadron, 
under  Commander  Yamada,  attacked 
the  enemy's  guard-ship  outside  Port 
Arthur  during  the  night  of  the  27th 
June.  Admiral  Togo  reported  that  on 
approaching    the    harbour    our  vessels 


Captaik  Fujn, 
Commander  of  thk  Attuma, 


were  observed  by  the  enemy,  and  had 
to  advance  in  the  face  of  search-lights 
and  heavy  cannonading.  They  attack- 
ed a  Russian  vessel  with  two  masts 
and  three  funnels  under  the  Golden 
Hill  fort.  She  seemed  to  be  a  battle- 
ship or  a  large  cruiser.  A  column  of 
w^ater  w^as  seen  to  rise  beside  her  and 
she  sank.  The  enemy's  destroyers  now 
came  to  attack  us.    One  of  them  turn- 


^n 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


cd  over  so  as  to  show  her  bottom  and 
sank  amid  a  cloud  of  smoke.  .  This 
was  clearly  observed  from  all  our  boats 
by  the  aid  of  the  search-lights.  We 
had  14  killed,^  including  Lieut.  Gondo, 
and  3  wotmded,  including  Lieut.  Yano. 


Vladivostock  Squadron  again 
at  Gensan. 

Five  Russian    torpedo-boats   entered 
the  harbour  of  Gensan  on  the  30th  June, 


the  sailing  vessel  the  Seisha-mam 
(115  tons),  which  had  arrived  there 
from  Hokkaido  the  preceding  day. 
The  crew  of  the  latter  state  that  they 
saw  a  search-light  off  Song-jin  about 
the  24th,  The  Russian  fleet  consisted 
of  three  warships,  nine  torpedo-boats, 
and  one  destroyer.  At  9.30  a.m, 
they  were  sighted  in  the  sea  oflf  Au- 
pyon  steaming  in  a  south-easterly 
direction. 


.:,=^«=™^^ 


IE  Russian  Cruiser  j^skold. 


•'■vy 


at  5.30  a.m.,  9,nd  three  warships  were 
sighted  in  the  offing.  The  torpedo- 
boats  bombarded  the  settlement  at 
6.20  a.m.  Some  200  shots  were  fired, 
but  the  settlement  sustained  no  serious, 
damage.  The  residents  were  evacuat- 
ing the  town,  but  no  casualties  had 
occurred.  The  torpedo-boats  ceased 
firing  at  6.45  a.m.  and  after  sinking 
a  small  steamer  and  a  sailing  vessel, 
which  were  lying  at  anchor,  left  the 
harbour  at  7.20  a.m.  The  steamer 
■was  the  Koun-maru  belonging  to 
Messrs.    Hori  &  Co.,    Chemulpo,   and. 


Eamimura  Squadron's 
Operations. 

On  July  1,  at  6.40  p.m.,  the  Russian 
warships,  Rossia,  Gromoboi,  and  Rurik 
attempted  to  pass  the  Tsushima  Straits 
southwards  by  the  Eastern  Channel, 
Kamimura's  Squadron  awaited  their 
approach  at  a  point  between  Iki  and 
Tsushima,  and  then  steamed  forward. 
No  sooner  had  the  enemy  observed  our 
squadron,  than  he. precipitately  chang- 
ed his  course,  steering;  for  the  north- 
east.-    4^     that     tjme     the.  distance 


WAR  RECORD. 


405 


between  the  two  squadrons  was  12 
nautical  miles.  The  Japanese  squadron 
pursued  him  at  full  speed,  but  as  it 
was  nearing  dusk  we  almost  lost  sight 
of  him.  A  portion  of  the  torpedo 
flotilla  belonging  to  the  squadron 
approached  to  within  a  distance  of  2 
or  3  nautical  miles  of  the  enemy.  The 
latter  displayed  his  search-lights  and 
opened  a  heavy  fire  on  our  flotilla. 
Our  squadron  approached  nearer,  but 
still  the  enemy  was  out  of  the  range 
of  guns.  At  8,50  p.m.  he  suddenly 
extinguished  his  search-lights  and 
disappeared  in  the  darkness.  They 
searched  for  him  in  all  directions,  but 
their  efforts  were  in  vain.  The  pursu- 
ing torpedo-boats  were  also  unable  to 
come  within  efiective  torpedo  range  of 
the  enemy. 


A  Japanese  Warship  lost. 

While  engaged  on  a  certain  special 
mission  on  July  5,  the  gunboat  Kaitnon 
(1,267  tons)  was  beset  by  a  dense  fog, 
during  which  she  struck  one  of  the 
enemy's  mechanical  mines  laid  outside 
.Dalny  Bay,  and  was  destroyed  and 
sunk.  Though  the  greater  part  of  the 
crew  were  saved.  Commander  Taka- 
hashi,  (Captain)  Paymaster  Tsuka- 
hara.  Gunner  Matsushita,  and  19  men 
are  missing.  Commander  Takahashi, 
after  having  ordered  the  whole  of  the 
crew  to  leave  the  ship,  seems  to  have 
refused  all  the  requests  of  his  subor- 
dinates to  save  himself,  and  remained 
on  the  bridge  to  the  last  moment, 
sharing  the  fate  of  the  ship. 


Naval  Engagement. 

On  the  night  of  the  8th  July,  the  Sixth 
Torpedo-boat  Flotilla  (under  Lieute- 
nant-Commander Y.  Uchida)  approach- 
ed through  rain  and  mist  to  the 
entrance  of  Port  Arthur  with  the 
intention  of  attacking  the  enemy's 
guard-ship  there.    Our  flotilla  searched 


oi 
U 
X 

H 

Pi 
< 

ciJ 
O 

o 


u 
o 

a!. 
< 

3 


406 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


for  tlie  vessel,  btit  was  unable  to  dis- 
cover her  until  daybreak.  At  5.30  a.m. 
on  the  9th,  however,  the  torpedo-boat 
No.  58  (in  charge  of  First  Sub-Lieute- 
nant T.  Nakamuta,  acting  Comman- 
der) discovered  through  the  mist  the 
enemy's  ship  Askold  at  anchor  under 
the  Golden  Hill  and  attacked  her  and 
inflicted  some  damage.  The  torpedo- 
boat  flotilla  was  heavily  fired  on 
from  the  forts,  and  two  petty  officers, 
one  in  the  torpedo-boat  No.  53  and  the 
other  in  No.  59,  were  severely  wounded. 


The  Russian  Squadron  issues 
from  Port  Arthur. 

On  the  9th  June,  at  7  a.m.,  the  Rus- 
sian battleship  Poltava y  the  cruisers 
Bayaiif  Diana,  Pallada,  and  Novik, 
tw^o  gunboats,  and  seven  destroyers, 
preceded  by  a  number  of  vessels  drag- 
ging for  mines,  issued  one  by  one  from 
Port  Arthur,  and  by  the  afternoon 
were  extended  in  a  line  reaching  from 
Hsien-sheng  Promontory  to  Lung-wan- 
tang.     A    number    of    our    destroyers 


attacked  the  enemy  for  the  purpose  of 
obstructing  the  dragging  for  mines, 
while  our  Third  Squadron  remained 
near  Siao-ping-tao.  At  2  p.m.  they  ex- 
changed fire  with  the  Bayan,  and  at  4 
p.m.  the  enemy  slow^ly  retired  into  the 
harbour.  On  our  side,  there  were  no 
casualties,  with  the  exception  of  a  boy 
on  board  the  destroyer  Asashio,  who 
was  slightly  w^ounded. 


I,  V,.- 


Another  Torpedo  Attack. 

The  Sixth  Torpedo-boat  Flotilla 
(commanded  by  Lieut.-Commander 
Uchida)  approached  the  boom  outside 
Port  Arthur  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  11th  July  and  attacked  a  Russian 
warship  of  the  Diana  type,  which  was 
on  picket  duty  at  the  entrance  to  the 
harbour.  Our  torpedo-boats  No.  57 
(commanded  by  Sub-Lieut.  Odera) 
and  No.  59  (commanded  by  Lieut.- 
Commander  Uchida)  discharged  tor- 
pedoes at  her.  Though  the  enemy 
opened  a  fierce  fire,  our  flotilla  sustain- 
ed no  loss. 


CD 
& 
O 
O 


'in 
m 

'A 


a, 


-4-3 

J2 


O 

O 


tU3 


C/2 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


407 


War  Time  Anecdotes. 


Captain  Miyamoto. 

!  HIS  young  officer  was  seri- 
ously wounded  during  the 
furiotis  attack  on  Nan- 
shan.  Bom  of  a  family 
of    Bushi    in    1876     and 

early  left  an  orphan,  he  had  undergone 

much  pain   and   difficulty  in  educating 

himself.      But   being    of  a   wonderfully 

diligent      character,        he 

studied  hard  and  managed 

to      enter     the     Mili  tary 

School,  graduating    from 

it       with       the       highest 

honours    at    ihe    age    of 

21,      He    was    soon     ap- 


in  his  study  that  he  was  never  tired  of 
visiting  a  military  tactician  in  another 
part  of  the  city,  to  w^hom  he  went  every 
evening  for  about  a  year.  He  w^as 
pure  in  his  morals  and  neither  smoked 
nor  drank.  His  peculiar  taste,  however, 
w^as  to  w^ear  a  uniform  made  of  very 
fine  stuff,  and  when  consequently 
accused  of  luxury  he  replied  that  a 
Japanese  officer  migh  t  at  any  time 
meet  a  foreign  officer  or  appear  in  the 


The  Two  YoirNC  Princrsses  reading  a- 
Letter  from  an  Officer  in  Front. 

pointed  a  Sub-Lieutenant  and  rented 
a  house  where  he  led  a  bachelor's  life, 
spending  all  his  salary  on  books  and 
devoting  all  his  leisure  time  to  studying 
English,  German,  and  Chinese,  besides 
miHtary  science.     He  was  so   earnest 


presence  of  His  Majesty.  After  he  had 
gone  to  the  front  and  had  had  several 
engagements  with  the  Russians,  he 
wrote  a  long  letter  to  Mr.  Murakami, 
a  very  intimate  friend  of  his  who  is 
now  attending  to  T.  H.  the  Princesses 
Tokonomiya  and  Chikanomiya  at  the 
Takanawa  Palace.  The  Princesses 
heard  of  this  and  requested  Mr.  Mura- 
kami to  show  them  the  letter  so  that 
they  might  see  the  writing  of  a  brave 


408 


THE  RUvSSO^JAPANESE.WAR. 


patriot  earnestly  fighting  for  his  to  household  affairs,  and  as  she  has 
country.  Of  course,  the  request  was  a  strong  aversion  to  anything  gay  or 
readily  granted,  and  the  incident  ostentatious,^  "she  rarely  appears  in 
was  in  due  time  reported  to  the  Cap-  society  or  at  any  public  entertainment, 
tain.    Then  there  came  the  news  that  ,_ 

he     was     dead     and     the  ,  ,  '  ... 

Princesses  received  it  with 
tears  and  gave  Mr.  Mura- 
kami various  articles  to  be 
offered  to  the  spirit  of  the 
departed.  When  a  later 
report  brought  the  certain 
intelligence  that  the 
Captain  was  merely 
wounded,  the  joy  of  the 
Princesses  was  so  great 
that  they  were  heard  to 
say  that  another  patriot 
had  been  given  to  the 
country. 

Mr .  Murakami  *  s  sister 
who  is  very  skilful  in 
making  artificial  flowers 
made  a  very  fine  piece  of 
work  for  the  Captain, 
w^ho  took  it  with  him  to 
the  front,  saying  that 
what  the  Bushi  is  among 
taen  the  cherry  is  among 
flowers.  Later  on,  he  re- 
ceived from  her  a  natural 
cherry  branch  upon  which  he  returned 
the  artificial  flowers,    saying  that    he 


The  Residence  of  General  Kuroki. 


was  ready  to  accept  the  omen,  and  to 


But  since  her  husband  went  to  the 
front,  she  has  been  actuated  by  the 
strong  impression  that  it  is  also  her 


fall  at  any  moment  like  a  cherry-flower     duty  to  do  all  she  can  for  the  national 


for  his  country. 


General  Euroki, 

The  family  of  this  great  general  who 
is  now  conducting  the  First  Army  in 
Manchuria  with  a  succession  of  victories 
dating  from  the  crossing  of  the  Yalu 
consists  of  his  wife  Momoko,  two 
daughters  and  two  sons.  The  eldest 
daughter  is  already  married  but  the 
rest  of  the  children  are  still  attending 


cause  during  this  great  crisis,  and  is 
diligently  employing  all  her  energies  in 
the  work  of  the  Volunteer  Nurses 
Association  and  the  Izoku  Jusan  Kai 
w^hose  object  is  to  give  employment  to 
the  families  of  dead  soldiers.  She  is 
particularly  interested  in  the  latter 
society  as  being  one  of  its  promoters, 
and  it  is  said  that  the  work  has  been 
so  far  advanced  that  in  a  short  time 
a  large  factory  will  be  established  by 
means  of  contributions  from  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  the  upper  class.  It  is 
also  under  the  patronage  of  H.I.M.  the 


schools.     The   Baroness   is   a  devoted 

and  faithftil  wife,  giving  all  her  cares     Empress  and  Printesses  of  the  Imperial 


.    WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


409 


Family.    General  Kuroki  is  in  all  res-     reaching    home,    the   general    jokingly 

pects  an   excellent    and    model    officer. 

Nothing  is  done  but  in  a  military  way. 

He  rises  very  early  in  the  morning,  and 

after    some    exercise    in     the     garden, 

enters  his  study  where  he  salutes  the 

Emperor's   photograph  and  reads  the      official.      His    honSe    which    was    built 

Imperial  Edict  to  soldiers.     After  tak-     several    years    ago   is   said  to.  contain 

ing  his  usual   breakfast  at  his  regular     not  a  single  useless  or  superfluous  hail. 


told  his  family  that  his  hat  had 
received  cruel  treatment  at  the 
Marquis's.  Rude  and  simple  in  ap- 
pearance, his  caution  is  wonder- 
ful    whether    in    matters    private     or 


hour,  he  repairs  to  his    office.     When 

he  is  at  home,  he  is  often  found  in  his 

study  surrounded  by  his 

children  to    whom   he   is 

fond  of  relating  animated 

anecdotes    of  great  men. 

He  takes  a  great  intetest 

in    the   study    of    history 

and  is    himself  an    excel- 
lent    historian.       He     is 

usually  very  reserved  and 

hates    gay    society.      Ex- 
tremely   careful    even    in 

trifling  matters  and  much 

opposed  to   all    unnecess- 
ary  expenses ,   his    advice 

to  others    is    reported  to 

be      that      every      thing 

should    be    used  properly 

and  to  its  utmost. 
When  some  years  ago  he 

visited    the  late  Marquis 

Saigo,  his  old  straw  hat 

which    had     served    him 

many  years  was  found  in 

the  hall    of  the  Marquis' 

residence,    by    a    servant 

who     considering   it   too 

shabby      to      be     placed 

among    the    others     and 

thinking  it  to  be  that  of 

a    student,    put    it    into 

another  room.    When  the 

general   was  leaving,  the 

hat   could    not  be  found 

and  some  excitement  en- 
sued   until    presently    the 

servant  brought   it  back 

wth  trembling  hands  and 

'  many    apologies   for    his 

want    of    courtesy.     On 


One  result    of  his  extraordinary  care- 
fulness, is  that  he  is  a  great  strategist, 


School-boys  chbering  Voung  Officers. 


410 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


a.  fact  well  proved  now  by  the  successful 
crossing  of  the  Yalu  and  the  capture 
of  Chiu-lien-cheng,  The  general  has  a 
strong  liking  for  wine  and  is  said  to 
be  one  of  the  two  great  connoisseurs 
in  the  Army,  the  other  being  General 
Nozu,  His  only  pleasure  consists  in 
hunting.  He  often  goes  hunting  round 
Nikko  and  is  w^ell  known  as  an  unerr- 
ing marksman.  His  pointers  are  of 
pure  English  breed  ;  two  of  them  he 
presented  to  the  Crown  Prince  some 
time  ago  and  the  rest  he  offered  to 
His  Majesty  on  his  departure  for  the 
present  campaign,  since,  as  he  said, 
they  would  be  of  no  further  use  to  him^ 


Sub-Lieutenant  and  School-boys. 

A  party  of  ^ve  school-boys  at  Oka- 
yam  a  were  in  the  habit  of  going  every 
day  to  the  station  to  see  the  soldiers 
starting  for  the  front.  One  day  they 
accosted  a  number  of  yoimg  officers 
■with   cheers,  which  were  returned  by 


hands  each  a  little  Rising  Sun  Flag, 
and  one  of  the  young  officers,  asking 
for  it,  obtained  it  on  condition  that 
he  promised  to  gain  the  distinction  of 
the  Golden  Kite.  A  few  days  after, 
the  boys  were  much  shocked  at  reading 
in  the  newspapers  that  a  Sub-Lieute- 
nant lino  had  been  wounded,  and  as 
that  was  the  name  of  their  friend  they 
at  once  wrote  a  letter  of  condolence 
and  enquiry.  Great  was  their  joy 
when  the  answer  came  back.  It  was 
another  lino  that  had  been  wounded, 
and  their  friend  was  safe  and  sound, 
and  w^orking  hard  to  obtain  the  De- 
coration of  the  Golden  Kite, 


Lieutenant  Yugamt, 

salutes,    which  eventually  led  to  con- 
versation.     The    boys    had    in     their 


Lieutenant  Yugami. 

Not  many  have  served  in  more  im- 
portant missions  as  scout  officers  than 
Lieutenant     iYugami    who     has     been 
engaged    in    this    work    ever   since  his 
landing  at  Chemulpo   on  March  13th, 
and    very    few    have    so    continuously 
distinguished     themselves    for   great 
intrepidity   and  prowess  as  he  has 
done  by  penetrating  into  extremely 
dangerous  regions  and  encountering 
the  enemy's  scouts  with  a  mere  hand- 
ful of  men.    In    each    encounter,  he 
has  dispersed  the  enemy  and  has  on 
each  occasion  succeeded  in  bringing 
back    very    important    information, 
which  has  regulated  the  movements 
of  the  whole    army.     As    early    as 
March  18th,  he    boldly    crossed  the 
Ching-chuan-chaing  and  on  the  25th 
of    the    same    month    pursued    the 
enemy's  scouts  more,  than   70  niiles 
.along  the  enemy's  line.     On  the  28th, 
he  appeared  with  20  men  in  front 
of  Chong-ju  castle  and  engaged  in  a 
severe  fight  with  80  Russian^  at  a 
distance  of  150  metres.      Several  of 
his  men  were  killed  and  wounded,  but 
nothing  daunted  his  fearless  charge 
which  at  last,  succeeded  in  driving  the 
enemy  right  out  of  the  castle.    On  May 
-5th,  he  was.  charged  with  the  work  of 


WAR  TIME   ANECDOTES. 


411 


reconnoitring  in  the  Kao-li  district,  and  the  Russians  who  now  began  to  run 
proceeded  thither  with  10  troopers.  The  away,  men  and  horses  rolling  down 
sight  of  12  Russian  scotits  on  the  hill  the  hill  which  slopes  at  an  angle  of 
west  of  the  Tang-shan-cheng  castle  made 
him  too  impatient  to  remain  still  and 
he  felt  obliged  to  rush  onward  with 
headlong  speed  like  a  starving 
pouncing 
upon  an 
especially 
fine  victim. 
The  enemy 
fired  furi- 
ously for 
a  few  mo- 
ments but 
to  no  pur- 
pose. Lieut. 
Yugami's 
men  drew 
so  near  to 
the  enemy 
that  it 
came  to  a 
hand  to 
hand  £ght. 
Corporal 
Narusawa 
was  about 
to  direct 
his  deadly 
sword  a- 
gainst  the 
enemy's 
leader 
when  the 
latter  shot 

him  in  the  shoulder  with  a  revolver, 
and  Lieutenant  Yugami  found  him- 
self surrounded  by  four  Russians, 
and  fighting  furiously.  Private  Yama- 
guchi  ran  to  his  rescue  and  cut 
down    one     of    the    Russians,    but    he 


«  No  Russian  sword  is  sharp  enough  to  cut  me." 


forty  five  degrees.    Thus  the  day   was 
on  the  side  of  the  Lieutenant. 

This  brave  officer  is  a  young  bachelor 
of  28,  with  all  the  frankness  and 
simpHcity  of  a  student.  Officer  though 
he  is,  he  is  always  contented  to  behave 
himself  was  soon  cut  on  the  back  by  like  a  student  and  never  assumes  any 
a  Russian  who  came  running  after  him.  other  air  except  when  on  _  duty.  He 
Yamaguchi  now  turned  back  and  lives  in  Tokyo,  next  door  to  Count 
furiously  brandished  his  sword  crying  Soyejima  wh®se  residence  he  used  to 
*' No  Russian  sword  is  sharp  enough  visit  often  to  enjoy  a  little  conversation 
to  cut  me."  The  furiousness  of  the  with  the  students  who  live  with  the 
Japanese  attack  proved  too  much  for     Count.     The  Count's  son   is    also    his 


412 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


warm  friend.  Just  before  his  departure 
for  the  front,  he  came  in  to  bid  fare- 
well to  his  friends,  and  when  he  was 
asked  by  the  young  Count  to  choose 
any  thing  he  liked  as  a  present  he  rode 
to  the  jeweller  Tamaya,  fetched  one  of 
the  best  field-glasses  in  the  shop  and 
told  the  young  Count  that  he  liked  that 
best  for  it  w^ould  be  most  serviceable 
to  him  in  performing  his  duty.  The 
instrument  was  gladly  presented  to 
him  and  he  left  for  the  field  next  day. 


Captain  Hayashi. 

This  brave  officer  w^as  in  chief  com- 
mand of  the  third  blocking  party  at 
Port  Arthur,  and  was  subsequently 
ordered  to  make  a  demonstration  in 
force  at  the  same  place,  both  of  which 
enterprises  he  suc- 
cessfully performed. 
On  May  26th,  he 
was  in  command  of 
a  naval  detachment 
which  was  sent  toco- 
operate  with  the  land 
forces  at  Nan-kuan- 
ling  in  the  Chin- 
chou      Peninsula, 


board  his  ship   the  CbokaL    He    was 
41  when  he  died. 

Graduating  from  the  Naval  College; 
in  May  1886,  he  served  on  board   the 
Akitsusu,  as  Chief  Navigating  Officer, 
during    the    war    with    China ,    being, 
awarded   the    5th    Class  Order  of  the 
Golden  Kite  for  his  services.  In  January 
1896,  he  married  Miss  Seki  Kosuzu,  a 
sister  of  Dr.  Seki  Bunnosuke,  chief  sur- 
geon on  the  Hatsuse,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  sent  to  Germany  to 
complete  his  studies,  whilst  in  Germany 
he  was   appointed    Naval    Attache    to 
the  Japanese  Legation  in  Berlin,  and 
returned  home  in  1901,  when  he  took 
a  long  fiirlough  on  account  of  severe 
illness,    on    recovering  from   which    he 
was  attached  to  the  Marine  Corps  at 


The  Funeral  Rites  op  the  Late  Captain  Hayashi. 


and  unfortunately  received  a  gunshot 
which  killed  him  almost  instantaneous- 
ly,    whilst     directing     operations     on 


The  Funeral  Procession. 


Yokosuka.      At     the 
commencement         of 
the    present    war    he 
was    gazetted     com- 
mander of  the  Ama- 
gi,    but    was    trans- 
ferred   in     April     to 
the      Chokai.        His 
family     were      much 
pleased  at  his  going 
to  the  war,  and  his  last  words  to  his 
wife  were  to  tell  her  not  to  mourn  for 
him  in  case  he  should  die  for  his  country, 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


413 


but   to  devote    all   her  care  to   make 
their  son,  Fumio,  a  worthy  boy. 


dangerous  task  of  wading  across  the 
river  to  test  its  depth. 

Divesting    himself    of    his     imiform, 

Ine  JVaked  SerO.  which  he  left  in  the  care   of  his  com- 

This  is  Lance-Corporal  Ohashi,  and     rades,  and  taking  with  him  only  a  short 


The  Naked  Hero. 


he  gained  his  sobriquet  on  the  1st  of 
May,  at  the  battle  of  Chiu-lien-cheng. 
Our  readers  will  remember  that  at  this 
battle  our  troops  had  to  cross  several 
streams  in  order  to  reach  the  enemy's 
position  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Yalu.  During  the  engagement  the  main 
body  of  the  Imperial  Guards  arrived 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Aiho,  and  found 
that  they  must  cross  that- stream  in 
order  to  attack  the  enemy  who  were 
strongly  ported  on  the  right  bank. 
There  was  no  bridge,  and  Lance  Corpo- 
ral Ohashi  Keikichi  7th  Company,  3rd 
Regiment,  Imperial  Infantry  Guards, 
was  selected  for   the    honourable    but 


sword,  he  jumped  into  the  river  which 
he  succeeded  in  crossing  safely  in  spite 
of  the  hail  of  bullets  which  was  show- 
ered upon  him.  When  he  had  thus 
demonstrated  the  fordability  of  the 
stream,  he  was  followed  by  the  whole 
regiment,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
moment  w^as  so  great  that  Ohashi 
never  paused  to  resume  his  uniform, 
but  naked  as  he  was,  headed  the 
charging  columns.  The  sight  of  the 
naked  warrior  was  sufficient  to  strike 
fear  into  the  hearts  of  the  Russians 
who  fled  before  him,  all  but  one  man 
-who,  concealing  himself  behind  a  bush 
on    a    piece    of    rising    ground,    took 


4-14- 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


deliberate  aim  at  him  with  a  musket.  The  Emperor  was  much  delighted 
But  our  hero  saw  the  barrel  of  the  when  he  heard  of  the  exploits  of  the 
gun  peeping  at  him  through  the  bushes,      naked  hero,  made  many  enquiries  abou': 

his  antecedents,  and 
examined  w^ith  mtlch 
interest  the  musket  with 
which  Ohashi  killed  his 
enemies.  Ohashi  is  a 
native  of  the  Tochigi 
Prefecture,  and  has  been 
in  the  Imperial  Guards 
Division  since  1900.  He 
is  by  birth  a  farmer, 
of  a  very  quiet  affec- 
tionate nature,  noted 
for  bodi'y  strength,  and 
an  excellent  shot.  His 
father  is  still  aHve,  and 
he  has  one  sister  and 
two  brothers,  one  of  the 
latter  being  now  in  the 
Reserve  Battalion  of  the 
3rd  Imperial  Guards 
Regiment. 


"You   SEE  MY    GRAVE    TS    ATI.   READY. 


and  quick  as  thought  seizing  the 
murderous  vsreapon  killed  its  ow^ner 
with  ore  blow  from  the  stock. 

The  enemy's  outpost  having  been 
thus  carried,  the  column  adv.Tnced 
some  1000  metres  further  to  where  the 
enemy's  artillery  was  posted  at  the 
top  of  a  very  steep  hill.  Ohashi,  still 
too  busy  to  resume  his  garments,  was 
again  in  the  forefront  of  the  charge, 
personally  killing  two  men  and  making 
one  prisoner,  and  it  was  remarked 
with  v^onder  that,  though  he  had  been 
all  the  time  under  a  hail  storm  of  bul- 
lets and  in  the  thickest  of  the  melee, 
his  naked  body  had  not  received  a 
single  scratch. 


A  Soldier's  Tomb. 

Among  those  who  lost 
their  lives    in    the    Naur 
shan  engagement  was  a 
private  named  Gosaburo 
I  Sato,  who  was  formerly 

a  police  constable  be- 
longing to  the  As  kusa 
Police  Station,  Tokyo.  The  deceased 
was  attached  to  one  of  the  com- 
panies of  the  Third  Infantry  Regi- 
ment (Tokyo)  and  on  the  occasion  of 
the  attack  on  Nan-shan  his  company 
advanced  to  within  700  metres  of  the 
enemy,  in  order  to  cover  the  Engineers 
in  their  arduous  task  of  dest  oying 
the  wire  entanglements.  While  thus 
engaged,  he  was  killed  by  one  of  the 
enemy's  bullets.  Referring  to  the  deceas- 
ed, the  Jiji  publishes  the  following 
story,  showing  the  man's  determina- 
tion to  fight  for  the  cause  of  his 
country.  On  the  eve  of  his  departure 
for  the  front  a  few  months  ago,  Sato, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  near  rela- 


A  Japanese  Girl 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


415 


tions,  visited  the  tombs  of  his  ances- 
tors in  the  cemetery  of  the  Rinsho 
temple  at  Kitakiyoshima-cho,  Asakusa. 
The  visitors— with  the  exception  of 
Sato,  of  course — were  greatly  surprised 
to  find  that  a  new  tomb  had  been 
erected  adjacent  to  the  old  ones,  but 
they  were  still  more  astonished  to  find 
that  the  name  of  Gosaburo  Sato  him- 
self was  engraved  thereon.  It  was  then 
learned  that  the  new  tomb  had  been  erec- 
ted by  order  of  the  man  himself  and  that 
Sato  had  purposely  asked  his  wife 
and  relatives  to  accompany  him  to  the 
cemetery,  as  he  believed  that  he  would 
never  return  from  the  front.  From 
letters  addressed  to  his  family  from 
Major  Kurakake  and  Captain  Kawa- 
saki, who  commanded  the  company  to 
which  he  belonged,  say-^  the  journal, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  conjecture  that 
the  deceased  fought  gallantly  and 
bravely  during  that  memorable 
engagement. 


was  afterwards  sent  to  France  to 
study.  In  the  China-Japan  war, 
he  served  as  a  staff  officer  to 
General  Yamagata  and  then  to 
General  Nozu.  After  being  a  bat- 
talion commander  for  some  years,  he 
was  secretary  to  General  Terauchi^, 
Minister  of  the  Army.  He  was  so  highly 
respected  in  military  circles  that  in  all 
cases  of  importance  and  magnitude  he 
was  always  consulted.  Personally 
reserved,  cool,  and  strict,  he  seemccl 
never  to  allow  his  brain  to  be 
troubled  with  family  affairs  or  any 
other  matters  except  those  belonging 
to  his  profession.  His  only  pleasure 
lay  in  hunting  and  horse   riding. 

He    left    behind    him    a    wife,     two 
sons  and  two  daughters,  all   of  whom 


Lieut.-Colonel  Suchi. 

When  the  transport  Hitachi- 
mara  was  suddenly  surrounded  and 
fired  on  by  the  Russian  Vladivostock 
Squadron,  Lieut.-Colonel  Suchi.  to 
whom  it  seemed  that  all  was  now 
over,  calmly  burned  the  regimental 
flag,  pole  and  all,  and  told  his 
soldiers  to  make  their  escape  ^  nd 
report  all  that  had  happened  on 
board.  No  sooner  had  he  spoken 
thus  than  a  piece  of  shell  struck 
him  on  the  abdomen  causing  in- 
stant death.  He  was  the  second 
■son  of  Mr.  Morifuku  and  at  16 
entered    the     Training     School     for 

N.C.O. 

His  first    experience    was  in  the 
South    Western    Rebellion    of  1877. 
In  1881,  he  studied  at  the   Military 
College  and  in  three  years  we  find 
him    a    sub-lieutenant.     His    military 
abilities  were  early  discerned  and  ap- 
preciated by  the  late    General  Kawa- 
kami,    on    whose  recommendation  he 


The  Late  Lieut.-Colonel  Suchl 

are  now  in  the  deepest  sorrow  because 
his  death  did  not  take  place  on  the 
field  of  battle. 

The  Lieut.-Colonel  had  a  very  fine 


416 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR.. 


horse  to  which  he  showed  great  at- 
tachment, and  w^hich  he  caused  to  be 
castrated  just  before  his  departure  to 
the     campaign     with     the     object     of 


The  Late  Sub-Lteutenant  Okubo  the 
Standard  Bearer. 

taking  him  to  the  front .  Strangely 
enough,  the  horse  died  from  the  effects 
of  the  operation  and  the  Lieut.-Colonel 
could  not  help  viewing  the  incident 
■with  gloomy  forebodings.  A  soldier 
who  succeeded  in  making  his  escape 
from  the  ill-fated  Hitachi-n2a.ru,  when 
interviewed  by  a  Tokyo  newspaper 
correspondent,  tells  the  circumstances  of 
the  Lieut. -Colonel's  death  as  follow^s  : — 
The  second  shell  from  the  enemy  totally 
destroyed  the  engines  of  the  Hita- 
chi-maru,  and  rendered  the  vessel 
completely  helpless.  On  perceiving  this, 
the  Lieut. -colonel  mustered  the  troops 
on  deck  and  bade  them  farewell.  He 
then  retired  to  the  officers'  quarters, 
where  20  officers  and  a  few  soldiers, 
including   the    narrator,    were    sitting. 


Ensign  Okubo  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
regimental  flag,  then  asked  the  Lieut.- 
Colonel   for   permission  to  destroy  the 
colours  ;  but  the  latter  replied  that  he 
himself  would  take  charge  of  them. 
At    that   moment    a   shell  exploded 
among  the  officers,  twelve  of  whom 
were  killed  and  others  wounded.  The 
wounded  officers  at  once  committed 
suicide  with  swords  or  revolvers,  and 
only    the     Lieut.-Colonel     and     the 
narrator  -were  left  in  the  room.     The 
latter  rushed   on   deck    to    ascertain 
w^hat  w^as  taking  place    and    found 
heaps   of    dead    bodies    lying    there. 
On  returing  to  the  officers'  quarters, 
he  saw  that  the  Lieut.-Colonel  was 
burning    the    colours    together  with 
the    staff,    and    that  the  whole  was 
being  reduced  to  ashes. 

Just  then,  another  shell  exploded 
and  a  fragment  killed  the  Lieut.- 
Colonel,  The  soldier  jumped  over- 
board and  was  subsequently  rescued 
with  37  of  his  comrades. 


Captain  Jolin  CampbelL 

The  first  Englishman  to  sacrifice 
his  life  in  the  cause  of  Japan  was 
Captain  Campbell  of  the  Transport 
Hitacbi-mara  which  was  sunk  by  three 
Russian  warships  in  the  Korean 
Channel,  and  went  down  w^ith  a  large 
number  of  men  on  board.  The  Captain's 
connection  with  the  N.  Y.  K.  who  were 
the  owners  of  the  ship,  commenced  in 
1881  when  he  entered  their  service  as 
third  mate.  Ever  since  then,  he  has 
continued  to  perform  his  duties  with 
such  admirable  faithfulness  and  credit 
that  he  soon  gained  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  employers.  He  had 
considerable  affection  for  things  Japa- 
nese and  was  often  seen  walking  on 
deck  in  Japanese  clothes.  ,He  used  to 
say  that  the  Japanese  were  bushi  oi 
great  courage  and  the  English,  gentle- 
men faithful  to  their  duty,  §0  )that  if 
these  two    traits   could   be   qon^ttined. 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


417 


they  would  produce  a  race  which  the 
world  could  not  match.  When  he  wavS 
leaving  Moji  one  of  his  friends  asked 
him  w^hat  he  would  do  in  case  his  ship 
met  with  the  calamity  of  the  Kinshu- 
maru.  With  a  calm  smile,  he  answered 
that  he  had  a  splendid  idea  in  his 
mind,  he  would  run  his  ship  with  his 
brave  soldiers  close  at  the  enemy's 
ship,  for  in  such  an  emergency  he  knew 
very  well  the  Japanese  would  become 
doubly  brave  and  he  himself  would  do 
his  duty  to  the  utmost.  With  this 
determination,  no  doubt,  he  attempted 
to  run  his  ship  against  the  Gromoboi 
on  the  night  of  June  15th,  but  before 
he  could  fulfil  his  purpose  he  fell  on 
the  bridge  struck  by  a  hostile  shell. 
His  death  is  deeply  lamented  by  the 
public  and  it  is  said  that  the  Govern- 
ment will  decorate  him  and  confer  the 
special  favour  of  a  pension  on  his 
family. 


waded  the  Ai  River  in  front  of  Kulien, 
a  Japanese  private  discovered  a  big 
Russian  soldier  concealed  under  a 
willow  tree.  On  seeking  to  capture 
the  Russian,  the  latter  pounced  upon 
his  assailant  and  grappled  with  him. 
The  Japanese  soldier  wrestled  hard  with 
his  opponent,  but  was  finally  over- 
come, and  held  down  by  his  antagonist. 
Fortunately  another  Japanese  soldier 
named  Kirihara,  seeing  the  danger  of 
his  comrade,  fired  a  shot  through  the 
thigh  of  the  Russian.  The  latter,  un- 
daunted by  his  wound,  gallantly  at- 
tacked the  newcomer,  but  in  the 
meantime  the  first  Japanese  soldier  had 
risen  from  the  ground,  and  in  co-opera- 
tion with  his  comrade  effected  the 
capture  of  the  Russian.  Kirihara  and 
the  Russian,  who  is  a  sergeant  major 
named  Macar,  are  now  in  the  same 
hospital  at  Husan  and  have  become 
friends. 


"Now  WE  Are  no  longer  enemies." 


A  Powerful  Muscovite. 

A  story  concerning  a  powerful  Mus- 
covite is  reported  from  the  front.  On 
May    1,    when    the    Imperial    Guards 


The  Poet  Sub-Lieutenant. 

When  the  men  of  the  9th  Regiment 
made  their  gallant  charge  against  the 
Russian  fortifications  at  Nanshan  and 


418 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


took  them,  they  did  it  to  the  strains 
of  a  lively  song  which  seemed  to 
fill  their  hearts  with  courage.  This 
song  -was  the  composition  of  a 
snb-lientenant,  Mr.  Umemoto  Kaoru, 
attached  to  the  9  th  Company  of  the 
Regiment,  who  had  the  misfortune  to 
be  wounded  by  a  bullet  in  the  thigh 
as  he  was  leading  his  men  in  singing 
and  fighting. 


more  than  once  did  he  feel  constrained 
to  start  up  and  i-ejoin  his  men,  but 
whenever  he  moved  the  pain  in  his 
thigh  asserted  its  supremacy  and  he 
was  obliged  to  remain  where  he  was 
until  taken  off  by  the  sanitary  corps 
after  the  close  of  the  battle. 

He  is  a  native  of  the  Nara  Prefect- 
ure   and    was    a    medical    student    at 
Osaka.    In  1897  he  enlisted  as  a  one- 
year  volunteer  in   the  9th 
Regiment   where    his    con- 
duct    was    so     exemplary 
that  he  was  in 
time  promoted 
to    his  present 
rank.        He    is 
a   good    talker 
and     has      an 
active        body 
and  brain,  one 
of  his  chief  re- 
creations being 
the       composi- 


Sub-Lieutenant  Umemoto,  the  .so-called  "  Poet  Officer." 


Unable  to  march  any  farther,  he  put 
one  of  his  men  in  charge  of  the  section 
which  he  was  leading,  and  creeping  up 
a  hill  near  the  Chinchou  coast  sat 
down  quietly  to  watch  the  fight  from 
thence,  eating  his  lunch  in  the  mean- 
while.     It  was  an  exciting  scene,   and 


tion  of  poems.  When  the  9th  Regi- 
ment wanted  a  song  to  march  with, 
the  commander  Colonel  Nakamura 
entrusted  Umemoto  with  its  composi- 
tion. He  will  thus  live  long  in  the 
memories  of  the  soldiers  as  the  poet- 
sub-lieutenant. 


WAR  TIME  ANECDOTES. 


'419 


MARCfflNG  SONG  OF  THE  9TH  REGIMENT. 

(This  Kegiment  is  mainly  composed  of  men  from  the  province   of  Omi, 

and  the  shores  of  Lake  Biwa.     The  original  was  composed 

by  Lieut.  Umemoto,  the  "  poet-lieutenant.") 


1.    The  bugle  sounds,  the  war  begins, 

The  war  that's  to  punish  the  Russians' 

sins : 
Our  Emperor  calls  us  and  bids  us  fight, 
In  his  behalfj  for  Justice  and  Right. 
So  forward  march  my  comrades  brave, 
Let  us  face  the  Russians   nor   fear  the 


grave 
Chorus. 


We'll  die  if  need  be,  but 

we'll  ne'er  disgrace 
The    flag    of  our   country, 

the  pride  of  our  race  : 
Our   colours   shall  lead  in 

the  onslaught's  van, 
As  becomes  the  pride  of  the 

brave  Omi  clan. 


2.  As  the  King  of  birds,  high  up  in  the  sky, 
Surveys  his  prey  with  expectant  eye, 
Then  swoops  on  his  victim  down  in  the 

plain ; 
So  Russia  swooped  but  swooped  in  vain  : 
For,  as  the  Sun's  Rays  the  mist  dispel, 
So  Russia  must  fade,  we  know  full  well. 
Chorus.     We'll  die,  etc. 

3.  Manchuria's  plains  are  cold  and  bleak, 
Siberian  winters  bite  the  cheek: 

But  we've  felt  the  snows    on   Hieizan's 

side, 
And  the  wind  that  the  blows  o'er  Biwa's 

tide. 
We  do  not  fear  the  terrors  dour 
Of  a  winter  camp  on  the  frozen  Amur. 
Chorus.     We'll  die,  etc. 

4^    In  mimic  wars  of  markmanship, 

Our  soldiers  have  gained  the  champion- 
ship : 
^Tis  ours  to  show  the  world   to-day 
That  we  can  shoot  in  more  than  play. 


With  steady  eye,  we'll  take  our  aim, 
And  let  our  bullets  announce  our  fame. 
Chorus.     We'll  die  etc. 

5.  We're  hardy  mountaineers  to  boot, 
Strong  of  body,  and  swift  of  foot : 
Our  enemies  are  big  and  string, 

But   their    gait    is    slow,    though    their 

strides  are  long. 
'  Slow  and  steady '  is  all  very  well, 
Our  'swift  and  sure'  is  bound  to  tell. 
Chorus.     We'll  die  etc. 

6.  The   Cossack's  a   tower   of  strength,   of 

course, 
And  usually  rides  on  an  excellent  horse ; 
But  his  vigour  has  gone,  his  love  his  cold. 
And  he  has  not  the  spirit  he  had  of  old  : 
We're  strong   in   the  love   that  resides 

within, 
In  the  loyal  heart,  and  we're  sure  to  win. 
Chorus.     We'll  die  etc. 

7.  Our  Emperor's  love  is  strong  and  deep, 
He   opens  his    purse   our   dear  ones  to 

keep ; 
And  those  that  at  home  peaceful  weapons 

wield 
Have  a   constant   care  for  the  lads  on 

the  field. 
Love  and  gratitude  therefore  strengthen 

our  arm 
To   keep    Our    dear    country    and    ours 
£i"om  harm. 

Chorus.     We'll  die  if  need  be,   but 
we'll  ne'er  disgrace 
The   flag  of  our    country,. 

the  pride  of  our  race : 
Our  colours  shall  lead  in 

the  onslaught's  van, 
As    becomes  the  pride  of 
the  Omi  clan. 


420 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


General  News. 


Imperial  Messenger  returned 
from  the  Front. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Ito,  Aide-de- 
camp to  H.  M.  the  Emperor,  who 
proceeded  to  the  front  as  Imperial 
messenger  to  the  Second  Army  some 
time  ago,  has  returned  home.  In  an 
interview  with  the  Hiroshima  cor- 
respondent of  the  Tokyo  Asahi,  the 
officer  stated  in  substance  as  follows  : — 
I  inspected  the  condition  of  the  Second 
Army,  having  visited  its  headquarters 
in  the  north  and  proceeded  to  its 
foremost  line  of  advance  in  the  south. 
I    distributed    the    Imperial     presents 


that  not  only  was  the  number  of  the 
sick    very    small,    but    those    wounded 
were  also  recuperating  with  wonderful 
rapidity.       A     high    morale    pervaded 
all  the    rank    and    file.    Both   General 
Baron    Oku,    the   Commander-in-Chief, 
and  H.I.H.  Prince  Fushirai  were  in  ex- 
cellent health  and  spirits.     I  found  the 
Prince  in  a  very  small  room  in  a  Chi- 
nese   dwelling,    with    the    holes    in    its 
walls    covered    with    old    newspapers. 
His  Highness  was,  however,  as  cheerful 
as  could  be  imagined  and  ridiculed  the 
so-called  privations.     It  was  no  wonder 
that  his  men   were  as  cheerfully  shar- 


A  Bear  which  a  Russian  left  at  Feng-hwAn-cheng. 


among  the  sick  and  wounded  receiving  ing  the  hardships  of  the  war.  A  coarse 
treatment  at  the  field  hospital.  It  was  iron  bedstead  taken  from  the  Russians 
very    satisfactory    for    me    to    observe     at    Nanshan   was    being    used    by    His 


I" -"3 


o 


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GENERAL  NEWS. 


421 


Highness,  who  seemed  to  prize  it  very  touched    by    the    profound    sympathy 

much.     The  discipline  and  enthusiasm  shown    by  Miss    MacCaul  and  party, 

with  which  the  men  of  the  supplemen-  who,  it  is  reported,  expressed  their  high 

tary  commissariat  corps  were  engaged  admiration    at   the   perfect  manner  in 


Staff  of  a  Field  Hospital. 


in  their  work  were  worthy  of  no  less 
admiration  than  those  of  the  com- 
batants. 


Miss  McCaul  at  the  Front. 

Miss  MacCaul  and  party,  who  left 
the    country  for  the  front   some    time 
ago    in    order    to    make  enquiries  into 
the  working   of  our  field  hospital,   ar- 
rived  g,t   Yong-am-pho,   at  the   mouth 
of   the   Yalu,  on  the  31st   May.     They 
proceeded  to  An-tung    Hien  on  the  1st 
June,  which  the^'  entered  amid  the  en- 
thusiastic cheers  of  our  troops  as  well 
as  of  the  natives,  and  at  once  inspected 
the    branch    military     hospital    there, 
conducted  by  Surgeon  Tanaka.       Our 
own  and  the  Russian  wounded,  some 
80    in    all,    who    are    under    medical 
treatment  at  the  hospital,  were  greatly 


which  the  hospital  was  equipped.  A 
visit  was  then  paid  to  the  military- 
hospital  at  Pa-tao-kou,  where  some 
200  wounded  are  being  treated.  The 
ladies  then  ascended  a  neighbouring 
hill,  where  Miss  MacCaul  placed 
flowers  on  the  graves  of  Japanese 
officers  and  men  killed  in  the  recent  battle 
on  the  Yalu.  On  the  2nd  June  the 
party  proceeded  to  Wiju  and  inspected 
the  military  hospital  there. 

Miss  McCaul  and  party  arrived  at 
Feng-hwang-cheng  on  the  6th  for  the 
purpose  of  visiting  the  Japanese  field 
hospitals,  and  were  courteously  receiv- 
ed by  the  high  officers.  The  foreign 
visitors  were  given  accommodation  in 
a  residence  formerly  occupied  by  a  high 
Chinese  official.  On  the  evening  of  the 
7th  a  dinner  in  honour  of  Miss  Mc- 
Caul   and    party    was    given    by    the 


422 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


authorities  of  the  Japanese  headquar- 
ters, at  which  were  present  T.I.H. 
Prince  Kuni  and  Prince  Kitashiraka- 
wa,  Lient. -General  Hamilton,  foreign 
war  correspondents,  and  officers.  Miss 
McCaul  visited  the  field  hospital  the 
following  day  and  the  part}'  left  on 
the  9th  for  An-tung,  whence  they  will 
proceed  to  Japan. 


Marshal  Marquis  Oyama,  Chief  of 
the  General  Staff  Office,  to  be  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Japanese 
Army  in  Manchuria. 

General  Baron  Kodama,  Assistant 
Chief  of  the  General  Staff  Office,  to  be 
Chief  of  the  General  Staff  in  Man- 
churia. 

Marshal  Marquis  Yamagata,  tp  be 
Chief  of  the  General  Staff  in  Tokyo. 


The  General  Staff  Office  in  Tokyo. 


The  War  Loan. 

Final  investigations  show^  that  the 
subscriptions  to  the  second  issue  of 
the  war  loan  aggregated  322,199,800 
jen^  of  which  sum  7,091,475  yen 
represented  offers  above  the  issue  price. 
Deducting  the  latter  from  the  issue 
amount,  the  sum  of  92,908,525  yen 
remains  to  be  apportioned  among  the 
subscriptions  amounting  to  315,108, 
325  yen.    The  ratio  is  29  per  cent. 


Major-General  Gaishi  Nagaoka,  to 
be  Assistant  Chief  of  the  General  Staff 
in  Tokyo. 


Important  Military 
Appointments. 

The   following    appointments   have 
been  announced  on  June  20 : — 


Departure  of  Marshal  Oyama 
and  General  Kodama. 

Marshal  Marquis  Oyama,  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  Army  of  Man- 
churia, General  Baron  Kodama,  Chief 
Staff  Officer  to  the  Army  of  Man- 
churia, Major-General  Pukushima,  Ma- 
jor-General Iguchi  and  other  staff 
officers,  left  here  for  the  front  by  a 
special  train  on  the  6th  July,  at  11 
a.m.    Long    before    the  hour  fixed  for 


GENERAL  NEWS. 


423 


their  departure  practically  the  whole 
route  from  the  General  Staff  office  to 
the  Shinibashi  station  was  Hned  by  the 
deputations  of  the  citizens,  school  boj^s 
"Bnd  the  general  spectators,  the  crowd 
being  naturally  densest  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  station.  The 
w^hole  party,,  dressed  in  plain  suits  of 
khaki  and  riding  in  ^yq  carriages, 
left  the  General  Staff  at  10  and  all 
along  the  route  they  w'ere  saluted 
■with  the  most  enthusiastic  cries  of 
bnnzai. 

Greeted  with  no  less  enthusiastic 
cheers  on  arrival  at  the  station,  they 
were  conducted  to  special  drawing 
rooms  upstairs,  where  they  received 
the  good  wishes  of  a  continuous 
stream  of  distinguished  personages. 
The  latter  included  nearly  all  that  is 
best  in  our  nobility,  officialdom,  poli- 
tics ,  army  and  navy,  and  business 
world. 

At  a  quarter  to  11,  they  boarded  the 
train,  which  was  composed  of  a  few 
cars,  the  central  one  of  ordinary  first 
class  descripti on  being  for  the  C hief 
Commander,  the  Chief  of  the  Staff,  and 
other  superior  officers,  while  the  one 
in  front  of  it,  a  second  class  car,  w^as 
occupied  by  a  rest  of  the  officers.  Two 
other  cars  were  filled  by  the  guards, 
\N,^hile  the  fifth  was  a  dining  car. 
What  was  most  noticeable  about  the 
train  which  was  to  carry  such  precious 
burden  was  the  unostentatious  simpli- 
city of  accommodation.  At  the  ap- 
pointed hour  the  train  slowly  moved 
out  of  the  station  amidst  prolonged 
shouts  of  banzai  and  much  waving  of 
hats  and  handkerchiefs. 


tributions  from  the  Japanese  in  foreign 
countries  are  constantly  increasing, 
203,000  j'c^  representing  the  amount 
already  received  and  19,086  the  num- 
ber of  these  contributors. 


Gontributions  to  the  War  Fund. 

Contributions  offered  to  the  War 
Fund  through  various  district  offices 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  have 
swollen  up  to  1,581,84-8  _7en  at  the  end 
of  May.  Of  this  sum,  1,223,662  yen 
was  already  paid  in  and  the  number  of 
the  contributors  was  243,994.  The  con- 


Gonditions  of  Russian  Prisoners 
of  War. 

The  following  account  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  Russian  prisoners  will 
doubtless  interest  our  readers : — 

VISIT  TO   THE   DOGO    HOT   SPRINGS. 

On  the  30th  May,  twelve  Russian 
prisoners,  all  officers,  were  allowed  to 
pay  a  visit  to  the  Dogo  hot  springs, 
under  the  supervision  of  Captain  Ima- 
mura.  This  was  their  second  visit  to 
the  springs  and  the  experience  pleased 
them  so  greatly  that  on  the  2nd  June, 
they  again  applied  for  permission  to 
visit  that  place.  Though  always  ready 
to  oblige  them  as  far  as  possible,  the 
authorities  could  not  entertain  their 
request  so  frequently,  owing  to  the 
trouble  involved  in  taking  the  prisoners 
out,  but  told  the  latter  that  they  should 
wait  a  week  or  so.  This  promise 
given,  the  Russian  officers  are  now 
patiently  looking  for^rard  to  the  plea- 
sure of  another  excursion  to  the 
springs. 

OFFICERS*  SANITARY  IDEAS. 

The  Russian  officers  are  admirably 
cautious  wth  regard  to  sanitation. 
Every  sunny  morning  they  may  be 
seen  airing  their  bedding,  garments, 
hats,  shoes,  etc.,  in  the  bright  sun- 
shine, and  they  also  frequently  carry 
out  the  thorough  cleansing  of  their 
rooms. 

COLONEL  NELCHINSKY. 

In  marked  contrast  to  the  innocent 
indulgence  of  the  rest  of  the  captive 
officers  in  various  forms  of  pastimes, 
Colonel  Nelchinsky,  a  regimental  com- 
mander captured  during  the  engage- 
ment at  Te-li-ssu,  is  always  down 
cast,  and  his  situation  is  indeed  worthy 
of  sincere  sympathy.     He  is  still  in  the 


424 


THE  RUSSO-JAPANESE  WAR. 


same  uniform  he  wore  when  captured 
and  seldom  leaves  his  room.  His  hear- 
ing seems  to  be  defective,  although  he 
has  once  been  suspected  of  pretending 
to  be  deaf.  At  present  he  occupies  a 
room  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Ma- 
tsuyama  Public  Hall,  which  commands 
a  very  fine  view. 


Russians  found  much  better  to  their 
taste  than  the  lobsters.  Since  then 
they  would  insist  on  the  former  being 
served  upon  their  table,  and  they 
might  have  continued  this  habit  to 
the  detriment  of  their  health  had  it 
not  been  for  the  urgent  remonstrances 
of  the  medical  authorities. 


,  Russian  Colonel  Nicolai  Iwanowitch, 
Prisoner  of  War  arriving  at  Mitsugvhama,  Iyo, 


DISHES  OF  I.0BSTER. 

There  are  three  naval  officers  among 
the  prisoners,  and  they  are  living  well, 
having  engaged  a  cook  to  prepare 
their  meals.  Being  very  partial  to 
lobsters,  they  would  insist  on  that 
crustacean  being  served  every  day. 
One  day,  however,  the  cook,  instead 
of  giving  them  their  favourite  dish, 
supplied  them    with   crabs,   which  the 


CARE  FOR  THE  PROGRESS  OF  THE  WAR. 

In  spite  ol  their  apparent  indif- 
ference to  their  surrounding,  all  the 
Russian  officers  and  men  pay  -warm 
attention  to  the  progress  of  the  w^ar. 
For  instance,  whenever  a  newsboy  is 
heard  in  the  streets  hawking  the  news- 
paper extras,  they  would  beset  the 
interpreters  to  explain  to  them  the 
trend  of  events  at  the  seat  of  war.