Hikojirō Ijichi (1860-1912) was a Japanese Vice Admiral during 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 ...

. He commanded the during the war, notably commanding it during the

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 ...

Biography

Hikojirō was born as the second son of Sueyoshi Ijichi at the

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, ...

. In October 1874, he entered 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 its 7th term and graduated as a Navy Ensign on December 25, 1883. Initially, he worked at the '' Unebi'' and the '' Hōshō''. He later became a secondary member of the

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to adminis ...

. He then served as a messenger of the Chief of the

Yokosuka Naval District was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula. Its headquarters, a ...

before heading for a business trip to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

as well as the Japanese Embassy in Italy before serving as an instructor at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

. Ijichi then participated in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

while he commanded the . Around this time, he was promoted to Lieutenant-commander on December 16, 1891, Lieutenant on December 21, 1896, Commander on March 8, 1898 and Captain on December 7, 1900. After serving at the '' Oshima'' and the '' Musashi'' as the Deputy Chief, he was given command of the Wu Torpedo Boat Corps. He was then promoted to a primary member of the Staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff and given command of the ''

Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefectur ...

'' as its Deputy Chief. He was later made captain of the '' Tatsuda'' and served as the 2nd Division Chief of the Ministry of the Navy's Military Bureau. He was given further offices such as Captain of the

Standing Fleet The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was the main combat fleet of the Japanese Navy and formed the core of a wartime Combined Fleet organization. It was created from the Standing Small-Fleet in 1889. It was split into the 1st Fle ...

and the Captain of ''

Matsushima is a group of islands in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. There are some 260 tiny islands (''shima'') covered in pines (''matsu'') – hence the name – and it is considered to be one of the Three Views of Japan. Nearby cultural properties ...

''. During the

, he served as the captain of the combined fleet flagship ''

Mikasa Mikasa ( ja, 三笠) may refer to: Businesses * Mikasa Sports, a sporting goods manufacturer * Mikasa & Company, a brand of tableware and food utensils Places * Mikasa, Hokkaido, Japan * Mikasa Park, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan * Mount Wakakusa ...

'' and participated in the

. After the war, he worked as the first director of the , and he was promoted to Rear-Admiral in November 1906. He served as the second director of the Education Headquarters, the commander of the training squadron, and a member of the general council. He was then promoted to Vice Admiral in December 1910. He served as commander of the

Mako Guard District The was the major navy base for the Imperial Japanese Navy in Taiwan under Japanese rule, Taiwan before and during World War II. Located in at Mako , (present-day Makung, Pescadores Islands, Republic of China), the Mako Guard District was respons ...

and a member of the General Assembly but died while in that office on January 4, 1912.『官報』第8562号「叙任及辞令」1912年1月8日。

Awards

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

**6th Class (May 15, 1895) **2nd Class (May 20, 1909) * Military Medal of Honor (November 18, 1895) *

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

**5th Class (November 30, 1895) **4th Class with Golden Rays (May 30, 1905) **2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star (January 4, 1912) *

Order of the Golden Kite The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu Tennō, the Romulus of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during th ...

, 3rd Class (April 1, 1906)

Foreign Awards

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the wo ...

, officer (March 14, 1895) *:

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

**4th Class (April 20, 1893) **3rd Class (June 30, 1902)『官報』第5718号「叙任及辞令」1902年7月26日。

References

Bibliography

Ikuhiko Hata is a Japanese historian. He earned his PhD at the University of Tokyo and has taught history at several universities. He is the author of a number of influential and well-received scholarly works, particularly on topics related to Japan's role ...

ed., ''Japanese Army and Navy Comprehensive Encyclopedia'', 2nd edition,

University of Tokyo Press The is a university press affiliated with the University of Tokyo in Japan. It was founded in 1951, following the post-World War II reorganization of the university. Honors * Japan Foundation: Special Prize, 1990. Location The headquarters of t ...

, 2005. *Toyama Misao, ''Army and Navy General Officers, Navy Edition'', Fuyo Shobo Publishing Co., Ltd., 1981. *Hideki Fukukawa ''Japanese Navy General Dictionary'' Fuyo Shobo Publishing Co., Ltd., 2000. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ijichi, Hikojirō 1860 births 1912 deaths People of Meiji-period Japan Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 5th class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Imperial Japanese Naval Academy alumni