Painted by the enemy

At the end of hostilities, after enduring some of the Second World War’s most arduous campaigns, the Australian 2/14th Battalion was sent to Celebes (today’s Sulawesi, Indonesia) to observe the surrender and disarmament of the 2nd Japanese Army.

Among the Japanese prisoners was Tokyo artist J. Nakanishi. He was appointed to the Japanese liaison office that was established as an intermediary between the headquarters of the 2/14th Battalion and the 2nd Japanese Army. Little is known about the artistic career of Nakanishi; however, during his time in captivity he created at least 80 painted portraits of Australian soldiers. The Australian War Memorial holds two in its collection.

The first depicts Major (later Colonel) Gerald O’Day of the 2/14th Battalion. O’Day was known as the “wild Irishman” among his men, owing to his fiery temper and fearlessness in battle. On one occasion during the fighting at Balikpapan, O’Day was wounded and evacuated to a field ambulance. Against medical advice, he returned to the front line and within days was wounded again.

The identity of the second Australian soldier has yet to be conclusively determined. However, the captain’s brown colour patch indicates that he was likely a member of 2/27th Battalion or a 7th Division medical unit. A letter found in the backing of the painting tells us that the soldier’s name was Mickey. This letter to his unknown sweetheart gives us an insight into his experience of sitting for the artist. “He took about two hours to do it, using canvas and paints he still retained from Japan … I am having a bit of trouble drying it, with all this rain about … I found a frame I cut down, so as to pack it without anything smearing the paint.”

Long after the war, O’Day re-established contact with Nakanishi through a former member of the 2nd Japanese Army. In 1978, O’Day attempted to reunite with him in Japan, but unfortunately Nakanishi was too ill and the meeting never took place.

Both paintings not only exquisitely portray these Australian soldiers, but they are also a rare record of the interactions between Australian and Japanese soldiers in the immediate post-war period.