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THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR: The Japanese-Canadian Veterans of the First World War and the Russo-Japan War Abstract Report prepared at the request of Nikkei Nation Museum, in partial fulfilment of Geog 429: Research in Historical Geography, for Dr. David Brownstein. This report is a compilation of eight biographies of the Japanese-Canadians who fought in both WWI and the Russo-Japan war. Military records and passenger lists of ships have been collected to construct details about the soldiers’ lives prior to the first world war and afterward as well. The argument explores what it means to be a soldier in Japanese culture. This essay argues that these men display elements of the Japanese warrior code known as bushido. By: Scott MacDonald May, 2016 Introduction: The purpose of this research is to collect biographies of Japanese-Canadian war veterans, who fought for both Canada and Japan in two different wars. This report further, will contextualize their war service within a broader scope of their Japanese cultural identity. This research, in addition, will directly contribute to the Nikkei Centre’s museum exhibit titled “Warrior Spirit”. The goal of this research is to convey the spirit and courage of the Japanese-Canadian veterans who fought in WWI and the Russo-Japan war. It is necessary then, for this research, to analyze what it means to be a warrior in Japanese culture and tradition and how these principles and beliefs had influenced the Japanese soldier. With this approach, I must examine a broad range of diverse topics such as samurai ethics, the Russo-Japan war and WWI. I will argue that samurai ideals have contributed greatly to a belief in military service as a civil duty and that the actions of the 1900s Japanese soldier display the c.1200-1800s samurai ideals. This is exemplified by the veterans repeated military service in two different nations. The two key conflicts that will be examined are the Russo-Japan War (1903-1905) and World War I (1914- 1918) to gain an understanding of these conflicts and to contextualize this unique Japanese veteran war service. This paper has selected eight Japanese-Canadian veterans, that fought in both conflicts, and provides their biographies henceforth. The Samurai: The earliest appearances of the concept of bushido trace back to samurai retainer Yamamoto Tsunetomo, who wrote in the early 1700s his classic text “Hagakure”, about the ideas, beliefs and practices of the samurai. The word “bushi” translates into warrior and “do” into way or path. To Tsunetomo, bushido was the way of the warrior, the way of the samurai. What is 1 | P a g e central to understand is that not all samurai were fighters, moreover, the term samurai literally means “to serve”. This is, in fact, a central precept of samurai culture: To serve the lord or state to one’s utmost capacity.1 As Inazo Nitobe, wrote in 1900, in his work “Bushido”, bushido is a moral and ethical code that was the child of Japanese feudalism, and its source likely comes from Shinto Buddhism.2 Nitobe explains that the term bushido literally translates into “military-knight-ways” and was considered the “precepts of knighthood” that taught principles of “man’s innate goodness and purity of the human soul”. Nitobe undertook his writings in an attempt to explore and explain the ethical and moral values that he saw in Japan at the time, which he traced back to samurai and bushido ethics. To both authors, Nitobe and Tsunetomo, bushido was an honourable and distinguished way of life. Nitobe elaborates that bushido taught rectitude, to act unwaveringly in accord with love guided by reason which is enabled by teaching courage.3 It was clear in Nitobe and Tsunetomo’s teachings of bushido that there was a constant attempt to instill a comprehensive morality and sense of duty based on the cultivation of character and virtue. Further, important ideas of nationalism, community and service were instilled. Nitobe concludes that the teachings of bushido have not faded from modern Japan even though Japan was transitioning. Bushido is constructed on an interpretation of the “Ako incident” where the lord of 47 samurai was executed by the shogunate, the 47 samurai then proceeded to exact revenge on those involved and then awaited their execution.4 This example is now a famous Hollywood movie (47 Ronin), which 1Y. Tsunetomo, Hagakure, Japan, circa 1700. 2 I. Nitobe, Bushido, Shokabo, Tokyo, 1900 3 Ibid. 4 Benesch, Oleg, and Oxford Scholarship Online. 2014. Inventing the way of the samurai: Nationalism, internationalism, and bushido in modern japan. First ed. Oxford, England; New York, NY; Oxford University Press. 2 | P a g e goes to show how influential and persistent the tale has been. It is this devotion and service to the lord and a nostalgic view that constructed the idea of bushido in its modern form at the time of the Russo-Japan war. I argue that the principles taught in bushido are exemplified by the Japanese-Canadians, who fought in the Russo-Japan War and WWI. The Russo-Japan War, 1903: Of the 220+ Japanese-Canadian veterans who fought in WWI, 24 had also fought for Japan in the Russo-Japan war.5 The Russo-Japan War began on February 6, 1904, and ended September 5, 1905, with the treaty of Portsmouth.6 The Russo-Japan War is often overlooked because it occurred a mere decade before WWI and is what historian John Steinberg calls world war zero because it was one of the first conflicts with modern industrial weaponry.7 A.N. Sakharov, a military historian reports on the developments of battle, and the political scenarios that unfolded and he states that two decisive battles were fought, the battle of Tsushima and battle of Mukden.8 The battle of Mukden was a grinding assault by the Japanese, who sought to take Manchuria, but as Sakharov reports, the Russians had Northern Manchuria well-fortified and it developed into a battle of attrition. Both sides experienced high casualties as well as domestic problems and so quickly sought to forge a peace treaty. Yoji Koda, Vice Admiral of the Japanese maritime fleet, writes that this conflict was largely due to a number of political factors at the international level.9 Koda argues that one factor was a new modern Japanese government who had very recently assumed power after 250 5 Library and Archives Canada, Soldiers of the First World War: 1914 – 1918, Database. 6 K. Yoko, What Caused the Russo-Japanese War – Korea or Manchuria?, Social Science Japan Journal 10(2007) 95-103. 7 J. Steinberg, Was the Russo-Japanese War World War Zero?, The Russian Review 67(2008) 1-7. 8 A.N. Sakharov, The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905: Reality and Concoctions, Herald of the Russian Academy of Sciences 77(2007) 124-130. 9 Y. Koda, The Russo-Japanese War: Primary Causes of Japanese Success, Naval War College Review 58(2005) 10- 44. 3 | P a g e years of shogunate rule (a samurai class system) and was attempting to catch up to the new rules of international diplomacy that were quickly taking place. This era was a time of rapid change for Japan as well as the rest of the world. Changes in political relationships with the world, a change of regimes, and modernization of industrialized warfare all served to radically change Japan. It is said in the introduction to Nitobe’s “Bushido” that the soldiers in the Russo-Japan war were avid readers of “Bushido”. The fact that many soldiers were choosing to delve into the traditional martial teachings speaks volumes about how influential the ideas of old were. Further, the Russo-Japan war happened not long after the Samurai were around (c. 1870) it is quite understandable then that the samurai ways of war and soldiering would remain quite influential during the Russo-Japan conflict. WWI and Japanese-Canadians: Lyle Dick details the struggles of Japanese-Canadian soldiers and their WWI service. Dick illustrates that the soldiers were first generation immigrants who were struggling to gain political rights within Canada.10 Their service was a sacrifice and a duty to their Japanese- Canadian community at home in Canada. Again service and sacrifice are central concepts of bushido values and values that the Japanese-Canadian soldiers were displaying. As Dick details through his biography of Sergeant Masumi Mitsui, the struggle to establish a Japanese culture in Canada was a long and arduous effort. Roy Ito in his book, “We went to War”, provides a detailed story of public sentiments towards Japanese-Canadians and the struggle to gain acceptance into the Canadian Army. Ito provides a telegram of rejection from the Canadian government that states, “Your patriotic offer 10 L. Dick, Sergeant Masumi Mitsui and the Japanese Canadian War memorial, The Canadian Historical Review 91(2010) 436-463. 4 | P a g e therefore must be declined but I am to express the personal thanks of Sir Robert Borden who recognizes and appreciates the high motives which actuated…the Japanese Canadian Association”.11 Kaye Kishibe writes about the efforts made by Japanese-Canadians to serve in WWI, she states that at first due to long standing racism in British Columbia, Japanese- Canadians were denied the ability to fight for Britain, but after a few years and due to recruitment shortages the Canadian Forces eventually enabled the men to enlist.12 The Soldiers: I have compiled a list of soldiers and obtained data for each such as what unit each Japanese soldier was in, and when each individual was enlisted through the national archives.13 By cross-referencing battalion deployment with soldier enlistment dates, I am able to place the veterans in key battles of WWI.

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