General Count Sakuma Samata (佐久間 左馬太; 19 November 1844 – 5 August 1915) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army…General Count Sakuma Samata (佐久間 左馬太; 19 November 1844 – 5 August 1915) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and 5th Governor-General of Taiwan from 11 April 1906 to 1 May 1915. He participated in domestic conflicts, wars with Russia and was a leader of the expedition of Taiwan.
Count Yamada Akiyoshi (山田 顕義; November 18, 1844 – November 11, 1892) was a Japanese politician, samurai, and one of the…Count Yamada Akiyoshi (山田 顕義; November 18, 1844 – November 11, 1892) was a Japanese politician, samurai, and one of the early leaders of the Meiji Restoration. He served as Minister of Justice from 1885 to 1891. In his youth he was commonly known as Yamada Ichinojō; however, he changed his name frequently during the Bakumatsu period.
Marshal-Admiral Count Itō Sukeyuki (伊東 祐亨, Itō Sukeyuki; also known as Itō Yūkō) (9 June 1843 – 16 January 1914) was a…Marshal-Admiral Count Itō Sukeyuki (伊東 祐亨, Itō Sukeyuki; also known as Itō Yūkō) (9 June 1843 – 16 January 1914) was a Japanese career officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in Meiji-period Japan.
Baron Arichi Shinanojō (有地 品之允; 15 March 1843 – 17 January 1919) was an admiral in the early Imperial Japanese Navy…Baron Arichi Shinanojō (有地 品之允; 15 March 1843 – 17 January 1919) was an admiral in the early Imperial Japanese Navy, and served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff in the late 19th century.
Prince Ōyama Iwao (大山 巌; 12 November 1842 – 10 December 1916) was a Japanese field marshal, and one of the founders of…Prince Ōyama Iwao (大山 巌; 12 November 1842 – 10 December 1916) was a Japanese field marshal, and one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Army. He was representative of the outstanding military commanders of the late modern period.
Baron Itō Toshiyoshi (伊藤 雋吉; 28 March 1840 – 10 April 1921) was an admiral in the early Imperial Japanese Navy, and…Baron Itō Toshiyoshi (伊藤 雋吉; 28 March 1840 – 10 April 1921) was an admiral in the early Imperial Japanese Navy, and served as the first Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff in the late 19th century.
Prince Yamagata Aritomo (Japanese: 山縣 有朋; 14 June 1838 – 1 February 1922) was a Japanese statesman and general who…Prince Yamagata Aritomo (Japanese: 山縣 有朋; 14 June 1838 – 1 February 1922) was a Japanese statesman and general who twice served as prime minister of Japan, in 1889–1891 and 1898–1900. He was a leading member of the genrō, a group of senior courtiers and statesmen who dominated the politics of Japan during the Meiji era. As the Imperial Japanese Army's inaugural Chief of Staff, he was the chief architect of its nationalist and reactionary ideology, which has led some historians to consider him the "father" of Japanese militarism. Born to a low-ranking samurai family in the Chōshū Domain, Yamagata became a leader in the loyalist movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. As a commander in the Boshin War, he helped lead the military forces of the Satsuma–Chōshū Alliance to victory in the Meiji Restoration. Following the Restoration, he traveled to Europe to study Western military systems and returned to become the central figure in the creation of the modern Imperial Japanese Army, implementing a nationwide conscription system. He led the new conscript army to victory over the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, which validated his military reforms and destroyed the last vestiges of the samurai class, including the right to bear swords. He further secured the army's independence from civilian control by creating an autonomous Imperial Army General Staff which reported directly to the Emperor of Japan. Entering civilian government, Yamagata served as Home Minister, where he established an efficient, centralized police and local government system. As Prime Minister from 1889 to 1891, he oversaw the opening of the first Imperial Diet under the new Meiji Constitution. Thereafter, he engaged in a protracted political contest with Itō Hirobumi over the nature of constitutional government. Whereas Itō grew to favor a system of compromise with the political parties, Yamagata remained a staunch advocate of a "transcendental" government where the cabinet would be composed of non-partisan bureaucrats accountable only to the emperor. After the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895, he served a second term as Prime Minister from 1898 to 1900, during which he passed laws to prevent political party members from holding key bureaucratic posts. From the outset of the 1900s, Yamagata vied against Itō for supremacy among the Meiji oligarchy. Upon Ito's assassination on 26 October 1909, he consolidated power to become the dominant figure in the Emperor's court. However, a political scandal that involved his meddling in Crown Prince Hirohito's engagement led to him losing power shortly before his death in February 1922.
Count Kabayama Sukenori (樺山 資紀; 9 December 1837 – 8 February 1922) was a Japanese samurai military leader and…Count Kabayama Sukenori (樺山 資紀; 9 December 1837 – 8 February 1922) was a Japanese samurai military leader and statesman. He was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He later became the first Governor-General of Taiwan during the island's period as a Japanese colony. He is also sometimes referred to as Kabayama Motonori.
Tani Tateki (谷 干城; 18 March 1837 – 13 May 1911) was a statesman and lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in…Tani Tateki (谷 干城; 18 March 1837 – 13 May 1911) was a statesman and lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in Meiji period Japan. He was also known as Tani Kanjō.
Taruhito, Prince Arisugawa (有栖川宮熾仁親王, Arisugawa-no-miya Taruhito-Shinnō; March 17, 1835 – January 15, 1895) was a…Taruhito, Prince Arisugawa (有栖川宮熾仁親王, Arisugawa-no-miya Taruhito-Shinnō; March 17, 1835 – January 15, 1895) was a Japanese imperial prince and general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was the 9th head of the Arisugawa-no-miya (有栖川宮家) line of shinnōke cadet branches of the Imperial Family of Japan from 1871. Prince Arisugawa held several government and military offices during the Meiji era, such as commander of the Imperial Army during the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion, president of the Genrōin, Minister of the Left and chief of the army general staff.
Kawaji Toshiyoshi (川路 利良; 17 June 1834 – 13 October 1879), also known as Kawaji Toshikane, was a Japanese military…Kawaji Toshiyoshi (川路 利良; 17 June 1834 – 13 October 1879), also known as Kawaji Toshikane, was a Japanese military general, politician, and samurai during the Meiji period. A Satsuma Domain samurai initially tasked to study foreign systems for application in the Japanese military, Kawaji fought against forces loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate during the Boshin War. Later, his work on setting up the Japanese police at the aftermath of the Meiji Restoration, first as rasotsu, and then as keisatsu, earned him the recognition as the founder of Japan's modern police system (日本警察の父; lit. 'Father of Japanese Police'). Besides his police and military work, he was also noted for his contributions to the development of Kendo, a Japanese martial art.
Takeda Ayasaburō (武田 斐三郎; November 4, 1827 - January 28, 1880), was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of…Takeda Ayasaburō (武田 斐三郎; November 4, 1827 - January 28, 1880), was a Japanese Rangaku scholar, and the architect of the fortress of Goryōkaku in Hokkaidō. Takeda was born in the Ōzu Domain (modern-day Ōzu, Ehime) in 1827. He studied medicine, Western sciences (rangaku), navigation, military architecture. He was a student of Ogata Kōan and Sakuma Shōzan. In 1854 he was ordered to the island of Hokkaidō to reinforce the military infrastructure. He built the fortresses of Goryōkaku and Benten Daiba between 1854 and 1866, using Dutch books on military architecture, and also established a school. He also practiced sailing with the Hakodate Maru, one of Japan's first Western-style sailing ship, together with his students. He sailed to Russia with the ship, and engaged in some exchanges.
Takijirō Ōnishi (大西 瀧治郎, Ōnishi Takijirō; 2 June 1891 – 16 August 1945) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy…Takijirō Ōnishi (大西 瀧治郎, Ōnishi Takijirō; 2 June 1891 – 16 August 1945) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who came to be known as the father of the kamikaze.
Viscount Enomoto Takeaki (榎本 武揚; 5 October 1836 – 26 October 1908) was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa…Viscount Enomoto Takeaki (榎本 武揚; 5 October 1836 – 26 October 1908) was a Japanese samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate and fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War. He later served in the Meiji government as one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Cai E (simplified Chinese: 蔡锷; traditional Chinese: 蔡鍔; pinyin: Cài È; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 O4; 18 December 1882 – 8…Cai E (simplified Chinese: 蔡锷; traditional Chinese: 蔡鍔; pinyin: Cài È; Wade–Giles: Ts'ai4 O4; 18 December 1882 – 8 November 1916), also romanised as Tsai Ao, born Cai Genyin (Chinese: 蔡艮寅; pinyin: Cài Gěnyín), courtesy name Songpo (Chinese: 松坡; pinyin: Sōngpō), was a Chinese revolutionary leader and general. He led the National Protection War against Yuan Shikai's attempt to restore the monarchy.
Hu Jingyi (Chinese: 胡景翼; pinyin: Hú Jǐngyì; 1892 – 1925), Chinese general, warlord and military governor of Henan…Hu Jingyi (Chinese: 胡景翼; pinyin: Hú Jǐngyì; 1892 – 1925), Chinese general, warlord and military governor of Henan (1924–25) during the Warlord Era of China. Hu Jingyi was born on 4 June 1892, Fuping County, Shaanxi. He joined the Chinese Revolutionary Alliance in 1910. Following the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 he led a revolt in Shaanxi. He became a general of Kuomintang forces during the "Second Revolution" against Yuan Shikai's dictatorship in 1913. He held several posts in the Shaanxi army over the following decades. During the Second Zhili–Fengtian War in the autumn of 1924, Feng Yuxiang betrayed the Zhili clique when he led his army from the battlefield to execute the Beijing coup, detaining its leader President Cao Kun, and reorganized his forces as the Guominjun. Hu was named deputy commander-in-chief and the commander of the 3rd Army as well as governor of Henan. The Soviets decided to assist Feng with advisers and assistance in arming the Guominjun, with the intent of forming another movement like the KMT in north China. In return for arms, Feng and Hu gave the Russian and Chinese Communists a free hand in their territories. Feng and Hu sent 25 high-ranking officers to the Soviet Union for military training. However, Hu died suddenly in office on 10 April 1925 and was succeeded by Yue Weijun.
Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi (牟田口 廉也, Mutaguchi Ren'ya; 7 October 1888 – 2 August 1966) was an Imperial Japanese…Lieutenant-General Renya Mutaguchi (牟田口 廉也, Mutaguchi Ren'ya; 7 October 1888 – 2 August 1966) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer who served in World War II. He was the field commander of Japanese forces during the Battle of Imphal.
Kim Jong-oh (Korean: 김종오; 22 May 1921 – 30 March 1966) was a South Korean army colonel and general in the Korean War.…Kim Jong-oh (Korean: 김종오; 22 May 1921 – 30 March 1966) was a South Korean army colonel and general in the Korean War. He was active in the First Republic of Korea and Third Republic of Korea. He was the 10th president of the Republic of Korea Military Academy (1952–1954) and commander of the Republic of Korea 1st Army.
Lü Yiwen (Chinese: 呂宜文, also known as Ro Gi-Bun; 1897–1950) was a Chinese diplomat who served as the ambassador of…Lü Yiwen (Chinese: 呂宜文, also known as Ro Gi-Bun; 1897–1950) was a Chinese diplomat who served as the ambassador of Manchukuo to Nazi Germany, since the German recognition of Manchukuo's independence in 1938. He subsequently took part in negotiating Manchukuo's entry into the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1940. Lü also served as the Manchukuo ambassador to Finland, a country that also had diplomatic relations with his country. He was accredited on 15 December 1941. In an interview with the Finnish press at the time he gave the estimate that he was the first Manchu to have ever set foot on Finnish soil. He said that although Manchus are not intimately familiar with Finland, they appreciate the country's war feats. When asked about snow and skiing, a popular Finnish pastime, he related that his large home country does get snow, but that in some places it is dry and hard and unsuitable for skiing whereas in other parts skiing is popular.
Heinrich Wilhelm Herbert Wohlfarth (5 June 1915 – 13 August 1982) was a German naval officer and U-boat commander…Heinrich Wilhelm Herbert Wohlfarth (5 June 1915 – 13 August 1982) was a German naval officer and U-boat commander during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He can be seen on Die Deutsche Wochenschau newsreel 574 of 3 September 1941 receiving this decoration from Doenitz. The film on return from the patrol made sometime before his later capture.
Masao Maruyama (丸山 政男, Maruyama Masao; 13 September 1889 – 11 November 1957), was a lieutenant general and commander in…Masao Maruyama (丸山 政男, Maruyama Masao; 13 September 1889 – 11 November 1957), was a lieutenant general and commander in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.