| Tani Tateki | |
|---|---|
General Tani Tateki |
|
| Nickname | Tani Kanjō |
| Born | March 18, 1837 Kochi, Tosa province, Japan |
| Died | May 13, 1911 (aged 74) |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | Boshin War Taiwan Expedition of 1874 |
| Other work | Minister of Agriculture & Commerce |
Viscount Tani Tateki (谷 干城, 18 March 1837 – 13 May 1911) was a statesman and lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army in Meiji period Japan. He was also known as Tani Kanjō.
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Tani was born in Kōchi, Tosa Province (present-day Kōchi Prefecture) as the 4th son of a local samurai. He was sent to Edo in 1857, and became active in the Sonnō jōi movement. In 1866, he was ordered by his domain to go to Nagasaki, where he met Gotō Shōjirō and Sakamoto Ryōma, who convinced him to meet with Saigō Takamori in Edo the following year, and to work for an alliance between Tosa and Satsuma.
Tani fought in the Boshin War to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, leading imperial forces in the north Kantō, and Aizu-Wakamatsu campaigns.
After the Meiji restoration, Tani became a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and helped suppress a number of samurai uprisings in Kyūshū, including the Saga Rebellion and Shimpūren Rebellion. He withstood a siege of 52 days in Kumamoto castle against Saigō Takamori during the Satsuma Rebellion. Tani also took part in the Taiwan Expedition of 1874.
Afterwards, Tani was commandant of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy before retiring from active service in 1881.
Tani was one of the founders of the conservative political party, Chūseitō, in 1881. He also became president of the Gakushūin Peers’ School in 1884.
In 1885, Tani joined the first Itō Hirobumi cabinet as the first Minister of Agriculture & Commerce, however, he soon resigned over dissatisfaction with what he perceived to be the weak and vacillating foreign policy of Inoue Kaoru, especially with regards to the revision of the unequal treaties.
In 1890, Tani was ennobled with the rank of shishaku (viscount) in the kazoku peerage system, and became a member of the House of Peers.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by new creation |
Minister of Agriculture & Commerce Dec 1885 - Jul 1887 |
Succeeded by Hijikata Hisamoto |
| Educational offices | ||
| Preceded by Tachibana Taneyuki |
President, Gakushūin Peers School 1885-1887 |
Succeeded by Ōtori Keisuke |