Yashiro Rokurō

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Yashiro Rokurō (1915)

Baron Yashiro Rokurō ( Japanese 八 代 六郎 ; born January 3, 1860 in Inuyama , Owari Province ; † June 30, 1930 ) was a Japanese admiral in the Imperial Navy , who was Minister of the Navy between 1914 and 1915 .

Life

Military training and naval officer

Yashiro Rokurō began on January 16, 1877 as a midshipman and participant in the eighth course his training at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy (Kaigun Heigakkō) in Tsukiji and then from September 15, 1880 on board the ironclad Ryūjō . After he had completed his training as 19th of 35 participants, he was promoted to ensign at sea on September 15, 1881 . This was followed by uses on board the training ship Chobin from October 15, 1881 to November 24, 1883 and the corvette Tsukuba between November 24, 1883 and December 24, 1884, before he was transferred back to the ironclad Ryūjō and there on 20 June 1885 was promoted to lieutenant at sea (Shōi) . This was followed by further studies at the Imperial Naval Academy from December 28, 1885 to December 23, 1886, at which he was first a shooting instructor, then from March 4, 1887 operations instructor and finally from December 27, 1887 secretary to the director. After he had been promoted to captainleutnant ( Daii ) on December 24, 1887 , he became an adjutant at the Naval Academy on June 16, 1888 and on July 4, 1890 an officer in the naval staff. On July 9, 1890, he was sent to Vladivostok as a naval attaché in the Russian Empire and stayed there until November 21, 1892.

After serving as an officer in the General Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy , on December 2, 1892, Yashiro became a department officer of the protected cruiser Takachiho , which took part in the First Sino-Japanese War in the sea ​​battle of Yalu on September 17, 1894, where she and the Yoshino , Akitsushima and the sister ship Naniwa formed the "Flying Division" of Rear Admiral Tsuboi Kōzō , which decided the battle and sank the cruisers Jingyuan and Zhiyuan . Subsequently, he was transferred on February 20, 1895 department officer to the protected cruiser Yoshino and then on August 20, 1895 as an officer to the staff of the standby fleet. He served from December 21, 1895 to December 6, 1899 as a naval attaché in the Russian Empire in Saint Petersburg and received during this time on October 24, 1896 his promotion to Corvette Captain (Shōsa) and on December 1, 1897 to Frigate Captain (Chūsa) .

Russo-Japanese War

In 1900 Yashiro took over his first post as the commander of the unprotected cruiser Miyako

After his return on December 6, 1898, Yashiro was again employed as an officer in the General Staff of the Navy and from January 12 to May 15, 1900 as the deputy commander of the unit ship of the line Yashima , before he was reassigned as an officer to the staff of the standby fleet . On June 7, 1900, he took over his first post as commanding officer of a ship, the unprotected cruiser Miyako . After completing his training at the Naval College (Kaigun Daigakkō) and with his promotion to sea captain (Daisa) , he became commander of the protected cruiser Izumi on October 1, 1901 and then on July 7, 1903, commander of the armored cruiser Asama . During the Russo-Japanese War , the Asama was assigned to the Japanese forces under Rear Admiral Uryū Sotokichi (five small cruisers and eight torpedo boats ) in front of Chemulpo as the strongest ship, which blocked the Russian cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Korejez and the cruiser lying between neutral ships called for battle. When attempting to break out on February 9, 1904, the Varyag was badly damaged and the Russian commanders sank their ships themselves.

Subsequently, the Asama participated in the association of the 2nd squadron with Izumo , Azuma , Yakumo and Iwate in the first unsuccessful bombardment of Vladivostok . The 2nd Squadron then relocated to the Yellow Sea and was involved in repelling the advance of the Russian Port Arthur squadron on April 13, in which the Russian commander Makarov was killed. The Asama and the Tokiwa fought an artillery battle with the Russian armored cruiser Bajan without result until the Russian unit got into a minefield. The Asama was then used for security tasks in front of Hokkaidō and the Kuriles and was part of the naval forces that should block Vladivostok. On August 10, 1904, she appeared late in the combat area during the sea ​​battle in the Yellow Sea because of a search trip and was slightly damaged by the Askold , but had no personnel losses. They themselves fired 27 203-mm projectiles from the bow tower and 24 from the stern, plus 113 rounds from the 152-mm cannons, mainly on the Nowik , Askold and Poltava . The Asama also took part in the guard duty of the armored cruisers against Vladivostok from December 23 to April 1, 1905 with changing partners, while some of the others were overtaken. She was able to provide an Austrian and an English steamer that wanted to bring supplies to Vladivostok.

In the decisive naval battle at Tsushima on May 26, 1905, the Asama was involved as the rearmost ship in the battle line. She suffered a total of four deaths and twelve hits, mainly from the ship of the line Imperator Nikolai I , which temporarily put her rudder out of action. Despite swift repairs, she was partially unable to unlock and was successfully shot at by the Russians as a single ship. Finally she took the Orel liner , which had surrendered on May 28 with the association of Admiral Nebogatov , in tow and brought it to Sasebo . Until the end of the war she was mostly on duty in securing the Koreastrasse . In the great victory parade of the Japanese fleet on October 14, 1905, she served as the yacht of the Japanese emperor.

Promotion to Admiral and Minister of the Navy

Subsequently, Yashiro acted from December 12, 1905 to May 15, 1908 as a naval attaché at the embassy in the German Empire in Berlin and received as such on December 27, 1907 his promotion to Rear Admiral (Shōshō) . After his return he became commander of the reserve fleet stationed in Yokosuka on December 10, 1908, and then on December 1, 1909, commander of the 1st fleet. On July 16, 1910 he was commander of the training fleet and then on March 11, 1911, commander of the 2nd fleet.

With his promotion to Vice Admiral (Chūjō) on December 1, 1911, Yashiro succeeded Rear Admiral Yamaya Tanin as director of the Naval College and remained in this post until his replacement by Vice Admiral Yoshimatsu, Motaro on September 25, 1913. He himself then became commander-in-chief of the Naval District Maizuru and thus successor to Vice Admiral Misu Sotarō and exercised this function until April 16, 1914, whereupon on April 17, 1914 he was replaced by Vice Admiral Sakamoto Hajime .

On April 16, 1914, Yashiro was appointed by Prime Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu as the successor to Saitō Makoto Marine Minister, who had resigned because of the Siemens scandal , in his second cabinet and kept this ministerial office until he was replaced by Vice Admiral Katō Tomosaburō on October 8, 1915. After he resigned from From August 10 to December 13, 1915, he succeeded Vice Admiral Matahachiro Nawa as Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Fleet and remained in this position until he was replaced by Vice Admiral Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito on December 1, 1917. June 1916 he was raised as a baron (Danshaku) to the hereditary nobility ( Kazoku ) . He then acted between December 1, 1917 and December 1, 1918 as commander-in-chief of the Sasebo military district and was promoted to admiral (Taisho) on July 2, 1918 . On December 1, 1918, he was appointed a member of the Navy Council and was a member of it until November 25, 1919. After he was then back on hold, he was transferred to the reserve first degree on August 1, 1920 and on January 3, 1925 in the reserve second degree. Most recently he was on December 28, 1925 a member of the Secret Privy Council Sūmitsu-in , a body to advise the Tennō , and belonged to this until his resignation on January 3, 1930.

Tsurutarō Kataoka played the role of Yashiro Rokurō in the dorama Saka no Ue no Kumo about the Meiji period , which was broadcast on the NHK TV station between 2009 and 2011 . In his hometown of Inuyama there is a bust of Yashiro at the Ōagata Shrine.

Background literature

Web links

  • Entry on Imperial Japanese Navy

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 八 代 六郎 . In: デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Retrieved January 2, 2017 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ Flagship Naniwa , Niitaka , Akashi , Chiyoda , Takachiho
  3. ↑ u. a. Talbot (United Kingdom), Pascal (France), Elba (Italy), Vicksburg (United States)
  4. ↑ Emperor Nikolai I (1889), 9,748 t, 14 kn, 2 × 305 mm, 4 × 229 mm, 8 × 152 mm guns
  5. ↑ 八 代 六郎 . In: after 日本 陸海軍 総 合 辞典 . Retrieved January 2, 2017 (Japanese, illustrated).
Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Yahiro is the family name, Rokuro the first name.
personal data
SURNAME Yashiro, Rokurō
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 八 代 六郎 (Japanese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese admiral and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 3, 1860
PLACE OF BIRTH Inuyama , Owari Province
DATE OF DEATH June 30, 1930