Tatsugo Kawaishi (河石 達吾, Kawaishi Tatsugo; December 10, 1911 – March 17, 1945) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at…
Tatsugo Kawaishi (河石 達吾, Kawaishi Tatsugo; December 10, 1911 – March 17, 1945) was a Japanese swimmer who competed at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. A native of Ōgaki, Hiroshima (currently part of the city of Etajima, Hiroshima), Kawaishi was a graduate of the law school of Keio University, and began competitive swimming as a student. Selected for the Japanese Olympic team in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 100 m freestyle event; however, his achievement was overshadowed by his teammate Yasuji Miyazaki, who won the gold medal and who set a new Olympic record. After his return to Japan, he became an instructor at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy from 1933 to 1935. He then moved to Osaka, and was employed by the forerunner of Kansai Electric; however, he then enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army and was accepted into the Hiroshima-based IJA 11th Infantry Regiment. He was sent to serve on the front lines in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War and was promoted to first lieutenant after five years. Upon his discharge, he returned to work at Kansai Electric; however, during the Pacific War, as the situation worsened for Japan, he was recalled to active duty in June 1944 and was assigned to the garrison at Iwo Jima, where General Tadamichi Kuribayashi made him commander of the northern district of the island. He was killed in combat during the Battle of Iwo Jima on March 17, 1945, and was posthumously promoted to captain.
Famous People from Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture: 17 people
General Minoru Genda (源田 実, Genda Minoru; 16 August 1904 – 15 August 1989) was an Imperial Japanese Navy…
General Minoru Genda (源田 実, Genda Minoru; 16 August 1904 – 15 August 1989) was an Imperial Japanese Navy flight-officer, JASDF general, and politician. Best known for helping to plan the Japanese 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he served from 1959 to 1962 as the third Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Vice Admiral Yasumaro Kiguchi (溪口泰麿, Yamaro Taniguchi; 10 March 1904 – 3 November 1992) was a Japanese naval officer…
Vice Admiral Yasumaro Kiguchi (溪口泰麿, Yamaro Taniguchi; 10 March 1904 – 3 November 1992) was a Japanese naval officer who served as an officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1920 to 1945 and became a Vice Admiral of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), serving from 1954 to 1960. He was the second commander of the Self Defense Fleet succeeding Hidemi Yoshida. In 1956, he was succeeded by Mitsugu Ihara.
Yoshitatsu Yasuda (安田義達, Yasuda Yoshitatsu; March 1, 1898 - January 2, 1943) was a Japanese naval officer. He was known…
Yoshitatsu Yasuda (安田義達, Yasuda Yoshitatsu; March 1, 1898 - January 2, 1943) was a Japanese naval officer. He was known as an authority on amphibious warfare, alongside Tada Minoru, and is remembered as a representative figure of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He posthumously received a promotion of two ranks to Vice Admiral during the Pacific War.
Hideo Iwakuro (岩畔 豪雄, Iwakuro Hideo; 10 October 1897 – 22 November 1970) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese…
Hideo Iwakuro (岩畔 豪雄, Iwakuro Hideo; 10 October 1897 – 22 November 1970) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He is also known as one of the founders of the Kyoto Sangyo University.
Hankyu Sasaki (佐々木 半九, 1 January 1896 – 6 October 1971) was an Imperial Japanese Navy admiral. During World War II he…
Hankyu Sasaki (佐々木 半九, 1 January 1896 – 6 October 1971) was an Imperial Japanese Navy admiral. During World War II he was force commander of the midget submarines that attacked Pearl Harbor and Sydney Harbour.
Tadashi Sumiyoshi (住吉 正, Sumiyoshi Tadashi; February 10, 1893 – March 24, 1976) was a major general in the Imperial…
Tadashi Sumiyoshi (住吉 正, Sumiyoshi Tadashi; February 10, 1893 – March 24, 1976) was a major general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific campaign in World War II.
Takaji Wachi (和知 鷹二, Wachi Takaji; 1 February 1893 – 30 October 1978) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese…
Takaji Wachi (和知 鷹二, Wachi Takaji; 1 February 1893 – 30 October 1978) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
Gunichi Mikawa (三川 軍一, Mikawa Gun'ichi; 29 August 1888 – 25 February 1981) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese…
Gunichi Mikawa (三川 軍一, Mikawa Gun'ichi; 29 August 1888 – 25 February 1981) was a vice admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during World War II. Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that defeated the United States Navy (USN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at the Battle of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound on the night of 8–9 August 1942. In this battle, his squadron of cruisers, plus one destroyer, sank three USN cruisers, plus the RAN heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra; Mikawa's force suffered no losses in the actual battle, although heavy cruiser Kako was sunk by the undetected American submarine S-44 on the return to their base near Rabaul in the Bismarck Archipelago. However, his later career was of mixed success, and he was reassigned to lesser posts after the loss of a troop convoy destined for New Guinea. After the war Mikawa retired back to Japan, where he died in 1981 at the age of 92.
Takashi Sakai (酒井 隆, Sakai Takashi; 18 October 1887 – 30 September 1946) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial…
Takashi Sakai (酒井 隆, Sakai Takashi; 18 October 1887 – 30 September 1946) was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, known for his role as Governor of Hong Kong under Japanese occupation.
Naozaburō Okabe (岡部 直三郎, Okabe Naozaburō; September 30, 1887 – November 23, 1946) was a General in the Imperial…
Naozaburō Okabe (岡部 直三郎, Okabe Naozaburō; September 30, 1887 – November 23, 1946) was a General in the Imperial Japanese Army, who commanded the Japanese Sixth Area Army from November 1944 until the end of World War II.
Vice-Admiral Masaichi Niimi (新見 政一, Niimi Masaichi; 4 February 1887 – 2 April 1993) was an admiral in the Imperial…
Vice-Admiral Masaichi Niimi (新見 政一, Niimi Masaichi; 4 February 1887 – 2 April 1993) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.
Yōzō Kaneko (金子 養三, Kaneko Yōzō; 11 June 1882 – 27 December 1941) was a pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the…
Yōzō Kaneko (金子 養三, Kaneko Yōzō; 11 June 1882 – 27 December 1941) was a pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy and the founder of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, he studied at Shudo Junior and Senior High School and the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. As a naval officer he participated in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1911, Kaneko was sent to France and trained as a pilot. In 1912, at Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal, Kaneko made the first flight in Japanese naval history, piloting a Farman seaplane for 15 minutes. In 1914, Kaneko and two other naval officers flew a mission in the Siege of Tsingtao during World War I, which was the first air attack in Japanese naval history. He was appointed the first commander and trainer of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in 1916 and contributed to the development of the Service. Kaneko was promoted to major general in 1926.
Vice Admiral Baron Yuzuru Hiraga (平賀 譲, Hiraga Yuzuru; March 8, 1878 – February 17, 1943) was a career naval officer in…
Vice Admiral Baron Yuzuru Hiraga (平賀 譲, Hiraga Yuzuru; March 8, 1878 – February 17, 1943) was a career naval officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Doctor of Engineering and head of the engineering school of Tokyo Imperial University and a leading Japanese naval architect in the 1910s and 1920s, responsible for designing a number of famous warships, many of which would later see action during World War II. He participated in establishing the Chiba Institute of Technology from 1941.
Admiral Seizō Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 躋造, Hepburn: Kobayashi Seizō; 1 October 1877 – 4 July 1962) was a Japanese naval…
Admiral Seizō Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 躋造, Hepburn: Kobayashi Seizō; 1 October 1877 – 4 July 1962) was a Japanese naval commander, commander of the Combined Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy (1931–1933) and the 17th Governor-General of Taiwan (1936–1940).
Marshal-Admiral Viscount Katō Tomosaburō (加藤 友三郎; 22 February 1861 – 24 August 1923) was a career officer in the…
Marshal-Admiral Viscount Katō Tomosaburō (加藤 友三郎; 22 February 1861 – 24 August 1923) was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1922 to 1923.
Tadashi Satō (佐藤 正, Satō Tadashi; 20 July 1849 – 27 April 1920) was a Japanese Army officer and politician. As a…
Tadashi Satō (佐藤 正, Satō Tadashi; 20 July 1849 – 27 April 1920) was a Japanese Army officer and politician. As a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army, he was given command of the 18th Infantry Regiment on 29 October 1891. He was later promoted to colonel, and wounded in battle on 4 March 1895 during the First Sino-Japanese War. As a politician, he was Mayor of Hiroshima from 10 January to 20 April 1896.