Kawakami Soroku
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Baron Kawakami Soroku | |
|---|---|
| 11 November 1848 –11 May 1899 | |
 Official photo of Baron Kawakami Soroku |
|
| Place of birth | Kagoshima, Satsuma domain, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1871–1899 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War |
| Awards | Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class) Order of the Rising Sun (1st class with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon) Grand Order of the Chrysanthemum. |
Soroku Kawakami (川上操六 Kawakami Soroku?) (11 November 1848 - 11 May 1899, was a general and one of the chief military strategists in the Imperial Japanese Army during the First Sino-Japanese War
Born in Satsuma to a samurai family, he fought on the Imperial side for the Meiji Restoration against the forces for the Tokugawa Shogunate starting with the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. He distinguished himself by his defense of the besieged Kumamoto Castle in the Boshin War.
Afterwards, he came to Tokyo to assist with the founding of the new Imperial Japanese Army. He rose rapidly through the ranks, and helped quell the Satsuma Rebellion.
In 1884, he accompanied Oyama Iwao to study military science in various countries of Europe, especially Prussia. After returning home, he became a major general and vice-chief of the General Staff Office. In 1887, he returned to Europe again to study military science further in Germany. In 1890, he became a lieutenant general. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served as senior military staff officer on the Imperial General Headquarters, and was known as a brilliant strategist. After the successful conclusion of that war, he was awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class), and elevated to the nobility with the title of danshaku (baron).
He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class), Order of the Rising Sun (1st class with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon) and the Grand Order of the Chrysanthemum. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
[edit] References
- Jansen, Marius B. and Gilbert Rozman, eds. Japan in Transition: From Tokugawa to Meiji. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986.
- Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.
- Harries, Meirion. Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition (1994). ISBN: 0679753036
- Paine, S.C.M., The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: Perceptions, Power, and Primacy. Cambridge University Press (2002). ISBN: 0521817145
