The Japanese soldier--His dignified demeanour--His artistic
taste--Delicate touch--Appreciation of art--Watches for preference.
The Japanese soldier in many respects resembled the British, but was
more reserved, and less anxious to be everybody’s friend. The innocent
and frank simplicity of the Briton was replaced in the Oriental by a
more graceful, yet a stolid and dignified demeanour. But at heart both
were alike, both dare-devils, yet gentle enough if treated the right
way. The point where a marked difference lay between the two was in the
true and keen artistic sense of the beautiful inborn in the sons of
the Mikado’s Empire, and altogether absent in the British Tommy. All
that was ancient, refined in line and taste, or pleasing to the eye in
colour, had for a Japanese more fascination than anything of ten times
its intrinsic value. In other words, an old cup, a bowl, a rolled-up
painting yellow with age, a scroll done with a dash of the brush,
offered more temptation to the Japanese than a costly roll of silk, for
which he would not seem to care at all. I went into a house which had
been entered by a number of Japanese privates. They had found a cabinet
of old china, and each soldier was revolving in his supple fingers a
cup or a vase or dish, and carefully examining the design.
[Sidenote: ARTISTIC TASTE]
[Illustration: AMERICAN AND JAPANESE WOUNDED RETURNING INTO THE
SETTLEMENT SEVERAL HOURS AFTER THE ENGAGEMENT]
“_Kekko neh!_” (“How lovely!”) exclaimed one soldier, looking into the
work with the eye of a connoisseur.
“_Sajo deska. Taihen joso!_” (“Yes, indeed. First rate!”) announced
his neighbour, drawing in his breath in sign of admiration, while he
tried to decipher the mark on the bottom of each cup. And here a long
conversation began on the age of the crockery, how graceful in shape,
how fine in texture and make each piece was, and how skilful the artist
that painted it. Great regret, accompanied by considerable nodding of
the head to the right and left, was expressed at the impossibility
of carrying away such artistic ware, owing to its brittleness and
size. And here comes the principal point of my story. Such was their
admiration for the wares they had handled that, instead of smashing
them, as less artistic troops did those objects that could not be
carried away, these Japanese soldiers carefully replaced each article
on its shelf.
[Illustration: JAPANESE CONVEYING WOUNDED INTO THE SETTLEMENT SEVERAL
HOURS AFTER THE BATTLE OF TIENTSIN]
One could not help being struck, especially when small, delicate
articles were handled, by the dainty, artistic touch of the Japanese
soldiers as compared with the clumsy, sausage-like fingers of the
American, Russian, French or British soldier. The Japanese picked up
and laid down the smallest and most minute articles with such neatness
and grace that it was a real pleasure to see them, whereas the Yankee,
or the French or the British or Russian, not to mention the German,
could touch nothing that was not solid bronze or stone without breakage
or twisting or soil or injury of some sort. In another house, a group
of Japanese soldiers were discussing the merits of an old picture which
they had just unrolled. They came to the conclusion that it was at
least 300 years old. An officer entered. They showed it to him and he
said that it was a very fine painting. They begged him to accept it.
One of the soldiers rolled it up again and wrapped it in a piece of
silk as neatly as if he had been a picture-dealer all his life.
[Sidenote: A PRACTICAL MIND]
The Japanese--I am talking of the common soldiers, not of the
officers--were the only soldiers in the field who showed any natural
and thorough appreciation of art and of things artistic. They like
everybody else, of course--looted, but they did it in a quiet, silent
and graceful way, with no throwing about of things, no smashing, no
confusion, no undue vandalism. They helped themselves to what they
fancied, but it was done so nicely that it did not seem like looting
at all--at least, not like looting as understood by people at home.
Small ivory or jade carvings were much cherished by the Japanese, but,
curious as it may sound, with all their artistic taste, when it came
to actual carrying away, their minds ran to the practical, and the
principal things for which the little fellows looked were watches of
foreign make, which were plentiful in China. Silver repeaters striking
the hours, quarters and minutes, made many a Japanese soldier happy,
and next to these there was nothing that a Japanese soldier loved
better than musical instruments or portable music-boxes. He could
almost outdo the Russian in this.