was a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

naval officer and educator.

Career

A native of

Fukuoka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders S ...

, Matsushita graduated from the 31st class of the

Imperial Japanese Naval Academy The was a school established to train line officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888. Students stu ...

in 1903. He was assigned to serve on the cruiser during the early stages of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

of 1904-1905, and was on the cruiser during the decisive

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...

. After the end of the war, he served on the cruiser from November 1905 to October 1906. After graduation from the Naval Artillery School, he returned to ''Yakumo'' as a lieutenant. He then served as gunnery officer aboard the , followed by the battleship . He was subsequently

Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

to the

IJN 1st Fleet The was the main battleship fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. History First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 1st Fleet was created during the Russo-Japanese War when the Imperial General Headquarters divided the Readiness Fleet into ...

. In May 1914, he graduated from the 12th class of the Navy Staff College as a lieutenant commander. After a posting as gunnery officer on the cruiser , he was sent to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in October 1917 as a

military attache A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Matsushita was promoted to commander while in London, and after his return in December 1919, was assigned to the staff of the IJN 4th Fleet. In January 1921, Matsushita served as chief secretary to

Minister of the Navy Minister of the Navy may refer to: * Minister of the Navy (France) * Minister of the Navy (Italy) The Italian Minister of the Navy ( it, Ministri della Marina del Regno) was a member in the Council Ministers until 1947, when the ministry merged ...

Admiral

Katō Tomosaburō Marshal-Admiral Viscount was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1922 to 1923. Biography Born in Hiroshima, Aki Province (modern Hiroshima Prefecture) to a ''samurai'' family, Ka ...

. In December 1922, he was promoted to captain, and given his first command, that of the cruiser . After a posting to the Naval Personnel Bureau, he returned to sea as captain of the battleship in December 1925. Matsushita was promoted to rear admiral in December 1927. Hajime Matsushita

As Commandant of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in the early-1930s, Matsuhita is credited with devising the ''Gosei'' or "Five Reflections". These words became traditional precepts of cadets at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy. Every evening cadets were expected to

meditate Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

on these inter-related questions.Kennedy, Maxwell T. (2009). The

Japan Maritime Self Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

(JMSDF) continues to use of the ''Gosei'' as a self-reflective exercise. Matsushita was promoted to vice admiral in December 1932. He subsequently served as Commander in Chief of the Training Fleet from October 1933, Commander of the

Maizuru Naval District was one of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the entire Sea of Japan coastline from northern Kyūshū to western Hokkaidō. History The strategic importance of the location of Maizu ...

from November 1934, and Commander of the

Sasebo Naval District was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and t ...

from March 1936 before retiring in March 1937.

Notes

References

* Kennedy, Maxwell Taylor. (2009). ''Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her.'' New York: Simon and Schuster. ; * Smith, Peter C. (2006). ''Fist from the Sky: Japan's Dive-Bomber Ace of World War II.'' Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole. ;

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsushita, Hajime 1884 births 1953 deaths Military personnel from Fukuoka Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War