DR ISAMU KAWASE AND THE FIRST BOOK ON NEW ZEALAND IN JAPANESE

Turnbull Library Record, Volume 9, Issue 1, 1 May 1976, Page 12

DR ISAMU KAWASE AND THE FIRST BOOK ON NEW ZEALAND IN JAPANESE

Penelope Griffith

The Library was fortunate to purchase in a bundle at auction some time ago an unusual and still slightly mysterious item. Its interest in bibliographical, biographical and even historical terms has been brought out through a combination of expert assistance and even a measure of luck, which incidentally raises the whole problem of bibliographical control of oriental material.

The most important step, of course, was the initial purchase and provides a good example of the art of not judging a book solely by its covers. These are of stiffened paper with a pleasant pastoral half-tone of a shepherd leaning on his stock, dog at heel, gazing at a few grazing sheep. Whatever the sky was like it has been replaced by a bright orange wash—it could have been anywhere. The oriental characters of the text and on the covers may have been unhelpful at the time, but there was no mistaking the maps on the endpapers. Those at the (Japanese) front depict New Zealand solidly black, bearing aloft its proud flag, as the centre of the Southern Hemisphere of a world where other countries are mere outlines. At the end, pictorial maps of the three islands innocently show mountain ranges and where cows, wheat, geysers, whales and even Scots in kilts are to be found, arrows showing distances to other ports in traditional style. Apart from a considerable number of tables there are a few small half-tone illustrations typical of travel books—the Remarkables, Mount Cook, Wellington harbour, for example. The most surprising feature is a 12-page bibliography in English of English-language books on all aspects of New Zealand life, history and conditions ranging from Percy Smith’s Hawaiki, the Proceedings of Grasslands Conferences 1-8 to Andersen’s The lure of New Zealand hook collecting. As the majority have publication dates in the 1920’s and 30’s it is an impressively comprehensive list; as some had been published after the start of World War II it became even more interesting to identify the work.

Through the Translation Service of the Department of Internal Affairs the Library was able to have translated the preliminary matter, including what was obviously a preface and contents list, the final page of the bibliography which was in Japanese and the final leaf. The transliterated title was ‘Minami no Risokyo, New Zealand’ (in English ‘Southern Utopia—New Zealand’); its author being Isamu Kawase, who is noted as having written three other books between 1930 and 1941 on pasture and the breeding of livestock, especially sheep. This work was published by the Maruzen Company on 1 August 1941, three months before Pearl Harbour. Both the Library of Congress’s massive National Union Catalogue of pre-1956 imprints and the printed catalogue of the (then)

British Museum Library were searched, but neither recorded the work, though the printed catalogue of the U.S. National Agricultural Library noted copies of several editions of his works on pasture development. The initial vague temptation to assume that the work was propaganda was dismissed by the obvious personal links between the author and New Zealand. The dedication is “To Sir Cyril Ward and my friends in New Zealand” and the Preface notes that the author was in New Zealand in 1931-34 and that New Zealand had celebrated its centenary in 1940. While stressing resemblances, particularly climatic and geographical, between Japan and New Zealand, he is full of admiration for New

Zealand’s rich natural resources and advanced social services and looks forward to increased trading links and cooperation: ... At this point, New Zealand is leading the world [in public facilities] and we must feel pleased for the happiness of our society in that the social facilities of our country have been gradually coming into line with those of New Zealand in recent years. . . . there is a bright future for New Zealand. That is why I have written this book, hoping that the existence of New Zealand will add glorious colour to the coming Oceanic period. ... I have no doubt that New Zealand will become more and more important in the Pacific Ocean and that its relationship with our country will be strengthened. I will be very grateful if this book helps to bring close these two countries . . . though he admits that the effects of World War II are not yet known. Had it not been for other material held by the Library the problem of identifying the work sufficiently would have been over, although the authorial intent may have seemed slightly anachronistic.

In 1971 the Library was presented with Dr Kawase’s 27-page typescript reminiscences in English which he has titled “A story of an agronomist of grassland who was educated in New Zealand, at the time of war period in Japan”. The writing of these reminiscences was instigated by a remark made to him by a New Zealand acquaintance in Japan after the war which implied that during his stay in New Zealand he had been spying to provide information for the Japanese Navy and Army Department. Dr Kawase first wrote his story in 1950, intending it for publication after his death, but added a postscript in 1965 and sent it to New Zealand for possible publication in newspapers as he was hoping to make a further visit. On the title page he lists eight points in his career including the facts that he studied at Lincoln College in 1931-33 and Massey College in 1934, obtaining a Dip. C.A.C. from the former, that he wrote many books on grassland and New Zealand, that he is a founder of the New Zealand Society of Japan.

The reminiscences are chiefly concerned with his work on pasture development and the effect of World War II on him and his family and Japanese life in general, though he outlines first the events which caused his family to turn from a 500-year tradition of sake-brewing to Christianity and dairy farming. From an early age Dr Kawase was dedicated to developing grassland, establishing in the district of Nishinomiya a pioneer sheep farm—the biggest (with six sheep) in the vicinity—when he had completed his first university studies. Alas, all six sheep died and he decided to study grasslands farming scientifically. As facilities for this in Japan were virtually non-existent and through several contacts made at that time, New Zealand, particularly Lincoln College, appeared to be the ideal place, Dr Kawase arrived in Christchurch in 1931. Though he was the first student from Japan he gives few details of his experiences in New Zealand, but we are referred to Life and work at Canterbury Agricultural College (Caxton Press, 1956) compiled by his former teacher Professor I. D. Blair which notes Dr Kawase’s distaste for farm work, his impenetrable urbanity and ponders, perhaps rather ironically now: We wondered later what Kawase, and later Nakano, took back to Japan and used during 1941-45, for they travelled widely in New Zealand, but post-war letters from the former make it clear that Lincoln is to him a very fondly remembered Alma Mater, (p. 166-7)

On his return to Japan, Dr Kawase continued experimental work on grasslands which resulted in two works being published—one adopted as a textbook. At this point (p. 5) he notes almost casually “Also in 1939, I published a book on New Zealand in Japanese, it was the first Japanese book written on New Zealand, and I got very good criticism it was sold over six thousand copies I believe.” As Dr Kawase is most specific about dates in the reminiscences there seemed no reason to suspect the 1939 date. What, then, was the 1941 issue which the Library had purchased? The Preface itself had clearly been written after 1940; was this a later issue or had he written two books —he mentions neither possibility, but he was in North China on his second research tour between May and November 1941. The problem of identification was further confused by a letter received from Dr Kawase in connection with his presentation to the Library of a copy of his book The hidden history of the Japanese people published in 1972 which attempts to trace historical links between the Jews, the Maori and the Japanese. Unfortunately for New Zealanders this book is also in Japanese. In his letter Dr Kawase refers to his earlier work —“The first book on New Zealand wrote in Japanese was written by me and published in 1937 . . .” stating that the only copy of it in New Zealand was one which he had personally presented in Japan to the son

of a former teacher. Consequently this “first book” seemed to be becoming more and more remote, but it was extremely fortunate that the owner of the copy Dr Kawase mentioned was in Wellington and willing to examine the Library’s item, verifying that the two were the same. With a certain amount of relief it now seems safe to say that the Turnbull Library holds a copy of the first book on New Zealand in Japanese and that it was published in 1941. The mystery which remains, of course, is Dr Kawase’s apparent hesitancy to admit to his book having been published in 1941 while he is naturally proud of having written the first book on New Zealand in Japanese. From the contents list of the book there are also certain sections which it would be interesting to have translated when resources permit. In the “History” section of Chapter I there are the subdivisions “political revolution —development of the Maori people—World War II —post-war —contemporary period” and in the “State of affairs in New Zealand” section of Chapter V the subdivisions “national defence with fear of Japan” and “increasing religious colour”. In fact it is difficult to see how these could have been written on the basis of experiences up to 10 years earlier.

According to the reminiscences Dr Kawase was under orders as far as at least some of his research work was concerned from the time that Japan was actively involved in North China, making two research tours there. As far as he can remember it was after the Battle of Midway in June 1942 that he was ordered to report to the Navy Department at Tokyo and instructed to produce five papers on New Zealand—its history and general condition, climate, the Maori, agriculture, other resources; preparation of these would exempt him from duty at the front. Dr Kawase notes (p. 7) :

I was very much pleased to do this job with my best, because I beleived [.nc] that there is no body in Japan who can defend New Zealand except me, I thought as myself that I had message to protect New Zealand as it is said pen is stronger than sword. Then I determined to do this job as my best with Christian spirit. I thought that I can defend New Zealand by reporting the truth, because from the point of Christianity I do not agree to fight against others, and I have so many good friends in New Zealand. Secondly there is no possibility to invade to New Zealand and rule New Zealand by Japanese, and thirdly as I was educated in New Zealand and I owe my education and kindness and friendship to New Zealand, and I do not like to betray New Zealand as an enemy, and also to be an ungrateful fellow. Fourth, if I land on New Zealand again as a pilot of the troop, New Zealanders will feel of me as I was spying New Zealand and some one may kill me.

Anyhow my job to report on New Zealand is that I should write the truth, I beleived [«c] that the truth is the best and strongest power. I hope it shall crash [sic] the will of Japanese Navy and Military to invade into New Zealand. As the papers which he was asked to prepare correspond almost exactly with the contents of his book, apart from its 70-page section on his New Zealand tour, it seems odd that the material had to be prepared again so soon, but Dr Kawase describes at length the work which he did and the interrogations to which he was subjected by the Navy Department and later the Military Department, the latter being chiefly interested in road and rail facilities. If his memory as to the date of his first contact with the Navy Department is correct it throws an interesting light on the extent to which Japanese military intelligence at first refused to accept Midway as a decisive check. The Navy Department apparently based its plans at first quite seriously on gaining the support of the Maoris and agitating them against Great Britain. This was to be achieved by broadcasts in Maori (by Dr Kawase) from Tokyo and submarine or parachute landings in areas where Maoris were concentrated. Dr Kawase seems to have convinced the military that this held no chance of success. Early in 1943 Dr Kawase gave a talk on New Zealand at the Military Department to a group which included Prince Takeda; he had been preceded by the Minister of Hygiene and Public Health, Dr Tsurumi, on the subject of Australia and is convinced that he would have declared a plan for invading that country to be similarly unlikely to succeed.

Shortly after this Dr Kawase was again summoned to the Military Department where he was presented with an unbound book and asked to make any corrections necessary, but not to look at the map at the end of it. He explains that this work, the title of which is not exactly remembered, was presented as a “landing plan on New Zealand” with the number 33, and was a geographical guide book, a mixture of his book “New Zealand” and a navigational guide book. The map, at which he managed to glance, had many red arrows on it pointing towards the coastline. It is this map which seems to have brought home to Dr Kawase that his desire to tell the truth about New Zealand, believing that the facts would preclude any further plans for invasion, had culminated in his betraying a country which had educated him and even threatening the lives of his friends. It is with relief that he records that the changing fortune of the Japanese forces meant the end of any such invasion, and also his contact with the military.

Dr Kawase subsequently returned to his research institute—the Kawase Grassland Farming Research Institute which had been established in 1934 and which still operates —though he was mobilised by the Science

and Technical Department in 1944-5 to implement his methods for increasing dairy cattle and casein production. The description of the virtual chaos of life in Japan at the end of the war is given in some detail, both in general terms and as it affected Dr Kawase’s work and his family, several members of which were killed in the bombing. He does this with a particular reason—though for the historian the details would merely amount to a definition of the “conditions of war”, for Dr Kawase the experiences can only be accounted for by a stand of pacifism.

Dr Kawase, who is remembered as a generous disburser of boiled sweets to children when he was at Lincoln College and is known to welcome visits from and friendships with New Zealanders, was in an unenviable position from the time of his return to Japan. This is certainly brought out in his personal reminiscences and is probably supported by some of the aspects regarding his book on New Zealand which are still unresolved.

REFERENCES Kawase, Isamu. —Minami no Risokyo, New Zealand (Tokyo?, 1941). Transliterated title. Kawase, Isamu.- — A story of an agronomist of grassland who was educated in New Zealand, at the time of war period in Japan. Unpublished typescript in ATL. Blair, I. D., comp. —Life and work at Canterbury Agricultural College (Caxton Press, 1956).