was a Japanese military theorist and an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Biography

Early career

Born in the Tsuruoka domain, Dewa Province (present day Tsuruoka city, Yamagata prefecture), Satō graduated from the 14th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1887, ranked 5th of 45 cadets. He served as

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

on the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and corvette . On being commissioned an ensign, he was assigned to the gunboat , becoming chief navigator by 1890. After his promotion to lieutenant in 1892, he served as chief navigator aboard the gunboat .

First Sino-Japanese War

At the time of the First Sino-Japanese War, Sato was still assigned to ''Akagi''. He took command of the vessel when its captain was killed during the Battle of the Yalu on 17 September 1894. Satō himself was wounded in the battle.Kowner, '' Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War'', p. 343-344. Afterwards, he served as chief navigator on ''Naniwa''. On the conclusion of the war, Satō's talents and heroism were awarded with an assignment to the staff of Admiral Yamamoto Gonnohyōe within the Navy Ministry's Naval Affairs Department. Satō was sent to study naval strategy in the United Kingdom from 1899–1901 and in the United States from 1901 - 1902. Upon his return to Japan, he published ''On the Defense of the Empire'' while an instructor at the Naval War College, which advocated the Navy as the main force of national security and military strength. He was also appointed

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

of the cruiser ''Miyako''. After his promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in 1902, he was

on and .

Russo-Japanese War

During the Russo-Japanese War, Satō served as a staff officer of the IJN 2nd Fleet under Vice Admiral Kamimura Hikonojō, partly to protect him from political retaliation by the Imperial Japanese Army, who were incensed by his thesis that the navy was of more importance. While aboard the 2nd Fleet

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

''Izumo'', Sato took part in the Battle off Ulsan and the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...

. Following the war, Satō was

on the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

, and was then given his first command: the gunboat ; however, he returned within a year to the Naval War College as an advanced student, and later served as an instructor from 1906 to 1908.

Naval theorist

After winning promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1907, Satō published several revised editions and expanded on his initial 1903 thesis including ''History of Naval Defense'' (1907), ''History of the Empire's Defense'' (1908), and the ''Revised History of the Empire's Defense'' (1912). Satō has been called "the

Mahan Mahan or Mahaan may refer to: * Mahan (name) * Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea * Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman Province * Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province * Mahan Rural District, an administrative subdi ...

of Japan", as his writings emphasized that the key to Japan's safety was denial of

power projection Power projection (or force projection or strength projection), in international relations, is the capacity of a state to deploy and sustain forces outside its territory. The ability of a state to project its power into an area may serve as an e ...

by hypothetical enemies (such as the United States), into waters adjacent to the Japanese home islands. Satō's works, along with documents of the Navy Ministry regarding policy, would form the basis of the Japanese naval expansion into the

Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

, using elements from naval plans developed by United States Navy Admiral

Alfred T. Mahan Alfred Thayer Mahan (; September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His book '' The Influence of Sea Power ...

and Royal Navy Vice Admiral Philip Howard Colomb. He also began urging the Japanese government to maintain at least a 70% capital ship level over the United States, Japan's hypothetical rival. Satō was promoted to

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

in 1912, while at the Navy War College, as well as serving at sea between 1908 until 1914 as captain of the and . The following year after Japan's entry into World War I, Satō was appointed Vice Chief of the Navy General Staff in 1915, and promoted to vice admiral the next year while serving as president of the Navy War College. Leaving the Navy War College in 1920, Satō commanded the Maizuru Naval District before being placed on the inactive list in 1922. In November 1928, he was awarded the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese 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 classes, the lowest ...

(1st class). Named to the House of Peers in 1934, Satō was a major opponent to Japan's participation in the Washington Naval Treaty (and thus a member of the Fleet Faction following World War I until his death in 1942.)

References

Books

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External links

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato, Tetsutaro 1866 births 1942 deaths Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese military personnel of World War I People from Yamagata Prefecture Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite Military theorists