Oku Yasukata
Oku Yasukata | |
|---|---|
奥 保鞏 | |
 Japanese General Count Oku Yasukata | |
| Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office | |
| In office July 30, 1906 – January 20, 1912 | |
| Monarch | Meiji |
| Preceded by | Kodama Gentarō |
| Succeeded by | Hasegawa Yoshimichi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 January 1847 |
Count Oku Yasukata (奥 保鞏, 5 January 1847 – 19 July 1930) was a Japanese
field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army
.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Kitakyūshū) to a samurai family of the Kokura Domain in Buzen Province, Oku joined the military forces of the nearby Chōshū Domain during the First and Second Chōshū expeditions and the Boshin War in their struggle to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and bring about the Meiji Restoration.[1]
Military career
Appointed a commander of the new
Taiwan Expedition of 1874. During the Satsuma Rebellion, he defended Kumamoto Castle during its siege as commander of the 13th Infantry Regiment
.
During the
general in 1903.[2]
During the
IJA 2nd Army and was noted for his role in the Battle of Nanshan, Battle of Shaho, Battle of Mukden, and other campaigns.[3]
Oku was awarded the
Field Marshal.[4]
Oku refused to attend strategy and staff meetings, and thereby gained a reputation for being both a "lone wolf" and also a brilliant tactician capable of independent action. However, Oku's reluctance to attend the staff meetings was due to his partial deafness, and inability to comprehend and contribute to the discussions.[5]
Post-war life
Oku had absolutely no interest in politics, and lived in virtual seclusion after the war. When he died of an Intracranial hemorrhage in 1930, many people were astonished, thinking that he had died years previously.[5]
Decorations
- 1878 –
Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class - 1885 –
Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class [6] - 1893 –
Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class [7] - 1895 –
Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class [8] - 1895 –
Order of the Golden Kite, 3rd class [8] - 1900 –
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure [9] - 1905 –
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun[10] - 1906 –
Order of the Golden Kite, 1st class[11] - 1906 –
Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers[11] - 1928 –
Order of the Chrysanthemum[12]
References
- Craig, Albert M. Chōshū in the Meiji Restoration. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1961.
- Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
- Harries, Meirion (1994). Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6.
- Keane, Donald (2005). Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852–1912. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-12341-8.
- Paine, S.C.M. (2003). Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895: Perception, Power, and Primacy. Cambridge University Press.
- Jukes, Geoffry (2002). The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905. Osprey Essential Histories. ISBN 978-1-84176-446-7.
External links
- National Diet Library. "Oku Yasukata". Portraits of Modern Historical Figures.
Notes
- ^ Craig, Choshu in the Meiji Restoration
- ^ National Diet Library, Portraits of Modern Historical Figures
- ^ Jukes, The Russo-Japanese War
- ^ Dupuy, Encyclopedia of Military Biography
- ^ a b Japanese wikipedia article
- ^ 『官報』第562号「叙任及辞令」May 19, 1885
- ^ 『官報』第2971号「叙任及辞令」May 27, 1893
- ^ a b 『官報』第3644号「叙任及辞令」October 21, 1895
- ^ 『官報』第5072号「叙任及辞令」June 1, 1900
- ^ 『官報』第6573号「叙任及辞令」May 31, 1905
- ^ a b 『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」December 30, 1906
- ^ 『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」November 10, 1928
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| National | |
| People | |
