Item number: M184

Year: AD 1901

Material: Bronze

Size: case 104.5 x 54.3 x 20.9 / medal 73.1 x 30.2 x 2.8 mm

Weight: case 29.5 / medal 29.45 g

Provenance: Dixons Medal 2022

This is a Meiji 33 Military Service Medal, issued according to Imperial Edict No. 142 in the 34th year of the Meiji era (AD 1901), to commend the Japanese military officers and soldiers who participated in the Eight-Nation Alliance during the Boxer Rebellion in AD 1900. The medal is housed in a wooden storage case lined with red velvet, with the lid inscribed in gilt script reading “Meiji 33 Military Service Medal”. The medal itself features a swivel straight bar suspension adorned with laurel leaves, connecting to a rectangular clasp. The inscription on the clasp, written in seal script Japanese characters, reads “Qing Incident,” which is the Japanese term for the military action at the time. The ribbon is approximately 37mm wide, with a white background and sky-blue stripes. The sky-blue stripes on the left and right are 2mm wide, while the two central stripes are 6mm wide.

The medal is circular in shape, with the obverse depicting a spread-winged phoenix holding the seal script Kanji characters for “Military Service Medal” and the emblem of the chrysanthemum, which is the national symbol of Japan. On the reverse side of the medal, the inscription is written in regular script, stating “Great Japanese Empire” and “Year 33 of the Meiji Era.”

In May AD 1900, the Japanese embassy in Beijing, along with others, experienced harassment from the Boxers. Consequently, on June 9th, over a hundred troops, including Japanese soldiers, set out from the Tianjin Concession under the command of British General Seymour. On June 11th, upon receiving news of the relief force’s approach, the Japanese embassy dispatched Sugiyama Akira, a chancellor, to meet them outside Beijing. However, as Sugiyama Akira passed through the outer gates of Beijing at Yongdingmen, he was mercilessly killed by the Qing regular army stationed there, led by Dong Fuxiang of the Gansu Army. His body was left exposed and hastily buried nearby. Sugiyama Akira and subsequently, the murdered German Minister to China, Klemens von Ketteler, became the most prominent diplomatic casualties of the Eight-Nation Alliance campaign.

On June 21st, as Empress Dowager Cixi officially declared war on the foreign powers, the diplomatic quarter in Beijing came under intense siege. The besieged foreign nationals appointed the British Minister to China, Claude Maxwell MacDonald, as the overall commander, but MacDonald effectively delegated command to the highest-ranking military officer on the scene, Japanese Army Lieutenant Colonel Shiba Gorō. Under Shiba Gorō’s excellent leadership, more than 500 armed personnel, including 24 Japanese naval infantrymen, successfully held out until the relief of the Allied forces on August 14th.

At the same time, the first contingent of 1,000 Japanese reinforcements had landed at Taku Fort on June 15th. However, due to concerns about suspicion from Western powers, Japan hesitated to increase the size of its forces. It wasn’t until July 4th, after coordination and consultation with various countries through British channels, that Japan lifted restrictions and dispatched 23,000 troops to support the campaign, becoming the largest contingent among the Allied forces. On August 14th, the Japanese forces broke through the Chaoyang Gate, paying a toll of 50 dead and 100 wounded, before finally capturing the gate and entering the inner city late that night. Subsequently, during the division of the occupation zones in Beijing by the various countries, the security in the Japanese zone overseen by Lieutenant Colonel Shiba Gorō was notably well-maintained. This even prompted the Qing Dynasty to consider adopting elements of the Japanese policing system as a model.

Afterwards, the Qing court paid a total of 450 million taels in “Boxer Indemnity”, of which Japan received approximately 7.73%. The aftermath of the killing of Sugiyama Akira was resolved at the insistence of the Japanese side, with Prime Minister Na Tong dispatched to Japan to offer condolences to the bereaved family and arrange for an honourable compensation.

物件編號: M184

年代: 公元 1901 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 盒 104.5 x 54.3 x 20.9 / 獎章 73.1 x 30.2 x 2.8 mm

重量: 盒 29.5 / 獎章 29.45 g

來源: 迪生獎章 2022

這是一枚明治34年(公元1901年)，按〈敕令第百四十二號〉頒布的「明治三十三年從軍記章」，以資勵參與公元1900年八國聯軍的日軍官兵。這枚獎章收納於紅絲絨內襯的木製收納盒，盒蓋以燙金隸書寫上「明治三十三年從軍記章」。獎章以桂葉裝飾的旋轉直桿懸掛連接方型銘條。銘條以篆書日本漢字寫上「清國事變」，即日方對此次軍事行動的稱呼。綬帶寬度約為37mm，配色為白底天藍色條，左右兩側的天藍色為2mm，中間的兩道色條則為6mm。

獎章外觀為圓形，正面為一隻展翅的鳳凰托舉篆書日本漢字「從軍記章」和日本國徽菊花紋章。獎章背面則以楷書寫上「大日本帝國」和「明治三十三年」字樣。

公元1900年5月，日本在內的駐北京使館遭到義和團的騷擾，故6月9日，包含日軍在內的百餘人援軍，在英國將領西摩爾指揮下從天津租界出發。6月11日，收到消息的日本大使館派書記官杉山彬前往北京城外迎接援軍。然而杉山彬行經北京外城的永定門時，遭到駐守於此的清正規軍，即董福祥領導的甘軍不由分說的殺害，曝屍於當地後續方才草草掩埋。杉山彬和後續遇害的德國駐華公使克林德，是此次八國聯軍一役最為知名的遇害外交人員。

隨著6月21日，慈禧太后向各國正式宣戰，北京使館區遭到激烈圍攻。圍困的各國僑民以英國駐華公使竇納樂為總指揮，但竇納樂實則將指揮權交給現場軍銜最高的日本武官柴五郎中佐負責。在柴五郎的出色指揮下，包含24名日本海軍陸戰隊在內的五百多名武裝人員，成功支撐到8月14日聯軍解圍為止。

同一時間，日本第一批1000名援軍已在6月15日登陸大沽口，但忌憚於西方列強的懷疑，日本一直不敢加大派兵的力道。直到7月4日，經英國向各國照會和協調後，日本方才放開限制和派遣2.3萬人支援戰事，成為聯軍裡數量最多的部隊。8月14日當天，日軍以朝陽門為突破口，付出50死和100傷的代價後，於當天深夜10點方才攻陷城門進入內城區。後續各國針對北京的佔領區劃分時，以柴五郎中佐負責的日本佔領區治安最為良好，甚至成為後續清朝借鏡日本警察制度的動機。

事後清廷總計4.5億兩的「庚子賠款」中，日本拿到其中的7.73%。遭到殺害的杉山彬善後一事，則是在日方要求下派遣總理大臣那桐親赴日本慰問遺族進行榮譽賠償方才了結。