A Navy Commander's Account Book

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hisashi
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A Navy Commander's Account Book

#1

Post by hisashi » 25 Jul 2009, 13:13

A Navy Commander's Account Book (ある海軍中佐一家の家計簿) by Koizumi Masayoshi, from Kojinsha 2009 ISBN 9784769826019

The author is a retired post captain of Maritime SDF, but this book is on his father, IJN commander Koizumi Yoshio (1904-1989) and his home economics, along with many data on incomes and prices in civilian life.

Prewar Japan was a class society different from today. Richmens' children received higher education and got high-income and/or highly honorable jobs. army/navy officers were relatively well-paid jobs and war schools were free, so many bright boys in poor households applied for war schools.

Economic surveys on questionaires to households suffered many problems. Sampling methods were not random enough, and so many answers were inaccurate. In 1935, male (government-owned) primary school teachers received annually 800 yen in average. This average was from principals to freshmen, perhaps on the payroll data on the government and highly reliable than figures based on questionnaire survey. Though relatively unreliable, averaged factory workers received annually 600 yen in 1931. 10kg rice was 2.5 yen in 1935.

A 2nd class sailor (typically in 2nd year of his 3-year-service) received annually 157.2 yen (excluding any benefits) in 1931. So private/soldier was no good job opportunity (often men from the poorest households felt rations were much better than in their home).

NCOs were at their maximum paid annually 664.8 yen. In peacetime most NCOs were volunteers from sailors who just finished their service in very good records.

But the situation was totally different if appointed as an officer. An ensign received only 850 yen, but 1,020 yen for newly appointed sublieutenant and 1,470 yen for lieutenant (all in 1931). Full admiral received 6,600 yen, just the same as for the chairman of the diet, only 200 yen less than ministers in the cabinet.

Koizumi Yoshio's father was a relative in a landlord family and a tea leaf trader. According to the author, he adored to go abroad on training voyage, and his father might mention that an army regiment from Koizumi's district suffered heavy loss in Nikolayevsk Incident (1920).

For entering navy war school applicants must be 16-19 years old, so they had four chances if they failed and retried. Japan was in depression and the competition was hard. Yoshio finally passed at his last try.

(continued)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#2

Post by Peter H » 26 Jul 2009, 02:20

Thanks hisashi.As usual,hard to find and unique information. :)

Peter


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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#3

Post by hisashi » 07 Aug 2009, 16:14

Koizumi entered into Etajima in Apr 1924 and graduated in Mar 1927. His 55th class was too young generation to be promoted to admirals by 1945. For example Capt. Ariga Kosaku, the last skipper of BB Yamato was 45th class. His score in war school was 104th of 120 graduates. In peacetime this order of performance in war school was crucial to his promotion. Eventually at war he proved himself to considerably high rank of Lt.Cmdr. ; the highest ones were captain.

His trainer ship was ex-CA Asama. Their first short voyage was Mar-May 1927 among Japan, Korea and China. His monthly salary as a midshipman was 55 yen, but 70 yen including benefits at sea. The exchange rate of the day was 2.5 yen = 1 US dollar. Their graduating voyage was for east and west coast of the U.S. and Mexico via Panama.

They returned home in Dec 1927 and Midshipman Koizumi was appointed to CH Kunugasa. He was a subleader (buntaishi 分隊士) of observer division.

It would be worth noting the organization structure of IJN ships. All personnels were divided into buntai (分隊). Buntai was a division for a task, but gunnery personnels usually had several buntai so that each could work as a team of tractable size. For example, each of main turrets on BB Yamato had buntai of its own, and 12.7cm AA gun personnels had two buntai, starboard side and port side.

Setting aside non-combat officers (engine mechanics, doctors etc.), There were two types of officers on IJN ships. Heika shikan (兵科士官) was officers from Etajima war school. They were managers though they gradually achieved their speciality from daily duties and short courses in specialized schools at Kure, Yokosuka etc. Another type was tokumu shikan (特務士官), a seasoned expert promoted step by step from sailors.

The top of buntai was heika shikan. heika shikan subleader was generally called as buntaishi, and tokumu shikan buntai subleader was generally called as shocho (掌長), because their title usually had a character sho (handling). Shocho was the king of sailor and the backbone of the ship.

Koizumi's observer buntai was led by a heika lieutenant. On observer post at the top of the ship, Koizumi reported the speed, direction and distance after calculation, and after the fire was opened he spotted their guns.

Small observer buntai, 40 men, did not have any tokumu officer nor warrant officer. The subleader post, sokuteki-incho (測的員長) was occupied by an NCO. Koizumi met each of them and efforted to know each of them personally.

From June 1928 to Jan 1929 Koizumi and his classmates took short courses on every kind of specialities in three schools (torpedo, aviation and gunnery) including submarines, telecommunications and ground combats. During this last training in Oct 1928 they achieved the rank of ensign. Annual salary was 850 yen, but he spent 200 yen for his formal uniform in his commission celemony. In Jan 1929, on leave, he returned home. His father invited over 100 guests for a party and performed 21 fireworks celebrating the appointment of Ensign Koizumi Yoshio.

His first task was a cipher master of submarine tender Jingei.

<continued>

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#4

Post by cstunts » 07 Aug 2009, 18:11

Hisashi,

Domo arigato gozaimasu!

Well-done. Keep up the good work. All very intersting to the Western researcher indeed.

Best regards

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#5

Post by hisashi » 08 Aug 2009, 15:13

In 1932 Yoshio married with Nakamura Kikuko. The most scarce information in this book is the monthly summary of household account book by Kikuko, but Yoshio's early career from 1929 to 1932 contains something worthy of note.

Here is his career from 1929 to 1932.

Jan - Nov 1929
submarine tender Jingei
as cipher master (暗号士 angoshi)

Nov 1929 - Nov 1930
DD Sanae
as communication officer (通信士 tsushinshi), concurrently cipher master and navigation officer (航海士 kokaishi)

Nov 1930 - May 1932
protected cruiser Hirado
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_cruiser_Hirado
as subleader of gunnery buntai (砲術科分隊士 hojutsuka buntaishi)
later as ballistic officer (砲術士 hojutsushi)
later as officer of the deck (甲板士官 kanpan shikan)

Dec 1930
promoted to sublieutenant

May 1932 - Nov 1932
BB Haruna
as officer of the deck (甲板士官 kanpan shikan)

May and November were periods of personnel transfer and young officers moved every 12-18 months experiencing different job, and some tasks were mainly for them. If it went without any disgrace, On Dec 1 roughly two years after their commission to ensign, IJN promoted them to sublieutenant.

Cipher master encoded and decoded ciphers along with writing down the draft of messages. Destroyer was small and Yoshio must take care of sending and receiving the telecommunication and shared the burden of watch as a navigation officer.

In Nov 1932 he was firstly appointed to a position which ended in 'cho(長)', a buntai leader. Until then young officers were simply ordered to 'take on IJN ship xxxx' and was at the disposal of the skipper. For senior officer the ministry of the navy assigned them to a task on a ship, so even transferring them within a ship must clear formal procedure. For destroyers and other small ships, formally, they were at the disposal of the leader of unit. IJN attached Yoshio to 13th destroyer division (4 destroyers). The leader of 13th desdiv assigned him to DD Sanae. Sanae's skipper ordred him to serve as a communication officer.

Hirado had eight single-mounted guns and at first Yoshio took care of gunner buntai, 100 men out of 400 crews. Ballistic officer's task was to calcurate corrections for today's weather and condisions. It was a task typically for young officers. in small ship, especially equipped with torpedoes, even a midshipman served as the ballistic officer.

In IJN officer of the deck had somewhat different tasks from US Navy equivalents. The keywords for his task were 'cleaning' and 'discipline'. He inspected all rooms on their cleanness and required related buntai to clean there to his standard. He allocated labors to each buntai, which needed an even and fair balance. Another task was to keep the descipline of NCO and men. He worked as a policeman on board and a severe watcher to NCO and men. Niwatori (chicken) was a sailor slang for deck officer because he was always busy in picking somebody.

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#6

Post by Ron Sundby » 09 Aug 2009, 03:29

Hisashi wrote: There were two types of officers on IJN ships. Heika shikan (兵科士官) was officers from Etajima war school. They were managers though they gradually achieved their speciality from daily duties and short courses in specialized schools at Kure, Yokosuka etc. Another type was tokumu shikan (特務士官), a seasoned expert promoted step by step from sailors.
In Western Navys of the time officers who had risen from the ranks were often looked down on as being unworthy and certainly not "Gentlemen." Even today, in my experience, LDOs (Limited Duty Officers) in the USN who have risen from the ranks are treated as second class officers.

Did this same class distinction apply to Tokumu Shikan?

Thanks,
Ron

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#7

Post by hisashi » 09 Aug 2009, 14:06

Ron Sundby wrote:
Did this same class distinction apply to Tokumu Shikan?

Thanks,
Ron
Yes, absolutely the same.

Until 1920 the situation was simple. IJN never promoted warrant officers to sublieutenant or higher (warrant officer was treated as an equivalent to ensign). Only as an honorable promotion, some 100 warrant officer was promoted to sublieutenant a few days before his mandatory retirement. So it might happen in the wartime they were recalled as a sublieutenant.

In 1920 tokumu officer was introduced. IJN ruled that tokumu officers were up to lieutenant. For example, retired tokumu officer could not use nave officer club, Suikosha. If a ship was damaged and the order of battle was broken, heika officer commanded tokumu officer even if tokumu officer was at higher rank.

Pilot officers from yokaren system were also tokumu officers. Their promotion to ensigns was very quick but they could not serve as high-rank commanders.

After 1937 a few tokumu lieutenant became a Lt.Com. without any distinction as tokumu. In 1944 three ex-tokumu Lt.Com. rose to the rank of commander, who were at the highest rank from sailors in IJN. Also after 1944 IJN created a way in which tokumu pilot officers could be 'promoted' to keika officers of the same rank, but very few enjoyed this conversion.

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#8

Post by Ron Sundby » 10 Aug 2009, 03:43

Thanks Hisashi, that makes their status very clear.

Ron

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#9

Post by hisashi » 12 Aug 2009, 06:52

Yoshio's marriage with Nakamura Kikuko was by miai.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miai

In general, leading figures of his day in every society occasionary introduced their favorite youngsters a partner candidates, arranging a miai meeting. Some good mixers were very active. For example, V.Adm. Shikama Kosuke (1876-1937) arranged the miai for Yamamoto Isoroku and his classmate V.Adm. Hori Teikichi. After Hori's first wife was dead in desease, Shikama introduced another lady to Hori. When Yamaguchi Tamon lost his wife by desease, Yamamoto introduced one of Shikama's nephew to him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamon_Yamaguchi

Miai was inevitable for IJA/IJN officers, because they must clear Kenpeitai's investigation on wife's family, mainly on ideology.

Yoshio's coordinator of miai was a dentist and Nakamuras were an old ex-samurai family, both living in the same prefecture as Koizumis. Perhaps the dentist was a good mixer in local high-society. They met in July 1932 and married in October.

Nakamura family was relatively rich but Kikuko had six brothers and sisters. Before their marriage, Kikuko estimated 50 yen was enough for their monthly life, including 15 yen for lent. In their new home, two of four rooms were occupied with furnitures, clothings etc. Kikuko's father bought for them at 1,000 yen in total.

Kikuko was surprised Yoshio earned 122 yen for the first month, and again she cannot save any of them. Yoshio told Kikuko to prepare best liquors and snacks to accomodate his friends. Kikuko spent 17.96 yen only for liquors, 25 yen for Yoshio's banquet at restaurants. Though she paid 3.54 yen for crops, she spent 5.81 yen for meets and fish. Typical households of the day spent more on principal foods and less on others than today, so this ratio was out of question.

I should add not all navy officers lived in such a way. For example, Yamaguchi Tamon's coleague recalled he did not speak any of his family. On the other hand his wife recalled once he returned home from long duty, he planned his time at home so that he enjoyed to the last piece of time with his family. Of course Yamaguchi must have spent plenty of money in banquets with his colleagues.

(to be continued)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#10

Post by hisashi » 15 Aug 2009, 13:07

In Nov 1932 Just after the marriage Yoshio was appointed to hojutsucho (砲術長, the gunnery officer) in DD Tachikaze based in Ominato. The skipper was also renewed to Lt.Com. Ariga Kosaku, the last captain of BB Yamato 13 years after.




Kikuko's account in my previous post suggests though navy officers earned good salary but the expenses in navy society was costly. Along with costs of foods/drinks, the expense for personal equipments was a heavy burden. When promoted to ensign, Yoshio bought daireiso (Flock court with epaulet), clothes only for celemonies, at about 200 yen.

Capt. Yamamoto Isoroku in daireiso
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... mamoto.jpg

I recently wrote about the typical career of NCOs and warrant officers.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 5&t=156304

NCOs' salary was not very good. Warrant officer got more but the expense was also much as an officer. The author Koizumi (a son of Kikuko and Yoshio's) mentioned in the poor agricultural part of Japan sailors' attempt to become an NCO were appraused as an attempt to earn more for their family, but in fact NCOs' wives worked for more income. Accomodating NCOs by Yoshio's budget was one of causes why his family spent so much on foods and drinks.

ANNUAL salary except benefits (1931 in yen, varied in the same rank by experience years)

heika ensign 850
heika sublieutenant 1020-1130
heika lieutenant 1470-1900

tokumu ensign 1368-1470
tokumu sublieutenant 1630-1740
tokumu lieutenant 1910-2070

warrant officers 930-1220
NCOs 259.2-664.8
averaged male primary school teacher 800 (in 1935)
averaged factory worker 600 (in 1931)

Tokumu officers earned considerably but note that only little number of NCOs reach to that ranks and it follows only long years of low income.

But outside the navy, especially at Ominato base in the poorest part of Japan of the day, the situation was harder. Monthly only 5 yen was standard salary for a housekeeper. Kikuko generously paid 6 yen, and then she was bothered by endless inquiry by job searching wives and girls.


Around in 10 Nov 1932 Kikuko was told by Yoshio that he would move to Ominato. He simply told he would notice her as soon as he arranged their new home. In 15 Nov he received the formal order and immediately departed to Ominato. In the beginning of December Yoshio wrote to her a house was ready. She arranged the transport and took on a night train to Ominato in the end of December.

It seems that around major IJN bases there were a group of privately owned rental houses for navy men periodically moving. In uphill area of Yokosuka, from where Yokosuka base and ships there was at a glance, the resident was limited to Navy men for security reasons. In other port they sometimes lived an ordinal rental house mixed with civilian houses.

In Nov 1933 he moved to DD Sawakaze in Yokosuka at the same position. Sawakaze was then attached to 1st carrier scordron (CV Akagi, CV Hosho, led by Rear Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku).

In 15 Dec 1933, he became a lieutenant with all his classmates. To lieutenants the promotion of heika officer was at equal speed. In the peacetime navy heika officer was usually at least promoted to the rank of post captain. After the promotion to lieutenant most officers competed for their goals, typically battleship skipper, but on the other hand IJN already began to mark admiral-in-the-future elites among them. I would explain the difference between elite heika officers and ordinary ones like Yoshio in my next post.

(to be continued)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#11

Post by hisashi » 16 Aug 2009, 02:50

From 1927 to 1932 Yoshio experienced various positions and from 1932 to 1934 he served as gunnery officer of destroyers. Perhaps Yoshio revealed his hope to be a specialized gunnery officer. In his second try, he was accepted to standard (officer) course of gunnery school from Nov 1934.

Gunnery officer was a mainstream of heika officers. If he became a torpedo officer, he would not be a battleship skipper. he was glad that he became a gunnery-specialized officer. Successful officers enter schools one year earlier while they were a sublieutenant, but failing once was not rare experience.

Eventually navy gunnery school was the only school he graduated after the commission.

Let us compare his career with that of Hori Teikichi, the classhead of Yamamoto Isoroku's class. He was outstanding of his brightness in navy war school.

After he became a midshipman in 1904 to his joining to navy war academy in 1916, he graduated four courses; gunnery school (standard course, later advanced course), torpedo school and short course of navy war school. Moreover, he spent 3 years in Paris as an atache. Graduation from two or more schools (in good record) and serving overseas as an atache were typical features of elite heika officers' career.

Little has been told for non-elite heika officers, but perhaps once they selected their speciality, IJN assigned them as many duties as possible at sea without broad training needed only for admiral candidates.

During 9 months' training Kikuko and their first daughter lived with Yoshio in Yokosuka. They must pay 8 yen for housekeeper and on-duty benefit was cut. Expense to drinks in Jan 1935 decreased to 8.88 yen and Yoshio's personal expense (mainly for banquet) fell to 10.50 yen. But they were happy taking suppers together.

In Jul 1935 Yoshio had an order to gunnery officer of DD Mochizuki, but because of 4th fleet incident Mochizuki suffered heavy damage and docked.

4th fleet incident
http://shippai.jst.go.jp/en/Detail?fn=0&id=CB1011022&

In Nov 1935, IJN moved Yoshio to CH Aoba as the AA-gun officer. Aoba's gunnery section had four buntai (division). Main gun, AA gun and machinegun, fire control and measure & search light. Yoshio led the second buntai.

(to be continued)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#12

Post by hisashi » 16 Aug 2009, 16:58

In May 1937 CH Aoba went under repair in dry dock of Kure shipyard. While the repair, the 2nd Shanghai Incident happened in July.

In general, land combat in the navy was basically the job of gunnery officers and men. Yoshio's training included those of land combat. On the 2nd Shanghai Incident, reinforcing the Shanghai SNLF (4,000 men) Kure 1st SNLF was raised with 700 men. Note that SNLF was generally an ad-hoc unit, raised and disbanded in needs, so they used the same number repeatedly. Yoshio led the 2nd company.

Kure 1st SNLF (July 1937)

commandant Com. Yasuda Yoshitatsu
infantry battalion leader Lt.Com. Higuchi Sadaharu
1st company leader Lt. Takeda Koshin
2nd company leader Lt. Koizumi Yoshio
infantry gun battery leader Lt Yoshino Ken (Akira?)

Yoshio's company consisted of HQ platoon, four rifle platoons and MG platoon, in total 200 men.

Yoshio had experienced several gunfights at sea/river, but no land combat. After short exercise, they landed to Shanghai in Aug 17. The initial crisis gradually eased after the landing of IJA troops in August 22. By the transfer order to Yoshio in Dec 1, his company suffered 4 men KIA, 3 of which were dead in the first week. After the encirclement was broken, his company stayed in Shanghai for security mission.

After Yoshio moved to CH Aoba Kikuko lived in Kure. Their second daughter was born in Jan 1936. She must move to Sasebo in Dec 1937 because Yoshio's new appointment was to BB Kirishima based in Sasebo. They got the third daughter in Oct 1938. standard monthly payment to a housekeeper was 9 yen at Kure but 7 yen at Sasebo.

Yoshio's position in Kirishima was the buntai leader of main gun, concurrently turret officer of 3rd/4th turret. Later he moved to air defense officer (leader of related buntai).

In Nov 1938 he was promoted to Lt.Com. Only half in his class achieved the promotion. It was surprising considering his low ranking in war school, but he thought that his good record, especially his fight at Shanghai affected positively. On the same day he moved to CL Yura as the gunnery officer.

In Apr 1940 Yoshio moved to obsolete cruiser Iwate, the flagship of 3rd China-Expeditionary fleet as gunnery officer. Leaving Kikuko in Sasebo Yoshio went to Tsingtao.

From Oct 1940 to Apr 1941 Yoshio returned to Kure as the gunnery officer of trainer cruiser Yakumo for the training of war school students. In Apr 1941 he moved to CL Kuma as gunnery officer, where he served in Dec 1941.

(to be continued)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#13

Post by hisashi » 18 Aug 2009, 14:36

In the end of November 1941, CL Kuma departed Kure for Taiwan. Even for Yoshio, number three in the ship, was not informed of the last destination of their 3rd fleet beyond Taiwan. But Yoshio was told to prepare the maps around Philippine with no explanation. It was Dec 6 the skipper told to the exective officer and gunnery officer (Yoshio) that their destination was Philippine. The skipper himself knew 'Niitakayama Nobore 1208' in Dec 3.

Yoshio had long-awaited son in Oct 1941. He told Kikuko the schedule of the next return was not available. His first letter after his departure was in Jan 1942 from Manila.

In Apr 1940 Yoshio became 37 years old. Mandatory retirement for a post captain was 54, and 50 for a commander. Though heika officers became at least to the rank of captain, the most unfortunate officers were promoted a few days before the retirement at 50, and won only the title of reserve captain (and perhaps a little better pension). Navy men called such a treatment as 'Nari-chon', namely 'promotion(nari) and cutoff (chon = echo word for a pair of scissors)'. Kikuko looked forward a peaceful retirement even after nari-chon, in growing atmosphere of war.

In August 1942, Kikuko was informed that Yoshio was at Kure. He suffered from paratyphoid feverand dissolved of his appointment. She could not reveal her joy openly because so many navy men were already KIA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratyphoid_fever

Yoshio was in hospital until Oct 1942. In Jan 1943, he was appointed to the ministry of the navy. He wanted to return to the front, and Kikuko secretly prayed on the contrary, but serving as a staff was the order. In Mar 1943 the family followed Yoshio to the suburban area of Yokosuka.

His new task was the coordination and supervision of volunteer handling. After Jan 1944 he moved to the coordinator of recruiting reserve officers from students. In May 1944 he became a Lt.Com. He requested again to go to the front but was rejected.

The reason why he remained in the backyard was not very clear. His superior said he was doing well and indispensable to the job but any superior would say so. Yoshio expected his next job would be an exective officer, followind by the positin of skipper. The reason might be simply that IJN lost so many vessels for high-rank officers.

He served in the office of the navy until 1949 and he worked as a salaryman to raise 6 childrens, and was dead in 1989 at the age of 84.

(The end of article)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#14

Post by cstunts » 20 Aug 2009, 23:23

Hisashi, or Sensei

Domo arigato gozaimasu!

Very well-done. Japanese translations are quite expensive, so you are to be doubly commended for providing those of us who have serious interests in the IJN with this fine document. Many thanks.

All the best :)

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Re: A Navy Commander's Account Book

#15

Post by Eugen Pinak » 23 Aug 2009, 22:32

Hisashi - you did a great job. And your comments are extremely useful to understand the text. Unfortunately, such things as promotions and salaries are not very popular among book-writers :(

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