Commentaries

Ashura-chō 阿修羅帖 四 [第四卷]

(The Ashura Notebook, Volume 4), 1921

Japanese Transcripts and English Translations of Translated Commentaries for the Annotated Volume 4

Translation and transcription of Tokutomi Kenjirō's commentary on Sketch 305: Fall of Jerusalem

About forty years after Jesus was crucified, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus. In the year 70 of the Christian era, Judea perished as a nation.

And now, 1,847 years later, Jerusalem has fallen into the hands of England—who proudly calls herself the “modern Romans.” Thus, it is said that the prospects for the Zionist Scheme, which advocates the restoration of the Jewish nation, have brightened.

That the first Rome fell, and a second Rome should rise—this too must be fate.
Now is a day of restoration and return.
Jesus has, in truth, risen again.

The resurrection of the Jewish nation, with Jerusalem as its capital, must likewise be in accordance with Heaven’s revelation and decree.

Having twice come to this sacred place in my lifetime, I now address you with a single phrase from your ancient prophet Isaiah:

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of Jehovah has risen upon you.”

June 21, Taishō 10 (1921), in early summer

— noted by Tokutomi Kenjirō

耶蘇を十字架につけて約四十年目に、エルサレムは羅馬帝 Titus に取り潰された。耶蘇紀元七十年、猶太は國として亡びたのである。
それから千八百四十七年目で、エルサレムは現代の羅馬人を以て自ら期する英吉利の手に落ちた。而して猶太國再興を標榜する Zichist Scheme の前途が明るくなつたと云はれる。

第一の羅馬芝を滅し、第二の羅馬之を興すも、因縁であらう。

今は復活還元の日である。
耶蘇はとくに復活して居る。
エルサレムを首都とした猶太國の復活も、天の啓數當に然あらねばならぬ。

今生に於て已に二たび豫に到つた余は、今爾が古昔の預言者イザアの一句以て爾を視る。

起きよ、光を放て、爾の光来り、エホバの榮光爾の上に照り出でたれば也。

大正十年夏六月廿一日　德富健次郎記す

Translation and transcription of Itō Chūta's commentary on Sketch 307: Russians Flee to Japan

— Chūta

Jirō:

“Isn’t that the deposed emperor?”

Tarō:

“And that must be Princess Tatiana, right?”

— 忠太

次郎
「あれが 廃帝だろう」ニと

太郎
「アレがたちあな姫ダロー

Translation and transcription of Masuda Giichi's commentary on Sketch 310: Situation as of New Year’s Day, Taishō 7

Reflecting on the rise and fall of fortune in this world,
I find myself recalling the lines of the ancients.
— Masuda Giichi

Human wealth is like dew upon the grass—
a fleeting gleam that lasts only while it waits
for the wind that will sweep it away.

Beyond the snail’s petty struggle of winning and losing empty fame,
the ebb and flow of this floating world
is but a dream fit for ants.

世の中の栄枯盛衰に鑑みて

古人の句を追懐す

— 增田義一 

人の世の富は草葉に置く露の風を待つ間の光りなりけり

虚名得失蝸争外浮世荣枯蟻夢閒

Translation and transcription of Tokonami Takejirō's commentary on Sketch 312: Presentation and Receipt of the Honorary Field Marshal Titles Between the Japanese and British Emperors

Anglo-Japanese Alliance

— Tokonami

日英同盟

— 床次竹次郎 

Translation and transcription of Alfred Harmsworth's commentary on Sketch 314: The Russian Extremist (Bolshevik) Government Is Recognized

In particular, to take up the great upheaval of the world war as one’s subject, and through it to convey—even overseas—the distinctive art that Japan has cultivated since antiquity, is something that I find truly admirable beyond measure.

— Northcliffe

殊に世界大の戰亂を捕 へ來りて是を主題とし 資つて日本古來獨特の 美術を海外へまでも傳 へらるるは誠に感歎の 至り也と奉存候

— ノースクリフ

Translation and transcription of Umezaki Unosuke's commentary on Sketch 317: Russia and Romania Sever Diplomatic Relations

Romania, isolated and without a single ally, after having its entire national territory trampled and ravaged by the German General Mackensen, joined the Brest-Litovsk armistice agreement under the initiative of the military side; but on January 30 the Romanian cabinet announced that this was not the will of the cabinet, and once again relations between Russia and Romania were broken off.

Romania, stripped bare with nothing left, unable to stand on its own feet, barely able to hold itself upright,  is pitiable enough in merely shaking hands with Lenin’s government—a regime puffed up to the skies on a single blast of communist flatulence. But even if it shrugs its shoulders beneath Mackensen’s glittering gaze, the outcome is obvious. Truly, Romania’s dilemma at that time was a perilous one indeed. 

Battleship Mutsu (former Kantō)

— Umezaki Unosuke

獨將マッケンゼンに國土を舉げて蹂躙せられし孤立無援羅國は軍隊側主動の下にブレストリトウスク休戰條約に参加したが、一月卅日羅國內閣は右を内閣の意志でないと發表して、再び露羅の斷交となつた

裸一貫足も腰も立たぬ羅國が是又共産主義の放屁一天張のレニン政府と握手するさへ憐れなのに、マッケンゼンの光る眼の下で肩を聳かした所で行末は分り切つたものさても當時羅國の危いデレンマよ

軍艦陸奥(舊關東)

— 梅崎卯之助

Translation and transcription of Itō Jintarō's commentary on Sketch 320: Germany Makes Peace with Little Russia (Ukraine)

Because Ōmaeda no Eigorō [大前田の英五郎] and Ainokawa no Matagorō [相の川の又五郎] were holding their ground, there was no way to expand his turf, and this affront to his pride drove Kunisada Chūji [国定忠治] to fury—yet no matter how skilled he was, there was nothing he could do.

It began with the killing of the magistrate at Iwahana, continued with his barricading himself on Mount Akagi, then the breaking through of the Ōdo checkpoint, and ended with his head exposed atop a tree three shaku high.

How closely this resembles the Great World War. For the moment, Germany plays the role of Kunisada Chūji. Even in defeat there is something bracing in its spirit, something crisp and decisive, that I find admirable. Tugging lightly at little Russia [Ukraine] and making the English and French bosses jump—there was something rather entertaining about that.

Even when his head was put on display, Chūji remained manly. And even in defeat, one might say that Germany, too, was admirable.*

— Itō Chiyū

*The exploits of Kunisada Chūji, a Robin Hood-like bandit of the Edo period, make for an often-told story that has been embellished over the years.

大前田の英五郎や相の川の又五郎が頑張って居るから、どうしても縄張を延す事が出来ず、それが疳癪に觸って國定忠次は、いくら腕いても何うする事も出来なかつた。

トウ〱岩鼻の代官殺から始まつて、赤城山の立籠り、大度の關所を破つて、三尺高い木の上に首を晒された。

それに酷く肖た世界戰爭。差詰め獨逸は國定忠次の役廻り。負けても氣色のよい、テキパキした所が嬉しいと思ふ。

小露さんをチョイと引張って見て、英や佛の親分連をビクッとさせた所なぞ、鳥渡面白い。

梟首されても、忠次は男らしい。負けても、獨逸はエライといへるだらう。

— 伊藤痴遊

Translation and transcription of Narusawa Kinbei's commentary on Sketch 321: Russia and Germany Make Peace?

Amazake shinjō*

— Rei

甘酒進上

— 玲

* a traditional children’s play phrase meaning roughly “Come here—I'll give you amazake (sweet sake),” used to lure or tease someone playing the enemy or oni.

Translation and transcription of Shibusawa Eiichi's commentary on Sketch 324: Repudiation of Russian Government Loans

If words are sent forth in violation of principle, disorder will return in kind; if wealth is acquired by improper means, it will be lost by improper means.*

— Seien

言悖而出者、亦悖而入。貨悖而入者、亦悖[而]出

— 青淵

*The passage Shibusawa (Seien) cites comes from The Great Learning (Dàxué 大學), one of the Four Books of the Confucian canon.

Translation and transcription of Maeda Eun's commentary on Sketch 327: The Winter's Results

Who in the world today can truly
point out the blue demons and the red demons,
and fully comprehend
that those spoken of are not human beings at all?

fifth month of the Metal Rooster (58th term of the sexagenary cycle)

— inscribed by Shishū Dōjin

現今世間誰ヶ能

く青鬼赤鬼指

語中の人ならざる

ことを得了して

辛酉五月

— 止舟道人慧雲題

Translation and transcription of Ōki Enkichi's commentary on Sketch 333: The Armenian Massacre

The pillar supporting the sky has broken, and the ropes tying the earth to the ground have snapped

— inscription by Tenrai

天柱挫兮地維缺

—天籟題

Translation and transcription of Okino Iwasaburō's commentary on Sketch 334: Russia Transfers Its Capital to Moscow

Three hundred and four years after Mikhail, the first of the Romanov dynasty, acceded to the throne in 1613, the Romanov family, which possessed a large portion of the earth and ruled over two hundred million people as God's representative, finally came to a sad end. What caused this great event? It arose because, after the elections of 1915*, the people's hearts were stirred by the ideology of overthrowing the bureaucracy. Once the people's hearts turned, even the authority of being God's representative could do nothing about it.

— Okino Iwasaburō

千六百十三年ロマノフ家第一世ミハイルが王位を譲んでから三百四年、地球の大分の一を所有し、二億の民に神の代表者として莅める、彼ロマノフ家も、遂に悲しに結末を告げた。此の大事は何から起つたか。开は千九百十五年の改選後、民心が官僚打破といふ思想に鼓吹せられたからであつた。民心の一轉する所、神の代表者たる權威を以てしても奈何ともなし能はなかつたのである。

— 沖野岩三郎

Translation and transcription of Hozumi Shigetō's commentary on Sketch 335: German Prisoners of War in Siberia Rise Up

Radicalized prisoners break out of jail.

— Hozumi Shigetō

過激虜牢破リ

— 穂積重遠

Translation and transcription of Takaishi Shingorō's commentary on Sketch 336: The German Emperor's Vision

When this sketch was drawn, Germany’s submarine campaign was scoring success after success, and one may be certain that this distribution map stood vividly before the German Emperor’s mind. Had it later proved possible to reverse the situation, it might even have been interesting to see this ideal put into practice, if only for a short time. Had the menace of a powerful Germany pressed so close next door, Japan as well might have been forced into greater alertness—and in the end perhaps benefited from it.

— Takaishi Shingorō

此書が書かれた時は丁度獨逸の僭水艇戰が着々偉功を奏して居た時で獨帝の頭の中には確に此分布圖が鮮に閃いて居た時だ。後で取り返へしがつくとすれば一寸此理想を實現させて見ても面白かったかも知れない。斯ういふ風にお隣に強獨の脅威が押して来たら日本も今少し目が覺めて結句爲めになつたかも知れない

— 高石眞五郎

Translation and transcription of Raymond Poincaré's commentary on Sketch 339: German Forces Shell Paris

I greatly admired the very original talent of Dr. Chuta Ito

Paris 28/7/20

— Poincaré

J'ai vivement admiré le talent si original du Dr. Chuta Ito

Paris 28/7/20

— Poincaré

Translation and transcription of Yamasaki Naomasa's commentary on Sketch 340: The Kyūkan Bribery Scandal

The heavenly net is vast and wide; Though its mesh is coarse, nothing slips through.

Still, the great mysterious ocean swallows boats and fish.

— Tanseki-gakunin

天網恢々疎不漏

尚逸玄洋呑舟魚

— 舟石客人

Translation and transcription of Ishikawa Kanmei's commentary on Sketch 341: The Western Front

The cries have not yet ceased in the western fields of Europe

How many times has the sun set over the mountains and rivers since the war

— Mikiaki sei

哭聲未息改西野

戰後山河幾夕陽 

— 幹明生

Translation and transcription of Narusawa Kinbei's commentary on Sketch 346: German Forces Invade Russia

Like A Mountain of Stolen Goods

However, the big thief’s gamble missed the mark and all the stolen goods were confiscated by the police and were supposedly returned to the victims.

You’re saying it was "problematic" that the police officers took a cut for themselves or accepted bribes during that process?

As if the authorities could ever be in the wrong! Might is Right.

— Reisen

贓品山の如し

しかし大泥棒のヤマは外れて贓品は全部警察に没収、それく被害者に還附された筈。

その際警察官が頭をはねたり賄賂を取つたりしたのは不都合だつて？

お上のする事に間違いがあつてたまるものか、マイト・イズ・ライトだ。

— 玲川

Translation and transcription of Narusawa Kinbei's commentary on Sketch 348: Tochigiyama Wins the Championship

An Honest Confession

An upstart country bumpkin like me doesn’t know West from East.*

— Reisen

正直な告白 (Shojiki na kokuhaku)

ポット出の (Potto de no)

田舎者には (inakamono ni wa)

西も東も (nishi mo higashi mo)

わからない (wakaranai)

— 玲川

* The reference to "West from East," is to the East (Higashi) and West (Nishi) camps on the banzuke (ranking hierarchy) and suggests that no matter which division his opponents are in this "country bumpkin" from  Tochigi Prefecture will knock them down.

Translation and transcription of Narusawa Kinbei's commentary on Sketch 351: Semyonov in a Predicament

New Aesop’s Fables

A cherry tree, captivated by the song of a cicada, offered it a place to stay. Finding a shady spot to rest, the cicada sang on, feeling at ease. Before long, however, the cherry tree drove the cicada away, claiming the noise interfered with its nap. Abandoned by the cherry tree, the cicada was threatened by sparrows and mantises, falling into great distress. The cicada felt deeply just how unreliable the hearts of others can be.

— Reisen

新イソップ物語

櫻の木が蟬の鳴聲に聴きとれて宿を借した。蟬は憩ふべき木蔭を得て安心して鳴いてゐた。間もなく櫻の木は晝寝の邪魔になるからといつて蟬を追立てた。櫻に見棄てられた蟬は雀や螳螂に脅かされて大變難儀をする。蟬はひとの心の恃みがたいことをつくづ〲と感じた。

— 玲川

Translation and transcription of Higashi Kan'ichi's commentary on Sketch 352: Rumors of the Assassination of the Deposed Russian Emperor

The House of Romanov
— unfinished draft by Ōsho 

Do you not see how, across eight million square miles of the earth, Russia sprawled over the northern reaches of Europe, holding one-seventh of the world— a dominion so vast it had no equal.

The House of Romanov seized sovereignty, and one able ruler after another rose to the throne. Among them, Peter the Great dreamed boldly, making territorial expansion the policy of the state.

Then came Napoleon Bonaparte, who swept across Europe in conquest, yet even he was checked and bloodied amid the frozen snows and bitter cold of the Russian land.

From that time onward, Russia’s power only swelled. Hundreds of thousands of fierce soldiers were raised and trained, and the nations of the world looked on in wary fear. Who could hope to restrain
this coiling serpent, this rampaging boar?

Its capital and its institutions grew vast and imposing, surpassing all others in Europe. Their structures were praised for perfect balance and beauty; it was not only the palaces that dazzled the eye— luxury reigned in gold-embroidered garments and jade-like banquets of extreme extravagance.

Yet, tragically, conflict was ignited by France and Britain, and from that moment the calamity of the Romanovs was set in motion. Rebels rose in swarms and stormed the imperial palace; the dynasty was driven out, wandering in humiliation, sent northward in exile.

In the end came imprisonment and brutal slaughter, a shared captivity and a violent death, claiming not only the fallen emperor but even the empress and the crown prince.

魯馬諾弗家

— 櫻所未定稿

君不見地表八百萬方里露國蟠踞歐北鄙七分世界保其一版圖宏大罔與比魯馬諾弗家欖主權英君傑主相踵起就中彼得懷雄圖開疆拓土爲國是那翁席卷歐羅巴挫衄莫府寒雪裏爾來國威益振張養成皕萬貔貅士列國側目憚其威誰能制長蛇封豕禁官壯大冠歐洲結構皆稱輪奐美豈唯宮殿盡壯麗金衣玉食極華侈獨懊佛英啓釁端魯家禍基從此始劇賊蜂起犯禁宮播越蒙塵北邊徙遂遺弒虐同囚人連及皇后皇太子緬想魯家闕寬仁奕世武斷決通否箝制國人自主權峻法嚴刑事鞭箠西伯利亞曠原遥謫人憂國志士共胥靡衣裳檻樓風裂膚手脚皹瘃寒墮指形容枯槁瘠土民終歲勤動僅免死否則狴犴久廢錮冤悲瘦死爲恨鬼仁者無敵今古同不仁反之亦通理果有石壓筍斜生虐政黨蒸出姦究無政府黨共產派疾視王侯相切齒前帝已觸毒牙殂絕大版圖亦難恃積不善之家有餘殃嗟乎天祿永終魯馬諾弗氏古人有言君記否出乎爾者反乎爾

Translation and transcription of Takagi Nobutake's commentary on Sketch 353: Germany's Three Billion Mark Tax Increase

The common people of the entire nation weep, trapped in distress and poverty.

The white bones on the battlefield wail in the autumn wind.

If only the "Iron Man"* of those years were still here, 

The final days of the "Powerful Qin"** would not be the same.

A Picture of the People Suffering in Extreme Misery. 

— Seiin Nobu

舉國蒼生泣阨窮

戰場白骨哭秋風若

使當年鐵公在強秦

末路又無同

右題生民苦塗

炭之圖

— 清陰　信 

* A reference to Germany's "Iron Chancellor" Otto von Bismarck.

** A reference to the Qin Dynasty (221 BCE to 206 BCE) serving as a metaphor for the German Empire.

Translation and transcription of V. E. Orlando's commentary on Sketch 354: Italian Army Repels the Austrian Army

I admire the expression of the Japanese artist, who so profoundly embodies the heroic sensibility of his race; and I offer my thanks for the tribute rendered by him to the glorious epic of the Italian soldier.

— Rome, 27 December ’20 V. E. Orlando

Ammiro la manifestazione dell’artista giapponese che possiede così profondamen- te la sentimentalità eroica della sua razza; — e ringrazio per l’omaggio da lui prestato alla gloriosa epopea del soldato italiano.

— Roma, 27 Dicembre ’20 V. E. Orlando

Translation and transcription of Toki Zenmaro's commentary on Sketch 356: German Ambassador to Russia Mirbach Is Assassinated

The culprit's name is Pyotr Aketivitch!

— T. - Z.

Hannin no Na wa Pyotr Aketivitch! T. - Z.

Translation and transcription of Kamiizumi Tokuya's commentary on Sketch 357: Battleship Kawachi Explodes and Sinks

Deeply regrettable

— Kamiizumi Tokuya

具屋志ｲ (くやしｲ)
— 上泉德彌

Translation and transcription of Haga Yaichi's commentary on Sketch 358: Battleship Kawachi Explodes and Sinks

When the battleship Kawachi exploded and went down, I suddenly recalled Lord Nanko* and his death in battle.

— [signature unread]

楠公の 討死をふと おもひいれぬ 戦艦河内 爆沈の時やわ

— [署名判読不能]

*affectionate name for Kusunoki Masashige (1294-1336)

Translation and transcription of Narusawa Kinbei's commentary on Sketch 365: The Rice Riots

The fire that burned down the Terauchi Cabinet,

the fire that passed the begging bowl on to the Hara Cabinet,

fire is a fearful thing.

— Reisen

寺内内閣を やき落した火　原内閣にお鉢を廻した火　火は恐ろしい

— 玲川

Translation and transcription of Shimada Saburō's commentary on Sketch 367: The Middle Class Weeps in Hunger

Even if the total amount [of wealth] increases, if the balance of distributed goods is lost, it will, on the contrary, invite peril. 

"Those who possess a state or noble house are not concerned about whether their people are scarce, but rather about whether their people are content; they are not concerned about poverty, but rather concerned that what wealth they have is fairly distributed. If wealth is fairly distributed, there should be no poverty; if your state or house is in harmony, there should be no scarcity; and if your people are content, there should be no instability." [Analects 16.1]

With a single sweep of the brilliant brush, the admonitions of the sage Confucius regarding statecraft are displayed; it is truly a masterful display of how a talented brush is wielded. 

— Shōnan (followed by 島田三郎 seal of Shimada Saburō) 

總額増加するも分配品を失へは却て危殆を招かん

有國有家者不患寡 而患不均不患貧而 患不安蓋均無貧和 無寡安無傾

彩毫一揮孔聖治國の訓戒を表示して遺憾無し才筆ふるかな

— 沼南  [落款印] 島田三郎

Translation and transcription of Émile Vandervelde's commentary on Sketch 370: Assassination, Assassination, and Yet More Assassination

Dr. Chuta Ito’s drawing both greatly interested me and left me somewhat perplexed. In Europe we are not accustomed to this kind of political imagery—so artistic in form—or to the ingenuity with which your civilization interprets ours. On the other hand, I must confess that the artist sees things in a way quite different from how I myself saw them at the time when we met.

— Emile Vandervelde

Le dessin du Dr Chuta Ito m’a, a la fois, vivement intéressé et un peu déconcerté. Nous ne sommes pas accoutumés en Europe a cette forme, si artiste, de l’imagerie politique et à cette ingéniosité de votre civilisation dans la nôtre. D’autre part, il me faut avouer que l’artiste a une vision autrement que je ne le voyais moi-même, au temps où nous nous rencontrions.

— Emile Vandervelde

Translation and transcription of Katō Hiroharu's commentary on Sketch 372: Seventeen Enemy Vessels Seized

Not knowing it was a field

where baku* live, I slept

my traveler’s sleep―and had

my sweet dream of miyako (the capital)

gobbled up!

Commander of the Fifth Squadron, 1918 (Taishō 7 )

— Katō Hiroharu 

獏のすむ野邊ともしらず

旅寝してうまき都の夢をくはれき

大正七年第五戦隊司令官

—  加藤寛治 

*the baku are supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares.

Translation and transcription of Francesco Nitti's commentary on Sketch 373: A Feeble Fellow Traveler

The art of the painter Chuta is very original and interesting.

— Nitti

L’arte del pittore Chuta Ito è molto originale e interessante.

— Nitti

Translation and transcription of Suzuki Fujiya's commentary on Sketch 374: The Terauchi Cabinet’s Preparations for Retreat

Even Terauchi prepares to flee outside the temple

with a worried look, he packs his bags "goto-goto" (clatter-clatter)*

— Fujiya

寺内(てらうち)も いま寺外(てらそと)へ 逃(に)げ仕度(したく)

新平顔(しんぱいがほ)に 荷物(にもつ) 後藤(ごと)〱 

— 富士彌

*Puns and onomatopoeia populate Fujiya's commentary. A major piece of baggage Terauchi will have to take with him is his most prominent cabinet member, Home Minister Gotō Shimpei.

Translation and transcription of Shimaji Daitō's commentary on Sketch 376: The Summer's Results

Good people perform good deeds; 

they pass from joy into joy, 

and from light into light.

Evil people perform evil deeds; 

they pass from suffering into suffering, 

and from darkness into darkness. 

Who can truly understand this?

Only the Buddha knows it.*

— Daitō

*This passage comes from the Infinite Life Sutra (Muryōju-kyō), a foundational text in Pure Land Buddhism.

善人行善　從樂入樂　從明入明　悪人行悪

從苦入苦　從冥入冥　誰能知者　獨佛知耳

大等

Translation and transcription of Yokota Sen’nosuke's commentary on Sketch 380: The Hara Cabinet Takes Office

The East—squaring off against the Yankees and John Bull*

—Yokota Sen’nosuke

*The East—squaring off against the Americans and the British

ヤンキーと ジョンを 相手の 東方

— 横田千之助

Translation and transcription of Ogawa Takuji's commentary on Sketch 382: Occupation of Damascus

The men of that country are mostly dark-skinned with thick beards. Their noses are large and long, resembling those of Brahmans. The women are fair-skinned. They also possess a written language. They produce camels and horses that are larger than those of other countries. Their weapons and blades are strong and sharp.*

— Joshū Taku

*an excerpt from the Tongdian (通典), the massive institutional history compiled by the Tang dynasty scholar and chancellor Du You (杜佑) between 766 and 801.

其國男兒，色黑多鬚，鼻大而長，似婆羅門。婦人白皙，亦有文字。出駝馬，大於諸國。兵刃勁利。

— 如舟琢

Translation and transcription of Kōno Tsunekichi's commentary on Sketch 384: The Outcome Is Decided (General Retreat of the German Army)

Viewed from the heights of Switzerland
by one of the referees: Major General Kōno (Kōno Tsunekichi)

It is truly remarkable how this [sketch] captures the essence. At 8:00 AM on November 11, 1918, the match was decided.*

The Toll of the Match

The Black Mountain [Central Powers]:

Sweat of Gold: 106 billion yen

Sweat of Blood: 10.4 million men

The Red Mountain [Allied Powers]:

Sweat of Gold: 266 billion yen

Sweat of Blood: 15.1 million men

The Scene in Paris

What a labor! When the report of the armistice signing reached the Parliament in Paris, it is no wonder that the “bearded old gentlemen”—Deschanel, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Prime Minister Clemenceau, and President Poincaré—embraced one another and wept with joy.

The “Prizes” of the Match

Now, as for the prizes (the aftermath) thrown into the ring:

The collapse of three great empires

The rampancy of extremists (Bolsheviks)

The dominance of the labor movement

The exhaustion of Europe

The tyranny / high-handedness of the United States

The independence of various nations

Fluctuations in the financial world

A scarcity of materials

Soaring prices

The difficulty of survival / returning alive

The fury of the influenza epidemic

*Writing his commentary in 1921, Major General Kōno Tsunekichi is reflecting back to his time spent in neutral Switzerland as a military observer, present when word of the armistice reached him at 8:00 AM on November 11, 1918, almost three hours after the actual signing of the armistice in a railway carriage at Compiègne, France, shortly after 5:00 a.m. 

瑞西の高臺から視た

行司の一人　少將　河野生

全く此通穿ち得て妙一九一八年の十一月十一日午前八時勝負あり。

黑山の金汗　一〇六〇億圓

血汗　一〇四〇萬人

赤山の金汗　二六六〇億圓

血汗　一五一〇萬人

御苦勞〱休戰調印の報告が巴里の國會に致された時議長デシヤネル、首相クレマンソー、大統領ポアンカレーの髯親爺等相擁して嬉泣に沸いた無理もない

扨て其の景物は

曰く三大帝國の滅亡

全　過激派の跳梁

全　勞働者の跋扈

全　歐洲の疲弊

全　米國の横暴

全　民族の獨立

全　財界の變動

全　物資の缺乏

全　物價の騰貴

全　生還の困難

全　流感の猛威

Translation and transcription of Itō Chūta's commentary on Sketch 385: The German-American Catechism

America (米) — "Will you withdraw?"

Germany (獨) — "I am withdrawing."

— Chūta

(米)「撤退スルカ」 

(獨)「撤退スルヨ」

—忠太

Translation and transcription of Irisawa Tatsukichi's commentary on Sketch 386: Virulent Influenza Sweeps the World

The epidemic rages with such ferocity,

Why must a demon descend to bring us this?

Just look at the affairs of this world:

in every age, how many people are brought to misery.

— Unsō-sei

猖獗流行病
何須降惡魔
君看天下事
今古困人多
— 雲莊生

Translation and transcription of Masaki Teruzō's commentary on Sketch 387: Germany's Internal Situation

Army defeated, men deserting—this is Heaven’s decree.

Alone he flees—where is he headed?

“The arrogant dragon has cause for regret”: what a change from then to now.

Pitiful, too—the end of a ruthless strongman. 

On a Summer Day of the Year of Metal-Rooster (1921)

Copied from an old work

— Shosei Masaki Teru

兵敗人離即是天

単身遁去向那邊

亢龍有悔今何昔

末路梟雄也可憐

辛酉夏日録舊作

— 書生正木照

Note on artist seals: Upper seal, 光印 Kō - Masaki's courtesy name. Lower seal 鶴山 (Kakuzan) - Maskai's pen name.

Translation and transcription of Masuda Tōnosukei's commentary on Sketch 388: The Abdication of the German Emperor

Three hundred years ago, the "Meteor of the North" (King Charles XII of Sweden), standing alone against the triple alliance of his neighbors, secured a victory, conquered Poland, and then defeated the Russian army, forcing Peter the Great to sue for peace. Yet, in his attempt to invade the Russian capital, he suffered a sudden and crushing defeat, bringing shame to a foreign land. His end was utterly desolate, leading the poet [Samuel Johnson] to lament: "He left the name at which the world grew pale, to point a moral, or adorn a tale." Who could have imagined that the "Demon of Central Europe" [Kaiser Wilhelm II] would now meet the same fate? As this fallen spirit departs, swallowing the grief of a thousand years, one wonders: will his regret last for an eternity?

— Masuda

三百年の昔、「北欧の流星」（瑞典王チャールス十二世）孤身敢て四隣の三四回盟に当り、一勝を屠り、波蘭を征し、次いで露軍を破りてピートル大帝をして和を請はしめしも、進んで露都を侵さんとして一敗忽ち地に塗れ、辱を異域に齎らし、末路転た蕭條、詩人をして「嘗て天下を震伏せし驍名、空しく教訓を垂し物語を飾るの資となりて遺りぬ」と詠嘆せしむ。誰か図らん中欧の夜叉、こゝに再び同一の運命を辿らんとは。 千歳を量るの慨を呑んで落ち行く斯捷疾鬼、果して一念無量劫せんや否や

 —増田生

Translation and transcription of Kaneko Kentarō's commentary on Sketch 390: Victory of the Allied Forces and the United States

The Heavenly Maiden welcomes the army of benevolence and righteousness

— Keisui-dai

[followed by red seal reading] Kaneko Ken

天女来迎仁義軍

— 溪水題

金子堅

Translation and transcription of Ōtani Kōmyō's commentary on Sketch 391: The Goddess of Peace Appears

I find it terrifying just to see two dogs fighting in earnest. The solemnity of the period in which several nations fought one another with all their might is beyond comparison. Upon receiving the news that the Armistice has been signed, it is only natural to be driven wild with joy as the world shifts from gray to brighter colors. Even an omniscient and omnipotent God must have found his position difficult during the war, as both sides prayed to him for the surrender of their enemies. The Goddess of Peace is a fortunate deity, for her appearance was welcomed equally by both sides. However, for those careless individuals who wished for the war to continue just to reap 'the fisherman's profit,' I suspect even this beautiful goddess appeared more like a deity clutching a torn fan.

— Ōtani Kōmyō

二匹の犬が眞劍に嚙み合ふのを見てすら恐ろしく思ふ。數箇國が數箇國と力一杯相戰うた其間の嚴肅さは何に比すべくもない。休戰條約調印されたりとの報を得て灰色より明るき色への喜に狂ふは至當である。全智全能の神も戰の間は双方より敵國降伏を祈られて其の立場は苦しかったであらう。平和の神は双方より均しく其出現を歡迎し奉つた割のよい神様である。然し漁夫の利を得べく戰永かれと願うた不用意な或る種の人にはこの美しい女神も寧ろ破團扇を手にし給ふ神の表現にでも見えたと思ふ。

— 大谷光明

Translation and transcription of Ueno Iwatarō's commentary on Sketch 393: Armistice Terms

August of the Third Year of Taishō [1914].

Germany and Austria went to war against Russia and France. Britain came to the rescue of Russia and France. Victory and defeat alternated between the two sides. The other Great Powers watched and waited, uncertain which way to turn.

Su Qin, a man of Zhou, presented his counsel to Wilson, President of the United States, saying:

"For America's strategy, nothing surpasses entering the war late, and then stepping in decisively to replace the unjust side. The advantage of a late entry is that one's resources are plentiful and one's troops are fresh and strong — this is the way to take on enemies who are already powerful yet exhausted and depleted. If America follows this course, fame and renown will arrive without having to seize them, and supremacy will be established without effort."

The President said: "I gratefully receive your instruction." He held his forces back and did not move for two years.

Su Qin counselled again:

"Although Germany and Austria, worn down by war, have been winning battle after battle, Sedan and Verdun hold firm and cannot be taken. This is the moment when both sides are mutually spent and exhausted. If America strikes now, Britain and France can be made to serve your interests. The art of building a great empire lies in making the world do the toiling while you yourself rest; in throwing the world into turmoil while you yourself remain secure. Ease and survival for us; labour and chaos for the world under heaven — this is the way of the true king."

The President said: "I gratefully heed your instruction." He thereupon proclaimed: "The United States is dispatching a great army to chastise the lawless nations of Germany and Austria."

Germany and Austria, upon hearing this, were struck with terror. They laid down their weapons and begged for peace. American troops did not so much as march out of their encampments, yet an armistice was reached and a peace was concluded. That all of this was achieved by the American President, this was the fruit of Su Qin's persuasion.

— A playful draft by the scholar Makkatsu

 [Makkatsu gakujin gikō]

(An excerpt from the New Stratagems of the Warring States [新戰國策])

The words of Su Qin are borrowed from the chapter "Su Qin Persuades the King of Yan" in the [classic] Stratagems of the Warring States [Zhanguo Ce]

大正三年八月。徳奥與俄法相戰。英救俄法。 互有勝敗。列强觀望。迷去就。周人蘇秦説美總統威爾遜曰。美國之計。莫若後起。而重代不義。夫後起之藉。與多而兵勁。是以象强敵罷寡也。美國行此則名號不攘而至霸王不為而立矣。總統曰。謹受教。按兵而不動者二年。蘇秦復説曰。徳奧雖窮戰比勝。而塞壇威爾壇。守不抜。是兩者交困之時也。今美乘之。則英法可趨役也。夫善爲王業者在勞天下而自逸亂天下而自安佚活在我勞亂在天下則王之道也。總統曰。謹奉教。則聲言。美國派大兵。討徳奧不逞之國。徳奧聞之震驚。投鋒請和。美兵不出於軍。而休戰講和。專仰成於美總統者。蘇秦之説也。（新戰國策一節）

— 靺鞨學人戯稿

戰閾策蘇子説燕王一篇中ョり蘇秦ノ語ヲ假リ来ル

Translation and transcription of Maurice Maeterlinck's commentary on Sketch 394: The King of Belgium Returns Home

Oct. 20, 1920.

I find charming, very original, and very touching, this symbolic interpretation, so deliciously oriental, of the return of my king to my unhappy and glorious homeland.

— Maeterlinck

20 oct. 1920.

Je trouve charmante, très originale et très touchante, cette interprétation symbolique, si délicieusement orientale, du retour de mon roi dans ma mal- heureuse et glorieuse patrie.

— Maeterlinck.

Translation and transcription of Higashi Kan'ichi's commentary on Sketch 395: The German Emperor Becomes Count Hohenzollern

The German Emperor Wilhelm II

Unfinished manuscript by Ōsho

Drought, locusts, and plagues are rare and strange calamities, yet they do not compare to the disaster of war that reaches all living things. Floods may surge to the heavens and stir up wild waves, yet they do not compare to the trembling dread of war.

The German Emperor alone loved martial might and lacked benevolence. His nature was violent and overbearing, trampling upon other nations. Armed with deceitful schemes and eyeing the world, he played with cunning and treachery. He believed that with wealth and power, he would surpass all nations—like a wolf with horns or a tiger with wings. He falsely claimed that building up arms was to bring peace, yet while sharpening his claws and teeth daily, he discarded natural law and human morality like dirt. Believing only in might, he saw it as justice. Suddenly, he seized spear and halberd to fulfill his long-held ambition of world domination.

He admonished his people, claiming they were a chosen race, uniquely bathed in the special grace and glory of God. Believing in absolute victory, he had no doubts. The conquest of enemy nations seemed to go as he wished; a million elite troops pressed against neighboring borders. Iron hooves trampled the neutral land (Belgium), and that "White Country" was suddenly turned to scorched earth. Extortion and plunder reached every corner. Pitifully, the people were cast into misery; the innocent, the elderly, and the young were slaughtered.

His long drive aimed straight for the French capital (Paris), like a wildfire spreading across the plains. But the combined forces of France and Britain stood at the front, united in a singular defense. They clashed fiercely; toxic smoke filled the land, and explosions roared through the sky as bombs fell. Submarines fired torpedoes, easily crushing merchant ships. The battle lines stretched over 300 miles; blood flowed into rivers, and the stench of piled corpses struck the nose.

For five years, the disaster continued. Such tragic conditions are beyond comparison. Even Alexander the Great or Napoleon would find this unknown in the annals of history. The entire globe shook; the harm was no less than flood or plague. Formerly, the Emperor cried of the "Yellow Peril," but now this "Grievous Peril" makes men’s eyes split with rage.

Fathers, sons, husbands, and wives are scattered in grief; the misery is extreme. In the trenches, strong men are covered in wounds; in the fields, old farmers sigh at their toil. Under the clear autumn moon, the new bride laments; in the spring breeze, the orphan weeps. War funds drain by the billions; the granaries are empty. Furthermore, the transport of grain and meat is cut off; for a whole year, one cannot even eat their fill of vegetables. The people eat weeds and endure hunger; before the nation falls, they are already wasted by illness.

Once the American army joined the combined offense and defense, the tides turned and the Germans retreated. One by one, their allied nations broke their pacts; isolated, it was hard to hope for victory. Morale collapsed, never to rise again. The dream of hegemony vanished without a trace. Where is that "Special Grace of God" now?

Those who ruin lives are abandoned by Heaven. Their predatory, beast-like acts proved their "civilized administration" was a hollow lie. Suddenly, disaster arose from within (the German Revolution). Abandoning the throne of ten thousand chariots (abdicating his throne), the Emperor could not stay in his golden halls. Now drifting abroad like floating weed, he finds refuge in a foreign land (the Netherlands).

Do you not see it written incessantly in history? The end of a hero is often marked by a fall. Retribution is clear; in the end, there is no escape. To cry out for "Justice" is no child’s play. If you wish to witness the rise and fall of Germany, just ask the world. I only regret that my talent is not that of Jia Yi*, for I cannot write a more profound warning.

*Chinese scholar known for writing "The Faults of Qin," an essay explaining why a once-powerful empire collapsed.

獨帝維廉二世 櫻所未定稿

旱蝗疾疫多我異未若兵禍及庶類洪水滔天捲狂瀾未若兵禍可戰悸獨帝好武不好仁資性暴戾以恣睢凌轢列國挾詐謀睥睨世界弄詭智富強亦將凌諸國豺狼有角虎着翅漫稱修武致平和厲爪磨牙日孳々天理人道棄如土但信威力則正義一朝倏執干戈起欲覇宇内展宿志訓誥獨人遴選民上帝恩寵特光被百戰百勝莫相疑征服敵國必如意百萬精銳壓隣疆鐵騎蹂躪中立地白國忽化為焦土苛斂誅求無不至可憫國人坐塗炭殺戮無辜及老穉長驅直欲衝佛京勢如燎原炎燄熾佛英聯合當其衝一致一守相角椅豪々蔽地毒煙燻轟々掠空爆彈墜更有潜艇發水雷摧碎藍船太容易三百餘哩戰線延流血積屍腥衝鼻兵連禍結五星霜悽慘狀況難取譬歷山那翁寧與知萬邦史册所未記渾圓球上皆動搖洪水疾疫害不啻獨帝曩時唱黃禍 如今慘禍人裂眦父子夫妻亂離悲窮極人間痛苦事塹壕壯士裏瘡痍畎畝老農歎劬勩秋霄月清娶婦怨春日風和弧兒淚軍資日耗億萬金 帑廩空罄無儲積何况糓肉絶轉輸終歳不得饜蔬食國人菜食忍飢寒 邦國將亡先疹瘁一從米軍加聯合攻守易地稍後退同盟諸國各脫盟孤立難期戰場利士氣沮喪不復振惆悵覇圖無由遂上帝殊寵今如何糜爛生靈天所棄攫裂吞噬禽獸行文明善政屬虚偽俄然禍起蕭牆内脱履十善萬乗位金殿畫閣不能留漂泊國外似蓱寄君不見歴々不絶書英雄末路多顚蹟報應彰然終難逃呼號正義豈兒戲欲驗獨逸聊問世唯塊我才非賈誼

Translation and transcription of Kawaguchi Ekai's commentary on Sketch 396: This Autumn's Harvest

— Ekai

Who is this,

drumming on his belly*,

under the autumn sky?

*The phrase "drumming on one's belly" (hara tsuzumi utsu) as used in the context of Itō's sketch suggests feeling self-satisfied and content in the midst of these deaths. 

— 當秋 [Ekai]

腹つゞみ - [Hara tsuzumi]

打つは - [utsu wa]

誰ぞや - [tare zo ya]

秋の空 - [aki no sora]

Translation and transcription of Fukuda Tokuzō's commentary on Sketch 397: Armistice Celebrations: The Entire Capital in a Frenzy

If the whole city went mad with joy, knowing that the end of the European war meant the beginning of Japan’s hard struggle against Britain and America, then it was foolish; if it rejoiced without knowing that, then it was stupidity.

The above is a passage from remarks I delivered the following day at the Kanda Youth Hall.
—Fukuda Tokuzō

歐洲戰の終末は即ち日本の對英米苦闘の開始を意味することを知りて熱狂したりとせば愚、知らざりしとせば痴、

右は其の翌日神田青年

會館にて述べし一節

—福田徳三

Translation and transcription of Aoki Tetsuji's commentary on Sketch 398: Marquis Saionji Becomes Chief Plenipotentiary for the Peace Negotiations

1. At Versailles, pedigree won’t get you anywhere.

2. Not even up to the level of a neighborhood big-shot—he’s all flustered.

3. He shows no joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure—so they take him for a fool.

4. Paris boys call him “the ivory mask*,” behind his back.

5. Though he sits there solemnly as “His Excellency,” he can’t carry it off—he doesn’t have the presence.

6. Only the overblown entourage stands out from the crowd.

7. Still, no matter—this “silent act” is the family style.

— Kosui-shi Aoki Tetsuji

*During the Paris Peace Conference (1919), Saionji was notorious for his silence and inscrutable expression. The French press dubbed him Le Masque d’Ivoire (The Ivory Mask). Aoki suggests that while this stoicism might have been respected in the Japanese court, it made Saionji look ineffective or "foolish" (Line 3) in the high-stakes, verbal arena of international diplomacy.

一 家柄で押しのきかないヴェルサイユ

二 町内の並とも言へずどぎまぎし

三 喜怒哀樂色に表はさず馬鹿にされ

四 巴里ッ子は象牙の面と蔭で言ひ

五 御前様澄まして見ても持てもせず

六 大袈裟な随行丈けは群を抜き

七 何の其、沈黙振りは家風なり

— 古水子 青木 徹二

Translation and transcription of Nagai Hisashi's commentary on Sketch 400: The Former German Emperor Attempts Suicide

Even the four hundred and four diseases have abandoned you.* You sought death of your own accord, attempting to undergo the agony of a living corpse, and yet you were unable to achieve even that.

The imperial crowns of the world were but a fleeting dream. Every time the evening bells of the ancient castle in Amerongen** ring out, your heart must surely tremble in fear before this terrifying nightmare. A hundred or a thousand years from now, historians may curse you as a demon or praise you as a superhuman. Nevertheless, that which will convey your true essence to eternity will be the evening bells of the castle town of Amerongen, quietly echoing through the air.

— Nagai Hisashi

* “Four hundred and four diseases” (四百四病) is a Buddhist set phrase for the countless afflictions and illnesses of sentient beings.

** Amerongen: the Dutch castle town where Wilhelm II first took refuge after crossing into the Netherlands in November 1918. 

四百四病の絆ら貴下を見放しました貴下は自から死を求めて生ける屍の悶をせむとして而かも夫れすら得ることが出来ないのです

世界の帝冠は一場の夢でありました雨長（アメロゲン）の古の城夕の鐘の鳴りわたる毎に貴下の心臓はこの恐しい惡夢の前に戰き怖えて居るでしやう百年千年の後歷史家は貴下を惡魔とも咀ひ超人とも稱へるでしようさりながら貴下の眞吾を久遠に傳へるものは静かに鳴りわたる雨長城下の夕の鐘でありましやう

—永井潜