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Early Russo-Japanese Relations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

George Alexander Lensen
Affiliation:
The Florida State University
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Extract

The study of Russo-Japanese relations falls naturally into two parts: a period primarily of private initiative (ca. 1700 to ca. 1850) and one of government leadership (ca. 1850 to present). This is a survey of the earlier phase of Russo-Japanese contacts.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1950

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References

1 Titov, A. A., Sibir v XVII veke (Siberia in the seventeenth century) (Moscow, 1890), 54.Google Scholar

2 Zhukov, Iurii, Russkie i Iaponiia (Russians and Japan) (Moscow, 1945), 7.Google Scholar

3 Pis'ma i bumagi Imperatora Petra Velikogo (Letters and papers of Emperor Peter the Great) (St. Petersburg, 1887–1918), 1:253.

4 A. Sgibnev, “Popytki russkikh k zavedeniu torgovykh snoshenii s Iaponieiu (v XVIII i nachale XIX stoletii)” (Attempts of the Russians to establish trade relations with Japan in the 18th century and in the beginning of the 19th), Morskoi sbornih uchenago otdelenia morskogo tekhnicheskago komitela (St. Petersburg, Jan.-Feb., 1869), 37.Google Scholar

5 Barthold, W., Die geographische und historische erforschung des Orientes mit besonderer berücksichtigung der russischen arbeiten (Leipzig, 1913), 8:123;Google ScholarKrupinski, Kurt, Japan und Russland, Hire beziehungen bis zum frieden von Portsmouth (Königsberg and Berlin, 1940), 10.Google Scholar

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7 Sgibnev, Popytki, 38.

8 Barthold, 125.

9 Sgibnev, Popytki, 38.

10 So named by the Cossacks after the “smoking” (kurit') mounds of the small volcanoes.

11 Sgibnev, Popytki, 39.

12 Whenever possible I shall refer to the islands by name rather than number. But as many Russian and Japanese sources refer to some of them by number only and quite frequently base their count on different maps – not at my disposal – or follow a different order, I must at times confine my identification to that given in the work consulted. The naming of the various islands was by no means uniform; Etorofu, for example, was referred to also as “Etoro,” “Iturup,” “Atorku,” “Gortpu,” and “Ostrov Shtatov (Island of States).”.

13 Sgibnev, Popytki, 39.

14 Ibid., 40.

15 Ibid., 41.

16 Polnoe sobranie zakonov rossiskoi imperii (Complete collection of the laws of the Russian Empire) (St. Petersburg, 1830), 5: no. 3266.

17 K. E. Baer writes that the expedition got as far as the sixth island. In his opinion the secret mission consisted in verifying Kozyrevskii's report that the Japanese obtained precious metals on the sixth island (K. E. Baer, Die verdienste Peter des Grossen urn die erweiterung cler geographischen kentnisse [St. Petersburg, 1872], 34.).

18 Sgibnev, Popytki, 41.

19 Skal'kovskii, K., Russhaia torgovlia v tikhom okeane (Russian trade in the Pacific Ocean) (St. Petersburg, 1883), 384.Google Scholar [The consul referred to is presumably Laurents Lange at Peking from 1720 to 1722. —Ed.].

20 Sgibnev, Popytki, 42.

21 Ibid., 43.

22 For a discussion of how little was known about the geographical outlines of Japan see Berg, L. S., Ocherki po istorii russkikh geograficheskikh otkrytii (Essays concerning the history of Russian geographical discoveries) (Moscow, 1946), 98.Google Scholar

23 Also spelled Shpanberg, Spangberg, Spegenburg, Spagenberg, and Supangenberugu.

24 Berg, 94; Polnoe sobranie zokonov, 3: nos. 6023, 6291; Golder, F. A., Bering's voyages: an account of the efforts of the Russians to determine the relation of Asia and America (New York, 1922), 221–22.Google Scholar

25 All dates are given here in Western style. To obtain the original Russian dates subtract eleven days in the eighteenth century, twelve in the nineteenth. To get the original Japanese dates consult William Bramsen, Japanese chronology and calendars (Tokyo, 1910).

26 Kiyoshi, Tabohashi, Kindai nihon gaikoku kankei-shia (History of Japan's foreign relations in recent times) (Tokyo, 1930), 52;Google Scholar see Japanese characters at the end of this article; Sgibnev, Popytki, 44; Krupinski, 11; Kuno, Yoshi S., Japanese expansion on the Asiatic continent (Berkeley, 1940), 2:219.Google Scholar

27 Berg, 98; Baer, 125; Pozdnieev, D. M., Materialy po istorii sievernoi Iaponii i eia otnoshenii k materiku Azii i Rossii (Materials concerning the history of northern Japan and her relations to the mainland of Asia and Russia) (Tokyo, 1909), 2:pt. 1:1819;Google ScholarShigeo, Iriobe, Ishin zenshi no henhyūb (Study of the history of the pre-Restoration period) (Tokyo, 1935), 3638;Google ScholarIichiro, Tokutomi, Kinsei Nihon kokumin-shic (History of the Japanese people in modern times) (Tokyo, 1925), 23:144;Google ScholarRyūnosuke, Okamoto, Nichiro-kōshō Hokkaido shikōd (Hokkaido historical documents concerning Russo-Japanese relations) (Tokyo, 1898), 1:4748.Google Scholar

28 Inobe, 38.

29 Baer, 125; Sgibnev, Poptki, 44.

30 Berg, 99.

31 Inobe, 38; Barthold, 123–30. For Japanese study of Russian see Yamasaki, Naozo, L'action de la civilization européenne sur la vie japonaise avant l'arivée du Commodore Perry (Paris, 1910), 9596.Google Scholar

32 Sgibnev, Popytki, 45.

33 Ibid., 45–47.

34 Okamoto, 1:48–51; Hyakka zuihitsue (Collection of miscellaneous writings) (Tokyo, 1917–18), 2:120, 121.

35 Sgibnev, Popytki, 47.

36 William Nicholson, The memoirs and travels of Mauritius Augustus Count de Benyowsky in Siberia, Kamchatka, Japan, the Liukiu Islands and Formosa from the translation of his original manuscript (1741–71), edited by Captain Pasfield Oliver (London, 1893); Sgibnev, A. S., “Bunt Ben'evskago v Kamchatke v 1771 g” (Benyovszky's insurrection in Kamchatka in 1771), Russkaia slarina (St. Petersburg, 1876), 15:527–47, 757–69;Google Scholar D. N. Bludov, “Bunt Ben'ovskago v Bolsheretskom ostroge” (Benyovszky's insurrection in the Bolsheretsk prison), in E. Kovalevski, Graf Bludov i ego vremia (St. Petersburg, 1866); Sgibnev, A. S., “Istoricheskii ocherk glavneishikh sobytii v Kamchatke,” Morskoi sbornik... (June 1869), 6:3771;Google ScholarDouteau, Robert, “La croisière extraordinaire de la galiote ‘St. Pierre et St. Paul’,Monumenta nipponica, 1 (July, 1938), 146–58;Google Scholar V. N. Berkh, “Pobeg gr. Beniovskago” (The flight of Count Benyovszky), Syn Otecheslva (St. Petersburg, 1821), vols. 27, 28; Shtein, V. I., “Samozvannyi imperator madagaskarskii (M. A. Ben'ovskii)” (The false emperor of Madagascar [M. A. Benyovszky]), Istoricheskii vestnik (St. Petersburg, 1908), 176–97, 597–618.Google Scholar

37 Okamoto, 1:51–55; Tabohashi, 136; Tokutomi, 23:173–74.

38 Morishige, Kondō, Henyō bunkai zuhōf (Maps and thoughts concerning the important outlying frontiers) (Tokyo, 1804), 141–43;Google ScholarShigenobu, Okuma, Kaikoku taisei-shig (General history of the opening of the country) (Tokyo, 1913), 419.Google Scholar

39 Ibid..

40 Tabohashi, 136.

41 Ibid., 140.

42 Ibid., 140–41.

43 Shoichi, Heki, Kokushi dai-nempyōh (Chronological table of Japanese history) (Tokyo, 1935), 3:203.Google Scholar

44 Sojiro, Tochinai, Yōjin nihon tanken nempyōi (Western voyages of discovery to Japan) (Tokyo, 1929), 63.Google Scholar

45 Kokushi dai-jiteni (Big dictionary of Japanese history), 4:2365.

46 Riumin, , Zapiski hantseliarista Riumina o prikliucheniakh ego s Beniovshim (Memoirs of the chancery clerk Riumin concerning his adventures with Benyovszky) (St. Petersburg, 1822), 21.Google Scholar

47 Sgibnev, “Istoricheskii,” Morskoi sbornik… (July-August, 1869), no. 7.

48 Sgibnev, Popytki, 31–48.

49 Tokutomi, 23:130.

50 Sgibnev, Popytki, 49; Tokutomi, 23:131; Okamoto, 55–56.

51 Pozdnieev, 2:2:10.

52 Sgibnev, Popytki, 50.

53 Ibid..

54 Ibid., 50–51.

55 Space does not permit a more detailed account of Russian activities on the Kuril islands. The importance of Uruppu and its relationship to Ezo (Hokkaido) during the period of 1766 to 1805 is clearly brought out by Okamoto in a chronological chart: Okamoto, 1:10–13.

56 Sgibnev, Istoricheskii, 7:32–33.

57 Sgibnev, Popytki, 53.

58 Golownin, Captain, Narrative of my captivity in Japan during the years 1811, 1812 & 1813 (London, 1818), 1:14.Google Scholar

59 Pozdnieev, 2:2:52.

60 Ibid., 2:2:48–59; Sgibnev, Popytki, 54; Okamoto, 1:58–60; Kuno, 2:238–239.

61 Tokutomi, 25:128.

62 Sgibnev, Popytki, 55; Pozdnieev, 2:2:60.

63 Murdoch, James, A history of Japan (London, 1926), 3:513.Google Scholar

64 Pozdnieev, 2:2:66.

65 Ibid..

66 Ibid., 89–90.

67 Murdoch, 3:513; Pozdnieev, 2:2:68.

68 Poztlnieev, 2:3:28.

69 Ibid..

70 Ibid., 2:3:39.

71 Okamoto, 1:75.

72 Papinot, E., Historical and geographical dictionary of Japan (Yokohama, 1910), 805–06.Google Scholar

73 For further discussion of Japanese opinions see Kuno, 2:227–37.

74 Sgibnev, Popytki, 55–56; Sgibnev, Istoricheskii, 43; Pozdnieev, 2:2:89–90.

75 Pozdnieev, 2:2:90; Tokutomi, 25:168–71.

76 Ibid., 190–96.

77 Pozdnieev, 2:2:91.

78 Kojiruienk (Classified references from the past) (Tokyo, 1931–36), 28:549.

79 Ibid..

80 Tokutomi, 25:128.

81 Pozdnieev, 2:2:114.

82 Sgibnev, Popytki, 58.

83 Inobe, 219.

84 Barthold, 155.

85 Sgibnev, Popytki, 59; Morse, H. B., Chronicles of the East India Company trading to China (Oxford, 1926), 3:2.Google Scholar

86 Sgibnev, Popytki, 59.

87 Ibid., 60.

88 Okamoto, 2:19.

89 Sgibnev, 64.

90 Ibid., 63–65; Inobe, 219–23.

91 Sgibnev, 63–65.

92 Inobe, 219–223.

93 Okamoto, 2:75–87.

94 Ibid..

95 Sgibnev, Popytki, 67.

96 Ibid.. Note: The stinginess of the commandant of Okhotsk and his reluctance to allocate funds for the above-mentioned waifs gave cause to Treskin's classical notation on the former's report: “Merzavets [Scoundrel]! A fine commander of the distant borders!” (Sgibnev, Istoricheski, 70).

97 Golownin, 1:18.

98 Ibid., 106–07.

99 Ibid., 29.

100 Ibid., 174.

101 Ibid., 107.