Kataoka Shichiro
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| Baron Kataoka Shichiro | |
|---|---|
| 12 January 1854 – 11 January 1920 | |
 Japanese Admiral Kataoka Shichiro |
|
| Place of birth | Kagoshima, Satsuma, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1871–1918 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War World War I |
Baron Shichiro Kataoka (片岡七郎 Kataoka Shichiro?) (12 January 1854 – 11 January 1920) was an early admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Born to a samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima prefecture), Kataoka entered the 3rd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1871, and later accompanied Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu as an exchange student to Germany. He became fluent in German, French and English during his 18 months abroad and graduated with the top honors in his class. He later trained with future Admiral Yamamoto Gonnohyoe onboard the German ships Vineta and Leipzig from 1877 to 1878.
Serving as a lieutenant in various fleet posts from 1881 to 1886, Kataoka also served as an instructor for two years at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy before returning to Germany in 1889 for advanced studies. Following the completion of his studies, Kataoka was assigned to Berlin, Germany as a naval attaché, with his primary duties as providing assistance to Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito and Prince Yamashina Kikumaro during their travels in Europe. He was recalled to Japan at the start of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1894.
Appointed to the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff during the early months of the war, Kataoka was soon placed in combat command of the armored ship IJN Kongō and later of the cruiser IJN Naniwa during the Pescadores (P'enghu Ch'untao) and conquest of Taiwan between late 1894 and early 1895.
Following the war, Kataoka served on a number of various fleet and shore posts and was promoted to rear admiral in 1899, and later vice admiral in 1903. He turned down a posting as Resident-General of Korea and also turned down a posting as Governor-General of Taiwan, stating that as a navy man, he did not have the ability to handle things on land. In reality, he had no interest in politics at all.
During the opening months of the Russo-Japanese War, Kataoka was placed in command of the Japanese Third Fleet, a collection of antiquated ships nicknamed the "Funny Fleet". Despite the motley assortment of obsolete ships, Kataoka won distinction commanding the fifth and sixth battle divisions from the cruiser IJN Nisshin during the Battle of the Yellow Sea and later from the cruiser IJN Itsukushima during the Battle of Tsushima. He also led the naval expedition to seize Sakhalin prior to the conclusion of the Treaty of Portsmouth.
A year after the war, Kataoka became chief of the Navy Ministry's Department of Ships.
In 1907, Kataoka was elevated to the title of danshaku (baron) was promoted to full admiral and made commander-in-chief of the First Fleet in 1910, before being placed on the reserve list the following year.
Kataoka lived in retirement until his death in 1920. His grave is at the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo.
[edit] References
- Dupuy, Trevor N. Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd (1992). ISBN: 1850435693
- Repington, Charles A., The War in the Far East, 1904-1905. London, 1905.
- Warner, Denis and Peggy, The Tide at Sunrise: A History of the Russo-Japanese War', 1904-1905. New York, 1974.
