was a

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

and advisor to the government of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, who later served as a politician in the House of Peers.

Life

Career

Banzai Rihachirō was born in

Wakayama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Wakayama Prefecture has a population of 876,030 () and a geographic area of . Wakayama Prefecture borders Osaka Prefecture to the north, and Mie Prefecture and Nara Prefecture to ...

, the eldest son of Artillery Captain Banzai Ryoichi. After graduating from the Army Youth School, he attended the

Imperial Japanese Army Academy The was the principal officer's training school for the Imperial Japanese Army. The programme consisted of a junior course for graduates of local army cadet schools and for those who had completed four years of middle school, and a senior course f ...

, from which he graduated in July 1891. In March 1892, Banzai was commissioned as an artillery lieutenant in the 6th Field Artillery Regiment. From February 1895 to March 1896, he served in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

. He attended the Army Artillery School, graduating in November 1896, and then going on to the Army War College, from which he graduated from in December 1900, as the fourteenth in his class. Banzai was assigned to the

Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office The , also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Role The was created in April 1872, along with the Navy Ministry, to replace the Ministry of Military Af ...

, and was sent on a mission to the

Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

and an investigation mission to

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. For a time, he served as an advisor to Chinese president

Yuan Shikai Yuan Shikai (; 16 September 18596 June 1916) was a Chinese general and statesman who served as the second provisional president and the first official president of the Republic of China, head of the Beiyang government from 1912 to 1916 and ...

. He returned to Japan in May 1908. He went on an official visit to Europe as a

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

along with the 12th Field Artillery Regiment, the regiment leader of the 9th Field Artillery Regiment, and the IJA General Staff (residing in Beijing). He was promoted to the rank of major general in August 1917. In 1921, Banzai was promoted to the rank of

. In 1923, he was assigned as a

military advisor Military advisors or combat advisors are military Military personnel, personnel deployed to advise on military matters. The term is often used for soldiers sent to foreign countries to aid such countries' militaries with their military education ...

President of the Republic of China The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed Forces. Republic of China (1912– ...

Li Yuanhong Li Yuanhong (; courtesy name ; October 19, 1864 – June 3, 1928) was a prominent Chinese military and political leader during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. He was the Provisional Vice President of the Republic of China from 191 ...

. In September 1934, he became an advisor to the Beijing Government. In April 1927, he retired from active service and entered the reserves. He served as a member of the House of Peers from April 18, 1927, to May 14, 1946.

Family

Banzai Rihachirō was the adoptive father of

Ichirō Banzai was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was involved in the Pacific War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was a recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun, first class, large cordon. He served as the Japanese military attach ...

, a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army. His brother Matahachi Banzai was an officer in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

, and his other brother Heihachi Banzai was a major general in the army.

Ranks, Awards, and Honors

Court ranks

*Senior Eighth Rank, July 6, 1892 *Senior Sixth Rank, December 27, 1907 *Junior Third Rank, May 16, 1927

Orders (
Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
)

Order of the Golden Kite Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

(4th rank), *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

(4th rank), * Meiji 37-8 Military Medal of Honor, April 1, 1906 *

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six c ...

(3rd rank), May 16, 1914 *

(2nd rank), September 29, 1918 *

2600th Anniversary Celebration of the Japanese Empire Honorary Medal 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics A six-sided polygon is a hexagon, one of the three regular polygons capable of tiling the plane. A hexagon al ...

, November 10, 1940

Orders (
Qing Empire The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
)

Order of the Double Dragon The Imperial Order of the Double Dragon () was an Order (decoration), order awarded in the late Qing dynasty. The Order was founded by the Guangxu Emperor on 7 February 1882 as an award for outstanding services to the throne and the Qing court. ...

(2nd rank), July 2, 1908''Kanpou'', Issue 7517, "Appointments and Resignations", July 17th, 1908.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banzai, Rihachiro 1871 births 1950 deaths Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Imperial Japanese Army Academy alumni Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite Japanese generals People from Wakayama Prefecture