Katō Hiroharu, alternatively named Katō Kanji (23 December 1870 – 9 February 1939), was a Japanese naval officer during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The first name 'Kanji' was used in his later life after he became famous, likely just before he was promoted to rear-admiral. He served as the Chief of Navy General Staff from 22 January 1929 to 11 June 1930.

Biography

Katō Hiroharu was born in

Fukui City is the capital city of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 255,332 in 107,553 households. Its total area is and its population density is about 476 persons per km2. Most of the population lives in a small central ...

in Fukui on 2 November in the 3rd year of

Meiji Meiji, the romanization of the Japanese characters 明治, may refer to: Japanese history * Emperor Meiji, Emperor of Japan between 1867 and 1912 ** Meiji era, the name given to that period in Japanese history *** Meiji Restoration, the revolution ...

(23 December 1870) as the eldest son of one of the first navy officers, Katō Naokata, of

Fukui Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003). The ...

in Imperial Japan before the abolition of the ''han'' system. On 17 July 1891, he graduated top of the class from

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 ...

, 18th class. He was assigned to cruiser as a cadet as of 20 May 1892 and experienced two tours to Kingdom of Hawaii. While at

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

on the second tour, he was promoted to ensign on 1 March 1894. He was assigned as a navigator on cruiser . After returning to Yokosuka Naval Base, he completed the Gunnery training program on corvette on 1 March 1896, which later became the Gunnery School of

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 associa ...

. At the same time, he was assigned as a navigator on cruiser . In February 1896, he married Murata Chiyoko from the

, and on 24 October 1896, he was appointed as a member of the receiving commission sent to London for battleship . He was promoted to squad leader on ''Fuji'', Chief Navigation Officer of IJN , and then assigned to

Consulate General of Japan This is a list of diplomatic missions of Japan. Japan sent ambassadors to the Tang Chinese court in Xi'an since 607 AD, as well as to the Koryo and Joseon dynasties of early Korea. For centuries, early modern Japan did not actively seek to expan ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. He entered into the

in 1904 as the Chief Gunnery Officer of IJN and experimented with a salvo-firing central control of main guns during the

Battle of the Yellow Sea The Battle of the Yellow Sea (; ) was a naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Lüshunkou (Port ...

on 10 August 1904, contributing to the killing of Admiral

Wilgelm Vitgeft Wilhelm Withöft (; October 14, 1847 – August 10, 1904), commonly known as Wilgelm Vitgeft, was a Russo-German admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, noted for his service in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Biography Withöft was born ...

and his staff onboard Russian flagship after the Japanese fleet flagship handed over the leading battle position to ''Asahi''. His primitive voice-command control system was adopted by the entire

Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...

, and he was promoted to the Chief Gunnery Officer of flagship ''Mikasa'' in March 1905. He was a naval attaché at the

Embassy of Japan in London The Embassy of Japan in London is the diplomatic mission of Japan in the United Kingdom. The embassy occupies a large Victorian building on Piccadilly opposite Green Park, which is Grade II listed. It was once the former Junior Constitutional Cl ...

in 1909. He had opposed the signing of the 1930 Treaty of London, which established limitations on arms between Japan, the United States and Great Britain. In 1930 he resigned rather than attend a dinner in honour of US Ambassador William Richards Castle Jr., in protest against the naval restrictions negotiated with him. Kato fought against the treaty limitations, and the treaty of 1936, finally dying after writing his memoirs, widely regarded as a treatise on why Japan was disadvantaged by the treaties. His actions prevented him from advancing in rank and probably cost him a seat in the government. He had an active antagonistic relationship with Yamamoto, who used his influence to prevent Kato from advancing.

Imperial Japanese Court Ranks

*Eighth Rank (16 April 1894) *Junior Sixth Rank (20 May 1903) *Sixth Rank (30 November 1906) *Fourth Rank (31 July 1923) *Third Rank (16 September 1929) *Junior Second Rank (1 October 1934) *Second Rank (9 February 1939)

Awards

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, 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 feat ...

, 6th class with Silver Rays (18 November 1895) *

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...

, 4th class, Gold Rays with Rosette (29 November 1904) *Memory of the Prince's visit to Korea Medal (18 April 1909) *

, 2nd class, Gold and Silver Star (26 September 1918) *

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...

, Grand Officer (3 December 1920) *

Order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...

, Grand Officer (3 December 1920) *

, Grand Cordon with Golden Rays (28 December 1929) *Set of Golden Cups with Chrysanthemum crest (4 November 1935) *

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France durin ...

, Grand-officier (20 August 1936) "Kanpo" No. 2897 "Investiture and Appointments" (in Japanese) 27 August 1936.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katō, Kanji People of the Meiji era Military personnel from Fukui Prefecture Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of World War I Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Italy) Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal 1870 births 1939 deaths Naval attachés for Japan