Sherlock Holmes

by Keisuke Matsuoka

  Sherlock’s powers of perception were formidable indeed! Ito interrupted, raising his voice loudly. “Enough! I surrender. I was indeed at Tonosawa hot springs.”

  “You should have told me so from the beginning. And what did you do upon arriving at Shimbashi Station?”

  “They had sent a carriage from the palace. After rushing here, I found that His Grace was asleep in his residences.”

  “His Grace?”

  “The Emperor.”

  “You were unable to wake him?”

  “His Grace deigned to receive me in his sleeping quarters so as to hear my opinion, still dressed in his bedclothes.”

  “And did His Majesty immediately begin with questions?”

  Ito groaned reluctantly. “He first lectured me on moderation.”

  A disparaging look crossed Sherlock’s face. “You give even the Emperor cause for concern.”

  “I regretted my actions deeply. Of course, I apologized. Fortunately, His Grace still has faith in me as a politician.”

  “Certainly. If not, you would have never been permitted into his sleeping chambers.”

  “Had you the time and money,” Ito probed, “wouldn’t you yourself consider paying a visit to the geisha quarters?”

  “Certainly not.” Sherlock’s gaze was steely. “Then, tell me, what did the Emperor say?”

  “His Grace stated his intention to travel to Kyoto and apologize directly to Tsarevich Nicholas…Prince Takehito recommended he do so in his report, and His Grace agreed.”

  “It seems it was a most serious situation.”

  “Indeed. Everyone was of one mind, you could see it in their eyes. An island nation of 40 million people, against a continental nation of 120 million? Japan doesn’t have the strength yet to fight a great empire like Russia. The Russian navy is six times the size of our own, and their naval budget eight that. We are no match for them. If there was a war, Japan would surely lose.”

  “And so was the Emperor able to meet with Tsarevich Nicholas?”

  Ito nodded. “His Grace boarded a morning train and arrived in Kyoto by nightfall. At the request of a Russian court physician the meeting was postponed until the following day, and His Grace slept at the Kyoto Imperial Palace that night. On the following day, the 13th, His Grace visited Tsarevich Nicholas at the Tokiwa Hotel.”

  “You did not accompany the Emperor?”

  “First there was an emergency meeting in Tokyo to discuss our response—I certainly had no time for ‘excursions’ then. I left for Kyoto nine hours later, and was even permitted inside when His Grace met with Tsarevich Nicholas. This surprised me—even Prince Takehito and the interpreter had been barred entry. But I had been there when His Grace met the Tsarevich several years earlier during an official ceremony. Perhaps that was why I was allowed inside.”

  “It’s only natural that the Russians would show such caution, seeing as how the Tsarevich had so recently been assaulted by an officer of the law.”

  “His Grace apologized to Tsarevich Nicholas. Originally, the Tsarevich had been scheduled to visit Tokyo as well. His Grace expressed his desire that he should still feel welcome.”

  “And how did Nicholas respond?”

  “He stated that he would have to await his father’s direction as to whether or not he would visit Tokyo. But he did add that he was grateful to the people of Japan for their warmth and concern.”

  “It seems unlikely that the Emperor and Empress Alexander III would allow their son to continue his tour of Japan after sustaining such a grievous injury.”

  “Very unlikely. In the end, the visit to Tokyo did not occur. We received notice on May 19 that the Tsarevich would be departing. His Grace had hoped to invite Tsarevich Nicholas to a supper at the Imperial Villa in Kobe, but the Russians refused this invitation as well. Instead the Russians held a luncheon upon one of their warships, indicating that they wished to invite His Grace to join them. I was adamantly opposed to this, as were the members of the cabinet.”

  “That is understandable. If the warship had departed with the Emperor still aboard he should have been kidnapped.”

  “His Grace insisted that we must trust the Russians. The luncheon occurred without incident, and His Grace returned to the palace.”

  “His Grace is brave.”

  “And then on the 20th, one day after originally scheduled, the Russian warships departed for home.

  “It is what occurred after that which is the problem. Japan was gripped by panic. Rumors ran amok that the Russians were going to retaliate. Schools were closed, and people came out in mass to pray at the shrines and temples. In Yamagata Prefecture’s Kaneyama Village, local officials outlawed both the last name Tsuda and the first name Sanzo. A woman even committed suicide in front of the Kyoto Prefectural Office by slitting her throat, as a means of showing contrition to Russia.”

  Sherlock snorted.

  Ito was taken aback. “Do you laugh?”

  “A drastic step, considering she was not even an acquaintance of Nicholas. Her death only further inflamed passions, I imagine.”

  Ito hesitated, but chose to be honest. “True, the chaos only spread. Some glorified her for what she did, but there were also those who reacted negatively. They commended Sanzo Tsuda for his attack on the Tsarevich, seemingly driven by joui…But regardless of which side people took, both believed war was imminent.”

  “And what steps did you take? Seeing as you speak English, I assume you approached Ambassador Shevich.”

  “Yes,” Ito said, and his voice for the first time seemed despondent. “And he told me they were watching closely to see how Tsuda would be punished. According to Shevich, if Tsuda escaped execution there was no telling how it would affect relations between our two nations.”

  “I believe he made a similar threat this morning. Strange that he should repeat himself some four months after the incident occurred.”

  “Not so strange.” Ito shook his head. “The matter appeared settled for a time. Then something occurred which we can’t seem to make sense of. Mr. Holmes! How relieved I would be if you could unravel this mystery.”

  13

  Ito firmly believed that the Meiji Restoration had allowed Japan to, however narrowly, escape Western force and colonial rule. But their nation now lacked the military strength needed to resist Russian advances. He worried that Russia would demand compensation for the incident, either in money or land.

  Ambassador Shevich, in fact, had said as much. Shevich stated that if Prince Arthur had been attacked during his visit last year, England would have surely demanded either Shikoku or Kyushu in compensation. What choice can we have, he said, but to demand Hokkaido? However, if Sanzo Tsuda were to be sentenced to death, circumstances would of course be different…

  Ito later learned that Foreign Minister Shuzo Aoki, acting independently, had made a secret agreement with Ambassador Shevich before Nicholas even arrived: If anything were to happen to Nicholas while in Japan, the perpetrator would be treated as if he had committed a crime against the Japanese imperial family itself.

  So their options were limited. The Japanese government began approaching judges to oversee the trial. Under article 116 of the penal code, any who harmed the Emperor or his family were guilty of high treason. The death penalty, then, must also apply to Sanzo Tsuda.

  Ito supported this move. He insisted decisive action—even martial law—would be required if public opinion turned against them. Prime Minister Matsukata, Minister of Internal Affairs Tsugumichi Saigo, and Minister of Justice Akiyoshi Yamada were all in agreement.

  The Communications Minister, Shojiro Goto, suggested that abducting Tsuda and putting a bullet in him would be the best remedy for the situation. Ito grew angry. If the law could not punish Tsuda, then assassination was in order? Now was no time for such childishness. Such short-sighted thinking would see the return of
the Bakufu! No, Tsuda must be sentenced to death in a court of law.

  However, the head of the Supreme Court of Judicature, Korekata Kojima, opposed applying article 116.

  He argued that the article applied only to the imperial family of Japan, and did not cover crimes committed against the imperial families of other countries. According to the law, royalty from foreign countries must be treated in the same manner as citizens. This did not permit a sentence of death for mere injury.

  Goto gathered all of the judges the government had approached. He argued that a modern nation had to separate the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. The Japanese judiciary was entirely independent, and must not be subjected to any influence from the state. If not, other countries would assume Japan to be an untrustworthy nation, ready and willing to break its own laws. Could such a thing be allowed?

  The judges who had originally been leaning toward the death penalty revised their stance in response to Goto’s appeal. They flatly rejected a request for a meeting from Minister of Justice Yamada and Minister of Internal Affairs Saigo on grounds of impartiality.

  They declared that if adhering to the law resulted in open war with Russia, the judges too would become soldiers and fight to defend Japan. But the independence of the judiciary must be preserved.

  All of this occurred in May. On the 27th, Tsuda’s case received an unusually swift ruling. He was convicted of the attempted murder of an ordinary citizen, under article 292 of the penal code. The penalty was life in prison. He had evaded execution.

  Ito was stunned. He and Saigo cornered Goto in his office, and Ito banged his fists on his desk. “You protect the law even if it means war!” he’d shouted.

  Goto answered him quietly: “Whether or not there will be war is up to the government.” As with the other judges, if there was to be war he promised to join the effort.

  The Meiji government was populated with people from the former Choshu and Satsuma domains. Goto, however, hailed from the Iyo-Uwajima Domain. He would not be cowed.

  Immediately after the Tsuda trial, Saigo took responsibility and resigned. In June, Minister of Justice Yamada resigned as well, citing illness. Naturally Foreign Minister Aoki, who had complicated the case with his secret promise with Ambassador Shevich, had already been demoted.

  Shevich was outraged when he learned that Tsuda had only been sentenced to life imprisonment, and began making preparations to leave Japan along with the other members of the Russian legation. In short, Ito thought, they were preparing for war. Undoubtedly the Russian Emperor had given orders. Alexander III had been watching the trial closely as well, and had also wished for the death penalty for Tsuda.

  The Japanese Navy prepared for potential battle. Batteries were stationed along the coast, and warships were deployed to the Sea of Japan. Members of the government began suggesting, once again, that Tsuda should be assassinated. Ito was at his wit’s end.

  The Choshu Domain had, not so long ago, plunged foolishly into a war with Britain, America, France, and the Netherlands. It felt as if that nightmare were repeating itself. Back then, Ito had raced back from London in an attempt to negotiate peace, but he had succeeded in changing nothing. To make matters worse, it had been Shinsaku Takasugi who had fended off unreasonable demands from the Great Powers after the Choshu War. But Shinsaku Takasugi was no longer with them.

  When a missive arrived from Russia, signed by both the government and the court, Ito steeled himself for a declaration of war. But when he read its contents, he sighed in relief.

  The letter noted that as Tsuda’s decision had been reached in accordance with Japanese law, Russia could only be satisfied with the sentence. So Russia had accepted the results of the trial. There was not even a demand for monetary compensation or land. War in the Far East had been averted, thanks to the forbearance and generosity of that formidable nation.

  * * *

  —

  “Indeed,” Sherlock murmured. “This is most curious.”

  “I have yet to reach the puzzling part of the matter,” Ito said.

  “No, there is something in this that does not sit well. Russia battles Britain for supremacy in the Far East. The events you describe have given them an ideal pretext by which to invade Japan. Likely Shevich did in fact receive orders to return to Russia. What could have inspired the change in the expected course?”

  “Perhaps you should read the papers from the days after the attack? Directly before Tsarevich Nicholas returned to Russia, there was a huge outpouring of letters and gifts from Japanese citizens to the Russian warships. Crowds kneeled in prayer at the port where ships were moored. We were told that Tsarevich Nicholas was deeply moved. You laughed earlier, but the incident of the woman who committed suicide was widely reported, and I believe helped earn international sympathy. The Tsarevich even ran a letter of thanks in the newspapers, under the name of his aide-de-camp Prince Baryatinsky.”

  “The Crown Prince may have taken a generous view, but I doubt his father, Alexander III, is quite so magnanimous,” Sherlock refuted bluntly. “Alexander II was assassinated by a terrorist’s bomb. Ascending to the throne after such violence, Alexander III has ascribed to a belief that peace is less a sentiment as it is a state to achieve through force. He has rejected the diplomatic approach of his father, who valued friendship with the Germans, and has instead adopted the same anti-German sentiments as the Slavophiles.”

  “The missive we received was also signed by the Emperor.”

  “A question—if Russia had demanded Hokkaido, would you have ceded it?”

  Ito scratched at his balding pate with the tip of his finger. “It is impossible to speculate.”

  “Be honest.”

  “At present, Japan has no hope of defeating Russia…No, no, I cannot say.”

  “The difference in military strength speaks for itself. I find it difficult to believe that Alexander III would allow such an opportunity to escape him. He does not seem the type to take such a weak diplomatic stance. Surely there was opposition from the Russian government.”

  “True. Russia’s foreign minister, Giers, thought that the best possible outcome would have been for Tsuda to receive the death penalty, and then for the Russian Emperor to request a reduced sentence, thus preserving Russia’s honor. He was greatly dissatisfied with Tsuda’s judgment.”

  “What of the Russian people? Was there no call for war?”

  “Initially the Russian papers reported that Prince George alone had come to Tsarevich Nicholas’ aid, while the Japanese people merely looked on. We heard there was much anger throughout the populace, but apparently after His Grace’s visit to the Tsarevich, the Russian government implemented a ban and such stories ceased to appear.”

  “This is even stranger. An observer might think all of Russia trembled for fear of the Emperor of Japan. Such a reaction might be expected of a small country when dealing with a greater. It is almost as if your situations are reversed.”

  “His Grace is formidable.”

  “Perhaps to yourself and the people of Japan, but I doubt that Alexander III is intimidated by the rulers of other nations. Why should the man who invaded the Ottoman Empire and advanced fully to Constantinople dither now? Do remember, he builds the Trans-Siberian Railway precisely to delve into the Far East.”

  “Well, unfortunately, since then the situation has developed in a direction more consistent with your views.” Ito sounded disgruntled. “In September, relations grew tense once more. Now Russian warships have all but occupied the Sea of Japan. And Ambassador Shevich has demanded a retrial for Sanzo Tsuda.”

  “Surely it is a violation of international law for the Russians to attempt to renege on what they agreed to in their earlier missive.”

  “Yes, but they have suddenly brought forward the document they signed in secret with Foreign Minister Aoki. They claim that as a previous agreement exists in wr
iting, that agreement should take precedence. You would almost think the Russian Emperor and government were previously unaware of its existence.”

  “Hmph. So Alexander III shows his true stripes, then.”

  “Only it is not the Emperor alone who is responsible. It seems the one calling for a tougher stance is none other than Tsarevich Nicholas himself.”

  “So the Crown Prince has changed his tune as well. That is interesting.”

  “According to reports, he now publicly refers to the Japanese as ‘yellow monkeys’ and insists that we cannot be trusted. He says we are savages who should be wiped from the face of the Earth.”

  “Such outbursts are understandable. He was injured badly enough to damage his skull. Perhaps his brain was even injured, causing the Tsarevich to grow violent in his temperament?”

  Ito did not think that likely. “Tsarevich Nicholas’ injury was not that severe. He seemed in excellent spirits! During His Grace’s visit, he seemed more embarrassed about it than anything else. Russian government and military officials all attested at the time that the Tsarevich held no ill will against Japan. He was grateful for the reception he had received. He treated Japan with the same friendliness he had shown before the incident—just as the papers reported.”

  “I see. This is a puzzle, indeed. In addition to Nicholas’ inexplicable behavior, we must consider that the Russian Navy has taken action. Not to mention the shifting response of the Russian court and government. Why have Nicholas and his father, Alexander III, belatedly taken such hard stances? Curious, very curious.”