Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-08-16
JArAN,s NarAL rnoWEss.
Great Sea Contests That Have Been
Fought by Her Sailors in the Past.

Grcat Sea Contests i hat Have Been
Fought by Her Sailors in the Past.
Japan has naval history. Many CEN
turtles ago, long before our ancestors sus-
pccted the existence OF tins continent,
the japanese were Boosting of their first
great naval achievement.
Strange to say, this first expedition
which made Japan's "arns to shine
beyond the seas" as the chroniclers of
the day SO proudly wrote, was planned
and conducted by woman. the great
warrior Empress Jingu, and it was d.
rccted against Corea. The Empress
Jingu was young and beautiful, and as
pious and obedient to the gods as beau.
tiful. As reward for her fidelity
heaven inspired her with the determine
ton to conquer Corea. So Jingu, order
ing fleet to be collected, set out in POI
A. d., upon Japan's first naval eXpedi-
ton. Before starting she addressed her
generals in the following language
The safety or destruction of our coun-
try lies with you. l am woman and
young; the glory and fame will be yours
if we succeed, and the disgrace mine if
we fail"
The Empress won rich reward for
her courage and undaunted energy, and
Corea became tributary TO Japan. I'M
mediately upon her return child was
born to the Empress, who, when ne
grew up, became a great warrior, and
is now worshipped under the name of
Hachiman, God OF War. In later times
1t became the fashion to attribute the
Corean victory to tho influence OF the
unborn child. All over Japan there arc
to,, Il tod i,,h - hot
man aud Jingu, and as late as 1874,
when the japanese troops left for For
lnosa, many of them prayed for the
especial protection OF Hachiman, God
of Soldiers.
In the twelfth century memorable
naval battle took place, in which both
sides lost thousands of adherents, and
the sea was crimson with the lifeblood
Of the noblest in Japan. 1t occurred
during one of those fierce civil wars
that almost rent Japan in twain. The
two great houses of Tara and Nina
motto were striving for the supremacy,
and the latter had driven their rivals
back to the sea coast. The Mlnamoto
had 700 junks and the Faira only 400,
and moreover the latter were heavily
encountered, for they had all their
families, their women, children and old
men on board. The battle waged freely
and the Taira clan was almost exterml-
mated, while the Minamoto lost heavily.
So fearful slaughter left an indelible
| impression upon the whole nation, and
to this day the fishermen of Chosui de-
clare that on stormy night thousands
| upon thousands of the dead may be
| seen bailing out the sea with bottomless
clippers, a futile labor imposed as a
| penance for the staining and detiling of
the ocean by the blood that was spilled
that bright May morning in 1885. This
was, perhaps, one Of the greatest naval
battles ever fought in Japan, and GER
tainly the most terrible.
Alter brief period Of naval glory in
Japan there came a time when the
people absolutely secluded themselves
flom the outside world. All foreign
| ideas and models were not only eschewed
but penalties laid upon those VINO adj
yanced them or wished to follow them.
All vessels built on foreign models were
destroyed by special command, and it
was forbidden to build any ships of
larger size or different construction
from the junk, as We know it to-day.
The foundation of the modern japan.
ese Navy was begun just few months
before the fall of the Shogunate and
the restoration of the Mikauo TO power
in 1869. That very energetic British
minister, Sir Harry Parkes, secured the
| services of Commander Tracy, several
officers and few seamen from the
British Navy, who engaged to give the
native officers and men instruction, but
in few months the revolution took
place and all the arrangements We're
upset.
During the troubles that followed
some Of the grain daimios were anxious
to have navies Of their own, and one Of
these, the Prince of Hizen, engaged
Lieutenant Halves of the British Royal
Marines as instructor in gunnery to the
seamen of his own class. Halves may
be fairly entitled to the credit Of having
founded the modern navy, for after the
daimios were reduced to their present
footing he occupied many other similar
positions in the Imperial Navy TO that
he held under the Prince of Hizen.
About ten years later, the British gov
eminent lent another commission OF
about thirty officers, and naval college
was established at Toxic, the drill being
similar To that in use in the English
Naval Gunnery School. Several OF the
higher native officers were educated in
England, and others have attended the
schools at Annapolis and in Holland.
The British commission returned to
England several years ago, but the
Japanese government still retains one
or two English officers in its employ.