| 和文 | 英訳 |
|---|---|
| 捕虜と町民 | POWs and locals |
| 当時15,000余名の捕虜が収容されていた習志野は全国29カ所の中でも浜寺（大阪）の収容累計35,000名に次いで多く、この2カ所は前掲の表からも分るように、他の収容所がせいぜい多くて3,300余名であったのに比べてずばぬけて多いものであったことが分る。又、収容所の多くが有名な松山収容所をはじめ京都・名古屋等の寺に収容していたのに比べ、この大収容所は広地に急ごしらえの大廠舎を建てたものであった。寺に収容された所では、従卒付の将校が主だったようで、全捕虜将校1,915名の4分の1を占めていたという松山収容所や、ロジェントフスキー提督ら高官が知恩院の由緒ある室をあてがわれていた京都などが典型である。習志野収容所の階級構成は曹長100人、軍曹988人、伍長1,119人、兵卒13,309人、合計14,995人（あとで10人加わる。最高時）である。将校は0で、下士卒ばかりである。北樺太の捕虜が送られてきたときも軍務知事中将リヤーノフをはじめ将校は弘前・秋田・山形・仙台の寺院にまわり、下士卒全部が習志野に送られてきたのである。第2章で述べたように、他の収容所があふれ出したときに建てられ、各地から転送されて来たのであった。 | The Narashino Camp accomodated an excess of 15,000 POWs. This figure is only second to the top figure of 35,000 (cumulative total) of the Hamadera Camp in Osaka. As is obvious from the previous table, These two camps were exceptional. All the other POW camps each accomodated far less, with about 3,300 POWs as the highest. There is another distinctive difference between the two big camps and the rest. While small camps such as the ones located in Kyoto, Nagoya, and Matsuyama (the most famous) used existing temples to accomodate prisoners, for the two big camps, camp barracks had to be constructed in a great hurry across vast areas. Those POWs who were taken in temples were mostly officers along with their orderlies. One of the well-knowns among those temple-camps was the Matsuyama Camp, where a quarter of the total 1,915 officers were accomodated. Another famous one was the Kyoto Camp, where high-ranked officers including Admiral Rozhestvensky were given honorable rooms of Chionin Temple to stay. The prisoners of the Narashino Camp consisted of 100 senior sergeants, 988 sergents, 1,119 corporals and 13,309 common soldiers, totaling to 14,995 (plus 10 later at peak). There was no commissioned officer. When Russian POWs from the north of Sakhalin Island were sent in to the mainland of Japan, all commissioned officers among them, including the lieutenant governor general Lyapunov, were sent to temples in Hirosaki, Akita, Yamagata and Sendai. All the rest, which were petty officers and common soldiers, were sent to Narashino. As described in Chapter 2, that was the intended role of the Narashino Camp. It was constructed in a hurry when the number of POWs became excessive and the existing camps began to overflow. The Narashino Camp was meant to accept those excesses. |
| 寺院に収容されたような所では、外出も認められ、日本の民衆との直接の接触があり、興味深い交流風景や痕跡が残されている。有名になったのは松山収容所で、地元民の心厚い慰問や優待、「ロシア町の誕生」、将校捕虜の遊興振り、捕虜の各地への観光散策、道後温泉の買切り、レイカー少尉の日本娘ハナとの恋等々数限りない話が『日本捕虜志』（長谷川伸著）や『松山収容所』（前掲）に書かれている。 | Those prisoners who were taken in to temples were allowed to go outside of their camps. They directly interacted with local Japanese people, leaving behind a series of interesting scenes preserved in photographs and other traces. The Matsuyama Camp became the most famous among them. Countless accounts of how the local society welcomed Russian prisoners in Matsuyama were recorded in "The Prisoner of War Chronicles" (Nihon horyoshi) by Shin Hasegawa and "Matsuyama POW Camp" (Matsuyama Shuryojo) mentioned previously. Topics of these accounts inclulded heart-warming visits to the camp by the local people, cordial receptions the prisoners received, "The Birth of the Russian Town", how officer prisoners enjoyed themselves with entertainments in Matsuyama, how prisoners enjoyed sightseeing of various places, how they bought up Dogo spa resort, the love romance between Lieutenant ___ and Hana the Japanese girl, and so on and so forth. |
| 佐倉収容所でも短期間であったが、ロシア捕虜は大へんな反響があったらしく、次のような記事がある。 | The Sakura camp, which was relatively short-lived, attracted an enormous amount of local attention, too. The following are excerpts from some of local news reports at the time. |
| 1905年（明治38年）5月のある日、出征兵士の見送りで近在から多くの人手があったのであるが、捕虜の散歩があると聞いて、「正頃より見物に出掛くる者引き切らず、又兵士もぞろぞろと浮れ出したる事なれば各商店は元より蕎麦屋、しる粉屋、一銭飯屋までが溢るゝ程の千客万来は近頃になき景気なりし。捕虜は正午過より各収容所を出でて練兵場に至り、何れも無邪気な運動に嬉戯せる様、外つ国に捕われ身とは思へぬばかりなりと見物人は囁き合へり。4時近くには皆々収容所へ帰りたるが、散歩中1捕虜通訳に向って、願はくは毎日の散策を許されたしと懇望せる由、（後略）」 | On one day in May, 1905, the town was already crowded with people who came out to see soldiers off to foreign soil. Then, the news came around that the Russian POWs were going to come out of the camp and have a walk on that day, then, "Since around noon, more and more people took to the street in order to have a look at the prisoners. Soldiers also began to get excited, and the town enjoyed a lively commerce that it hadn't experienced for a while. Not only various shops, but also soba restaurants, shiruko restaurants, and cheap one-coin restaurants kept filled with customers. Prisoners left the camp a little past noon, walked to the local training ground, and engaged themselves in playing physical games and moderate excercises. Every one of them seemed to be really enjoying themselves, which was something unexpected to the eyes of the spectators. 'They make you forget that they are actually prisoners detained in a foreign country far from home', they mumbled to each other. The prisoners returned to the camp shortly before 4 o'clock. On the road back, one of the prisoners pleaded the interpreter to allow them to have a walk outside the camp every day, it was reported, and ... " |
| 妙隆寺の現在の住職村上英俊さん（明治38年生れ）は「自分は生れたばかりの年でロシア捕虜の記憶はないが、親から聞いたところによると、捕虜たちが代る代る赤坊の私を抱いてあやしてくれたという。この寺の収容所というのは当時境内にあった50畳ぐらいの広さの公民館であったのであるが、そこで生活していたのだ。また、町の人が見物に大勢やってきて身振り手振りで捕虜と話していったと聞いている。」という。 | The current chief priest of Myohoji Temple, Mr. Hidetoshi Murakami, who was born in 1905, says "I don't remember anything about Russian prisoners because I was just born then. I was a baby. According to my parents, prisoners cuddled me in turn. The camp within this temple was, specifically, the community hall that was located inside the temple grounds. The size of of the hall was 50 mats. That's where the prisoners lived. My parents also told me that a lot of local people visited the camp and had a conversation with prisoners using gestures and signs." |
| 佐倉市で捕虜を実際に見たという人は玉谷俊郎さん（明治28年生れ）しか探し出せなかったが、「町の通りを歌を歌いながら歩き廻っていた。その頃、こんな大きな体の兵隊と戦争してよくも勝ったものだと思った。町民と捕虜は和気あいあいであった。後程悪いことをする人もでてきたようであるけれど。」といっている。 | We only managed to find one living person who had actual memory of seeing Russian prisoners in Sakura city. His name was Toshiro __. He was born in 1895. "I remember seeing them walking down the street, singing. I remember I thought it was a miracle for us to have won the war against a bunch of such heavy-set soldiers. Prisoners and local people were gettin along very well. There were a few misbehaving ones later, though." he said. |
| 当時の新聞も捕虜の生活や町民との交流を次のように伝えている。 | The prisoners' life and how they interacted with local people were reported in newspaper. The following is an excerpt from such an article: |
| 「町民も最初は俘虜の入込んだを香しく思わなかったが、馴れてみれば種族は変っても情は変りはない。彼等も好んで来た訳ではなく、奮闘猛戦力つきて甲を脱いだ勇者であると思へば憐も深く、曩に町民高橋由八外数氏より西洋手拭300、カメリヤ300包を寄送したのを始め諸方から続々慰問として物品を贈らるゝので、俘虜一同深く其の厚意を感謝してゐるそうである。 | "At first, locals did not like the idea of having prisoners in their backyard. However, as they got used to the situation, they started to appreciate that, while the prisoners were of a different race, they were no different as human beings after all, sharing similar human emotions and compassions. "Come to think of it, it's not like they chose to come here. They fought to their very best and surrendered. Wouldn't it be fair to call them brave soldiers?" This sentiment prompted locals to sympathize with the prisoners. As a starter, __ Takahashi and several other local persons jointly donated to the camp 300 towels and 300 bags of flour. This triggered a flux of donations from various sources. The prisoners deeply appreciate these donations, they say. |
| 俘虜に対する食事を始め、其他の支給品は習志野と同様だが、こゝの炊事は町民に請負はしめ各収容所に炊事場を設けてある。又習志野のような不便な土地でない為めに、別段酒保としての設備はないが、毎日1回出入商人の振売を許してある。併し300人といふ限られてゐる俘虜だから、差したる商なひはないさうだ。 | Provisions such as meals and other daily necessities are similar as at the Narashino camp, except that, at the Sakura camp, each barrack has its own kitchen and their meals are prepared by local people. Also, it does not have a proper canteen as Narashino does. It is because the Sakura camp is located in a comparatively convinient area and it does not have to have its own storage of drink and food. Visiting vendors are let in once a day. Mind you, there are only 300 prisoners and the business is not that lucrative, they say. |
| 炊事については折々滑稽なことがあるが、これは最初のことであったが、突然に草を食はせるは余り酷いと申出たるものがある。馬にでも草は食はせぬ。変なことだと調て見ると、これが菜びたしの副食物であったので、主任も成る程彼等が路傍の草と一般に思ふも最だと、早速通訳をして説明したので始めてそれと悟て、大に恐れ入ったそうである。（中略）何処の収容所にも手細工の不器用な将棋盤が転がってゐる。彼等が無聊を慰むる唯一の品であるのだ。其他には竹切などを拾って巧に笛を拵へ、折には笛の調子に乗って浮かれ出し矢鱈無性と躍り跳ねるものもある。ピイピイピユピユと吹立てる調子は、丁度飴屋が流して歩く彼の唐人笛のような音で。」 | Meals are the source of occasional funny anecdotes. One of them happened during the early days, when one of the prisoners started to complain about what was served. According to the prisoner, "It is inhuman to feed weeds to us". What? We don't feed weeds even to horses. That's strange. They investigated into the matter and found out that the prisoner was complaining about Nabitashi, a decent Japanese relish of boiled leaf vegetable. The chief investigator thought, well, it looks like weed. You can't really blame a foreigner for taking it for wild weeds just plucked out from the side of a road, can you? This was then well explained to the prisoner via an interpretor. The prisoner understood and apoligized for his quick judgement. * snip * If you step in any of the barracks, you would find a vulgar-looking hand-made shogi board or two strewn about. This is the only equipment available for them to keep themselves entertained. Some prisoner handily carves a whistle out of a piece of bamboo. He would play it, get excited and start dancing and hopping around all over the place. Its tootly-tweety sound reminds you of a street candy vendor blowing the suona while making round on the street. |
| 習志野ではこの広大な大収容所が高さ9尺ぐらいの竹矢来で二重にぐるりととり囲れ、日本兵の守衛が鉄砲をかついで囲いの中を行ったり来たりして監視していたという。捕虜たちと見物人たちは、その囲いを通して、監視の目をかすめて接触が行われたようである。その様子は新聞記事でもうかがい知ることができる。 | The Narashino camp was more strict. Its vast premises was enclosed in a double fence made of bamboo, and Japanese soldiers patrolled inside with a gun on their shoulders. Apparently, prisoners and local spectators managed to interact with each other through the fence when patrolling soldiers were not around. A newspaper article reported some of those interactions: |
| 「（前略）この喇叭や胡弓に合はせて構内に踊り廻る有様は、大陸的にして頗る滑稽である。彼等も近来日本語を覚えて『チキショウ』、『バカ』などといふ言葉を知らぬものは1人もないようになった。又巡査の居ぬ隙を狙って話しかける見物人に『タバコタバコ』とねだりかけるものが頗る多い。ソレに数字などは、百までは大抵なものも数へられるようになった。（後略）」 | "* snip * ... To see them dancing around the camp ground to trumpet and fiddle absolutely care-free is quite amusing. Recently they have learned some Japanese as well. Now there is no prisoner who doesn't know such Japanese expressions as 'Chikishou' (God damn it), 'Baka' (Idiot), etc. Many of them are fluent enough to ask spectators for tobacco when patrollers aren't looking. Most of them are capable of counting one to hundred in Japanese, no problem." |
| しかし、習志野においても捕虜に対する慰問があり贈物もあった。1905年4月の初め金丸銃砲店の渡辺俊郎氏が絵葉書き数十枚を、希望する捕虜に配っている。5月中旬にも日本輪友タイム会が捕虜慰問のために輪行し、煙草、ビスケットを寄贈したうえ、会員たちが自転車の曲乗、蓄音機の演奏を行っている。これに対しては、次のような反応があったようである。「俘虜の慰問は博愛の精神に出でたる美事に相違なきも、敵国に於ける我同胞が如何なる境遇に在りて、如何なる待遇を敵国政府より受けつゝあるかを考ふるに非ざれば、其所謂博愛の美挙なるものは『お人好し』の愚挙に了るのみ。事に由りて彼等の侮蔑を買ふ材料ともなるべしと言ふものあり。」 | It is not that there was no occasion of mercy visits or contributions at the Narashino camp at all. In the beginning of April, 1905, Mr. Toshiro Watanabe of local gun shop Kanamaru gave away several picture postcards to those prisoners who wanted them. Also in the middle of May, The Japan Association of Cyclists Time Division made a tour to visit the camp. They contributed tobaccos and biscuits, and entertained the prisoners with their acrobatic riding and by playing music with gramophone. Some of the Japanese public responded negatively : "Some are reported to be saying, 'While there is no doubt that these visits and contributions were out of purely good intentions based on human compassion, you should consider what kind of life Japanese POWs are leading and how they are about to be treated in the enemy country as well. Otherwise, our so-called humanitarian compassionate deeds for Russian prisoners could merely be deemed as follies of innocent suckers, which could give Russia a reason to despise us. |
| 収容所側は捕虜の到着して早々の3月末に捕虜への贈物は「真の篤志者に限り出張所取締官武官の鑑査を経て許可さるべし」という方針であった。また、「俘虜に対しては無為に差し置んは衛生上、経済上不利益のみならず、彼等捕虜自身にとりましても苦痛此上無き次第なるべければ、バラック工事も竣工し且つ諸般の設備成り次第、炊事若くは其他開拓、公共の土工に使用して相応の賃銭を与ふること、為さば彼我の便益ならんとの説ありし（千葉毎日新聞）」と判断に迷っていたらしい。 | At the end of March, shortly after the prisoners arrived at the camp, the camp authority set a policy pertaining to contributions from Japanese public to the prisoners, which was: "Only those contributions that are made purely by compassion should be permitted after scrutiny by dispatched directing officer". One article of Chiba Mainichi Shinbun newspaper showed how the authority was hovering on what to do with the prisoners: "Some argue that leaving the prisoners idle might not be a good idea. Not only it is bad for sanitary and economical reasons, but also prisoners could get bored to death. One option is that, once barracks have been completed and necessary equipments have been procured, we could employ them for kitchen duties or land reclamation or other public works, and pay them appropriately. This would be beneficial for both them and us." |
| 渡辺勇次郎さんによると、「実籾の農民は人糞のくみ出しをしたり、炊事の薪木を納入するために馬車で収容所に毎日のように出入りしていた。酒を欲しがるので、営門を通るとき桶の中に隠して売った。」ということである。 | "Farmers from Mimomi visited the camp almost every day to collect night soil and to deliver firewood for cooking. The Mimomi farmers managed to sell the prisoners booze, which the prisoners badly wanted. The farmers passed the camp gate with bottles of alchoholic beverage concealed in the buckets, undetected", said Mr. Yujiro Watanabe. |
| 当時の新聞によれば、収容所に出入りを許されたものには商人とその店員であったとある。1905年（明治38年）4月、国司仙吉、石塚友七、杉山養民、五十嵐惣左衛門の4氏が4,000円共同出資して千葉商会をつくり、陸軍の許可を得て収容所の正門前に店を開いている。構内の各区に2つづつの出張所をつくり「酒保」（軍隊内の店）を設けている。その店員は10数人であったが出征兵の家族や遺族であったらしい。売品は和洋酒類（途中で禁酒となる）・たばこ類・菓子・果実・すし・紙類・その他の小間物一式であった。酒保には捕虜たちが終日出入し、群集していた。この御用商人たちは捕虜だけでなく、収容所のバラック建設のために集ってくる職工約4,000人や、捕虜見物人をも商売の対象としたので開店早々好景気であったらしい。 | According to newspapers at that time, those who were permitted to visit and enter the camp included merchants and their assistants. In April 1905, Senkichi Kunishi, Tomoshichi Ishizuka, __ Sugiyama and Sozaemon Igarashi jointly established a commercial company with a capital of 4,000 yen and opened a store in front of the main gate of the camp after gaining a permission to do so from the military. It also opened branch stores inside the premises, two per each section. The number of store assistants was about a dozen. The assistants consisted of family members of soldiers who fought in the front, some of whom died. Items for sale included Japanese and western alcoholic beverages (banned later), a variety of tobacco, confectionery, fruits, sushi, sheets of paper and other everyday knickknack items. Thebranch stores were packed with prisoners all day. These authorized merchants enjoyed a degree of prosperity because their customers were not only the prisoners but also about 4,000 workers who gathered for the construction of camp barracks and spectators who gathered to have a look at prisoners. |
| 現在津田沼町に本社のある白井建設の初代社長白井保四郎の伝記である『ぼうふらの記』（加藤俊雄編）に、次のように書かれている。「御用商人大和田の山田某は俘虜にブランデーを密輸し莫大の成金となり家を改築して、実に立派な門まで新築した。町の人はこの門をブラン（デー）門と名付けて羨んだ。」これら捕虜相手の商人は薬円台や大久保の人々が中心であったらしい。捕虜帰還後は陸軍廠舎や騎兵連隊への馬糧納入や演習兵士相手の食料、日用品販売の御用商人に変っていったようである。 | The founding president of Shirai Construction Co.(today based on Tsudanuma town) Yasushiro Shirai observed some of this situation. Quoting from his biography ("Boufura no Ki" compiled by Toshio Kato): "Yamada somebody got rich by smuggling and selling brandy to prisoners. He renovated his house with that money and newly constructed a gorgeous new gate to the house. Townspeople called this gate "The Brandy Gate" with envy." This prisoner-oriented merchandise business was, reportedly, maily conducted by merchants based on Yakuendai and Okubo. After prisoners returned to their home country, these merchants shifted their target. They became authorized merchants to sell the military such items as horse feed for cavalry, food supply for training soldiers, and other everyday necessities. |
| 習志野市に地元出身の建設会社を産み出すことになった遠藤組も捕虜収容所建設に加わっており、日露戦争によって大成長してゆくのである。習志野市の前身である津田沼町もこの戦争によって軍郷として大変貌してゆく。『ぼうふらの記』の中では、その様子がリアルに描かれているので引用しよう。 | Endo Corporation, which later would establish a Narashino-born and Narashino-based construction company, also participated in the construction of the Narashino camp. It grew big through the Russo-Japanese war. Tsudanuma town (former name of Narashino city) also transformed itself into a significant military district because of this war. Aforementioned "Boufura no Ki" gives us a stark picture of how it was. Quote: |
| 「（前略）ときあたかも鉄道投資ブーム期であり、一方戦争気構え軍部関係工事が膨大な量となり、遠藤組は多くの工事を特命でもらい飛ぶ鳥も落す勢いとなった。（中略）大敵ロシアを倒し“勝った、勝った”で国中は鼎のように沸いた。そして満州から鉄道連隊のあった習志野へぞくぞくと戦利品が送られることになった。そのほか習志野原には陸軍廠舎のあとに捕虜収容所ができ紅毛人が多数習志野に入ってきたから当分は物珍らしさで噂の種となった。つづいて騎兵の各連隊が設置されるようになり、終戦と共に草深い習志野は人馬輻輳する軍都と変貌することとなった。（後略）」（廠舎と騎兵連隊の設置の時期について誤記があるように思える） | "* snip * ... Times were booming with railway construction investment. Additionally, because of the war, Endo corporation received special construction orders from the military one after another, growing bigger and bigger. ... * snip * ... Japan defeated the giant Russia, which sent the whole nation into feverish excitement. More and more war trophies were being sent from Manchuria to Narashino (because Narashino was a base for railway brigades). It should also be noted that a POW camp was constructed at the site where an old military building used to be in Narashino-hara. A considerable number of foreigners were sent over to Narashino, which ignited curiosity among people and provided them of long-lasting topic of conversation. Then cavarly brigades were established in Narashino. Narashino, once merely a remote countryside, became a military capital where people and horses never cease to be seen on the street. ... * snip * ..." (The descriptions regarding the military building and regarding when the cavarly brigades were established seem to be incorrect) |
| 「（前略）津田沼駅附近は人煙稀で、畑ッ原のまん中に駅ができた形で、（白井）保四郎が津田沼にきた明治40年頃には人家13軒しかなく、旱天では黄塵万丈、雨が続けば泥膝を没するという有様であった。 | " ... * snip * ... hardly any human soul could be seen around the Tsudanuma station. The station was literally standing in the middle of the fields. Yasushiro Shirai came to Tsudanuma in 1907. Only as few as 13 households existed then. On sunny days yellow dust dominated the air. During a rainy spell, you had to walk dragging your feet in the mud up to the knees. |
| 駅前の家といえば竹三郎、羽生、中村屋、島佐屋、柏熊、榊原、森田運送店、遠藤運送店、沖松、喜兵衛次などで、憲兵分遣隊が一画をつくってやや離れておかれ、民家の大半は雑貨などを売る小商人であった。しかし戦後数年すると様相が変化してきた。小料理屋ができ、民家が畑ッ原の中へもポツポツできはじめ、白い襟首の女も出没しはじめた。軍都として消費経済が拡大しはじめ、兵隊の数がふえてきたからである。（中略）このようにして習志野原も時代の脚光を浴び、あたかもゴールドラッシュ時代のアメリカ西部の街のように人と馬がひしめいてきた。」 | Houses and establishments located immediately around the station were of Takesaburo, __, Nakamura-ya, Shimasa-ya, __, Sakakibara, Morita Transportation Agency, Endo Transportation Agency, Okimatsu and Kihe. A contingent of military police was stationed a little away from these houses. Most of the residents were small-scaled merchants selling general merchandise. However, this general sparsity of population in Tsudanuma began to change after a few years after the end of the war. Small restaurants were opened. The fields began to get spotted with family residents one after another. Elegant-looking women began to be seen walking on the street. This was all because the town began to economically grow as a military capital and more and more soldiers were coming in. ... * snip * ... Narashno-hara entered the spotlight of the times. The way it was buzzing with people and horses felt as if we were in a western town of America in the Gold Rush era. |
| 当時捕虜（外国人）は大へん珍らしく、興味深いものであったらしく収容所の籬の傍には見物人が群がったようである。梅沢宇面さんは当時のことを次のように回想している。 | In those days it wasn't every day you have a glimps of any foreigner. The camp attracted crowds after crowds of spectators. Mr. __ Umesawa remembers how it was : |
| 「沢山の人々が弁当持ちで遠くから捕虜を見に来た。当時は実籾木戸（現在の実籾三叉路）に家が一軒あったきりであるが、三山新田（現在の船橋市三山町9丁目）の入口から実籾木戸まで、収容所の境の土堤の道に沿って見物人相手に葦笥張の露店がずっと並んだ。私の家も薬園台に家があり、両親は陸軍に薪を納めていたのであるが、見物人や演習の兵士相手に現在の位置の家に店を出すようになった。そして、薬園台の家より、この『原の一軒家』が本住いになってしまった。演習の時は犬や鉄砲の音が枕元で聞えるようで何日も眠れないことさえあった。近くにオオスナの池というのがあり、ロシアの捕虜は大きな袋を背負って洗濯に来たものである。近くの人々や子供たちはそれを見に沢山集ったものである。また死者が出ると陸軍墓地で葬式が行われ、捕虜が多い時は100人ぐらい参加し、土の中に棺を埋める前に1人1人がのぞき込んで別れをしていた。その時は必ずこの店によりラムネを飲んでいったものである。9歳の子供であったから懸命にたくさんのラムネの栓を抜いたので手が痛くなる程であった。ドイツの捕虜は目が紫がかっていたが、ロシア人は茶色で日本人と変っているし、髯面であったので恐くはないけれどドイツ人より近寄りにくかった。ロシア人やドイツ人の葬式は花輪がいっぱい飾り盛大であったので、日本人としては非常に珍らしく、これを見物するために沢山の人が集まったものである。収容所に見物に来た人々と捕虜たちは監視の目を盗んで自分の衣服と酒を交換したものである。」 | "A lot of people came from far places to have a look at POWs. They brought their own lunches. In those days, houses were very scarse. In fact, there was only a single house at Mimomi Kido (today's Mimomi Three-way Junction). In response to the growing number of incoming spectators, a chain of stalls lined themselves up along the earthen quey road bordering the camp from the outside world. The chain extended the full length from the gate of Miyama Shinden (today's 9th block, Miyama-cho, Funabashi city) to Mimomi Kido. The house of my family was located in Yakuendai. My parents worked at home and delivered firewoods to the military for living. They later opened a shop near the camp to sell goods to spectators and soldiers. Eventually, we stayed less and less at the house in Yakuindai and more and more at this new shop, and the shop became the proper family house where we stayed more or less permamently. Occasionally we suffered from sleepless nights during military training sessions because it felt as if guns were firing and dogs were barking just beside us. There was a pond called Osuna no Ike in our neighbourhood, where Russian POWs would come by to do their laundry. They walked to the pond with a huge sack on their back. A lot of people and children from the neighbourhood would came to have a look at them. When a POW died, they held a funeral at the Military Cemetery. Every time that happened, many other POWs attended, up to about 100 of them. Each of them, one by one, peered into the coffin and bid farewell to the dead. In such occasions, they never failed to visit our shop and drank a bottle of ramune. I, merely a 9-year-old boy at that time, worked as a shop assistant and opened the bottles for them. My hand would start to ache because I had to frantically open so many ramune bottles. German POWs's eyes were shaded with a kind of purple, while Russians' were brown. They had beard. It wasn't that Russians were scarier than Germans, but I felt that Russians were harder to become friendly. Funerals for Russians and Germans seemed extravagant to the eyes of Japanese people because the venue was decorated with a huge amount of flower rings, which again attracted even more Japanese spectators. Spectators and prisoners often traded clothes and alcoholic drinks when guards were not looking." |
| 梅沢さんは日本兵がロシアの捕虜数人と仲良く並んでいる写真1葉をもっていた。（現在石崎申之さん所蔵）これは、「原の一軒家」に来た日本人の看護兵がくれたものであるという。 | Mr. Umesawa had a photograph in which several Russian POWs and Japanese soldiers are seen, shoulder to shoulder (Now this photograph is a posession of Mr. __ Ishizaki). According to Mr. Umesawa, this photograph was given by a Japanese medical soldier when he visited the shop. |
| (photograph) | |
| 捕虜の見物は帰国が近づいた1905年10月中旬よりいっそう多くなったようである。当時の新聞によれば、「俘虜の帰国も近きにあるべしとの推測より、習志野収容所の俘虜を見んとて、近頃四方より老若男女相携へて俘虜収容所に入り来り、柵外を散歩しつつ俘虜の情態を打眺むる者多く、収容所附近に新築された掛茶など思はぬ利益のありと言えり。」（千葉毎日新聞10月17日付）「竹矢来の外は毎日毎日見物人が山を為して居るが、門を入って親しく其生活状態を視察する人数も亦少くない中で、尤も多いのは小学生の参観で、試みに去る12日（月曜日）視察に来たれる諸学校の校名及人数のみを掲げても左の通の多数である。以って其平日に於ける観監人の数も想い知であろう。 | The number of spectators increased even more in the middle of October, 1905, as the day when POWs were planned to return home became nearer. An article from a newspaper said : "On anticipation that the POWs are about to return to their home country soon, more and more Japanese people came to and walk around the camp to have a look at prisoners. Some opened tea places to make a business out of this unpredicted situation." (from Chiba Mainichi Shinbun, the issue of 17th, October) Day in and day out, the road just outside the bamboo fence is packed with people. Also, a significant number of people actually enter the gate and have a closer look at how POWs are living. The most notable among them is tours by elementary school pupils. For example, the folloing is a list of numbers of visiting people by school, counted on 12th this month (Monday). These are numbers from a weekday. You can imagine how many people visit the camp at weekends. |
| 東京理科大学講師外2名、高等師範教授及生徒50名付添37人、市原郡里見高等小学校21名、同郡内田高等小学校119名、同郡鶴舞高等小学校113名、同郡明治高等小学校73名、同郡富山高等小学校47名、同郡高滝高等小学校72名、合計567人。」 | 2, including an instructor, from Tokyo Science University, 50, including teachers and students, plus 37 guardians, from __, 21 from __ 119 from __, 113 from __, 73 from __, 47 from __, 72 from __, 567 in total." |
| 津田沼町内でも大久保小学校の沿革誌によると次の記録が残っているという。 | According to a chronological journal kept at Okubo Elementary School in Tsudanuma town, the following events were recorded: |
| 「明治38年3月23日 習志野へ捕虜収容所をおかれしを以て 捕虜に対する注意事項を生徒一同に訓諭せり。」 | "23rd March, 1905 -- In response to the establishment of POW camp in Narashino, pupils were given precautions about POWs." |
| 「同4月20日 露国捕虜収容所附近にて天然痘発生の慮あるを以て、学校医田久保節造出張して生徒及職員に種痘す。」 | "20th April, 1905 -- In the fear that smallpox might outbreak in and near the vicinity of the Russian POW camp, the school doctor Setsuzo Takubo came round to vaccinate pupils, teachers and school staff." |
| 「同10月14日 午後より全生徒を引率して習志野俘虜収容所を参観す。」（「習志野市教育百年誌」より） | "14th October, 1905 -- In the afternoon, led the entire pupils to visit the Narashino POW camp." (The Centennial Journal of Education in Narashino city) |
| 習志野収容所として異色の参来者があった。1905年6月17日インド人10名が通訳2名を伴ってやってきている。前後するが、4月5日に北白川宮成久王、久邇宮鳩彦王、稔彦王の3殿下が陸軍中央幼年学校本科生150名と共に巡見されている。この時捕虜の軍楽手がフルートの吹奏を行っている | An unusual group of people once visited the Narashino camp. On 17th June, 1905, ten Indians along with two interpreters visited the camp. Before that, three figures from the Japanese loyal family, __, __ and __, made a visit, leading 150 students from __. One of the prisoners who was a member of military band, entertained the party by playing flute. |
| 又皇后陛下より捕虜3名に義眼が下賜されている。その時の所長の達示文は次のようなものであった | In another loyal-family-related episode, then Her Highness Empress gave ocular prostheses to three POWs. The following is the word from the camp chief, accompanying the gift: |
| 「アンデレリ・ペトリヤコフ | "__ |
| フテパン・アレキサンドロフ | __ |
| イワン・オサドコーフ | __ |
| 我慈愛なる皇后陛下は汝が祖国の為に勇戦奮闘し負傷により眼球を失ひたるやを深く愍然に思召され特に義眼を授け賜ふ。汝宜しく天恩の深きを感謝すべし。 | Our compassinate Her Highness Empress heartily sympathises with your ordeal of losing the eyeballs as a result of bravely fighting for your fatherland. This ocular prostheses, which Her Highness is giving to you, are an embodiment of Her Highness's caring heart. I'm sure you'll be grateful of the blessing. |
| 8月5日 森岡所長」 | 5th August, Morioka, The Camp Chief |
（和文出典: http://www.city.narashino.lg.jp/konnamachi/bunkahistory/rekishi/nichiro/4.html 捕虜と町民）