Haraguchi Kensai ( ja, 原口兼済; zh, 原口兼濟; ko, 원구겸제; 2 April 1847 – 18 June 1919) was an Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) general and, in his later life, a member of the House of Peers.

Biography

Early life

Haraguchi was born on 2 April 1847 to a samurai-class family in the Mori region of Bungo Province (in present-day Ōita Prefecture),. located on the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

Military career

In 1870, Haraguchi entered the Imperial Japanese Army Academy to train as an officer, and in 1872 received a commission as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

.. Later in his career, from August 1890 to April 1892,. he was dispatched to the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

to further his military education, where he served from 1890 to 1891 under Prussian general Jakob Meckel in the 2nd Infantry Regiment stationed in Mainz. Haraguchi fought for the IJA in the Satsuma Rebellion, and later became a battalion commander, and then deputy head and, thereafter, principal of the Toyama Military School. He served as chief of staff of the

IJA 4th Division The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its call-sign was (from the Yodo River). History The 4th Division was formed in Osaka City in January 1871 as the , one of six regional commands created in the fledgling Imperial J ...

at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War. He promoted to major general in 1897 and, in succession, commanded the 20th Infantry Brigade, the 1st Mixed Brigade deployed in Taiwan (see Taiwan under Japanese rule), and the 17th Infantry Brigade. Following the Japanese occupation of Korea at the start of the Russo-Japanese War, Haraguchi commanded the newly established Korean Garrison Army from 11 March to 8 September 1904, when he was replaced by field marshal Hasegawa Yoshimichi. In July 1904, he declared martial law on key railroads and near telegraph lines in response to local unrest, writing the month prior to Minister of War Terauchi Masatake: Afterwards, he served in the

Imperial General Headquarters The was part of the Supreme War Council and was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime. In terms of function, it was approximately equivalent to the United States ...

as chief of staff of the Inspectorate General of Military Training. He received a Palgwae royal medal in 1904. In January 1905, he attained the rank of lieutenant general, and soon thereafter assumed command of the newly raised, 14,000-strong

IJA 13th Division The was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the , and its military symbol was 13D. The 13th Division was one of four new infantry divisions raised by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in the closin ...

, which he led during the invasion of Sakhalin. For his successful service in the war, he was conferred the title of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

(''

danshaku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

'') on 21 September 1907. Haraguchi continued to command the IJA 13th Division until 6 July 1906, when he was relieved by Seizō Okazaki. Haraguchi transitioned to the IJA

reserve forces A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

in November 1907, and fully retired from military service in 1914.

Later life

From 1910 to 1918, Haraguchi was a member of the House of Peers. He died on 18 June 1919.

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haraguchi, Kensai 1847 births 1919 deaths Imperial Japanese Army Academy alumni Imperial Japanese Army officers Japanese generals Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Kazoku Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Military personnel from Ōita Prefecture Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War People of the Satsuma Rebellion