Akiyama Yoshifuru
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Akiyama Yoshifuru (秋山好古 Akiyama Yoshifuru?); 9 February 1859 - 4 November 1930) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and was considered the father of the modern Japanese cavalry.
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[edit] Early life
Born as the 3rd son of a poor samurai in Matsuyama, Iyo Province (modern Ehime Prefecture), Akiyama's family was so poor in his childhood that he was forced to work as a fire stoker and janitor in a local public bathhouse for a pittance each day.
He entered the Osaka Heigakko (the forerunner of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy) in 1875. He went on to attend the War College, and was sent as a military attaché to France to study cavalry tactics and techniques.
[edit] Military career
Akiyama was active in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 as a cavalry regimental commander in the IJA First Division, and served in the subsequent Boxer Rebellion with the 5th Infantry Division. In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, he led his troops in the Battle of Shaho, Battle of Sandepu, and in the Battle of Mukden.
Akiyama became commander of the 13th Infantry Division in 1913, and after his promotion to full general in 1916, was given command of the Imperial Guards Division. The following year, he was assigned command of the Chosen Army. In 1920, he became Director General for Military Education.
When he finished his military career, he became the principal of Hokuyo Junior High School, now the Matsuyama High School.
He died in 1930, and his grave is in Matsuyama.
[edit] Trivia
- Akiyama Yoshifuru was Vice Admiral Akiyama Saneyuki's older brother.
- Akiyama had very pale skin and large eyes (for a Japanese). He was often mistaken for a European instructor while at the Army Academy, and developed a reputation as a “lady's man” much to the envy of his colleagues during his stay in France.
- His decorations include the Order of the Golden Kite (1st class)
- He is the main character in a novel by Shiba Ryotaro called Saka-no-ue-no-kumo (坂の上の雲), which is scheduled to be broadcast as a historical drama on the Japanese government television network NHK in 2008.
[edit] References
- Dupuy, Trevor N. Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd (1992). ISBN 1-85043-569-3
- Oide, Hishashi. Meisho Akiyama Yoshifuru: Kibo no saizensen shikikan no shogai. Kojinsha. ISBN 4-7698-0391-5 (Japanese)
