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Baron was a legal scholar and cabinet minister in the pre-war
Matsuoka was a native of Awa Province (modern-day Tokushima Prefecture), where his father was a
Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star (29 May 1886)
*
Order of the Sacred Treasure 3th Class (27 December 1889)
*
Order of the Sacred Treasure 2rd Class (30 March 1891)
*
Order of the Sacred Treasure 1st Class (30 June 1902)
*
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1 April 1906)
*
Grand Cordon of the
Empire of Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...
.
Biography
Matsuoka was a native of Awa Province (modern-day Tokushima Prefecture), where his father was a samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
in the service of Tokushima Domain
was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, controlling all of Awa Province and Awaji Province in what is now Tokushima Prefecture and Awaji Island of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Tokushima ...
. After education at the domain academy, he went to Edo in 1861 for further studies, and to Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in 1863. Following 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 ...
, in 1870, he returned to his native Tokushima
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the nort ...
, where he obtained a position as a bureaucrat within the prefectural office, and also serving as a legal councilor. In 1871, he was recruited into the central government, moving to Tokyo for a position within the Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
. He subsequently worked as prosecutor and secretary in the courts in Tokyo and Kobe, and at the Appeals Court in Hiroshima (1882). In February 1886, he was sent overseas to study the court system in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, returning to Japan in November 1887 and joining the legal team assembled under Justice Minister Yamada Akiyoshi
Count , was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Chōshū Domain, and one of the early leaders of the Meiji Restoration. In his youth he was commonly known as Yamada Ichinojō; however, he changed his name frequently during the Bakumatsu perio ...
to draft improvements to Japan’s Civil Code. Matsuoka was appointed an assistant judge of the High Court in February 1888. In 1889, he assisted in the establishment of the Law School of Nihon University
, abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice (Japan), Minister of Justice, in 1889. ...
.
In October 1890, Matsuoka became head of the Tokyo Appeals Court. In June 1891, he was accepted a role as Prosecutor-General, and was given a seat in the House of Peers of the Diet of Japan in December of the same year. From 1894 to 1898, under the 2nd and 3rd Itō administrations, Matsuoka served as Vice-Minister for the Home Ministry
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministr ...
, participating in numerous committees and bureaus.
Under the Saionji administration (1906–1908), Matsuoka was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Commerce. In August 1917, Matsuoka was awarded the title of baron (''danshaku'') in 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. He joined the Privy Council in November 1920, and was appointed first President of Nippon University in March 1922. He was killed on September 1, 1923 during the Great Kantō earthquake when his house in Hayama, Kanagawa
260px, Morito Beach
is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, on central Honshū, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 32,961 and a population density of 1900 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Since 1894, the Japan ...
collapsed.
Family
Matsuoka married Mitsuko Komuro and had one son, Kinpei Matsuoka, a professor of law atTokyo Imperial University
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...
. Baron Matsuoka's kamon represents three pine trees in a circle ''(丸に三階松)''.
Honours
Peerage
* Baron (14 August 1917)Court ranks
* Seventh rank (正七位上) - (1873) * Junior Fourth rank (従四位下) - (1886) *Junior Third rank
The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the polit ...
(従三位) - (1890)
*Senior Third rank
The court ranks of Japan, also known in Japanese as ''ikai'' (位階), are indications of an individual's court rank in Japan based on the system of the state. ''Ikai'' as a system was originally used in the Ritsuryo system, which was the polit ...
(正三位) - (1896)
Decorations
* Order of the Rising Sun Gold and Silver Star (29 May 1886)
* Order of the Sacred Treasure 3th Class (27 December 1889)
* Order of the Sacred Treasure 2rd Class (30 March 1891)
* Order of the Sacred Treasure 1st Class (30 June 1902)
* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (1 April 1906)
* Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers
The is an order presented by the Japanese government. Established in 1888 during the Meiji Restoration as the highest award in the Order of the Rising Sun; however, since 2003 it has been an Order in its own right. The only grade of the order i ...
(10 November 1915)
References