# Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan/Series 1/Volume 1/Russian Descents on Saghalien and Itorup

RUSSIAN DESCENTS IN SAGHALIEN AND ITORUP IN THE YEARS 1806 AND 1807.
BY
W. G. ASTON, Esq.
Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan,
on the 7th June, 1873.
———o———
The following account of Russian descents in Saghalien and Itorup has been prepared from a collection of Japanese manuscripts comprising the private correspondence of officials on duty at Hakodate, together with proclamations and other official documents.
The causes of these Russian descents are to be looked for in the events of the previous four or five years. The Russians had already made several attempts to open trade with Japan. Applications of this kind which were made to the Japanese authorities in Yezo were always referred to Nagasaki, and at last an embassy was sent there bearing a letter from the Czar to the Tycoon in which a Commercial Treaty was asked for. The Russians were delayed at Nagasaki for several months awaiting the answer of the Japanese Government. It was to the effect that they could by no means deviate from their ancient policy of seclusion, and was accompanied by an order from the Government of Nagasaki to quit that port immediately.
The irritation felt by the Russians at the ill-success of their mission must have been increased by an event which took place about the same time. Fourteen Russians who had ventured to land on the island of Itorup in hopes of ​being allowed to trade were seized by the Japanese garrison there and thrown into prison, where they remained till the following year when they made their escape.
In the autumn of the year 1806 two small Russian men-of-war arrived at Kushunkotan the principal Japanese settlement in Saghalien. The united crews of these two ships amounted to no more than sixty-four or sixty-five men. On arriving at Kushunkotan, we are informed that they fired poison-smoke-guns, after which a party landed in boats and pillaged the godowns, carrying off the rice and whatever other valuables they could find. They also carried off seven or eight of the Aino inhabitants and one Japanese soldier, setting fire to the place before they went. The Russians nailed up a plate of copper on the Tori-i of the temple of Benten with an inscription to the following effect:—
I. It is unjust of the Japanese to prohibit trade with the Russians in Saghalin.
II. If the Japanese should change their minds and wish for trade, they might send a message to Saghalin or Urup.
III. If the Japanese persisted long in refusing justice, the Russians would ravage the northern parts of Japan.
The approach of winter prevented the Russians from carrying their menaces into effect this year. One of the ships retired to Urup for the winter, and the other to Kamschatka.
Meanwhile, the news of the Kushunkotan affair had produced great alarm and excitement. The copper tablet was sent to Yedo, where it seems to have been taken as a declaration of war by Russia. Active preparations were made for repelling any future attacks which might be made. A body of 150 men was despatched at once to Kushunkotan, but arrived too late to be of any service. Two hundred Tsugam soldiers were soon after posted at Soya, a settlement near the northern point of Yezo, and opposite to Kushunkotan. The garrison of Itorup was increased to 200 or 300 men, and by the spring of next year that of Hakodate was raised to about 2,500 men, mostly retainers of the northern Daimios.
​Extensive preparations were also made on the main island of Japan. Bodies of troops were stationed at all the seaboard villages in the northern provinces, and the Daimios were urged to increased vigilance in guarding their coasts.
The diary of an official who was travelling northward about this time gives a lively picture of the bustle and excitement along the great northern highway. Couriers were constantly passing backwards and forwards between Yedo and Hakodate, and between the Daimios’ yashikis in Yedo and the provinces, carrying dispatches wrapped in oilcloth covers; and the road was thronged with troops equipped in the old fashion—some with bows and arrows, and others with spears and matchlocks—while occasionally a Daimio or Governor monopolized the way with his train. The transport service necessary for these movements of troops and officials was a grievous burden on the farmers, and many of them, to escape it, preferred to abandon their holdings and conceal themselves among the hills.
Another writer gives the following account of the train of a Governor of Hakodate.
The procession was preceded by a man whose duty it was to clear the way by the well-known “Shitani! Shitani!” the signal for every one to squat by the roadside till the great man had passed.
Next came a body of 12 foot soldiers, in two files of six men each.
Next two war-conch blowers.
Two drummers.
Eight matchlock men.
Two men carrying ammunition.
Two men carrying arrows.
Eight archers.
Three Samurai.
Three men carrying the emblems of the Governor’s rank.
Two men with the Governor’s private matchlocks.
Two men with the Governor’s bows.
​Two men carrying the two lances indicating the Governor’s rank, with two others as reliefs.
Six foot-soldiers.
Two halberdiers.
The Governor himself on horseback, his horse led by two grooms,
Six Samurai.
Two doctors.
Three men bearing—one, the Governor’s sandals, one his umbrella, and one his camp-stool.
Two men bearing the lances of officers in the Governor’s train.
Three men with baggage.
Three men with the Governor’s tea and luncheon necessaries.
Two men to preserve order on the march.
Two grooms with spare horses.
Two men with straw shoes, etc., for horses.
Several subordinate officials with a suite of from two to nine persons brought up the rear, the whole amounting to 123 persons. This body of men seems to have been considered a warlike force, and is spoken of as an army; but of the entire number only thirty-six seem to have been really fighting men.
In the spring of 1807, as soon as the sea was open for navigation, the Russian ship which had wintered in Kamschatka joined her consort which had remained at Urup, and shortly after they appeared in company at one of the Japanese settlements in Itorup.
At this time the Japanese colony of Itorup was in a tolerably flourishing condition. It had been established more that ten years before, and had now a population of more than a thousand Ainos and 350 or 300 Japanese, including five women. Most of the Japanese were, however, soldiers from Nambu and Tsugaru. There is no mention of any trading population, except a sake-brewer from Akita who had established a brewery to supply the garrison. The Aino population was engaged in the fishery of masu, a species of salmon. Its oil was expressed, and ​both oil and refuse sent to Hakodate. In the winter the Ainos hunted the bears for their skins.
The climate of Itorup is described as being not very severe in the early part of the winter. In February, however, the sea freezes for fifty or sixty ri and remains frozen until May. Snow falls along the sea-shore to a depth of five or six feet, and in the mountains to a depth of thirty feet or more; and the ground freezes to such a depth that it requires weeks of warm weather to thaw it. It is not till the end of July that all traces of frost disappear.
There were two Japanese settlements in Itorup. The chief one was at Shana where the garrison was stationed. A building had been erected at great expense for the officials from Yedo and their troops, which is described by the sake-brewer as exactly like a Daimio’s Castle. It was surrounded by a stone wall, no doubt an uncommon sight in those parts. There was a minor establishment at a place called Naiho.
It was at Naiho that the Russian ships first made their appearance. The Japanese account states that about 200 men landed, fired muskets and great guns, broke into the guard house and carried off clothes and other valuables, setting fire to the settlement before returning to their ships. They also carried off with them five Japanese whom they had taken prisoners. The remaining inhabitants fled to Shana, where the Russians made their appearance a short time after.
The two principal officers of Shana were absent, and the duty of defending the settlement fell upon a subordinate named Toda Matadayu. He had at his disposal a force of over 200 men armed chiefly with matchlocks, and the Castle was defended by a few small cannon, posted however in such a position that they could be fired in one direction only.
Notwithstanding the advice of his colleagues who reminded him of the behaviour of the Russians at Naiho a few days before, Toda resolved to try to open negotiations with them. He sent the chief interpreter of the settlement with 4 or 5 other Japanese and a number of Ainos ​to meet a party of 17 (one account says 20) Russians who landed near the Castle. The interpreter and his party were fired into, and one of the Ainos killed. The interpreter was himself shot through the thigh, but the Ainos hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him back to the Castle. There was now a good deal of desultory firing on both sides. The Russians ensconced themselves behind an oil-pressing shed which stood on the beach, and the Japanese did not venture out from their castle. The distance between the combatants was 160 yards, and as both parties were well sheltered little damage was done on either side. The only casualties we hear of were one Russian and two Japanese killed, and a few wounded. In an hour or two from the time they landed, the Russians re-embarked to the great delight of the Japanese garrison, who were overjoyed at their easy victory over the dreaded “red men,” as they called the Russians. So secure did they feel on that night that they neglected the most ordinary precautions. Before the appearance of the Russian ships we hear of watch-fires kept burning, and night-guards posted on all the neighbouring headlands; but everything of the kind seems to have been neglected on this night, when a force landed from the Russian ships. Soon after dusk they were able to approach the Castle before any alarm was given, and the first intimation of their presence was a volley of musketry. There was no time to organize any resistance; every one was seized with a sudden panic and fled to the hills, with the cry “ware ichi,” or “sauve qui peut.” They did not feel safe till they had reached a hill-top a ri distant from the castle. Here they halted, and as everything seemed quiet they ventured down to the sea beach; but as they espied a Russian ship not far from the shore, lying in wait, as they thought, to intercept their retreat, they again took to flight and concealed themselves in the woods. That night when all were buried in sleep, they were awakened by aloud cry from Toda. Unable to endure the disgrace of defeat he had committed suicide in the approved Japanese fashion by disembowelling himself. ​One of his comrades pertinently remarked that it was all very well for Toda to die, but that it was a pity he had not chosen to die honourably in battle rather than die the death of a dog as he had done. After Toda’s death his men made the best of their way through the hills and woods of Itorup towards Kunashir. They suffered great hardships on the way, having for three days nothing to eat except such roots and berries as they could find. Some un-hulled rice boiled in one of their helmets was thought a great luxury. From the western end of Itorup they crossed over in boats to Kunashir, and from there they afterwards returned to Hakodate.
The Russians could not at first believe that the Japanese had really abandoned their Castle. They feared an ambush, and waited till morning before entering. They then carried off all the rice, sake and shoyu they could find, and, what hurt the vanity of the Japanese more than anything else, the ornamental spears and halberds set up at the entrance to the Castle. Their next step was to burn everything,—the Castle, the barracks, the brewery, even the huts of the Ainos. The desolation was complete—nothing was left. They then returned to their ships leaving behind two unfortunate men who had got drunk and had fallen asleep in a shed. Here they were afterwards discovered by the Ainos, who with the help of a Japanese who had not joined the general flight transfixed the poor fellows with spears as they lay asleep. Their heads were afterwards salted and sent to Hakodate along with their clothing and arms.
The news of the Itorup affair spread rapidly throughout Japan. The officials on duty at Hakodate wrote reports of it in their letters to their friends at Yedo. These letters were some times addressed to a large circle of acquaintance and were at any rate eagerly copied and passed from hand to hand. Among persons who had not access to such authentic sources of information, the wildest rumours were rife. One account raised the number of Russians to 500 men; another made them all 11 or 12 feet high; while reports of Russian ships being seen at various points along ​the coast were daily invented. The Government at last resolved to put down these rumours by a proclamation. This proclamation stated that a variety of rumours had become current in regard to some officials who had been sent on a visit of inspection in connexion with the arrival of some foreign ships off the coast of Yezo and Saghalien, and summarily prohibited any more talk on the subject.
The Government also urged the northern Daimios to redouble their vigilance. Matsumaye seems to have shown some remissness for we find that about this time his territory in Yezo was taken from him, lands being provided in exchange on the main island of Japan and a subsidy granted him to defray the expense of removal. The northern ports were closed to the native junk traffic, and no junk was allowed to put to sea from any port in Oshiu or Dena.
The next appearance of the Russians was off the port of Hakodate. They entered the strait from the west, so they probably came round by the north of Yezo through the Strait of La Perouse or Aniwa. They appear to have merely passed through the Hakodate Strait without making any hostile demonstration. Great preparations had been made by the Hakodate generals in the way of reviews, councils of war, watch-fires and the like, but more essential matters seem to have been neglected. Of ammunition in particular the supply was extremely scanty. Economy was the order of the day, and so rigidly were expenses cut down that there was not enough ammunition in the place to hold out for a single day’s fighting. The important duty of keeping a look-out for the enemy’s ships was entrusted to a merchant named Kimbei, a sort of harbour master for the port of Hakodate. He neglected to attend to it, and the consequence was that the appearance of the Russians took everybody by surprise. Many of the towns-people and of the wives and children of the officials and soldiers took refuge in the hills. As an instance of the unprepared state of the garrison it is stated that the gunners of a cannon in one of the batteries having applied for ammunition for their gun, were told that there was no ​shot, and were served out twenty pounds weight of lead instead. They accordingly set to work to melt it into balls. There was only enough for two, and when they were made and carried down to the batteries, the Russian ships were already out of sight.
Soon after leaving Hakodate the Russian ships fell in with a war-junk which had left that port some days before with a reinforcement of twenty men for one of the Yezo settlements. It was commanded by Morishige Sachu, an officer who had the chief credit with the Hakodate garrison of the economical administration of affairs. Another officer was associated with him in command, but owing to a quarrel which they had about the best mode of fighting the Russians, Sachu’s colleague went ashore leaving him in sole command. On board this junk was a cannon throwing a shot of about five pounds, one jingall, ten matchlocks and about 300 pounds of powder. This was considered a very respectable equipment, and Sachu was much blamed for allowing his guns to remain in the hold and not mounting them in such a way as to be able to fight his junk properly. But Sachu probably followed the wisest course open to him. As soon as the Russians opened fire, he and his men got into their boats and made for the nearest land, leaving their junk to be rifled and burnt by the enemy. The Hakodate officials were so delighted with Sachu’s misadventures that it almost consoled them for the national loss which had been sustained. They were all agreed that he should have committed harakiri, and that if he had been a true samurai he would have done so.
We next hear of the Russians at Ruitaka a small settlement near the Kushunkotan in Saghalin. Here they burnt and pillaged as usual. There seems to have been no garrison in Saghalin at this time. The Matsumaye men had held it previously, but they had before this retired to Soya.
From Ruitaka the Russians crossed over to Rüshin a small island near the entrance to Soya harbour. Here they found four junks mostly laden with stores for the Soya garrison. These junks they rifled and burnt, carrying off ​amongst other booty a 10-pounder bronze cannon captured by Taikosama from the Coreans. The officers in charge of the junks reported to their Government that they had been wrecked in a storm. At Rüshin the Russians sent ashore the prisoners taken at Kushunkotan and Itorup. To one of them was entrusted a message to the Japanese Authorities which was taken down in Japanese and ran as follows:—
To the Governor of Matsumaye.
The distance between Russia and Japan being but small, our Emperor sent his officers across the sea to request that trade between the two countries might be permitted. If due inquiry had been made and a treaty of commerce concluded, all would have been well, but although our officers went repeatedly to Nagasaki they were sent away without an answer. Then things took an unpleasant turn, and our Emperor commanded us to give you a specimen of his power in return for your refusing to listen to his first request. If you persist in refusing his offers we will take all your northern territory from you and if possible get an answer out of you in that way. The “Red men” can always come to Saghalin and Itorup and chase you about.
If you comply with our wishes, we shall always be good friends with you; if not, we will come again with more ships, and behave in the same way as we have done before this year.
Oroshiya.
This paper was delivered to the principal Japanese official at Soya who composed a defiant reply which however he had no opportunity of forwarding. He also concocted a scheme for inviting the Russians ashore and massacreing them, but this plot was disconcerted by a storm which compelled the Russian ships to put to sea.
At this point the series of papers from which the above account is taken comes to a close. It is to be regretted that they do not contain an account of Golownin’s capture which took place a few years later.