of the Shogunate, and she dropped anchor in Yokohama on the 24th of
April 1868, only a few days before the Prince Tokugawa Keiki resigned
his office. She was never delivered to the Shogun’s government, but was,
by order of the American Minister, retained in port at Yokohama under
the Stars and Stripes ensign, though as a matter of fact she had flown
the flag of Japan on her voyage thither from the United States. There
was some little heart-burning at this, for it was thought that had she
been available for use by the Shogunate party which had bought her, she
might with her far greater power have made short work of the imperial
fleet. But, as we have seen, the Shogun was then ready to resign, and all
prospect of success vanished with his submission to the Emperor five days
after the ironclad’s arrival in Japanese waters.
With the resignation of the Shogun she naturally came into the hands of
the Imperialists, to whom the United States authorities were no doubt
justified under the circumstances in delivering her, and she set out
bravely enough with the remainder of the imperial squadron for the north
in 1869. But less than twenty-four hours had elapsed before she was in
difficulties with her engines, and it was with much trouble and anxiety
that she was navigated as far towards Yeso as the harbour of Miyako, a
little to the north of Sendai Bay, and about half way to Hakodate. Here
she might have been captured, but for good luck, for she had entered
to coal and her crew were ashore, not scenting danger, as they had no
expectation that any of Admiral Enomoto’s vessels were in the vicinity.
While she was lying at anchor the _Eagle_, flying the Shogunate ensign,
steamed in, and catching sight of the ram, charged her at full speed.
It was magnificent, but it was not war, and the _Eagle’s_ bow was
severely damaged by the exploit. There was a tussle on the deck of the
_Adzuma_, and several were killed on either side, but numbers were with
the Imperialists, and the _Eagle_ was obliged to seek safety as best
she could in flight. She ultimately reached port at Hakodate, though
her consort, the _Ashuelot_ gunboat, which was waiting for her outside
Miyako, contrived to run ashore, it being rather a foggy time of year,
and was captured with all hands, by the Imperial fleet, which followed as
soon as steam could be got up, and went to Aomori Bay, on the south side
of the Straits of Tsugaru, opposite to Hakodate.
The engagement which shortly afterwards took place on land and sea
at Hakodate itself was described by eye-witnesses as a splendidly
contested affair from first to last. The besiegers advanced under a very
heavy and well-sustained fire, and Admiral Enomoto’s defence of his
vessels, on the other hand, was skilful and resolute. The _Kwan-gun_ or
Imperialist forces, which had come to the straits overland from Tokio,
were landed on Hakodate Head in the rear of the town of Hakodate, while
the rebels held the battery at Benten, and the villages of Chiyoga-oka
and Goriokaku. They were under the command of Matsudaira Taro, Otori
Keisuke, and Arai Ikunosuke, while Admiral Enomoto was afloat, one of
his captains being the present Ambassador in London, Viscount Hayashi.
Despite their undoubted bravery, the Tokugawa men were overmatched, for
the Imperialists acquired a position which dominated the fortifications
of the town from the hill behind, and when at last he saw that it would
merely prolong the strife and cause useless bloodshed if he persisted in
his opposition, Admiral Enomoto, yielding to the earnest remonstrances
of the Imperialist Army, surrendered, and the Shogun’s followers finally
laid down their arms.
Admiral Enomoto and many of those with him were imprisoned for a time,
but there was no desire to treat harshly those who had been loyal to the
party which had a claim on their services, notwithstanding that they had
of necessity been classed as rebels, and Enomoto was himself given a high
post as Minister of the Colonisation Department then newly established
under the title of the Kai-taku-shi, its operations being specially
directed to the development of this northernmost island of the Empire.
Thus in some degree Enomoto had his wish gratified, of being entrusted
with the guardianship of the Northern Gate, but in 1874 he was despatched
to St Petersburg on a mission to arrange with the Russian Government for
the exchange, in conformity with Russia’s request, of the southern half
of Sakhalin island for the northern half of the chain of islets forming
the Kuriles Archipelago. When he returned from Russia he was again
occupied with the work of Colonisation, and in 1882 he went to China as
Japan’s representative at the Court of Peking.
He has occupied a seat in the Cabinet on several occasions, having
held the portfolios, at various times, of the Navy, Foreign Affairs,
Education, Communications, and Agriculture and Commerce. The last-named
office he occupied in the Second Ito Ministry at the close of 1896, and
was similarly placed in the Second Matsukata Ministry which fell in
December 1897.
It was characteristic of him that when the conflict was over at Hakodate
in 1869 he sent to the Imperialist Generals two volumes on Naval Tactics
which he had studied while in Holland prior to 1866. They were very
valuable books, he said, and were otherwise unobtainable in the Empire
and he could not bear that they should be destroyed. The Imperialist
leaders acknowledged the gift, and in return sent to the Admiral five
kegs of _saké_, the native wine. Enomoto and Matsudaira were both
resolved on putting an end to their lives by the traditionally honourable
act of _seppuku_, but they were closely watched and were prevented from
doing so, and they finally surrendered and were taken prisoners to Yedo,
where, as already explained, their punishment was only of brief duration.
Happily, Admiral Enomoto, though no longer on the active List of the
Navy, is still in the enjoyment of good general health at seventy years
of age. He is rightfully regarded by the younger men as the father, to
all intents and purposes, of the Japanese Navy, and his exploits at the
beginning of the Meiji era certainly entitle him to a high place in the
affections of those who recognise in the fleet as it exists to-day a
bulwark of defence against invasion and a force which has proved itself
capable of making the flag of the Rising Sun Empire everywhere respected.
XXI
ADMIRAL TOGO HEIHACHI
If Admiral Enomoto was the first to obtain the title by having handled
a modern Japanese fleet in actual warfare, it will be acknowledged that
Admiral Togo has caused his own doings to be for ever associated with the
later developments of Japan’s sea-power, and that it is his name which
will descend to posterity as that of the commander who, by his skilful
leading and marked ability, combined with personal attributes of a kind
to inspire the loftiest esteem and even affection in all those who came
into contact with him, made the Japanese fleet the tremendous fighting
machine that it is to-day. It is true that the late Count Katsu (known
in the pre-Restoration days as Katsu Awa-no-Kami, the personal friend
of Saigo Takamori) was Minister of the Navy under the Shogunate, and
commanded the first Japanese steamship that ever crossed the Pacific
Ocean from Yokohama, an armed vessel which took out the Oguri Embassy
to America in 1859, but the rise of the Navy must be attributed to a
somewhat later period, when the rival forces fought in Awa Bay in 1868,
and at Hakodate in the next year, and the leader who on those occasions
most distinguished himself was Admiral Viscount Enomoto, whose adventures
have been recorded. Admiral Togo represents the polished and perfected
machine: Enomoto was answerable for the quality of the metal employed
in its construction. Togo has all the credit of having given impetus
and direction, by the force of his own example, to the studies of the
Japanese naval officer and thus contributed extensively to the making of
the Navy as it now exists.
[Illustration: ADMIRAL TOGO]
The Admiral is a Satsuma man, born in the castle town of Kagoshima on
the 6th of December 1847, and comes of Samurai stock, his father being
one of the retainers of the _daimio_ Shimadzu Saburo. When only sixteen
he was placed aboard one of the small war vessels then owned by the
principality, and was in the engagement with Admiral Kuper’s Squadron
when the British bombarded Kagoshima in 1863. As is elsewhere explained,
the Satsuma men realised that modern Western appliances gave great power
to those who wielded them as weapons of warfare, and with the conviction
uppermost that they had made as good a fight as could have been expected
with rather antiquated guns, they forthwith prepared to be good friends
with their late antagonists, and to learn all they could with the object
of making the Satsuma clan a tower of strength in view of the Restoration
of Imperial rule.
In 1868 Togo Heihachi was an officer aboard one of the three Satsuma
ships that then came to Kobé, and fought with Admiral Enomoto’s squadron
in January in Awa Bay. She was the _Kiang-Su_, later named _Kasuga-Kan_,
and she routed her enemy, the _Kwai-Ten_. The _Kasuga-Kan_ had originally
been Admiral Sherard Osborn’s flagship when the “Lay flotilla” was taken
out to China, and as the Chinese did not want her, she was sold to the
prince of Satsuma. She was a fairly fast vessel of the paddle-wheel type,
and did good service for the Imperial Government after the Restoration.
In the year 1871 Togo Heihachi came to England and was for the ensuing
seven years in H.M.S. _Worcester_ at Greenhithe, and the Royal Naval
College at Greenwich. In 1878 the _Kon-go Kan_ and _Hi-yei Kan_ composite
corvettes were completed in Great Britain for the Japanese Government to
the designs of Sir Edward Reed, and Togo Heihachi went out in the _Hiyei_.
From that time nothing was heard of him until the famous affair of the
_Kowshing_, at the commencement of the Japan and China War, in 1894,
when he commanded the _Naniwa Kan_, a Second-class Cruiser built at
Elswick-on-Tyne in 1885. During the long interval he had been steadily
climbing the ladder, and had gone through all the stages to the
attainment of the rank of Commander. A thorough seaman, he did not
disdain to personally instruct those under him in the most ordinary
duties, translating naval technicalities from English text-books into
Japanese for the puzzled junior officers who had not been out of Japan
for their education. Later, the _Naniwa_ was one of the flying squadron
of four ships under Admiral Tsuboi that preceded the main squadron under
Admiral Ito into action with the Chinese fleet off Hai-Yang Island, the
engagement being known as the Naval Battle of the Yalu. After the fight
was over the _Naniwa_ was sent westward to reconnoitre Wei-Hai-Wei,
Chifu, and Port Arthur.
When the prospect of war with Russia in 1903 necessitated much
preparation at Tokio, Togo was summoned by Admiral Yamamoto, his old
friend and schoolfellow, to the Capital, and he rose from a sick-bed to
go, replying to his wife’s remonstrances, “I shall be well the moment
I set foot on deck and drink in the salt-laden air.” It is recorded of
him that while stationed at Maizuru, the naval depot on the west coast
of the main island, facing Korea, he practically lived in his office,
and scarcely spoke to any of his officers, merely saluting as he passed
in and out. His taciturnity is proverbial, yet children in Japan find
nothing forbidding in him and crowd round him with delight. He resides
in an exceedingly modest dwelling-house in a Tokio suburb, its furniture
and decorations being of the simplest kind. So imperturbable is he that
had he been aboard his flagship the _Mikasa_ when she went down recently
in harbour at Sasebo it is certain that he would not have lost his
self-possession for an instant, and to those who know him best he is the
“silent one,” who loves to be alone with his tiny silver tobacco pipe.
His recreations are hunting game with his breech-loader and his dogs, or
trout-fishing in some mountain stream. Madame Togo has said that when he
went to join the United Squadrons a short time prior to the outbreak of
hostilities in 1904, he merely asked her to be kind enough to take care
of his dogs.
Even for a Japanese the Admiral is short, and rather stout, of figure,
and people marvel when they see him that he can be “the great Togo, the
Nelson of Japan.” But the energy of the man is revealed in his quick,
piercing glance. He is a strict disciplinarian, and a hater, above all
things, of display, or of public homage. A story is current at Sasebo
that before the fleet sailed for Port Arthur he called all his officers
on board the _Mikasa_ and briefly addressed them to the effect:—“We sail
to-night, and our enemy flies the Russian flag.” On a tray in front of
him lay one of those short daggers which in former times were used to
commit _Seppuku_. As the officers filed past him he looked each one
in the eyes, and all of them understood his meaning. None would have
survived the disgrace of a defeat. It is his practice, it may be added,
as showing his indifference to danger, to direct operations during an
engagement entirely from the bridge, and he has had some narrow escapes.
The incidents of the Naval campaign of 1904-5 are so fresh in everyone’s
memory that it would be tedious to go into minute details. On the night
of the 8th of February 1904, the Russian fleet, which lay conveniently
for Admiral Togo’s purpose outside the harbour of Port Arthur, found
itself attacked. Two Russian battleships and one cruiser were torpedoed,
and next day the assault was renewed with the result that another
battleship and three more cruisers were badly damaged. Five days later
Admiral Togo sent his destroyers to the attack in a snowstorm, and
another Russian cruiser was torpedoed. On the 24th of the month an
attempt was made to seal Port Arthur by sinking steamers which officers
of Admiral Togo’s fleet navigated, and on the 9th and 10th March there
was another destroyer attack, followed by a bombardment on the 21st and
22nd.
Five days later another desperate effort was made to block Port Arthur
by sinking steamers, and on the 13th of April a Russian Squadron was
decoyed out of harbour and the _Petropavlovsk_, with the Russian Admiral
Makharoff on board, was sunk by a mine. At last on the 3rd of May Port
Arthur was at all events temporarily blocked, for battleships and
cruisers, but on the 15th Admiral Togo had the misfortune to lose two
of his finest battleships, the _Hatsusé_ and _Yashima_, both built on
the Tyne, having run upon drifting torpedoes. There was a naval sortie
on the 23rd June, which was easily repulsed by the Japanese fleet, and
on the 10th of August took place the memorable battle in the Yellow
Sea, when the Russian fleet, issuing from Port Arthur, was defeated and
dispersed, some of the ships getting back to harbour at the fortress,
but others making for neutral ports, where they were interned until the
conclusion of the war. On this occasion the Russian Admiral Vitoft was
killed in action. There was a long running fight in which the _Mikasa_
greatly distinguished herself, and at 6.12 P.M. a 12-inch shell came
aboard her and burst close to her bridge on the port side. Admiral Togo,
with his Chief of Staff, and the captain of the ship, with five others,
were on the bridge at the time, and four of the eight persons were hit
by fragments, but the admiral was untouched. He had been on the bridge
throughout the action, from the first exchange of shots at one o’clock,
but his subordinates were resolved that he should stay there no longer,
and by efforts little short of an application of physical force, he was
induced to enter the conning-tower. At 8 P.M. the Russian ships had
fallen into inextricable confusion, and it was left to the Japanese
torpedo craft to continue the fight, with what result was never precisely
ascertained. The Russian vessels at Port Arthur were ultimately sunk by
their Commanders prior to the Capitulation of the 2nd January 1905, but
most of them have since been raised and taken over to Japan.
On the 12th of April Admiral Rojdestvensky arrived at Kamranh Bay in
Indo-China, and on the 22nd left there under pressure from France after
Japanese protests had been lodged against infractions of neutrality. The
battle of the Sea of Japan was fought on the 27th and 28th of May 1905,
and Admiral Togo succeeded in annihilating the Russian Baltic Fleet.
After peace was made the Japanese vessels remained for a time at Sasebo,
where an explosion occurred on board the _Mikasa_ and she sank at her
moorings, but was not wholly submerged, the work of refloating her being
one that it was fully expected would be completed early in 1906. In
October the Combined Fleet was reviewed by the Japanese Emperor at its
moorings, drawn up in seven lines, in the bay of Tokio, extending from
the mouth of the Rokugo river at Kawasaki to the vicinity of Hommoku
Point, near Yokohama. Prior to the fleet’s arrival in Tokio Bay it had
paid a visit to Isé Bay, which opens out of the Pacific in lat. 34° 30´
North, and was formerly known as Owari Gulf. The assembly of the combined
squadrons in the bay was an imposing spectacle, and Admiral Togo, with
his staff-officers, visited the sacred shrines of the Imperial ancestors,
at Yamada, which is near Toba harbour. Hundreds of thousands of the
people had assembled from far and near. Admiral Togo was the recipient of
the greatest honours that his admiring countrymen could pay, both there
and afterwards at Tokio, where they gathered absolutely to the number of
a quarter of a million to bid him welcome on his safe return to his home.
On the 29th of October he visited the beautiful Cemetery at Aoyama, in
the Capital, to take part in an impressive Shinto Ceremony in honour of
the departed naval heroes of the war, the spot chosen being close to that
where lies Captain Hirosé, the officer who lost his own life while trying
to succour a subordinate in the second attempt to block Port Arthur. The
central figure of the gathering was Admiral Togo, who was escorted by a
detachment of his sailors, unarmed. After the religious rites had been
solemnly performed, he moved to the altar, and standing alone while all
the officers and men present came to the salute, he read an address to
the spirits of the dead. It ran somewhat as follows:—
The clouds over land and sea have dispersed, children welcome
us and their parents await us at the gates. Looking back we
recall the heat and cold of the times when we fought side by
side with you against our powerful foe. The result could not
then be foreseen. The bravery you showed brought us splendid
victories in all our combats. Now that the contest is over,
we who are at home feel it deeply that our rejoicings cannot
be shared by you. Yet your deaths have made this day possible.
Your fidelity and bravery shall remain with our navy for ever,
and inspirit it to protect perpetually this, the Imperial Land.
I have prepared this ceremony to your manes, as worthy of all
honour, and I take leave to say to you: Be at peace,—Accept our
offerings.
There was no sound but that of the Admiral’s voice, and in profound
silence all those present made their obeisances before the Altar of
Memory.
It may be useful here to give some idea of the character of the training
that the Japanese Naval Officer undergoes.
Most Japanese youths intended for the sea begin their naval training at
the Etajima College, close to the arsenal of Kure, near Hiroshima, in the
“Inland Sea,” which separates the main island from Shikoku and Kiushiu.
The entrance to this college is by competitive examination, and students
come from all parts of the country, though not a few of the successful
ones are prepared at a special school in Tokio,—the Higher Naval College.
The Etajima establishment is open to every male subject between the
ages of fifteen and twenty, but marriage is a bar, likewise bankruptcy
or previous subjection to any serious punishment. Everything is done at
Government expense. Failure to pass the physical examination disqualifies
the youth for the educational tests, which cover a wide field. There
are three foreign languages which are optional as studies—viz. French,
German, and Russian, but English is compulsory. The course lasts three
years, and a cadet who is once entered must not change his mind, but must
continue his studies unless disqualified in some recognisable way. Sea
duties are taught aboard one of the several tenders attached to Etajima.
The daily programme is:—
5.30 A.M. Rise, sweep room, make bed, arrange
clothes, wash and dress.
6.10 ” Inspection by officer on duty.
6.30 ” Breakfast.
7.45 ” Second inspection by the captain.
8. 0-12. 0 noon. Lessons.
12. 5- 1. 0 P.M. Dinner.
2.15- 3.30 ” Special studies—_e.g._ fencing, wrestling,
bayonet drill, rowing, sailing,
hygiene, history, law, etc.
3.30- 5.30 ” Recreation.
5.30 ” Supper.
6.30- 9.30 ” Preparation.
10 ” Bed.
Though Etajima is an out-of-the-way spot, and there is nothing on the
island but the college and its grounds, there are three training ships
and five launches at the disposal of the institution, so that life is not
by any means dull or uneventful.
After midshipmen quit the college they continue their work at sea, and
the sister ships _Matsushima_, _Itsukushima_, and _Hashidate_, all of
which were prominent in the war with China of 1894-5, and are each
4200 tons, are employed for this purpose. At the end of two months
from joining the captain examines a sub-lieutenant in ships’ stations,
regulations, etc., and subjects are set for essays, for which rewards are
given.
From the practical training given at Etajima it is possible to select
officers who go to Tokio for further theoretical training at the
Naval Academy. There the courses are four in number, the first,—of
two years—being intended to equip the lieutenants with a knowledge of
strategy—naval and military,—tactics—naval and military,—fortification,
torpedoes, shipbuilding, navigation, and the higher education of the
general course. The officers are sent out to take part in manœuvres or
visit forts and naval stations. The next year is devoted to special
studies of gunnery, torpedoes, and navigation, and then the officers pass
to a three months’ practical course at the gunnery or torpedo schools.
Side by side with these there are the practical courses for officers and
men at Yokosuka. In all that she has done Japan has closely followed the
example of Britain, and in other branches than that referred to here,
which is of course the executive of the navy, the same care is taken that
the training shall be of a thorough kind, in faithful adherence to the
principles on which the instruction first derived from Admiral Douglas
and his staff, in 1873, was based.
In his own country Admiral Togo Heihachi is esteemed above everything
for his absolute sincerity and singleness of purpose, his overwhelming
sense of duty which prompts him to make complete sacrifice of personal
considerations, and his observance of strict courtesy towards all men.
His services entitled him to a rest, and he has been given the post of
Chief of the Naval Staff. In his farewell address to the officers and
men of the Combined Fleet which he had commanded he emphasised the need
of incessant training, pointing to the example of the British navy, and
concluded thus:—
“Providence will confer honour on those who work hard in the
study of their duties, and thus virtually win the victory
before fighting, whilst denying honour to those who are
satisfied with a temporary success only, and seek personal
pleasures in time of peace instead of devoting their leisure to
useful research. An ancient adage warns us:
“Katte, kabuto no O wo shimero!”
(If victorious, tighten your helmet-cords!)
In other words, “Never relax your efforts,—on the contrary, be
prepared to exert yourselves still more!”
XXII
BARON EICHI SHIBUSAWA