Marshal Admiral

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

was a career naval officer and admiral 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, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

during

Meiji-period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

Japan.

Biography

Born in what is now part of

Kagoshima city , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wo ...

, as the son of a ''

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

'' retainer of the Satsuma Domain, Inoue took part in the Anglo-Satsuma War as a youth. Although severely injured by

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

through his left thigh during the fighting, he was extremely impressed with the firepower of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and the amount of material damage that only a few vessels were able to inflict on Kagoshima. On recovery, he enlisted in the Satsuma Navy, and he was present at all of the major naval engagements associated with the Boshin War to overthrow the

Tokugawa Shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

as commander of the Satsuma warship . After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

and the absorption of the various feudal navies into central government control, Inoue reenlisted as a lieutenant in the fledgling

, serving on the , rising to the position of executive officer by 1872, and returning to the ''Kasuga'' again as its captain in 1874. Inoue was a supporter of

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...

and his ''

Seikanron The ''Seikanron'' ( ja, 征韓論; ko, 정한론; ) was a major political debate in Japan during 1873 regarding a punitive expedition against Korea. The ''Seikanron'' split the Meiji government and the restoration coalition that had been establ ...

'' position vis-a-vis

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. At the time of the

Ganghwa Island incident The Ganghwa Island incident or the Japanese Battle of Ganghwa ( ko, 운요호 사건 ��揚號事件} ''Unyo-ho sageon'' meaning "'' Un'yō'' incident"; ja, 江華島 ''Kōka-tō jiken''), was an armed clash between the Joseon dynasty of Kore ...

(1875), Inoue was captain of the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

and played a key role in the events which led to the opening of Korea to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. Inoue then was assigned to the new corvette of which he was the chief equipping officer in charge of overseeing her construction. ''Seiki'' was the first domestically-produced Japanese warship. Despite his admiration for Saigō and some concerns that he might defect with the ''Seiki'', Inoue remained loyal to the Meiji government against his former Satsuma clansmen during the

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and b ...

. In October 1877, Inoue was assigned to take ''Seiki'' on a voyage to Europe and back. ''Seiki'' passed through the Suez Canal, and made a port call at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, where Inoue was received in an audience by the Ottoman Sultan, and eventually reached

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The voyage was hailed in the foreign press as a major achievement for Japan. On his return to Japan, Inoue captained a wide selection of ships in the Japanese navy, including the

Azuma Azuma may refer to: Places * Azuma, historical name for eastern Japan, now called Kantō region, Kantō and Tōhoku region * Azuma, Gunma (Agatsuma), former village in Agatsuma District, Gunma Prefecture, Japan * Azuma, Gunma (Sawa), former villag ...

, , and . Inoue was promoted to commander in June 1882 and to rear admiral on 15 June 1886, and appointed Director of the Bureau of Naval Affairs shortly thereafter. He was ennobled with the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

of ''danshaku'' ( baron) under the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ...

'' peerage system on 24 May 1887. Adm

Inoue became first commandant of the

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy The was a school established to train line officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888. Students st ...

on 16 August 1888. He became Commander-in-Chief of the

Readiness Fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the main combat fleet of the Japanese Navy and formed the core of a wartime Combined Fleet organization. It was created from the Standing Small-Fleet in 1889. It was split into the 1st Fle ...

on 29 July 1889, and vice admiral and commander-in-chief of the Sasebo Naval District on 12 December 1892. He remained in charge of reserve forces, and thus did not see any combat during the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the ...

of 1895. He was commander-in-chief of the

Kure Naval District was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama to Yamaguchi prefectures, eastern and northern K ...

from 26 February 1896 to 20 May 1900. In November 1900, he was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class. Inoue was commander-in-chief of the

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its h ...

from 20 May 1901 to 14 January 1905. He was promoted to admiral on 12 December 1901. In November 1905, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun. Fleet Admiral Viscount Yoshika Inoue

After the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

, Inoue was elevated to ''shishaku'' (

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

) on 21 September 1907, and to the largely ceremonial rank of Marshal Admiral on his retirement on 31 October 1911. After retirement, Inoue continued to exert an influence on naval policy, and was a strong proponent of the occupation and annexation of the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the ce ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Inoue died in 1929. His grave is in his hometown of

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

Decorations

Dates of rank

*June 25, 1873 (Meiji 6) -- Junior Sixth Rank *May 25, 1876 (Meiji 9) -- Sixth Rank *October 28, 1886 (Meiji 19) -- Junior Fourth Rank *February 13, 1892 (Meiji 25) -- Senior Fourth Rank *September 20, 1898 (Meiji 31) -- Third rank *December 27, 1901 (Meiji 34) -- Senior Third Rank *February 1, 1907 (Meiji 40) -- Second rank *February 20, 1914 (Taisho 3) -- Senior Second Rank *March 22, 1929—Junior First Rank 『官報』第668号「叙任及辞令」1929年3月25日。

Medals, etc.

*November 19, 1885 -- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays *November 25, 1889 (Meiji 22) -- The Commemorative Medal for the Imperial Constitution Promulgation *November 29, 1893 (Meiji 26) -- Order of the Sacred Treasure 1895 (Meiji 28) *November 18 (Meiji 278 -- Military Medal of Honor *November 21-- Order of the Rising Sun Shigemitsu *November 30, 1900 (Meiji 33) -- The Order of the Sacred Treasure *November 30, 1905 (Meiji 38) --

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun The is a 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 features rays of sunlight f ...

*April 1, 1906 (Meiji 39) --

Order of the Golden Kite The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu Tennō, the Romulus of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during the ...

, Second Class *September 21, 1907 (Meiji 40) --

*October 31, 1911 (Meiji 44) -- Gensui Marshal, Marshal Emblem 1915 (Taisho 4) *November 7 -- A pair of gold cups, Military Medal of Honor in 1914 *November 10—Great Religion Memorial *November 1, 1920 (Taisho 9) -- Asahi Sun Kirihana Daihosho, (Taisho 3rd to 9th year) Military Medal of Honor 『官報』第2612号「叙任及辞令」1921年4月19日。 *March 22, 1929 -- Grand Cordon of the Supreme Chrysanthemum

References

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External links

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Yoshika 1845 births 1929 deaths People from Satsuma Domain Samurai People of Meiji-period Japan People of the Boshin War Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Imperial Japanese Navy marshal admirals Kazoku Shimazu retainers Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure People from Kagoshima