which means principal officer connected with guns, torpedo, or navigation, as the case may be.
As for the other branches:—
| Kika-no | = engineer. |
| Gui-ni | = doctor. |
| Shukei | = paymaster. |
| Zosin | = constructor. |
The affix kwan (pronounced “kuàrn”) denotes junior rank, and is equivalent to our “assistant.” Tdi-kikansh is also “assistant-engineer,” while the chief of any ship is kikan-sho.
The ordinary warrant officer is known as a juin’shi-kwan (“jivēntsh kuàrn”).
XV
ENTRY OF MEN
Bluejackets
By the law of Japan, every male of the age of twenty has to draw lots for the conscription, unless he is already serving. As a matter of fact, however, there are comparatively few conscript sailors in the Imperial Navy, as young Japanese volunteer for service in large numbers.
All candidates undergo a physical examination; and also a literary examination in elementary writing, reading, and arithmetic.