Prince Komatsu Akihito
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| HIH Prince Komatsu Akihito | |
|---|---|
| 11 February 1846 – 18 February 1903) | |
 His Imperial Highness Prince Komatsu Akihito |
|
| Place of birth | Kyoto, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1867-–1895 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | Satsuma Rebellion First Sino-Japanese War |
| Awards | Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class) Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) Order of the Chrysanthemum. |
His Imperial Highness Prince Komatsu Akihito (小松宮彰仁親王 Komatsu-no-miya Akihito shinnō ?) of Japan (11 February 1846 - 18 February 1903) was a member of the Japanese imperial family from the princely house of Fushimi-no-miya (伏見宮家) and a career soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
He was born as Prince Yoshiaki, the seventh son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye (24 October 1802 - 5 August 1872). In 1858, he adopted the title Ninnaji-no-miya and entered the Buddhist priesthood. He returned to secular life in 1867 and led imperial forces to Osaka, Yamato, Shikoku and Aizu against partisans of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Boshin War. Prince Yoshiaki, along with Prince Arisugawa Taruhito, was a key figure in the Meiji Restoration.
He met Arima Yoriko (18 June 1852 - 26 June 1914), daughter of Lord Arima Yorishige, the former daimyo of Kurume, (Chikugo), and married her on 6 November 1869. Emperor Meiji permitted him to establish a separate princely house of Higashifushimi-no-miya (東伏見宮家) in 1867, which was recognized as one of the "oke".
[edit] Meiji Period Military Career
Prince Komatsu Akihito studied military tactics in Great Britain for two years from 1870-1872. During that time, he changed the name of his princely house to Komatsu-no-miya and his personal name from Yoshiaki to Akihito, and became therefore known as "Prince Komatsu-no-miya Akihito".
Considered a brilliant military tactician, he helped subdue many of the samurai rebellions in the early years of the Meiji period, including the Saga Rebellion of 1874, and the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. The emperor granted him the rank of lieutenant general in the newly created Imperial Japanese Army and awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class). He rose to the rank of general and received command of the First Imperial Guard Division in 1890.
He was nominal commander of the expeditionary forces to China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and became a member of the Supreme Military Council. Following the death of his uncle, Prince Arisugawa Taruhito in 1895, Prince Komatsu Akihito became the chief of the General Staff, and received the honorary rank of field marshal.
[edit] Diplomatic career
Prince Komatsu Akihito also had diplomatic skills, and in 1887 was sent to the Ottoman Empire to mark the inaugural step in relations between Turkey and Japan. Prince Komatsu was received in an audience by the Ottoman Emperor ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II and presented him a message of good will from the Meiji Emperor.
In July 1901, Prince Komatsu Akihito and his consort Princess Yoriko returned to Great Britain to represent Emperor Meiji at the coronation of King Edward VII.
Prince Komatsu Akihito died without children. The title of Komatsu-no-miya reverted back to his younger brother, Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito.
[edit] Trivia
- Prince Komatsu Akihito was initially chosen to seal an alliance with the Kingdom of Hawai'i bv marrying Princess Ka'iulani. However, these plans never came to fruition.
- An equestrian statue of Prince Komatsu Akihito in military uniform can be seen at Ueno Park, in Tokyo.
- His Japanese decorations included the Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class), Order of the Rising Sun (1st class) and the Order of the Chrysanthemum.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Cortazzi, High. Britain and Japan (Japan Library Biographical Portraits). RoutledgeCurzon (2003). ISBN: 190335014X
- Dupuy, Trevor N. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-7858-0437-4
- Fujitani,T. Splendid Monarchy: Power and Pageantry in Modern Japan. University of California Press; Reprint edition (1998). ISBN: 0520213718
- 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.
- Paine, S.C.M., The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: Perceptions, Power, and Primacy. Cambridge University Press (2002). ISBN: 0521817145
