Postcard A
Postcard A: Our Infantry Fighting on the River Hun; Our Look-out Erected on a Snow-clad Tree
Information: Russo-Japanese War Battlefield Commemoration Series 戦役記念. This card was one of three in the “Mukden set”, which was in turn one of five sets of the Fourth Battlefield Commemorative Series issued on October 15, 1905 (Fifteen cards, 5 sets of 3 were issued). About 700,000 of these cards were issued.
Postcard B: Souvenir of the Occasion of Triumphal Return of the Commander-in-Chief of the Manchurian Army and his Staff to Tokio
Information:
Russo-Japanese War Commemorative Series. About 100,000 of these cards were issued on December 7, 1905 at the price of 5 sen per card, an increase from the 2-sen price of the previous cards in the series, and a much smaller print-run. [Ōyama Iwao and Kodama Gentarō, Triumphal Return] “Ōyama Iwao (1842-1916) (Viscount, 1884; Marquis, 1894; Prince, 1907).
I chose these postcards for the contrast they provide in different modes possible of war memorization. The first shows anonymous soldiers engaged in combat, as well as an equally anonymous sentry on duty. The figures are small, and it is not possible to make out any faces. The individual is not important here. Instead these images of soldiers bodies are being used to illustrate more abstract concepts, such as: bravery, war readiness, and diligence. These images are not supposed to bring glory to specific individuals in the army, but rather the entire army, and the Japanese nation itself. Enemy troops are not to be found in these images, and, indeed, they are unneeded. Here the subject is only these faceless Japanese troops. The lookout in the tree is a particularly striking image, and whoever designed the postcard was aware of this, his image dominates almost half of the front, dwarfing the image of the soldiers actually engaged in combat. High up in the tree he is alert, safe from potential danger, and able to spot any incoming enemies far before they spot him. His readiness could perhaps be a metaphor for the Japanese nation. However, the incredibly scenic background (in which he almost becomes a part of the surrounding nature) also indicates the possible romanticization of war.
This image of the faceless army is contrasted by the “postcard B.” This postcard instead proposes two concrete individuals for the viewers’ veneration. They are Ōyama Iwao and Kodama Gentarō. Ōyama was commander in chief of the Second Army during the Sino-Japanese War and the supreme commander of Japanese forces in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War, where the success of Japanese troops made him name world famous. Kodama was the deputy war minister and chief of the Military Affairs Bureau 1892-1898, where he was a strong proponent of Germany military methods. He was governor of Taiwan 1898-1906 and with Gotō Shinpei established a basis for Japanese rule of the island. He also served as war minister 1900-1902 and as home and education minister in 1903. In 1903, he became vice-chief of staff and the following year became a full general. During the Russo-Japanese War he was chief of staff of the Manchurian forces.
Here the figures lack bodies with all the emphasis being on their faces, their individualities. They are proposed as heroes of the nation. This identification with the nation is brought forth by the tangled flag behind their images. Additionally, the light emanating behind them seems to almost provide a sense of religious veneration, showing that they have the heaven’s favor. Additionally, the various tools of war at their feet reaffirm their identification with the military.
What is interesting is that both of these postcards are written in English. Why that is, I do not know.