Japanese Boy: Sailor Suit (1912)


Figure 1.-- This 1912 postcard shows a Japanese boy wearing a sailor suit and cap sitting beneath the Japanese and British flag. The boy holds a block, though it could also be a book. It is unclear what the complete word on his hat is with only the letters "hima" shown. The back is written on, and has been posted, with postmark. On the back, the sender has written of the day it was written: "Today, seven years ago, in sea battle, so-called 'Battle in Japan Sea' was fought and Admiral Togo was given the name 'Nelson of the East'". This of course refers to the naval engagement in the Russo-Japanese War. Pass the cursor on the image to see the back of the card.

This 1912 postcard shows a Japanese boy wearing a sailor suit and cap sitting beneath the Japanese and British flag. The boy holds a block, though it could also be a book. It is unclear what the complete word on his hat is with only the letters "hima" shown. The back is written on, and has been posted, with postmark. On the back, the sender has written of the day it was written: "Today, seven years ago, in sea battle, so-called 'Battle in Japan Sea' was fought and Admiral Togo was given the name 'Nelson of the East'". This of course refers to the naval engagement in the Russo-Japanese War.

Anglo Japanese Alliance

The Anglo-Japanese Treaty was actually a series of three treaties signed before World War I. Anglo-Japanese naval cooperation played an important role in the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy. There was extensive cooperation before a formal agreement was signed. Japan first acquired modern naval vessels from British shipyards. Royal Navy officers helped train Japanese officers. With the rise of a modern German Navy, Britain saw Japan as a useful ally in the Pacific. The major rationale for the treaty in 1902, however, was a mutual concern with Russia. Japan saw its relationship with the Royal Navy as helpful in building a modern navy. The first Anglo-Japanese Naval Treaty was signed in 1902. The Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) changed the strategic situation in the Pacific. Britin and Japan rennewed the Treaty, but the terns were substantially different, extending its scope (1905). Britin and Japan renewed the Treaty a third time, again with an expanded scope (1911). This was the Treaty in force at the time of World War I. Japan joined Britain in World War I and in the post-War settlement received several former German island colonies in the Pacific that were to play a role in World War II. The Anglo-Japanse Treaty finally lapsed (1923), primarily because of American concerns at the Washington Naval Conference (1921).

Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)

War with Russia was a direct result of the earlier war with China. The first European power with which Japan came into contact was Tsarist Russia. The two countries both had interests in Korea and Manchuria. The Japanese without declaring war staged a surpride attack on the Russia Pacific fleet at Port Arthur (February 9, 1904). Torpedo boats damaged several Russian vessels, but it was not the decisive blow the Japanese sought. It was when the Russian vessels attempted to run to the safer port at Vladisvostok that the faster Japanese fleet scoired a decisive victory. With its Pacific fleet destroyed, the Russians assembled their Baltic fleet and dispacted it to the Pacific. The Russian fleet consisted of some modern vessels and other slow, largely obsolete ships. The Russian fleet consisted of 10 battleships and three armoured cruisers. Admiral Togo intercepted the Russians in the Straits of Tsushima (May 27, 1905). Togo sqadron consisted of five modern battleships an eight aromored cruisers. The Japanese force was smaller, but more modern and much better trained. Togo raised the Z banner, meaning "The fate of the Empire depends on this battle. Every man will do his upmost. The Russian fleet was poorly commanded. The Russians has some modern vessels which could have possibly given a good account of themselves, but they were slowed down by several slow, largely obsolete vessels. Togo executed a daring turn that brought his squadron parallel ewith the Russians. The Japanese turrets allowed him to bring his fire power fully to bare on the Russians. It was one of the desive battles in naval warfare. The Japanese sank 19 Russians ships and captured five more. The Japanese lost only three torpedo boats. The Japanese victory shocked the world. The Russians were forced to sue for peace. Japan gaining the southern Sakhalin (Karafuto) Island and Russia's port and rail rights in Manchuria. The Battle of Tsushima Straits cemented the Japanese commitment to a single descisive battle as tennant in naval warfare. The battle had another major impact. First Lord of the Admiralty Jackey Fisher recognized that the only ships that had any impact on the outcome of the battle were those with big guns. Battle ships at tne tkme bristled with a large array of smalle guns. Fisher proposed the all big gun battleship. The first one built was HMS Dreadnought which helped to fuel the European naval race.

Post Card

This of course is a commercial postcard. This means that we are not sure if the little boy was really dressed like this in a sailor suit or if he was especially costumed for the postcard. The sailor suit of course highligts the naval cooperation between Britain and Japan. It was sent in 1912, presumably by a British resident in Japan to a sister in Hong Kong. The full message on the back is difficult to read. It was mailed in 1912. The sender has written of the day it was written: "Today, seven years ago, in sea battle, so-called 'Battle in Japan Sea' was fought and Admiral Togo was given the name 'Nelson of the East'". This of course refers to the naval engagement in the Russo-Japanese War.

Clothing

The little boy here wears a sailor suit and cap sitting beneath the Japanese and British flag. The boy holds a block, though it could also be a book.

Sailor cap

It is unclear what the complete word on his hat is with only the letters "hima" shown. Note that the cap tally is written in English letters and not Japanese characters. I'm not sure though what the fill Japanese word. Could it be a well known Japanese ship?

Sailor suit

We are not sure how common sailor suits were for Japanese boys at the time. It was, of course, a major style in the West. The Japanese at the time were strongly influenced by Western fashions. This would have been most common among the educated elite in major cities. One factor affecting the popularity of sailor suits is that the sailor suit became the accepted style for Japanese school girl uniforms. We have noted younger Japanese boys wearing saolot suits, but it seems to have been a style more common for younger than older boys.

Stockings

A reader writes, "Have you ever seen long stockings with three stripes just below the knee like English knee socks? This seems very unusual to me. Could the stockings be a sort of international compromise between the English style of boy's hosiery and the Japanese preference for covered knees? This photo reminded me of the combination long and knee-length stockings advertised by Sears and Wards in the late 1930s." HBC is unsure about the depiction here. Not only is this a commercial postcard, but the color has been painted on. We do not know if the stripes were painted on or were actually on the boy's stockings.






CIH









Navigate the Children in History Website:
[Return to Sailor suit country page]
[Return to Main Japanese World War I page]
[Introduction] [Biographies] [Chronology] [Climatology] [Clothing] [Disease and Health] [Economics] [Geography] [History] [Human Nature] [Law]
[Nationalism] [Presidents] [Religion] [Royalty] [Science] [Social Class]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Glossaries] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Children in History Home]





Created: 4:26 PM 8/19/2006
Last updated: 4:26 PM 8/19/2006