Port Arthur: An Eternal Sacred Space
War Monuments as Symbols of Propaganda
At the southern end of the Lioadong Peninsula, just past the city of Dalian, sits a key deep-water port encircled by natural mountainous fortifications. It has been called various names over the years (Ryojun in Japanese, Port Artura in Russian, etc.) and today is the city of Lushun in China (the Lüshunkou District of Dalian). However, as we examine its importance in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–5, we shall refer to it by its most popular anglicized name of that period: Port Arthur.
Port Arthur dips into the heart of the Yellow Sea, making it a pivotal point to exert control over waterways of this region surrounded by China, Manchuria, and Korea. Japan’s interest in it was long standing by the time their siege began in 1904. In fact, the Lioadong Peninsula was originally claimed by them as a war prize after the 1894–5 Sino-Japanese War, but this transfer was stopped when the Triple Intervention was lodged by Russia and its allies. The Russians understood the threat this kind of Japanese presence would make to their Pacific interests, so instead maneuvered for control of the area themselves.
The Surrender of the Port Arthur Fortress. Jan. 8, 1905. Japanese Chromolithograph. Poster Collection JA 161, Hoover Institution Archives
The Japanese siege of Port Arthur, was thus an outright shock to much of the Western world as it appeared a small upstart nation was poking a mighty European power—the Russian bear. But the sights reported out of Port Arthur showed the world the determination of the Empire of Japan. The international propaganda war that soon raged was as intense as the fighting to capture Port Arthur, just not as life consuming. In the end, Japan claimed victory in the conflict and almost immediately held Port Arthur up as an exemplary battle ground showcasing Japanese greatness.
Although there were Japanese tours of the battlefields and battle sites in Lushun even in the middle of the Russo-Japanese War, they became more active after 1906, the year after the war ended.
For the Japanese of the time, this tour was regarded as a special "eternal sacred place" linked to "peace in East Asia." In most cases, regular sightseeing buses operated by the Dalian Urban Transport Company were used for the tour, but there were also special chartered vehicles prepared for students on school excursions and inspection groups from regional Japanese governments and economic organizations. By 1939, there were twenty-five tour buses operating twice a day in Port Arthur, alone providing transport for just under 750 tourists daily.
The sites visited were similar in all the tours, with the most common sites being Mt. Baiyushan, the Booties Exhibition Hall, Mt. Higashikeikanzan Northern Battery, 203 Hill, Shuishiying, the Victory Monument, and the Lüshun Museum, etc. Surprisingly, some of the same sights are still included in the current Lushun and Dalian tours for Japanese, and they are very popular.
Overall, the 1930s witnessed booming battle site tourism for Japanese visitors. These tours arguably created personal memories by providing full sensory exposure to the sites, tangible experiences much enhanced from just seeing postcards or pictures at home.
"Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur)" by Dairen Toshi Kōtsū Kabushiki Kaisha (Dalian Urban Transport Co. Ltd), 1939. National Diet Library Digital Collection ( 特276-553 )
Touring the Battle Sites at Port Arthur
Journey now through the interactive map below to experience the monuments of Port Arthur and the war memorials that continue to act as propaganda promoting the greatness of both those who triumphed and those who perished. The map can be explored in any order but the tour is listed as it could have been traversed in 1939 by Japanese visitors following the "Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur)" guide created by the Dalian Urban Transport Co. Ltd. In addition to the major tour stops in the guide, sites that were along the way are also illustrated to provide a more in depth look at the area. The amazing illustrations primarily come from Asia Depicted on Postcards, an incredible digitization project by the Kyoto University Rare Materials Digital Archive, with a few additions from Hoover Archives collections.
Map of Port Arthur, 1905
Map of Port Arthur, 1905. Click to expand.
A View Across Port Arthur, circa 1904
A View Across Port Arthur, circa 1904. Click to expand.
Looking southeast across the port towards Laohuwei Fort and the Yellow Sea beyond, this photograph from the Lloyd Reise Papers shows the Russian fleet before the port was taken by the Japanese.
Monument to the Japanese Blockade
Monument to the Japanese Blockade. Click to expand.
Positioned on a rocky outcropping at the mouth of Port Arthur, this monument to the Japanese Imperial fleet greeted all those who entered the port by ship, making it likely to have been the first monument glimpsed by visitors.
Tour Stop No. 1: The [War] Booties Exhibition Hall
Tour Stop No. 1: The [War] Booties Exhibition Hall. Click to expand.
Postcard caption: Forty cannons from the Battle of Port Arthur, large and small, are displayed high and low, reflecting the past sentiments (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
View of Paiyushan (Mt. Hakugyokusan / Baiyushan) from Old Town
View of Paiyushan (Mt. Hakugyokusan / Baiyushan) from Old Town. Click to expand.
"Situated between the new and old towns, after a winding road, you will reach the monument tower with inscriptions by Admiral Togo. Behind the tower is the ossuary dedicated to about 23,000 war heroes, who fought at Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War." - Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
Monument to the loyal dead on Hakugyokuzan Hill (Baiyushan) from Old Town
Monument to the loyal dead on Hakugyokuzan Hill (Baiyushan) from Old Town. Click to expand.
Visitors could view this towering monument from almost every part of Old Town as they made their way through the busy streets to road leading up the hill.
Flourishing Nogi-machi Street, Old Town
Flourishing Nogi-machi Street, Old Town. Click to expand.
View of Garrison Hospital with Cherry-blossoms
View of Garrison Hospital with Cherry-blossoms . Click to expand.
Postcard caption: The view of [the monument on Mt. Hakugyokuzan] Baiyushan from the Garrison Hospital in the full joy of flowery spring, a site of the former Russian Military Hospital, located in Nogi-machi in the Old Town (June 19, 1936, Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
Tour Stop No. 2: The Monument to the Loyal Dead on Mt. Hakugyokuzan (Baiyushan)
Tour Stop No. 2: The Monument to the Loyal Dead on Mt. Hakugyokuzan (Baiyushan). Click to expand.
Second postcard caption: General Nogi and Admiral Togo initiated the construction of the tower. It soars 218 shaku (about 65m) to console the spirits of the war dead and hands down their past achievement (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
Nokotsu Shrine, Mt. Hakugyokusan (Baiyushan)
Nokotsu Shrine, Mt. Hakugyokusan (Baiyushan). Click to expand.
Fourth postcard caption: The Hakugyoku Shrine consoles the spirits of the war dead who dedicated their lives to the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese nationals pray for the spirits of heroes at Port Arthur, a holy site of our Yamato spirit (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress, January 20, 1938).
Tour Stop No. 3: The Higashikeikanzan (Dongjiguan) Northern Battery
Tour Stop No. 3: The Higashikeikanzan (Dongjiguan) Northern Battery . Click to expand.
"The Higashi-Keikan-zan (Dongjiguan) Northern Battery is an exemplary fortress at Port Arthur, equipped with 24-25 heavy and light artillery. The Japanese 11th Division launched the first attack here on August 19, 1904. However, their storm troops were annihilated, having been attacked by machine guns and artillery. The Japanese Army changed their strategy, dug an underground tunnel, and bombed the enemy base at 2:15 pm on December 18. The Kochi and Matsuyama units and part of the following 38th infantry regiment fiercely attacked and occupied it that night." - Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
The Niryuzan (Erlongshan) Battery
The Niryuzan (Erlongshan) Battery. Click to expand.
Part of the large ring of forts guarding the northeast of Port Arthur, this battery was part of Russia's first line of defense and known as Twin Dragon Hill.
Tour Stop No. 4: The Bodai Battery
Tour Stop No. 4: The Bodai Battery. Click to expand.
"After leaving the Northern Battery of Higashikeikanzan (Dongjiguan), you come to the Battle Site Road. Behind it, you will see a mountain with two large cannons, the highest peak with Port Arthur behind it, where the author of "Nikudan" (Flesh bomb), Tadayoshi Sakurai, fought a fierce battle." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
Tour Stop No. 5: The Shojuzan (Songshushan) Battery
Tour Stop No. 5: The Shojuzan (Songshushan) Battery. Click to expand.
"Following the winding road near the peak, you will reach a permanent battery, the Shojuzan (Songshushan) Battery equipped with 27 cannons. The Japanese troops occupied the site on December 31, after bombing it from an underground passage." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
The Position of the Naval Brigade at Kasekireishi
The Position of the Naval Brigade at Kasekireishi. Click to expand.
The emplacement of the Heavy Artillery Unit of the Japanese Navy. Fifteen cannons fired at the battleships, port, and factories to be flamed. (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress)
Tour Stop No. 6: Suishiyei (Suishiying)
Tour Stop No. 6: Suishiyei (Suishiying). Click to expand.
First postcard captions: The location of the meeting between Generals Stessel and Nogi on January 5, 1905. The residence used and plants in front of the garden have been carefully preserved (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress)
The Isuzan Battery
The Isuzan Battery. Click to expand.
The Daianshizan Battery
The Daianshizan Battery. Click to expand.
Tour Stop No. 7: 203 Hill - Mt. Nireisan War Monuments
Tour Stop No. 7: 203 Hill - Mt. Nireisan War Monuments. Click to expand.
"Through the Old and New Towns, twelve kilometers from the meeting place, you will reach Mt. Nireisan. You will enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the Port Arthur port and old batteries on the mountains. The Japanese troops conquered 203 Hill not by regular tactics but a blitz, resulting in the highest number of casualties at Port Arthur. The 1st Division attacked the hill for four consecutive nights from September 19, 1904. It took fresh troop from the 7th Division to finally occupy it on November 27. Our army had lost 2,210 war heroes, accounting for one tenth of the entire Japanese casualties at Port Arthur." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
203 Hill - Where Nogi Yasunori Died
203 Hill - Where Nogi Yasunori Died. Click to expand.
The Monument to Russian Port Arthur
The Monument to Russian Port Arthur . Click to expand.
An inscription at the front roughly translates to: "The mortal remains of the valiant heroes who died defending the fortress of Port Arthur are buried here. This monument was erected by the Japanese government in 1907." It was inaugurated in a ceremony in June 1908 during which military honors were given to the fallen Russians by a regiment and a naval detachment of Japanese troops, who bowed their flags before the graves of their recent enemies.
Port Arthur Castle Monument, New Town
Port Arthur Castle Monument, New Town. Click to expand.
The Government of Kwantung Museum, New Town
The Government of Kwantung Museum, New Town. Click to expand.
Map of Port Arthur, 1905
A View Across Port Arthur, circa 1904
Looking southeast across the port towards Laohuwei Fort and the Yellow Sea beyond, this photograph from the Lloyd Reise Papers shows the Russian fleet before the port was taken by the Japanese.
Monument to the Japanese Blockade
Positioned on a rocky outcropping at the mouth of Port Arthur, this monument to the Japanese Imperial fleet greeted all those who entered the port by ship, making it likely to have been the first monument glimpsed by visitors.
Tour Stop No. 1: The [War] Booties Exhibition Hall
Postcard caption: Forty cannons from the Battle of Port Arthur, large and small, are displayed high and low, reflecting the past sentiments (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
View of Paiyushan (Mt. Hakugyokusan / Baiyushan) from Old Town
"Situated between the new and old towns, after a winding road, you will reach the monument tower with inscriptions by Admiral Togo. Behind the tower is the ossuary dedicated to about 23,000 war heroes, who fought at Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War." - Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
Monument to the loyal dead on Hakugyokuzan Hill (Baiyushan) from Old Town
Visitors could view this towering monument from almost every part of Old Town as they made their way through the busy streets to road leading up the hill.
Flourishing Nogi-machi Street, Old Town
View of Garrison Hospital with Cherry-blossoms
Postcard caption: The view of [the monument on Mt. Hakugyokuzan] Baiyushan from the Garrison Hospital in the full joy of flowery spring, a site of the former Russian Military Hospital, located in Nogi-machi in the Old Town (June 19, 1936, Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
Tour Stop No. 2: The Monument to the Loyal Dead on Mt. Hakugyokuzan (Baiyushan)
Second postcard caption: General Nogi and Admiral Togo initiated the construction of the tower. It soars 218 shaku (about 65m) to console the spirits of the war dead and hands down their past achievement (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress).
Nokotsu Shrine, Mt. Hakugyokusan (Baiyushan)
Fourth postcard caption: The Hakugyoku Shrine consoles the spirits of the war dead who dedicated their lives to the Russo-Japanese War. Japanese nationals pray for the spirits of heroes at Port Arthur, a holy site of our Yamato spirit (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress, January 20, 1938).
Tour Stop No. 3: The Higashikeikanzan (Dongjiguan) Northern Battery
"The Higashi-Keikan-zan (Dongjiguan) Northern Battery is an exemplary fortress at Port Arthur, equipped with 24-25 heavy and light artillery. The Japanese 11th Division launched the first attack here on August 19, 1904. However, their storm troops were annihilated, having been attacked by machine guns and artillery. The Japanese Army changed their strategy, dug an underground tunnel, and bombed the enemy base at 2:15 pm on December 18. The Kochi and Matsuyama units and part of the following 38th infantry regiment fiercely attacked and occupied it that night." - Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
The Photo-postcards
Remains of the Russian battery and the memorial monument above it are featured in the first photo-postcard. The central focal point in the second is the stone cenotaph the Japanese erected in memory of the bravery of Major General Roman Kondratenko of the Russian Army. He was mortally wounded when the armory of this fort was hit by a Japanese howitzer and died a mere 18 days before Port Arthur fell to Japan.
The third photo-postcard shows an enigmatic cavern carved inside the battery by an explosion. While the fourth shows the partially ruined interior of the battery, and the fifth is another look at the battery's exterior.
The Niryuzan (Erlongshan) Battery
Part of the large ring of forts guarding the northeast of Port Arthur, this battery was part of Russia's first line of defense and known as Twin Dragon Hill.
Tour Stop No. 4: The Bodai Battery
"After leaving the Northern Battery of Higashikeikanzan (Dongjiguan), you come to the Battle Site Road. Behind it, you will see a mountain with two large cannons, the highest peak with Port Arthur behind it, where the author of "Nikudan" (Flesh bomb), Tadayoshi Sakurai, fought a fierce battle." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
Also known as the Great Eagle's Nest, Bodai was the tactical key to the Russian's second line of retreat. The Japanese success in taking it, and the two 6 inch guns featured in the photo-postcards, forced a Russian retreat to their third line near Old Town. Soon deemed untenable, a parley began on January 2, 1905.
Tour Stop No. 5: The Shojuzan (Songshushan) Battery
"Following the winding road near the peak, you will reach a permanent battery, the Shojuzan (Songshushan) Battery equipped with 27 cannons. The Japanese troops occupied the site on December 31, after bombing it from an underground passage." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
The Position of the Naval Brigade at Kasekireishi
The emplacement of the Heavy Artillery Unit of the Japanese Navy. Fifteen cannons fired at the battleships, port, and factories to be flamed. (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress)
Tour Stop No. 6: Suishiyei (Suishiying)
First postcard captions: The location of the meeting between Generals Stessel and Nogi on January 5, 1905. The residence used and plants in front of the garden have been carefully preserved (Approved by the Commander's Office, Port Arthur Fortress)
Second postcard: A commemorative photograph of the meeting between Japanese General Nogi Maresuke and Russian General Anatoly Stessel, both seated on chairs at center.
The Isuzan Battery
The Daianshizan Battery
Tour Stop No. 7: 203 Hill - Mt. Nireisan War Monuments
"Through the Old and New Towns, twelve kilometers from the meeting place, you will reach Mt. Nireisan. You will enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the Port Arthur port and old batteries on the mountains. The Japanese troops conquered 203 Hill not by regular tactics but a blitz, resulting in the highest number of casualties at Port Arthur. The 1st Division attacked the hill for four consecutive nights from September 19, 1904. It took fresh troop from the 7th Division to finally occupy it on November 27. Our army had lost 2,210 war heroes, accounting for one tenth of the entire Japanese casualties at Port Arthur." -Ryojun senseki (Battle Sites at Port Arthur), 1939
Third postcard caption: "203 Mt. Nireisan, as steep as it may be, is conquerable. A man aiming for high renown should be ready to overcome no matter what difficulties that lie ahead of him. They fought a fierce battle to the extent the landscape had changed. Now I look up Mt. Nireisan to pray for those who lost their lives here." - poem by General Nogi translated from the Chinese.
203 Hill - Where Nogi Yasunori Died
The Monument to Russian Port Arthur
An inscription at the front roughly translates to: "The mortal remains of the valiant heroes who died defending the fortress of Port Arthur are buried here. This monument was erected by the Japanese government in 1907." It was inaugurated in a ceremony in June 1908 during which military honors were given to the fallen Russians by a regiment and a naval detachment of Japanese troops, who bowed their flags before the graves of their recent enemies.
Memorial to the Fallen Russian Soldiers
This 8-meter tall Russian Orthodox Cross carved in white marble was erected by the Russians near the front of the cemetery in 1912. Part of the inscription on the front roughly translates to read: "In eternal memory to the valiant defenders of Port Arthur, who laid down their lives for Faith, Tsar and Fatherland. No one has sown any more love, than he who will lay down his soul for his friends." The back of the cross (seen in the photo-postcard) is inscribed with the units that took part in the city's defense.
