Takeichi Nishi

Baron Nishi with his horse Uranus .

Baron Takeichi Nishi ( Japanese 西 竹 一 , Nishi Takeichi ; born July 12, 1902 in Azabu , Tokyo (today: Nishiazabu, Minato , Tokyo ); † March 17, 1945 in Iwojima ) was an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War I and as a sports rider gold medalist at the Olympic Games in 1932 .

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Takeichi Nishi was born the son of Danshaku (Baron) Tokujirō Nishi in the Tokyo district of Azabu. His father was a civil servant and held various positions in the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the Secret Council . During the Boxer Rebellion , Tokujirō Nishi was the Japanese ambassador to China .

When his father died in 1912, Nishi received the title of baron. From September 1917 to April 1920 he attended the army cadet school. In 1924 he graduated from the Army Officer School . Even during training at the Academy, he was the first cavalry - regiment assigned in Tokyo.

Participation in the Olympic Games

At the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he won the gold medal in show jumping on Uranus . This makes him the only Japanese who could ever win an Olympic medal in riding.

At the Olympic Games in 1936 he reached 20th place in show jumping on Uranus and 12th place in eventing on Ascot .

Second World War

In the late 1930s, all Japanese cavalry units were converted into tank units and Nishi had to be trained as a tank officer. During the war he was first stationed in Manchuria as commander of the 26th Panzer Regiment. Nishi was promoted to lieutenant colonel during this period .

In June 1944 his regiment was transferred to Iwojima . Initially none of the regiment's 28 tanks reached the island because the transport ship was sunk. It was not until shortly before the Battle of Iwojima that he received 22 Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks from mainland Japan. These were dug up to the tower and used as anti-tank guns. They were effective against the attacking infantry, but were destroyed in the first days of the battle. The Nishi tank regiment then fought as regular infantry and defended airfield No. 2 for three days. However, when the Americans took it, Nishi's soldiers were forced to seek protection with other Japanese troops in the caves on the Motoyama hills. But when these were also attacked, Nishi's regiment was wiped out and he himself was badly wounded in the eyes by a grenade . Probably one of the last of his regiment to commit suicide . The last 50 men reached the Brigade of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in the north of the island. Takeichi Nishi was promoted posthumously to colonel and is honored as a war dead in Yasukuni Shrine .

Movie

In the film Letters from Iwo Jima , Takeichi Nishi is portrayed by Tsuyoshi Ihara . It also depicts his last fight and his wounding as described by eyewitnesses. However, it is fictional that he tried to save the life of an American marine .

Web links

Commons : Takeichi Nishi  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Takeichi Nishi in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )