Oku Yasukata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Count Oku Yasukata | |
|---|---|
| 5 January 1847 –19 July 1930 | |
 Japanese General Count Oku Yasukata |
|
| Place of birth | Fukuoka, Buzen Province, Japan |
| Place of death | Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Years of service | 1871–1911 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Battles/wars | Taiwan Expedition of 1874 First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War |
| Awards | Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) |
Yasukata Oku (奥 保鞏 Oku Yasukata?) (5 January 1847—19 July 1930) was a Japanese field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army.
Born in Fukuoka to a samurai family of the Kokura domain in Buzen Province, joined the military forces of the nearby Chōshū domain in their struggle to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and bring about the Meiji Restoration.
[edit] Military career
Appointed a commander of the new Imperial Japanese Army, he fought against the insurgents during the Saga Rebellion of 1871. He was later a survivor of the Taiwan Expedition of 1874. During the Satsuma Rebellion, he defended Kumamoto Castle during its siege as commander of the 13th Infantry Regiment.
During the First Sino-Japanese War he succeeded General Nozu Michitsura commander of the Fifth Division of the First Army. Later, he successively held posts as commander of the First Division, commander of the Imperial Guards and Governor-general for the defense of Tokyo. He was elevated to the title of danshaku (baron) in 1895, and was promoted to army general in 1903.
During the Russo-Japanese War, he went to the front as commanding general of the Second Army and was noted for his role in the Battle of Nanshan, Battle of Shaho, Battle of Mukden, and other campaigns.
He was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) in 1906, and elevated from baron to hakushaku (count) in 1907. In 1911, he received the largely honorary rank of Field Marshal.
[edit] Trivia
- Oku refused to attend strategy and staff meetings, and thereby gained a reputation for being both a “lone wolf” and also a brilliant tactician capable of independent action. However, in fact, Oku’s reluctance to attend the staff meetings was due to his partial deafness, and inability to comprehend and contribute to the discussions.
- Oku had absolutely no interest in politics, and lived in virtual seclusion after the war. When he died in 1930, many people were astonished, thinking that he had died years previously.
[edit] References
- Craig, Albert M. Chōshū in the Meiji Restoration. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1961.
- Dupuy, Trevor N. Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd (1992). ISBN 1-85043-569-3
- Harries, Meirion. Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition (1994). ISBN 0-679-75303-6
- 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
- Keane, Donald. Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852-1912. Columbia University Press (2005). ISBN 0-231-12341-8
