Yamada Akiyoshi | |
|---|---|
山田 顕義 | |
 Yamada Akiyoshi | |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office December 22, 1885 – June 1, 1891 | |
| Prime Minister | Itō Hirobumi Kuroda Kiyotaka Yamagata Aritomo Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Preceded by | Himself (asLord of Justice) |
| Succeeded by | Tanaka Fujimaro |
| Lord of Justice | |
| In office December 12, 1883 – December 25, 1885 | |
| Monarch | Meiji |
| Preceded by | Ōki Takatō |
| Succeeded by | Himself (asMinister of Justice) |
| Lord of Home Affairs | |
| In office October 21, 1881 – December 12, 1883 | |
| Monarch | Meiji |
| Preceded by | Matsukata Masayoshi |
| Succeeded by | Yamagata Aritomo |
| Lord of Public Works | |
| In office September 10, 1879 – February 28, 1880 | |
| Monarch | Meiji |
| Preceded by | Inoue Kaoru |
| Succeeded by | Yamao Yōzō |
| Member of theHouse of Peers | |
| In office July 10, 1890 – April 1, 1892 | |
| Member of theGenrōin | |
| In office March 5, 1878 – September 10, 1879 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1844-11-18)November 18, 1844 |
| Died | November 11, 1892(1892-11-11) (aged 47) |
| Resting place | Gokoku-ji,Tokyo, Japan |
| Citizenship | Japanese |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General |
CountYamada Akiyoshi (山田 顕義; November 18, 1844 – November 11, 1892) was a Japanese politician,samurai, and one of the early leaders of theMeiji Restoration. He served asMinister of Justice from 1885 to 1891. In his youth he was commonly known as Yamada Ichinojō; however, he changed his name frequently during theBakumatsu period.
Yamada was born inAbu District,Nagato Province (in what is now part of the city ofHagi, Yamaguchi), and was the son of a samurai official of the Chōshū Navy with a 102koku territory. After studies at the domain'sMeirinkan Academy (where he studied theYagyū Shinkage-ryū school ofJapanese swordsmanship), he joined theShōkasonjuku Academy run byYoshida Shōin in June 1857. He was the youngest student of theShōkasonjuku. He was in the retinue of ChōshūdaimyōMōri Motonori [ja] inKyoto in the autumn of 1862. A strong supporter of thesonnō jōi movement, he signed his name in blood (together withTakasugi Shinsaku,Kusaka Genzui,Itō Hirobumi,Inoue Kaoru,Shinagawa Yajirō) to a petition to rid Japan of the foreigners. After Chōshū forces were driven from Kyoto by supporters of thekōbu gattai movement, he went into exile withSanjō Sanetomi. During this period, he studied western military science underŌmura Masujirō. He soon had the opportunity to put his training to practical use during theKinmon incident,Shimonoseki Campaign, andSecond Chōshū expedition. Despite his youth, he subsequently played a major role in theBoshin War, commanding a group of 700 men under the authority of ChōshūdaimyōMōri Takachika, starting with theBattle of Toba–Fushimi, and also commandingSatchō Alliance naval forces inMutsu Bay.
In June 1869, Yamada was received in an audience (together withKuroda Kiyotaka) and appointedHyōbu no dai-jō (senior staff officer in theMinistry of War). This rank became that ofmajor general in the fledglingImperial Japanese Army in July 1871. On 22 October 1871, he set sail for theUnited States as a member of theIwakura Mission. VisitingSan Francisco,Salt Lake City,Chicago, andWashington DC, he also went toPhiladelphia to view thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyards. He then returned to Japan viaParis,Berlin, theNetherlands,Belgium,Lausanne,Bulgaria andRussia. He also visited the1873 Vienna World Exposition, returning to Japan 2 June 1873. On his return, he was namedEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary toQing China to negotiate the opening ofdiplomatic relations, however,Kido Takayoshi went in his place, as Yamada was called upon to use military force to suppress theSaga Rebellion and subsequently theSatsuma Rebellion by disgruntled ex-samurai.[1] On 5 July 1874 he was appointed Justice Lord under thedaijō-kan system, which he held to 10 September 1879. He was awarded theOrder of the Rising Sun, 2nd class in 1875, and was promoted tolieutenant general in November 1878.
The following year, Yamada was appointed asangi (councillor), and served as head of theMinister of Industry (1879–1880),Home Minister (1881–1883) andMinister of Justice under the firstItō,Kuroda, firstYamagata andMatsukata cabinets (1883–1891). In addition, he helped develop the modern Japaneselegal code/[2] During his visit to France as a member of the Iwakura Mission, he was convinced that theNapoleonic Code of "law takes precedence over the military", was necessary for Japan. He also helped establish both theKoten Kokyusho (present-dayKokugakuin University) and theNihon Horitsu Gakko)(present-dayNihon University).
Yamada was elevated tocount (hakushaku) in thekazoku peerage on July 7, 1884, and served as a member of theHouse of Peers (Japan) from its establishment in 1890. On January 28, 1892, he was appointed to a seat in thePrivy Council but died in November of the same year at the age of 49, while inspecting the Ikuno Silver Mine inAsago, Hyōgo.[3] He was posthumously awarded theOrder of the Paulownia Flowers. His grave is at the Buddhist temple ofGokoku-ji in Tokyo. He was posthumously promoted to the honorific title of Senior SecondCourt Rank.
Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun
Medal of Honor, Yellow ribbon[4]
Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers
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