A Dutch officer and the Empire of the Rising Sun. Diaries part I

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A Dutch officer in the Japanese Army

The diaries of Jan van Maanen

London; May 8th 1998

The diaries of the Dutch captain Jan van Maanen have only recently been discovered after spending some 140 years in a dusty attic. Jan van Maanens diaries are especially interesting as they shed a new and fresh light on a recent but almost unwritten about part of history.
During the first half of the 19th century Japan was entirely closed of from the outside world. As the rest of the world moved trough the industrial revolution more and more voices cried for a westernization of Japan and in the early 1860’s it was finally time to push aside the conservative faction. Foreign embassies where invited and the first factories build mainly with the help from English technicians. The Shoguns army and navy where also extensively modernized as English and Prussian officers and military scientists where recruited from overseas.
The embassy of which Jan van Maanen was the military envoy was the first group of Dutch to visit Japan after the nations isolation. The Dutch merchant isle of Decima in the harbour of Hirosjima was abandoned and overnight the warm relations between the Dutch and Japanese froze.

Unfortunately only the second and third book where discovered. Missing in this episode of van Maanens life are his journey from the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies and the three year she spend there. Because of this we do not know why van Maanen was send to the East-Indies or even to which unit he was attached. Also unknown to history are the exact reasons why he was chosen to accompany the embassy as a military envoy and his objectives. From various entries of his diaries it is more then clear van Maanen was not a military instructor or one of the officers especially educated to train troops as he would do, he did not even spoke the native language and had to communicate with his hosts and trainees in English.
The second book of van Maanen’s diary makes us familiar with his experience during the 1862-1863 period in which he trained a battalion of elite-infantrists and accompanied them during the first Japanese-Korean war. After the war he returned to Kyoto with the battalion and trained the fledgling Japanese Marine Corps.
In his third book Jan van Maanen leads a brigade of Marines in the second Korean war, prelude to the momentous struggle with the Russians.

Singleton Mosby, editor
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Tuesday January 21st 1862 Hirosjima

I only just arrived in the most thriving city I set foot in after leaving Amsterdam three years ago. Just two weeks ago I set out from Batavia, Java accompanying a small embasy from the government to the Japanese Shogunate. It is evident our entrance of the harbour and our first steps on the qua where an odd occurrence for the local population as it is only two years since the Japanese opened their country to the west. Since then various embassies have set foot on the Japanese mainland, amongst them Portuguese and English. But all of them step ashore in Kobe, the capital. I suppose our embassy will sail for the same city within a few days. But this time our vessel will be a Japanese ship as our own clipper, the Erasmus, will return to the Dutch-Indies having delivered her wares.
The first odd thing I like to point at are the Japanese houses. Apparently all of them live in one storey wooden homes with a tiled or wooden cascading roof. Even the buildings lining the harbours are, except for one or two exceptions one storied. About the population there is not much to say, as have seen many Korean and Chinese merchants back in Batavia and they all look the same to me, except their multitude. As our clipper entered the harbour throngs of them lined the quays just looking at us with big white eyes.

 

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Thursday January 23rd, between Hirosjima and Edo

Yesterday we have set out from the harbour of Hirosjima and hope to arrive at Edo on the 27th. The embassy has embarked on a native ship the ’Kamikaze’ after an ancient Japanese legend. The Kamikaze, or divine wind, is said to have saved the Japanese empire two times from an attempted invasion by the Tartar, Coebai Khan (Kublai Khan ed.). What to believe off this legend I do not know as I never heard of an attempted invasion by the Tartars. To my knowledge they attacked the Chinese empire whom build a wall to stop.*
Yesterday morning the secretary of the ambassador set out for a visit of ‘Decima’ the Dutch isle of the 16th and early 17th century in the harbour of Hirsojima. I did not know our countrymen had a ‘factorij’ in Japan but apparently they have flourished there, judging by the numerous Dutch tombstones. Reading names like ‘Meijer’, Visscher’ and ‘Jacobs’ I almost felt back at home in Delft.

* From this part it is easy to judge history and ancient history for certain, was not one of van Maanen’s main interests.
The legend of the Kamikaze is not just a legend but actual history. The Mongols (Tartars) did invade and conquer China. Their Khan, Kublai Khan attempted two invasions of Japan but was thwarted in each attempt by a ‘Tzunami’(Hurricane). During the second invasion small detachment set foot on Japanese soil but where defeated by a lack of a naval superiority. Preparations for a third, even more massive invasion where abandoned after the death of the Mongol Khan.
On the Decima part van Maanen shows a good knowledge of history but later on it will become clear most of it is told to him by his companion; Harm de Zwager, the ambassadors secretary. (ed.)

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Decima, the Dutch trading isle as it was during Jan van Maanens days.

 

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This seems quite interresting.

 

[Morpheus506]

Momentous struggle with the Russians? First Korean war?

Ok, you've got me. I wanna see this....

 

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Sunday January 26th, passing mount Fujie

The isle of Honshu, the largest isle of Japan, slowly passes besides us for four days already. On the early morning of this Sunday we passed a great mountain, called mount Fujie while we sailed past it the entire native crew almost worshipped it. Although I have to admit the symmetry of it is beautiful I do not understand why they worship this nice piece of nature. But it must be their primitive religion.

Mount Fuji in a contemporary photograph. Especially Mention the Shinto arch. As the Shinto’s worshiped nature (the believed their deceased ancestors habited within them) they build an arch whenever one would enter one of their countless holy places of nature.
Of those, mount Fuji is the most important.

 

[Rensslaer]

This sounds like it will be very interesting! I'll be watching.

Rensslaer

 

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Like the style, will be reading

 

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((Thanks t you all for the comments so far At the moment I have already wrote 10 pages of diary, up till mid-april.... but I do not want to post all at once because I would scare of readers doing that.
For now, if you like to have an update just scream and it will be comming. ))

 

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Wednesday January 29th at sea, Western Japan trench

During the past four days a violent storm raged across the sea, sweeping up waves almost ten metres high dwarfing our little ship between them. By some miracle we have survived the violent weather and our host. The evening after we had past the volcano the sky darkened and within hours a storm crashed on the coast. Unable to find a suitable landing place for the ship we set of for full sea. The Japanese primitive crew almost rebelled against their captain as they deemed the storm our fault. We had not worshipped their holy volcano and even worse we had held our own religious service, which is very normal on a Sunday if you ask me. Then the Japanese crew, even more stupid then the primitives of Borneo wanted to throw us overboard to please their gods. Luckily their captain calmed them telling them they could not throw an official ambassador overboard. At that moment I was ready, sword and revolver in my hands to stop the crew from throwing us overboard.*
The tense hours finally ended today when the sea calmed down again and we sighted land. I hope to arrive at the imperial palace tomorrow and will be sure to complain.

*At this moment van Maanen was not very positive about the ‘primitive’ Japanese he would lead into battle within five months. Although he was in a considerable state of shock from the incidents he did not complain to the imperial officials once they arrived at Edo.

 

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Friday January 31st, Edo

Last night we have set foot in Edo, the imperial capital and where immediately brought to our residence just outside the palace. Today I visited the city and was awestruck by the splendour of the cities position on a beautiful harbour. I especially licked the fantastic gardens and strolled from one garden to another trough small alleys and broad streets. Everywhere I came eyes where pointed at me as they possibly had not seen a European before. But always the Japanese where friendly and although communication was very difficult I was able to buy myself some wine made of rice. It tastes like wine but does not smell like it.

The imperial palace at Edo (nowadays Tokyo)

 

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This will be a realistic kind of AAR ?

 

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This will be a realistic kind of AAR ?

((Yes it will be. it will be like reading someone's diaries.))

 

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Saturday February 8th, Edo

The emperor did not have time to visit our embassy and we have to wait a bit more. Anyhow I do not think that is a shame as the countryside outside the city is beautifull. I have made various journeys through the idelic countryside with other memebers of the embassy. Yesterday we have visited a mulberry farm. Here catarpillars are bred which produce small threads from which silk is spun. Altough there are some ‘silk-farms’ in the Dutch-east Indies I never visited one. Now I know where our luxury clothings originates.

 

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Thursday February 13rd, Edo

We are still at Edo and the emperor, in his arrogance did not deem us important enough for an audience.

 

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When will the action starts ?

 

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I like this diary style.

 

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I like this one, look 4ward to the next post/update.

 

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When will the action starts ?

((This will be a long one, but as off now I have writen 10 pages and I do not think the Korean war will start before the 20th page. I hope you will like to hang on until then.
And to the others thanks for the nice comments. ))

 

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Sunday February 16th, Edo

Today, during our weekly morning worship the sir Willem van Amerongen, the ambassador was called on to attend the emperor during his breakfast. Harm de Zwager (the ambassadors secreatry ed.) did join Willem but neither me nor Arnoud and Berend where allowed to.

Afternoon:
Willem van Amerongen and Harm de Zwager returned shortly from their audience with the emperor.* I had expected to return to Batavia as soon as possible but instead me and Harm where asked to tour the military training camps and some of the new factories of the empire. As I do not like to stay much longer, I do not like this country very much, I am willing to tour do the tour in the knowledge I will be able to learn something about the military tradition of Japan which might be at least intereseting. And hopefully the tour will not last more then a few weeks.

*An interesting thing to notice is the fact van Maanen does not say anything about the succes of the ambassadors mission. From the journals of history we are able to tell Netherlands recieved some very profitable trade relations.