Yamashita Gentaro
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| Baron Yamashita Gentaro | |
|---|---|
| 30 July 1863 – 18 February 1931 | |
 Japanese Admiral Yamashita Gentaro |
|
| Place of birth | Yonezawa, Dewa Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1879–1928 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Battles/wars | First Sino-Japanese War Boxer Rebellion Russo-Japanese War World War I |
Gentaro Yamashita (山下源太郎 Yamashita Gentaro?) (30 July 1863 – 18 February 1931) was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Born in the Yonezawa domain, Dewa Province (present day Yamagata prefecture), Yamashita entered the 10th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1879. Earning a commission as an ensign upon his graduation in 1886, he was assigned to the Yokosuka Naval Base as a staff specialist, from August 1894 to April 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War.
In 1896, Yamashita traveled to England to oversee ship construction until his transfer to the cruisers IJN Izumi and the IJN Kasagi serving as executive officer between 1899 and 1900.
In July 1900, Yamashita was assigned command of Japanese marines during the Boxer Rebellion at Tietsin (Tianjin) and, after serving special duty in Hong Kong and Chefoo (Yantai), he was promoted to captain in 1903.
During the Russo-Japanese War, Yamashita served as an operations planner at the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. Following the war, Yamashita was assigned command of the cruiser IJN Iwate, which proved to be the only time he ever actually captained a ship. After holding various staff posts between 1906 and 1912, Yamashita was promoted to rear admiral on 28 August 1908 and vice admiral on 1 December 1912.
Following Japan's entry into World War I, Yamashita served as vice chief of the Navy General Staff until 1915. On 1 December 1917, he was given command of the 1st Fleet. Promoted to admiral on 2 July 1918, Yamashita served as commander of the Combined Fleet, from 1 September 1918 until 28 October 1918, shortly before the war's end.
After serving as chief of the Navy General Staff from 1 December 1920 until 15 April 1925, Yamashita held several honorary and ceremonial posts until being placed on the second reserve list on 1 July 1928. He was elevated to danshaku (baron) on 10 November 1928, and lived in retirement until his death in 1931.
[edit] References
- Agawa, Hiroyuki. The Reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Imperial Navy. Kodansha International (2000). ISBN: 4770025394
- Dupuy, Trevor N. Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd (1992). ISBN: 1850435693
