Shibayama Yahachi

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Baron Shibayama Yahachi
13 July 1850 – 1 January 1927
Japanese Admiral Shibayama Yahachi
Place of birth	Kagoshima, Satsuma domain, Japan
Place of death	Tokyo, Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Years of service	1874–1920
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Imperial Japanese Navy
Battles/wars	First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War

Baron Yahachi Shibayama (柴山矢八, Shibayama Yahachi^?) (13 July 1850 – 1 January 1927) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Born in Kagoshima, Satsuma domain, (present day Kagoshima prefecture), Shibaya participated in the Anglo-Satsuma War as a youth, and although a friend of Togo Heihachiro, he declined to join the military. Instead, after the Meiji Restoration, he enrolled in the government's development and colonization program, and was sent to the United States for 2 years from 1872. On his return to Japan, he entered the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy as an ordinance specialist. He fought in the Satsuma Rebellion in an artillery battalion, and served briefly as a crewman on the Asama and Tsukuba. He was in charge of torpedo development from 1879-1883, and is called the “father of the Japanese torpedo”.

Promoted to captain in 1885, he went to the United States and Europe in 1886 together with Saigo Tsugumichi, and on his return was promoted to acting director of the armaments department of the Ministry of the Navy of Japan, much to the outrage and opposition of Admiral Yamamoto Gonnohyoe. Perhaps for this reason, he was given command of the corvette Tsukuba on 15 May 1889 and sent to sea for 2 years. Afterwards, he was assigned command of the Kaimon, the Takachiho, the Yokosuka Naval Base, and the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy before being appointed commander-in-chief of the Sasebo Naval District. He became a rear admiral on 30 July 1894. He became vice admiral and commander-in-chief of the Readiness Fleet on 10 August 1897 in time for the First Sino-Japanese War. He was commander-in-chief of the Kure Naval District from 20 May 1900, through the end of the Russo-Japanese War.

After the war, on 7 January 1905, he became commander-in-chief of the new Ryojun naval district. It was here that his abilities as an administrator and as an engineer found their perfect match. Shibayama was instrumental in raising the sunken Russian Pacific Fleet from the bottom of Port Arthur harbor, salvaging the badly damaged warships, and placing them into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was promoted to full admiral on 13 November 1905 and elevated to the rank of danshaku (baron) on 21 September 1907. He went into the reserves in 1915 and retired completely in 1920. His grave is at the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo.