was a Japanese medical doctor during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

noted for his work with the Red Cross.

Biography

Mikami was born in the village of Sai on the northern tip of

Shimokita Peninsula is the remote northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honshū, stretching out towards Hokkaidō. Overview It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, Tsugaru Strait to the north and Mutsu Bay to the west and south. Shaped like an axe ...

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east, ...

. His family had been doctors to the Morioka Domain of the Nambu clan for eight generations in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. In 1884, accompanied by his father Shikei, he went to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, where he enrolled at the Mita English School. While studying, Mikami was strongly influenced by the literature scholar, Shiken Morita. He quit school and became a reporter for the ''

Yomiuri Shimbun The (lit. ''Reading-selling Newspaper'' or ''Selling by Reading Newspaper'') is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five major newspapers in Japan; the other four are t ...

'' newspaper. After his father died in 1893, he resumed his medical studies, enrolling in the Tokyo Saisei Gakusha vocational school the following year. Two years later he passed the two examinations that allowed him to become a medical doctor. In 1902, Mikami returned to his home village of Sai to devote himself to his medical practice. However, only two years later the Russo-Japanese War began, and Mikami volunteered for the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

, where he was assigned to the IJA 3rd Army’s Eighth Division as a medic. In January 1905, he was assigned to a field unit in

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

. When his field hospital was surrounded by the Russian army and under threat of attack, Mikami made a crude hand-made flag with the

Red Cross symbol The emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, under the Geneva Conventions, are to be placed on humanitarianism (international humanitarian law), humanitarian and medical vehicles and buildings, and to be worn by medica ...

from white triangular bandages and pieces of a red blanket. On seeing the flag, the Russians did not attack. Mikami was able to care for the wounded from both sides. The incident was popularized by the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

as tangible proof of the humanitarian

Geneva Convention upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...

. After the

ended, Mikami commuted between Sai and Tokyo, committing himself to further study and his medical practice. He read a wide variety of books including medicine, politics, religion, history and literature. He mastered

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

with only a dictionary in order to realize his childhood dream of reading ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' in its original language. He remained active in supporting the efforts of the Japanese Red Cross until his death in 1963. In 1963, when the International Red Cross celebrated its hundredth anniversary in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Mikami's flag was put on display. Mikami’s Edo-period house in Sai Village has been preserved as a local history museum, and is open to the public from April 29 – October 31 annually.

References

*Sai Village Board of Education. ''The Hand-Made Red Cross Flag Which Saved Lives. pamphlet''
Japanese Red Cross Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikami, Gotaro People associated with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Japanese people of the Russo-Japanese War 1869 births 1964 deaths Japanese military doctors People of Meiji-period Japan People from Aomori Prefecture