Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...

was a Japanese military officer. He served 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 ...

and was Vice Chief of the General Staff in Japan 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 ...

. He became a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ca ...

in 1924.

History

Gaishi Nagaoka was born

Suō Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces. The ancient provincial capital was in Hōfu. Suō was ruled for much ...

in 1858. His father, San'emon Hori (堀三右衛門, Hori Sanemon), was an adopted son of Nanyo Nagaoka (長岡南陽, Nagaoka Nanyō) who was a feudal retainer of Tokuyama Domain.

Military career

After studying at

Meirinkan was a han school located in the Chōshū Domain of Japan. The school was one of the three major educational institutions in Japan, along with the Kōdōkan in Mito Domain and Shizutani School in Okayama Domain. __History_ The_school_was_establi ...

, he graduated from the Imperial Military Academy in 1878 and from the Army War College in 1885 as a first class student. In the

, he won a crushing victory in 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 ...

. He also persuaded Aritomo Yamagata and the navy to carry out the successful Karafuto Sakusen. As a result, this operation had a great influence on the cession of southern Sakhalin in the

Treaty of Portsmouth A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal per ...

. He taught students from the Qing dynasty, and Chiang Kai-shek, who later became President of the Republic of China, looked up to him as his teacher.

Political career

In May 1924, he was elected to the

in the 15th general election from the Yamaguchi 7th district.

Death

Died of a bladder tumour at Keio University Hospital in 1933. He was 74 years old. Nagaoka's grave is located in

Aoyama Cemetery is a cemetery in Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, which many people would visit. History The cemetery was or ...

. His facial hair was removed by his son at his deathbed, placed in a separate casket, and buried separately. There is a statue of Nagaoka and a foreign history park honouring him in the national lodging house in Oshiro on Kasado Island, in Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi. In Kudamatsu City, there is a "Nagaoka Gaishi history Commendation Association."

References

1858 births 1933 deaths Japanese generals Military personnel from Yamaguchi Prefecture Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite, 2nd class {{Japan-mil-bio-stub