Nogi Maresuke

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Nogi Maresuke

Nogi Maresuke ( Japanese 乃 木 希 典 ; * December 25, 1849 in Edo , † September 13, 1912 in Tokyo) was a general in the Imperial Army of Japan .

Life

Nogi was born in Edo (later Tokyo ). During the Japanese Civil War of 1877, he served as a captain in the Imperial Army.

When Bakufu was ousted, Nogi served as an officer in the imperial army. At the Satsuma rebellion in 1877 he already held the rank of major . In a battle on February 2, 1877, his regiment lost its standard. Nogi was placed under arrest for three days. Numerous officers demanded his suicide according to the Bushido code of honor . However, Emperor Meiji forbade Nogi Maresuke to commit suicide during his lifetime and thus prevented him from doing so.

In 1884 Nogi was brigade commander. Before that, he spent a year in Germany for military training. At the time of the Sino-Japanese War , Nogi was lieutenant general and took part in the Battle of Lüshunkou , among other things . From 1896 to 1898 he was Governor General of Taiwan .

In 1904 Nogi had himself retired at his own request. He justified this with the shame that officers under his command brought upon him by looting during the Boxer Rebellion .

During the Russo-Japanese War , Nogi was recalled to active service and held the rank of major general. He commanded the siege of Port Arthur . Due to his inability to understand modern fortifications and read topographical maps, he repeatedly ordered frontal attacks that were pointless militarily. Within the officer corps he was viewed as incompetent and his replacement with the emperor was requested. In order to save the army's reputation, however, Nogi was left in his place and made a war hero by the Japanese military leadership. Nogi was de facto ousted by the Chief of Staff of the Manchurian Army, Kodama Gentarō, who was sent to him to prevent a defeat in the battle, but this did not reach the public. In the western press in particular, Nogi was positively described as a military genius and embodiment of the samurai thos . In Japan itself, criticism from the population of Nogi was loud due to the high losses of the siege, which resulted in 59,000 deaths. Among other things, his house was pelted with stones by a crowd and his wife in Japan was threatened.

Nogi's two sons were killed as officers in the battle.

After the death of the emperor, Nogi Maresuke died by suicide together with his wife Shizuko in September 1912. Nogi justified this in his will with the shame he brought upon himself in 1877.

Nogi Shrine on the grounds of the Kagawa-ken - Gokoku Shrine in Zentsūji

Both are in Nogi shrines ( 乃 木 神社 , Nogi-jinja ), u. a. worshiped as a Kami in Tokyo ( Nogi Shrine ), Shimonoseki and Kyoto . The hill near Tokyo's Nogi Shrine was also called Nogizaka ("Nogi Hill"), which in turn gave its name to the subway station and the surrounding area.

Web links

Commons : Nogi Maresuke  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, p. 43, p. 273n21.
  2. ^ Doris G. Bargen: Suicidal Honor - General Nogi and the Writings of Mori Ogai and Natsume Soseki. Honolulu, 2006, p. 61.
  3. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, pp. 66, pp. 83-85
  4. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, pp. 283n40
  5. ^ SCM Paine: The Sino Japanese War of 1894–1895 - Perceptions, Power and Primacy. Cambridge, 2003, p. 203.
  6. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, pp. 108, 118f.
  7. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, p. 115
  8. ^ Edward J. Drea: Japan's Imperial Army - Its Rise and Fall 1853-1945. Lawrence, 2009, pp. 274n21
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Nogi is the family name, Maresuke the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Nogi, Maresuke
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 乃 木 希 典 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION General in the Imperial Japanese Army
DATE OF BIRTH December 25, 1849
PLACE OF BIRTH Edo
DATE OF DEATH September 13, 1912
Place of death Tokyo