Count , was an admiral in the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
. Kawamura's wife Haru was the aunt of
Saigō Takamori
was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...
.
Biography
A native of
Satsuma Satsuma may refer to:
* Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit
* ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails
Places Japan
* Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town
* Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture
* Satsuma Domain, a sou ...
, Kawamura studied navigation at
Tokugawa bakufu
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedi ...
naval school at
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
, the
Nagasaki Naval Training Center
The was a naval training institute, between 1855 when it was established by the government of the Tokugawa shogunate, until 1859, when it was transferred to Tsukiji in Edo.
During the Bakumatsu period, the Japanese government faced increasing ...
. In 1868, he joined his Satsuma clansmen, and fought on the imperial side in the
Boshin War of the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
as an army general. He was especially noted for his role in the
Battle of Aizu-Wakamatsu.
Under the new
Meiji government
The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan.
Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...
, he became an officer in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy, and steadily rose through the ranks. He became first Director 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 st ...
in 1870 and ''taifu'' (senior vice minister) of Navy in 1872. He was in command of Japanese naval forces during the
Taiwan Expedition of 1874
The Japanese punitive expedition to Taiwan in 1874, referred to in Japan as the and in Taiwan and Mainland China as the Mudan incident (), was a punitive expedition launched by the Japanese in retaliation for the murder of 54 Ryukyuan sailo ...
.
During the
Satsuma Rebellion
The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and b ...
, he was placed in command of all Imperial troops in September 1877 at the final
Battle of Shiroyama
The took place on 24 September 1877, in Kagoshima, Japan. It was the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion, where the heavily outnumbered samurai under Saigō Takamori made their last stand against Imperial Japanese Army troops under the comman ...
near
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
, when
Saigō Takamori
was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...
was killed (or committed ''
seppuku''). This battle, Saigō's last stand against the Meiji government, was the historical basis for the 2003 film ''
The Last Samurai
''The Last Samurai'' is a 2003 epic period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Ken Watanabe in the ...
''.
In 1878, Kawamura became ''sangi'' (councillor) and the second Navy Minister. He remained in that position until 1885 except when he was temporarily replaced by
Enomoto Takeaki, and during that period he expanded the influence of people from Satsuma within the navy.
In 1884, he was ennobled with the title of ''hakushaku'' (count) under the ''
kazoku
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 ...
'' peerage system. Later serving as court councillor and
Privy Councillor, in 1901 he was given responsibility for the upbringing of the newborn
Prince Michi (the future Emperor Hirohito) and his younger brother
Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito).
In 1904, Kawamura was posthumously appointed to the rank of
admiral, setting a precedent for such honors. His cause of death remains unknown, setting a mystery.
References
Books
*
*
*
*
Notes
External links
Kawamura Sumiyoshiat the Imperial Japanese Navy website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawamura, Sumiyoshi
1836 births
1904 deaths
Imperial Japanese Navy admirals
People from Satsuma Domain
Kazoku
People of the Boshin War
People of Meiji-period Japan
Shimazu retainers
People of the Satsuma Rebellion