Shimamura Hayao
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Baron Shimamura Hayao | |
|---|---|
| 21 September 1858– 8 January 1923 | |
 Portrait of Admiral Shimamura Hayao from National Diet Library, Tokyo, |
|
| Place of birth | Kochi, Tosa Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1874-–1920 |
| Rank | Fleet Admiral (posthumous) |
| Unit | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War World War I |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Navy IJN Suma, IJN 1st Fleet, IJN 2nd Fleet |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Yalu, Battle of Tsushima |
| Awards | Title of Danshaku (Baron) |
Hayao Shimamura (島村速雄 Shimamura Hayao?) (21 September 1858– 8 January 1923) was a Japanese admiral during the First Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars as well as one of the first prominent staff officers and naval strategists of the early Imperial Japanese Navy.
Born in Tosa Province (present day Kochi Prefecture), Shimamura entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy following the Boshin War. Graduating in 1880, he was selected for staff work and served as a junior officer for several years during the mid-1880s. Studying abroad in Great Britain, he served as a foreign naval observer with the Royal Navy from 1888 to 1891.
During the First Sino-Japanese War, Shimamura was assigned as a staff officer of the IJN Standing Fleet from August 1894 to April 1895 and involved in planning the column formations of the battle. He was later wounded while onboard the cruiser IJN Masushima during the Battle of the Yalu on 17 September 1894.
After serving in various staff positions after the war, Shimamura commanded the cruiser IJN Suma and marines during the Japanese occupation of Tientsin (Tianjin) during the Boxer Rebellion.
Promoted to rear admiral on 6 June 1904, shortly before the Russo-Japanese War, Shimamura was made Chief of Staff of the IJN 1st Fleet. In command of the IJN 2nd Fleet's Second Battle Division, Shimamura was aboard the cruiser IJN Iwate during the Battle of Tsushima on 26 May 1905. Following the war, Shimamura became president of the Naval Staff College from 1908 to 1909. Promoted to full admiral in 1915, and ennobled as a danshaku (Baron) in 1916, Shimamura served as chief of the Navy General Staff during World War I from 1914 until 1920 and, following his death two years later, Shimamura was posthumously promoted to the rank of fleet admiral.
[edit] References
- Dupuy, Trevor N. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-7858-0437-4
- Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.
