Fukushima Yasumasa
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| Viscount Fukushima Yasumasa | |
|---|---|
| 27 May 1852 – 19 February 1919 | |
 Viscount Fukushima Yasumasa |
|
| Place of birth | Matsumoto, Shinano Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1874–1908 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | Satsuma Rebellion First Sino-Japanese War Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War |
| Awards | Knight-Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Viscount Yasumasa Fukushima (福島安正 Fukushima Yasumasa ?), (27 May 1852 – 19 February 1919) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is regarded as one of the founders of the Japanese Secret Intelligence Services, also known as the Kempeitai.
Fukushima was born to a samurai family; his father was a retainer to the daimyo of Matsumoto, in Shinano Province (modern Nagano Prefecture). He came to Edo (later Tokyo) to attend the Kobusho military school for the sons of daimyo and hatamoto located in Tsukiji. This school was the forerunner of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. He graduated in 1874, and participated in the Satsuma Rebellion as an official “war correspondent”. His quick mind and ability to get along well with people earned him a posting at the Army General Staff at an early age, and he was sent to the United States as a military attaché in 1876. Returning to Japan in 1876, he was commissioned as a lieutenant.
During the next years, he traveled extensively, visiting Mongolia in 1879, serving as military attaché to Beijing from 1882-1884. He was a staff officer of the First Army when the First Sino-Japanese War broke out.
After the war, he visited British India and Burma on an extensive tour from 1886-1887. In 1887, he was promoted to major, and sent as military attaché to Berlin. On this trip in 1892, he was accompanied by Prince Saionji Kinmochi. Fukushima, who spoke 10 languages fluently, was a popular figure in German society during his stay in Berlin. However, for his return to Japan, he chose to make an epic sole crossing the length of the Russian Empire on horseback, all the way from Berlin to Vladivostok. The trip took one year and four months, and had the objective of inspecting the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and gathering intelligence on the way. The story of his 14,000 kilometer ride made him a national hero, and earned his promotion to lieutenant-colonel.
Fukushima subsequently saw service in the Boxer Rebellion (1900), where he was in command of Japanese forces in Tianjin, as well as the Foreign Legation. Afterwards, he returned briefly to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy to study under the German General Klemens Wilhelm Jacob Meckel.
As a General Staff officer after the war, he visited Egypt, Ottoman Turkey, Persia, Arabia, India, Burma, Siam and Turkistan. In 1902, he represented Emperor Meiji at the coronation of King Edward VII of Great Britain, and participated in secret diplomatic negotiations behind the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. He was awarded an honorary Knight-Commander of the Order of the Bath.
Fukushima also served with distinction in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) in cavalry units in Manchuria.
In 1907, Fukushima was elevated to the title of danshaku (baron). In 1914, he was promoted to army general and was transferred to the second reserve. After the transfer, he served as vice-president of the Association of Reservists.
In the Taisho period, he was elevated to the title of shishaku (viscount), and after retirement spent his time traveling around Japan on holiday.
He died at age 67 and his grave is located at Aoyama Cemetery, Tokyo.
[edit] Trivia
- Fukushima, immensely popular with the German officer corps during his stay in Berlin, made a reputation for winning all manner of wagers involving feats of arms or physical strength. He later claimed that the reason for his long ride across Russia was a wager made over drinks against some German cavalry majors. If true, it is not recorded whether or not Fukushima ever collected on the wager.
- Fukushima was an admirer of British Colonel Fred Burnaby, another cavalry officer, who had made an epic ride to Khiva in 1874 after receiving word that the Russians had closed the border to Turkistan. Fukushima also shared Burnaby’s political views that Russia was the chief enemy of both Great Britain and Japan.
- After his return to Japan from his ride across Asia, Fukushima donated his horses to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, where they quickly became famous tourist attractions.
- Fukushima was on good terms with fellow poet and spy General Akashi Motojiro, and although not close friends, the two men shared ideas on the long term needs of the Japanese secret services in the Asian area. Fukushima even composed a poem titled “From Fallen Petal to Rising Star”, in which he honored a prostitute who became a patriot through her intelligence gathering activities.
- The Matsumoto City Museum in Matsumoto, Nagano, preserves some artifacts of Fukushima Yukimasa, including his riding crop.
[edit] External links
- Portrait of Yasumasa Fukushima (from the National Diet Library, Japan)
[edit] References
- Coox, Alvin D. Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939. Stanford University Press; Reprint edition (1990). ISBN 0804718350
- Deacon, Richard: A History of the Japanese Secret Service, Berkley Publishing Company, New York, 1983, ISBN 0425074587
- Harries, Meirion. Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition (1994). ISBN 0679753036
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