Asian Studies
Overview
In 1904-1905 Russia made its way to Manchuria, threatened control of Port Arthur in Northeast China, and started to initiate plans to gain control of the Korean Peninsula due to its will to expand its trade. Japan saw this as a threat and after just previously defeating China, started a war with Russia. With a strong sense of nationalism rooted in government reform, Japanese soldiers fought this war with motivation. Although a few battles were on land this war consisted of much more Naval warfare than land. After the Japanese sank most of the Russian ships ( and won a couple of land battles), they became the winners of the war. This was a shocking victory at the time because Japan had not yet proved its power to the rest of the world and was often looked at as a much smaller force. With this victory over China and Russia, it made the world take Japanese forces more seriously when WW1 started.
Research Questions
- How did Japan understand its victory in this conflict?
- How was this victory understood in Russia and around the world?
- What do these differing views suggest about the shape or world politics on the eve of WWI?
Key Terms
Russo-Japanese War - A war between Japan and Russia over dominance in Manchuria and Korea
Treaty of Portsmouth - Treaty that formally ended the Russo-Japanese War, signed on September 5, 1905
Manchuria - Exonym for several large overlapping historical and geographical regions in Northeast Asia.
Korea - Region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and several minor islands.
Siege of Port Arthur - August 1, 1904 - January 2, 1905, Longest and the most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War.
Russian Empire - Third-Largest empire in history, stretching over three continents.
Meiji Restoration - Event that restored imperial rule to the Empire of Japan.
Empire of Japan - The historical nation-state and great power that existed from 1868 to the enactment of the 1947 constitution of modern Japan.
Electronic Sources
- Was the Russo-Japanese War World War Zero?This article focuses on the global implications of the Russo-Japanese war. It proposes the war should more accurately be looked at as a precursor to World War I due to the presence of modern weapons and the imperial pressure to expand. The article also reviews how each society responded to this “modern” conflict.
- What Caused the Russo-Japanese War: Korea or Manchuria?This article focuses on what actually caused the war. It evaluates two “questions”, the Korea question and the Manchuria question. The Korea question holds that, if Korea was the reason for going to war it was a defensive war for Japan. The Manchuria question holds that if Manchuria was the cause for war, it was an imperialist style war. This article proposes that both questions were somewhat cause for war and are more connected than many scholars realize.
- Patriotic and Despondent: Japanese Society at War, 1904-5This article is focused specifically on how the Japanese society reacted to the war. It analyzes the extent to which the principle of “unity of the nation”, known as kyokoku itchi in Japanese, was evident in Japan. It also delves into the effects of visual media and new technology such as cinema and photography on how Japanese society perceived the war and its effects.
- THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR: Primary Causes of Japanese SuccessThis article is mainly focused on what factors made Japan more successful in the war. It examines the factors leading up to the war and focuses on Japan's relation with China and other European powers. Furthermore, in this examination it attempts to find the underlying factors which led to Japan seeing Russia as a threat in East Asia. It also examines the state of both the Japanese and Russian military and why the Japanese war strategy was more effective in campaigns, such as the Port Arthur campaign.
Digital Archives
- Russo-Japanese War - Library of Congress photo archiveThis is a collection of photos from the Russo-Japanese War provided by the Library of Congress. This archive contains images of soldiers, ships, forts, etc. and could be useful for analyzing the style of weaponry and clothing used by both sides and debunking stereotypes.
- Tsubokura Russo-Japanese War Postcard AlbumThis is a collection of Japanese postcards from the Russo-Japanese war era provided by Lafayette College. Postcards include both propaganda and photographs.
Print Sources
Human Bullets by Call Number: E-Book CollectionISBN: 080329266XPublication Date: 1999The impact of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 was incalculable. It was the first victory by an Asian power over a European one since the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century. Japanese victory was ascribed to the "spirit" of the Japanese people, which helped their soldiers to overcome superior numbers and technology. A fascinating glimpse into prevailing nationalistic and militaristic attitudes in early-twentieth-century Japan, Human Bullets is also an engaging story of combat and an excellent source of insights about a relatively obscure but immensely influential conflict. Tadyoshi Sakurai was a junior officer in the Japanese campaign against Port Arthur, Russia's ice-free port in China. His account is an interesting introduction to the concept of yamato-damashii, or "traditional Japanese spirit." This spirit was something greater than mere high morale. Japanese soldiers were the emperor's "human bullets." Like bullets, they were unconcerned with victory, comfort, or self-preservation, existing only to strike the enemy.
Witnesses of Tsushima by Call Number: DS517.5 .W48 1970Publication Date: 1970This book is a compilation of the eye witness accounts from roughly 40 persons. All of these witnesses are presumed to now be deceased. They were witnesses of the Battle Of Tsushima (also called the Battle of Tsushima Strait). It was the deadly naval battle that occured in the Sea of Japan.
Russo-Japanese Conflict by Call Number: DS517 .A79 1970ISBN: 0804610916Publication Date: 1971-01-01This book was written by a Japanese historian by the name of Kan'ichi Asakawa, who spent the majority of his life living in America. In the text, he provides statistics from the war. He also provides many causes for the war. He also speaks of the after effects of the war on Japan.
The Japanese Oligarchy and the Russo-Japanese War by Call Number: DS517.13 .O37 1970ISBN: 0231034040Publication Date: 1971-01-01The author of the book, Shumpei Okamoto, uses this book to tell Japan’s side of the story as well as what Americans were aware of at the time. He graduated from Colombia University. He gathered Japanese documents from Keio University in Japan. His family, from Tokyo, also copied down important information from books at the Kensei Shiryoshitsu (the Japanese Political History Materials room). He compiles this information to create a detailed timeline of the Russo-Japanese War.
