Navy Memorial Day

What Is Navy Memorial Day?

May 27th is "Navy Memorial Day" (海軍記念日, Kaigun Kinenbi) in Japan. The date commemorates the Battle of Tsushima (日本海海戦, Nihonkai Kaisen), fought on May 27–28, 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War. In this battle, Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō's Combined Fleet won a decisive victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet, sinking or capturing most of the Russian warships while losing only a few torpedo boats. Established in 1906, Navy Memorial Day was a national observance before World War II and was abolished after Japan's defeat in 1945. A commemorative ceremony for the battle is still held on this day by groups such as the Mikasa Preservation Society.

The Battle of Tsushima

The Russian Baltic Fleet had sailed from the Baltic Sea around Africa and across the Indian Ocean to reach the Far East — a voyage of about seven months that left the ships worn and the crews exhausted. Early on May 27, the Japanese auxiliary cruiser Shinano Maru spotted the Russian fleet and sent the alert by wireless, and Tōgō's fleet sailed out to intercept it in the Tsushima Strait between Japan and Korea. The Japanese fleet made a bold turn in front of the enemy — often described as "crossing the T" — to bring maximum firepower to bear, and the battle is still studied as one of the most complete naval victories of the modern era.

Global Significance

Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War was widely seen as the first time in the modern era that an Asian nation had defeated a major European power in a large-scale war, and it drew attention across the colonial world. The war ended with the Treaty of Portsmouth, mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. The treaty recognized Japan's dominant interests in Korea and transferred Russian rights in southern Manchuria to Japan.

Admiral Tōgō's Legacy

Tōgō Heihachirō became one of Japan's most revered military figures, compared abroad to Britain's Admiral Nelson. The Tōgō Shrine in Harajuku, Tokyo, is dedicated to his memory. Before the battle he hoisted the Z flag, carrying the message "The fate of the Empire rests upon this one battle. Let every man do his utmost" (皇国の興廃この一戦に在り, 各員一層奮励努力せよ), which echoed Nelson's Trafalgar signal and became one of the most famous phrases in Japanese history.

Fun Facts

• Mikasa: Tōgō's British-built flagship, the battleship Mikasa, is preserved as a memorial ship in Mikasa Park, Yokosuka, Kanagawa.
• Navy curry: The Imperial Japanese Navy is said to have adopted Western-style meals, including curry, partly to combat beriberi. Today Yokosuka promotes "Yokosuka Navy Curry" as a local specialty.
• International observers: Foreign naval officers, including British observers, reported on the battle, and it was studied closely by navies around the world.