Human Bullets: A Soldier's Story of the Russo-Japanese War

by Tadayoshi Sakurai, Roger J. Spiller (Introduction)

The impact of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–5 was incalculable. It was the first victory by an Asian power over a European one since the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century. Japanese victory was ascribed to the "spirit" of the Japanese people, which helped their soldiers to overcome superior numbers and technology. A fascinating glimpse into prevailing nationalistic and militaristic attitudes in early-twentieth-century Japan, Human Bullets is also an engaging story of combat and an excellent source of insights about a relatively obscure but immensely influential conflict.

 

Tadyoshi Sakurai was a junior officer in the Japanese campaign against Port Arthur, Russia’s ice-free port in China. His account is an interesting introduction to the concept of yamato-damashii , or "traditional Japanese spirit." This spirit was something greater than mere high morale. Japanese soldiers were the emperor’s "human bullets." Like bullets, they were unconcerned with victory, comfort, or self-preservation, existing only to strike the enemy.

Genres: Japan, History, Japanese History, War, Military History

300 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[Capsguy]

Absolutely brutal, this must have been Japan’s equivalent to Storm of Steel. I would have appreciated knowing more about his experiences directly after the war and how he was received as a veteran of such a momentous event for the nation at the time.

[Ben]

It’s a treat to find a first hand account of a conflict that is often forgotten about. Sakurai does a good job of describing the events up to the Seige of Port Arthur and just how bloody it was. It is a bit flowery in the language but that is a byproduct of being a book by a turn of the century Japanese individual. Also I have never read a book where the author wants to die so much *but that’s okay because it would’ve been an honorable death in combat.

*personal joke

[Harry Martin]

Was first military memoir I read after “devils guard” that started my obsession with obscure historical topics . You get a look into the mind of a samurai warrior. A grim true story , eyewitness account of one of the first modern wars of the 20th century. The Japanese stormed one fortification after the next , suicidal charging up steep mountain sides , over the piles of dead and dyeing ,head on into artillery and machine gun fire .

[Deb Urbano]

Brutal, but informative 25-year-old Japanese soldier's account of his experience in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Sakurai wrote it with his left hand, because he lost his right in the war. The intended audience was Japanese, and translation into English did not happen until decades later.

Footnotes were brief, but invaluable.

[Alex]

I really wanted this book to be good, but it was just such a damn bore that the memory of struggling through it overshadows any positive thing I could say.