Tōgō Heihachirō | |
|---|---|
 Marshal-Admiral The Marquis Tōgō Heihachirō | |
| Nickname | "TheNelson of the East" |
| Born | (1848-01-27)27 January 1848 |
| Died | 30 May 1934(1934-05-30) (aged 86) |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Branch |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1863–1913 |
| Rank |   Marshal Admiral |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief of theCombined Fleet |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Collar of the SupremeOrder of the Chrysanthemum Order of the Golden Kite (First Class) Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Rising Sun Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Sacred Treasure Order of Merit Honorary Knight Grand Cross of theRoyal Victorian Order Grand Cordon in theOrder of Leopold (Belgium) |
| Other work | Tutor toCrown PrinceHirohito |
Tōgō Heihachirō (東郷 平八郎; 27 January 1848 – 30 May 1934), served as agensui oradmiral of the fleet in theImperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. AsCommander-in-Chief of theCombined Fleet during theRusso-Japanese War of 1904–1905, he successfully confined the RussianPacific naval forces to Port Arthur before winning a decisive victory over a relieving fleet atTsushima in May 1905. Western journalists called Tōgō "theNelson of the East". He remains deeply revered as a national hero in Japan, with shrines and streets named in his honour.
Tōgō was born asTōgō Nakagorō (仲五郎) on 27 January 1848 in the Kajiya-chō (加治屋町) district of the city ofKagoshima inSatsuma domain (modern-dayKagoshima Prefecture), the third of four sons of Togo Kichizaemon,[1] asamurai serving theShimazu daimyō as controller of the revenue, master of the wardrobe, and district governor, and Hori Masuko (1812–1901), a noblewoman from the same clan as her husband.[2]
Kajiya-chō was one of Kagoshima'ssamurai housing-districts, in which many other influential figures of theMeiji period were born, such asSaigō Takamori andŌkubo Toshimichi. They rose to prominent positions under theMeiji Emperor partly because theShimazu clan had been a decisive military and political factor in theBoshin War against theTokugawa shogunate during theMeiji Restoration.
As a youth, Tōgō was educated to become asamurai warrior. He changed his name to Heihachirō (meaning "peaceful son") in a religious and patriotic ceremony held when he turned 13, in which samurai tradition called for youth to adopt a change in name (genpuku).[2]
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Tōgō's first experience at war was during theBombardment of Kagoshima in August 1863, in whichKagoshima was shelled by theRoyal Navy to punish theSatsumadaimyō for the death ofCharles Lennox Richardson on theTōkaidō highway the previous year (theNamamugi Incident), and the Japanese refusal to pay an indemnity in compensation. Tōgō, who was aged 15 at the time, was part of a gun crew manning one of the cannons defending the port.
The following year, Satsuma established a navy, in which Tōgō enlisted in 1866 at age 17. Two of his brothers also enlisted. In January 1868, during theBoshin War, Tōgō was assigned to the paddle-wheel steam warshipKasuga, which participated in theBattle of Awa, nearOsaka, against the navy of the TokugawaBakufu, the first Japanese naval battle between two modern fleets.
As the conflict spread to northern Japan, Tōgō participated as a third-class officer aboard theKasuga in the last battles against the remnants of theBakufu forces, theBattle of Miyako Bay and theBattle of Hakodate in 1869.
After the civil war ended in the autumn 1869, Tōgō, on the instructions of the Satsuma clan, first travelled to the treaty port ofYokohama to study English. He resided in Yokohama with Daisuke Shibata, a government official reputedly proficient in English and received additional pronunciation coaching from Charles Wagman, Japan correspondent ofThe Illustrated London News. Tōgō made rapid progress in his studies and in 1870 secured a place at the newly establishedImperial Japanese Navy Training School atTsukiji, Tokyo. On 11 December 1870 he was formally appointed a cadet on the Japanese ironclad flagshipRyūjō, then at anchor in Yokohama harbour.[3]
In February 1871, Tōgō and eleven other Japanese officer cadets were selected to travel to Britain to further their naval studies. Between extensive practical sea training and an extended voyage to Australia, Tōgō lived and studied in Britain for a period of seven years. Arriving at the port ofSouthampton in April 1871 after a journey of 80 days, Tōgō first traveled toLondon, at that time the most populous city in the world. According to contemporary accounts of the cadet's first days in England, many things were strange to Japanese eyes at that time; the domed buildings made out of stone, the "number and massiveness of the buildings", "the furnishings of a commonplace European room", and "the displays in the butchers' shop windows: it took them several days to become accustomed to such an abundance of meat."[4]
The Japanese group was separated and sent to English boarding houses for individual instruction in English language, customs and manners. Tōgō was initially sent for some weeks to a boarding house in the major naval port ofPlymouth, to gain some understanding of the BritishRoyal Navy. Subsequently, he studied history, mathematics and engineering at a naval preparatory school inPortsmouth under the direction of a tutor and local clergyman in order to prepare for admission to the training establishmentBritannia atDartmouth, Devon.
After the British Admiralty decided in 1872 that no places were to be made available at Dartmouth for the Japanese cadets, Tōgō was able to gain admission as a cadet onHMS Worcester, thetraining ship of theThames Nautical Training College, moored atGreenhithe.[5] Tōgō found his cadet rations "inadequate": "I swallowed my small rations in a moment. I formed the habit of dipping my bread in my tea and eating a great deal of it, to the surprise of my English comrades." Tōgō's comrades called him "JohnnyChinaman", being unfamiliar with the "Orient" and not knowing the difference between Asiatic peoples. "The youngsamurai did not like that, and on more than one occasion he would threaten to put an end to it by blows." Gunnery training for the college was held aboardHMS Victory, at the time moored in Portsmouth harbour. Tōgō is recorded to have attendedTrafalgar Day observances on the deck of the ship in 1873. After two years of training, Tōgō was to graduate second in his class.
During 1875, Tōgō circumnavigated the world as an ordinary seaman on the British training shipHampshire, leaving in February and staying seventy days at sea without a port call until reachingMelbourne. Tōgō "observed the strange animals on the Southern continent".[attribution needed] RoundingCape Horn on his return voyage, Tōgō had sailed thirty thousand miles before returning to England in September 1875. During the autumn and winter of 1875–1876, Tōgō spent five months inCambridge studying mathematics and English under the direction of the Rev. Arthur Douglas Capel.[6] The Rev. Capel was at the time of Tōgō's visit, both a mathematics tutor and curate at theAnglican church ofLittle St Mary's, Cambridge. Tōgō is recorded to have attended services at the church during his stay.
In 1875 Tōgō suffered a bout of illness which severely threatened his eyesight: "the patient asked his medical advisers to 'try everything', and some of their experiments were extremely painful." Capel commented later, "If I had not seen with my own eyes what a Japanese can suffer without complaint, I should often have been disinclined to believe ... But, having observed Tōgō, I believe all of them."Harley Street ophthalmologists were able to save his eyesight. Upon recovery Tōgō travelled toPortsmouth to continue his training before being assigned the role of inspector for the construction ofFusō, one of three new warships ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Residing in proximity to theRoyal Naval College, Greenwich, Tōgō made use of the opportunity to apply his training, observing the construction of the ship at theSamuda Brothers shipyard on theIsle of Dogs.
Tōgō was absent from Japan during theSatsuma Rebellion of 1877. His three brothers all fought in the rebellion: two were killed in battle, and the third died shortly after the rebellion's end. Later, Tōgō would often express regret for the fate of his benefactor,Saigō Takamori, who was also killed in that rebellion.
Tōgō, newly promoted tolieutenant, finally returned to Japan on 22 May 1878 aboard one of the newly purchased British-built ships,Hiei. That same year, he was promoted to the rank offirst lieutenant of the Japanese built paddle-steamer warshipJingei, later to be transferred to thecorvetteAmagi. In 1882, Tōgō led his ship's company in landing troops at Seoul in the wake of theImo Incident.
In 1883, Tōgō was given command of his first ship, and interacted with the British, American, and German fleets during this time.[2]
On his return to Japan Tōgō received several commands, first as captain ofDaini Teibō, and thenAmagi. During theSino-French War (1884–1885), Tōgō, onboardAmagi, closely followed the actions of theFrench fleet underAdmiral Courbet.
Tōgō also observed the ground combat of theFrench forces against the Chinese in Formosa (Taiwan), under the guidance ofJoseph Joffre, future Commander-in-Chief of French forces duringWorld War I.
Although first promoted to the rank of captain in 1886, Tōgō suffered from a bout of acuterheumatism during the late 1880s that confined him to bed rest for nearly three years. He used this period of enforced absence from front line naval duties to study aspects of international and maritime law.[7]
In 1891, Tōgō's health had sufficiently recovered that he was appointed to the command of thecruiserNaniwa. In 1894, at the beginning of theFirst Sino-Japanese War, Tōgō, as a captain ofNaniwa,sank the transport ship,Kowshing, which waschartered by the ChineseBeiyang Fleet to convey troops, during theBattle of Pungdo. A report of the incident was sent bySuematsu Kenchō toMutsu Munemitsu. The ship, which was under the command of captain T.R. Galsworthy, who incidentally had been one of Tōgō's instructors as a young cadet on HMSWorcester, had been ferrying more than a thousand Chinese soldiers towardsKorea, and these soldiers had refused to be taken prisoner or interned on the appearance and under threat from the Japanese warships.
A contemporary account from a German survivor, Major von Hannecken, stated that the Chinese survivors had been fired upon, sinking two lifeboats."...By this time only theKowshing's masts were visible. The water was however covered with Chinese, and there were two lifeboats from theKowshing crowded with soldiers. The Japanese officer informed me that he had been ordered by signal from theNaniwa to sink these boats. I remonstrated, but he fired two volleys from the cutter, turned back, and steamed for theNaniwa. No attempt was made to rescue the Chinese. TheNaniwa steamed about until eight o'clock in the evening, but did not pick up any other Europeans ..."[8]
Tōgō later took part in theBattle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894, withNaniwa as the last ship in theline of battle under the overall command of AdmiralTsuboi Kōzō.Naniwa assisted in sinking the Chinese cruisersJingyuan andZhiyuan.
Tōgō was promoted torear admiral at the end of the war, in 1895.
In May 1896, Tōgō was appointed commandant of theNaval War College in Tokyo. He reformed the curriculum, and was promoted tovice admiral during this time.[2] In 1899, he was appointed commander of theSasebo Naval College, and he also served as Commander of theStanding Fleet.
With the advent of theBoxer Rebellion in China in 1899, Tōgō was appointed Admiral of the Fleet and recalled to active sea duty on 20 May 1900. During the rebellion, he was responsible for patrolling the Chinese coast. As the Boxer Rebellion was crushed in 1902, Tōgō was relieved of his command, and was decorated for his service to the Emperor. He was subsequently posted to supervise the construction of and become the first commander of the naval base atMaizuru.[2]
In 1903, the Navy MinisterYamamoto Gonnohyōe appointed TōgōCommander-in-Chief of theCombined Fleet of theImperial Japanese Navy. This astonished many people, includingEmperor Meiji, who asked Yamamoto why Tōgō was appointed. Yamamoto replied to the emperor, "Because Tōgō is a man of good fortune".[citation needed]
During theRusso-Japanese War, Tōgō engaged the Russian navy atPort Arthur and theYellow Sea in 1904, and to widespread international acclaim commanded the Japanese naval forces at the destruction of theImperial Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet at theBattle of Tsushima in May 1905.
The Battle of Tsushima was considered a daring naval victory pitting a small but rapidly militarising emerging Asian nation against a major European adversary. Russia was at the time the world's third-largest naval power. While the Japanese fleet at Tsushima lost only three torpedo boats under Tōgō's command, of the 36 Russian warships that went into action, 22 were sunk (including seven battleships), six were captured, six were interned in neutral ports and only three escaped to the safety ofVladivostok.
Tsushima broke Russian naval dominance in East Asia, and is said to have been a contributing factor in subsequent uprisings in the Russian Navy (1905 uprisings in Vladivostok and thebattleshipPotemkin uprising), contributing to theRussian Revolution of 1905. Post-war investigations were held into Russian naval leaders during those battles in which Tōgō had prevailed, seeking the reasons behind their utter defeat. The Russian commander of the destroyed Baltic fleet, AdmiralZinovy Rozhestvensky (who was badly wounded in the battle) attempted to take full responsibility for the disaster, and the authorities (and rulers of Russia) acquitted him at his trial. However, they made AdmiralNikolai Nebogatov, who had tried to blame the Russian government, a scapegoat. Nebogatov was found guilty and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment in a fortress, but was released by the tsar after serving only two years.
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Tōgō kept his journals in English, and wrote, "I am firmly convinced that I am the re-incarnation ofHoratio Nelson."[10] In 1906, he was made a Member of the BritishOrder of Merit by KingEdward VII.[11]
Tōgō wasChief of the Naval General Staff and was given the title ofhakushaku (Count) under thekazoku peerage system. He also served as a member of theSupreme War Council. In 1911, Tōgō returned to England for the first time in over 30 years to attend the coronation of KingGeorge V, the Coronation Fleet Review at Portsmouth, to attend naval alumni dinners and visit dockyards on the Clyde and in Newcastle.
In 1913, Admiral Tōgō received the honorific title ofMarshal-Admiral, which is roughly equivalent to the rank ofGrand Admiral orAdmiral of the Fleet in other navies. From 1914 to 1924,Gensui Tōgō was put in charge of the education ofCrown PrinceHirohito, the future Shōwa Emperor.
Tōgō publicly expressed a dislike and lack of interest for involvement in politics; however, he did make strong statements against theLondon Naval Treaty.
Tōgō was awarded the Collar of the SupremeOrder of the Chrysanthemum in 1926, an honour that was held only by Emperor Hirohito andPrince Kan'in Kotohito at the time; the award made him Japan's most decorated naval officer ever. He added the award to his existingOrder of the Golden Kite (1st class) and already existing Order of the Chrysanthemum. Hispeerage was raised to that ofkōshaku (marquis) in 1934, a day before his death.
Admiral Tōgō died at 6:35 am on 30 May 1934, of throat cancer[12] at the age of 86. He was accorded astate funeral. The navies of the United Kingdom,[13]United States,Netherlands, France,Italy andChina all sent representatives and ships to a naval parade in his honour inTokyo Bay.
In 1940,Tōgō Jinja was built inHarajuku, Tokyo, as the naval rival to theNogi Shrine erected in the honour ofImperial Japanese Army GeneralNogi Maresuke. The idea of elevating him to aShintokami had been discussed before his death, and he had been vehemently opposed to the idea. There is another Tōgō shrine atTsuyazaki, Fukuoka. The statues to him in Japan include one at Ontaku Shrine, inAgano,Saitama and one in front of thememorial battleshipMikasa inYokosuka.
Tōgō's son and grandson also served in the Imperial Japanese Navy. His grandson died in combat during thePacific War on theheavy cruiserMaya at theBattle of Leyte Gulf.
In 1958,Fleet AdmiralChester Nimitz, an admirer of Tōgō, helped to finance the restoration of theMikasa, Admiral Tōgō's flagship during the Russo-Japanese war. In exchange, Japanese craftsmen created theJapanese Garden of Peace, a replica of Marshal-Admiral Tōgō's garden, at theNational Museum of the Pacific War (formerly known as The Nimitz Museum) inFredericksburg, Texas.[14]
Incorporates information from the corresponding Japanese Wikipedia article[15]
Tōgō's career promotions[edit]Ranks
Titles
|
_1Class_BAR.svg)
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Sacred Treasure (likely before 1901)_3Class_BAR.svg)
Third Class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (9 May 1899)_5Class_BAR.svg)
Fifth Class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (26 May 1893)_6Class_BAR.svg)
Sixth Class of theOrder of the Sacred Treasure (22 November 1889)
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Rising Sun (19 July 1901)
Fourth Class of theOrder of the Rising Sun (20 August 1895)
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Golden Kite (1 April 1906)
Fourth Class of theOrder of the Golden Kite (20 August 1895)
Collar of theOrder of the Chrysanthemum (11 November 1926) Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Chrysanthemum (1 April 1906)The village ofTogo, Saskatchewan, Canada was named in his honor.[18] Until 1992,Pyynikin Brewery inTampere,Finland produced theAmiraalibeer brand, which is popular with the local population and is still available in Japan with a label with the image of Tōgō Heihachirō.[19][20][21][22]
Tōgō's wife was Kaieda Tetsu (1861–1934). The couple had two sons; the elder son, Hyō (1885–1969), succeeded his father as the second Marquis Tōgō in 1934 and held the title until thekazoku was abolished in 1947. The younger, Rear-Admiral Tōgō Minoru (1890–1962) followed his father into the navy, rising to the rank of rear-admiral and ending his career in 1943 as commander of the naval district in Fukuoka. His elder son Ryōichi, who became a naval lieutenant, was killed in action during the Second World War aboard the heavy cruiserMaya. Neither Tōgō Minoru nor Tōgō Ryōichi had the same naval 'inclinations' as their famous ancestor; Tōgō Minoru placed 142nd out of 144 cadets in the Naval Academy's 40th Class, while Tōgō Ryōichi graduated dead-last (625th out of 625 cadets) in the Naval Academy's 72nd Class.
Tōgō Hyō married Ohara Haruko (1899–1985); the couple had one son, Kazuo (1919–1991) and two daughters, Ryōko (1917–1972) and Momoko (1925–). Kazuo married Amano Tamiko and had three daughters, Kikuko (1948–), Shoko (1952–) and Muneko (1956–). As Kazuo and his wife never had sons, to perpetuate the Tōgō name they adopted their son-in-law, Maruyama Yoshio (1942–), the husband of Kikuko. Kikuko and Yoshio have two sons; the elder, Yoshihisa (1971–), married Niimi Miyuki and has two sons, Ryūta (1991–) and Masahei (1993–).[15]
Minoru married Akazaki Yae, and had three sons and a daughter, Ryōichi, Chūzō, Kenzō and Hisako. Kenzō's son, Hiroshige Tōgō is a retired captain (一等海佐) ofJMSDF.
Tōgō's success in the Russo-Japanese War was seen as a source of inspiration for some Turks.Halide Edip Adıvar, a Turkish journalist and nationalist who was among the founders of modern Turkey, named one of her children Togo.[23][24]
Tōgō was portrayed byToshiro Mifune in the 1969 Japanese filmThe Battle of the Japan Sea (日本海大海戦), directed by Seiji Maruyama.
In the miniseriesReilly, Ace of Spies, Tōgō is portrayed byRobert Ya Fu Lee.
In the game Civilization VI Togo Heihachiro is portrayed as a great admiral that can be earned and used in naval warfare.[25]
Russo-Japanese War
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Naval War College Headmaster 23 March 1896 – 5 November 1896 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Naval War College Headmaster 1 February 1898 – 19 January 1899 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Sasebo Naval District Commander-in-chief 19 January 1899 – 20 May 1900 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Standing Fleet Commander-in-chief 20 May 1900 – 1 October 1901 | Succeeded by |
| Post Created | Maizuru Naval District Commander-in-chief 1 October 1901 – 19 October 1903 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Standing Fleet Commander-in-chief 19 October 1903 – 28 December 1903 | Fleet Dissolved |
| Combined Fleet Fleet recreated; post last held by Arichi Shinanojō | Combined Fleet &1st Fleet Commander-in-chief 28 December 1903 – 20 December 1905 | Combined Fleet Fleet dissolved; post next held by Ijūin Gorō |
| 1st Fleet Fleet Created | 1st Fleet Kataoka Shichirō | |
| Preceded by | Navy General Staff Chairman 20 December 1905 – 1 December 1909 | Succeeded by |
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