The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-02-19
OF
JAP SOLDIERS
How Mikado's Warriors
Are Trained for
War.

organization and the methods of teach
] ing and training adopted by the Japa-
nese army, but few writers have dealt
with all that long and accumulated
training which is the inheritance OF
every Japanese officer. BY birth all
Japanese officers belong to the old fight
ing class OF the Samurai; the proportion
is indeed so overwhelming that the
word "all' is not misleading. And the
Samurai, with the rest Of the feudal
system, lasted in Japan right up to the
revolution of 1867; therefore every
Japanese officer of more than SO actually
began life under the old conditions. In
many parts of the country the old state
of things lasted beyond 1867, and in
more still the old training remained even
when the old conditions were altered.
And so it happens that every senior Of
ficer in the Japanese army or navy was
trained with the training Of the Samu-
raj. while the younger men share that
training by the very blood which they
inherit. 1t is just this training, lying
as it does at the back of each officer,
and forming III some sort the very stun
out of which each man, and therefore
the whole army is made, that becomes
of paramount Importance at such crisis
as this.
The Samurai, as the fighting class,
necessarily placed the highest value on
courage and fortitude, and the little boys
and for that matter the little girls, too
were brought up from the earliest age
with Spartan-like endurance which
left even the Spartans themselves far
behind. In order to train the body to
hardship young children were made to
get Up before sunrise for their lessons,
or they were sent, before breakfast, to
walk with bare feet through the winter
snow to their teachers. 1t was usual
for parents to gather party of children
together. perhaps as often as twice a
month, before such festivals as those of
the God of Learning, in order that they
should pass the whole night without
sleep, while they read aloud in turns.
Sometimes they were made to go with
out food, and taught that Samurai
should be ashamed to be hungry. The
little boy-prince of Sendai-in one of
the most pathetic of Japanese plays
speaks the Samurai thoughts when he
says to his page as the two starved
children watch sparrow feeding its
young:
Look of those tiny birds, how wide
their yellow bills are open, how eagerly
they eat; but for Samurai, when his
stomach is empty it is disgrace to feel
hunger"
After hardening the body, the Samu-
raj training sought to tougher the
nerves, and children were frequently
sent to graveyards and haunted houses.
Small boys, after being taken to see an
execution, would be sent out alone, and
at night, to find their way back to the
spot, to touch the body, and to leave
a mark of their visit on the severed
head. Even the crying babies were
hushed into silence by mothers who
tiny pain" asking them what they
would do. if they cried so much for
such little ache, when their arms were
cut off in battle or they were called on
to commit harakiri' (suicide by disem-
The utmost infliction of
pain, endured without tear or a groan,
was imposed as an ideal on all children.
Even death. self-inhicted death, was,
under certain conditions, regarded as the
plainest duty, and boys and girls alike
were taught how to take their own lives
with calmness and dignity. Self-control
was, indeed, the very keystone of the
Samura character, and this not only |
from the side of endurance and forth |
tude, but also from the politeness
which required that man should not
spoil another's pleasure by any express
sion of his own pain. A Samurai must
show mo sign of JOY or anger;) and
his iron control, imposed on men and
women alike. has entered deep into the
national character. "To bear what you
think you cannot bear" say the Japa-
nese, SIS really to bear
lnseparably bound up with the duty
Of courage was the duty Of loyalty. A
perfect loyalty required perfect cour-
age, and loyalty has always been the
primary human duty of the Japanese.
Between affection. even natural affec-
ion, and LOYALTY Samurai must never
hesitate. He was taught to sacrifice wife
md child ii loyalty demanded it. The
tory of Genzo who cut off the head of
lis own son and took it to the enemy
If his lord in order to save the son of
hat lord is not at all an isolated in
stance in Japanese history. And the
tory-as it goes on to tell how Genzo,
home that night, called to his
wife as he entered the house: Rejoice,
ny wife, our son has proved of service
o his lord''-touches one of the deepest
ibres in the Japanese character. 1t was
lever required of Samurai to sacrifice
lis conscience to his loyalty merely him
elf-which in the Japanese mind in
luded his family-but both his family
nd himself he must be ready to offer
Up. His conscience was his own. Many
Samurai who sincerely believed his
master wrong would demonstrate with
linn, use every endeavor to persuade
lin, and, failing, make the last SUI
RENE appeal of his own life's blood 1t
vas this duty of utter loyalty which
involved the duty of revenge. Revenge
vas justice-iustice executed on the
prong-doer; and no man might shrink
rom carrying out justice on those who
ad wronged his lord. His own wrongs,