Battle of Lushunkou
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Lüshunkou (Japanese:旅順攻囲戦) was a major land battle of the First Sino-Japanese War
. It took place on 21 November 1894 in Lüshunkou
, Manchuria
(later called Port Arthur
, in present day Liaoning Province, China
) between the forces of Meiji Japan
and Qing
China
. It is sometimes referred to archaically in western sources as the Battle of Port Arthur (that name is now used for the opening battle
of the Russo-Japanese War
).
retreated to the heavily-defended and strategically important port of Lüshunkou
, known in the West as Port Arthur. Lüshunkou was defended by its hilly terrain and strengthened with fortification and powerful artillery
, and was widely considered to be an impregnable stronghold.
’s Second Army, commanded by Field Marshal
Oyama Iwao
and consisting of the 1st Provincial Division (Tokyo
) under Lieutenant General Baron
Yamaji Motoharu, and the 12th Brigade of the 6th Provincial Division (Kumamoto) had landed at Pi-tse-wo (present day Pikou, Laioning Province, China) on 24 October 1894. The Japanese forces advanced rapidly towards Lushun, capturing the walled town of Kinchow (modern Jinzhou District, Laioning Province)] on 6 November 1894, and the port town of Dalian
on 7 November 1894.
The assault on Lüshunkou began after midnight on 21 November 1894. Under heavy fire, the Japanese forces had stormed all of the important landward defenses by noon the following day. The shore fortifications held out a bit longer, but the final one fell to the Japanese by 1700 hours. During the night of 22 November 1894, the surviving Chinese defenders deserted their remaining positions, abandoning 57 large-caliber and 163 small-caliber artillery pieces.
When the Japanese forces entered the city, they were fired upon from houses where Chinese soldiers had hidden themselves and had put on civilian dress so as to better blend in with the local population. The Japanese responded with a house-to-house search, killing many adult males who offered resistance.
Chinese casualties were officially estimated at 4000 killed. The Japanese lost only 29 men killed, 233 wounded.
A Western newspaper correspondent present in Lüshunkou relayed an account of a widespread massacre of the Chinese inhabitants of the city by victorious Japanese troops, allegedly in response to the murderous treatment the Chinese had shown Japanese prisoners of war at Pyongyang
and elsewhere. The reporting was highly controversial, as numerous other correspondents present completely denied that such an event had occurred. In any event, the story of a massacre soon spread among the Western public, damaging Japan's public image and nearly torpedoing ongoing effort by Japan to renegotiate the unequal treaties
with the United States
. The event came to be popularly known as the Port Arthur massacre
.
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. It took place on 21 November 1894 in Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
, Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
(later called Port Arthur
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
, in present day Liaoning Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) between the forces of Meiji Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is sometimes referred to archaically in western sources as the Battle of Port Arthur (that name is now used for the opening battle
Battle of Port Arthur
The Battle of Port Arthur was the starting battle of the Russo-Japanese War...
of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
).
Background
Following the defeat at the Battle of Yalu, and subsequent minor engagements in the Liaodong Peninsula the Chinese troops of the Beiyang ArmyBeiyang Army
The Beiyang Army was a powerful, Western-style Chinese military force created by the Qing Dynasty government in the late 19th century. It was the centerpiece of a general reconstruction of China's military system. The Beiyang Army played a major role in Chinese politics for at least three decades...
retreated to the heavily-defended and strategically important port of Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou
Lüshunkou is a district in the municipality of Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Also called Lüshun City or Lüshun Port, it was formerly known as both Port Arthur and Ryojun....
, known in the West as Port Arthur. Lüshunkou was defended by its hilly terrain and strengthened with fortification and powerful artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, and was widely considered to be an impregnable stronghold.
The battle
A portion of the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
’s Second Army, commanded by Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Oyama Iwao
Oyama Iwao
|-...
and consisting of the 1st Provincial Division (Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) under Lieutenant General Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Yamaji Motoharu, and the 12th Brigade of the 6th Provincial Division (Kumamoto) had landed at Pi-tse-wo (present day Pikou, Laioning Province, China) on 24 October 1894. The Japanese forces advanced rapidly towards Lushun, capturing the walled town of Kinchow (modern Jinzhou District, Laioning Province)] on 6 November 1894, and the port town of Dalian
Dalian
Dalian is a major city and seaport in the south of Liaoning province, Northeast China. It faces Shandong to the south, the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south. Holding sub-provincial administrative status, Dalian is the southernmost city of Northeast China and China's...
on 7 November 1894.
The assault on Lüshunkou began after midnight on 21 November 1894. Under heavy fire, the Japanese forces had stormed all of the important landward defenses by noon the following day. The shore fortifications held out a bit longer, but the final one fell to the Japanese by 1700 hours. During the night of 22 November 1894, the surviving Chinese defenders deserted their remaining positions, abandoning 57 large-caliber and 163 small-caliber artillery pieces.
When the Japanese forces entered the city, they were fired upon from houses where Chinese soldiers had hidden themselves and had put on civilian dress so as to better blend in with the local population. The Japanese responded with a house-to-house search, killing many adult males who offered resistance.
Chinese casualties were officially estimated at 4000 killed. The Japanese lost only 29 men killed, 233 wounded.
Aftermath of the battle
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
and elsewhere. The reporting was highly controversial, as numerous other correspondents present completely denied that such an event had occurred. In any event, the story of a massacre soon spread among the Western public, damaging Japan's public image and nearly torpedoing ongoing effort by Japan to renegotiate the unequal treaties
Unequal Treaties
“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty China and late Tokugawa Japan...
with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The event came to be popularly known as the Port Arthur massacre
Port Arthur massacre (1894)
The Port Arthur massacre occurred during the First Sino-Japanese War from 21 November 1894 for two or three days, when advanced elements of the First Division of the Japanese Second Army under command of the one-eyed General Yamaji Motoharu killed somewhere between 1,000 to 20,000 Chinese...
.