The was an order 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 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

, established on 12 February 1890 by

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

"in commemoration of

Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Romulus Romulus () was the legendary foundation of Rome, founder and King of Rome, first king of Ancient Rome, Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus ...

of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during the

occupation of Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

, after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Background

Military Order of the Golden Kite MET DP71277

The Order of the Golden Kite was an exclusively military award, conferred for bravery, leadership or command in battle. It ranked just below the

Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike its European counterparts, the order may be conferred posthumously. Apart f ...

in precedence and was the military equivalent 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 ...

; therefore, it could be considered analogous to the military division of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

in the United Kingdom. The first three classes were roughly equivalent to the three divisions of the Order of the Bath, the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh classes were analogous to the DSO, MC/DSC, DCM/CGM and DSM/MM, respectively . The order consisted of seven classes. Enlisted rank soldiers were eligible for the 7th–5th classes, non-commissioned officers were eligible for the 6th–4th classes, junior officers for the 5th–3rd classes, field grade officers for the 4th–2nd classes and general officers for the 3rd-1st classes. A total of 1,067,492 Order of the Golden Kite awards were made over the history of the order, most of them in the two lower 6th and 7th classes. Only 41 of the 1st class and 201 of the 2nd class were awarded. By conflict: *

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 ...

: about 2000 *

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 ...

: about 109,600 *

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

: about 3000 *

Manchurian Incident The Mukden Incident, or Manchurian Incident, known in Chinese as the 9.18 Incident (九・一八), was a false flag event staged by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. On September 18, 1931, L ...

: about 9000 *

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

(1937–1941): about 190,000 *

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

: about 630,000 The award came with an annual monetary stipend, fixed in 1916. This was awarded for the lifetime of the recipient, and following his death, it would be awarded to the recipient's family for one year after. If the recipient died within 5 years of receiving the honor, the stipend would be awarded to the family until the end of the 5-year period. In 1939, the stipends stood as follows: *1st Class – 1500 yen *2nd Class – 1000 yen *3rd Class – 700 yen *4th Class – 500 yen *5th Class – 350 yen *6th Class – 250 yen *7th Class – 150 yen Since the monthly pay for a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

at the time was 8 yen, 80 sen, this amounted to a very substantial reward. The monetary stipend was abolished in 1940. The honor was sometimes awarded individually, sometimes awarded ''en masse''. In mid-October 1942, posthumous awards were announced following ceremonies at the

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894–1895 and 1937–1945 resp ...

. Posthumous honorees included 995 who were lost in combat in the far-flung

battles and 3,031 who were lost fighting in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In this instance, Tokyo's official

radio broadcast Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio sta ...

of the list of posthumous recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite was monitored by Allied forces in Asia. "Tokyo Awards List Big Officer Loss; Vice Admiral, 2 Rear Admirals and 2 Major Generals Win Posthumous Honors; 55 Naval Fliers Named; Group Included Covers the Japanese Pacific Dead Up to Mid-February"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 16, 1942. The number of honorees was not considered remarkable at the time, but the number of posthumous awards was considered noteworthy by Allied analysts. Specific high ranking naval and army officers were named; and in addition, special mention was given to 55 naval aviators and 9 "members of a special attack flotilla"—presumably miniature submarines taking part in the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. The order of the Golden Kite was officially abolished by the

Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

Occupied Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United State ...

in 1947.

Symbolism

Order of the Golden Kite 1st and 2nd class plaque

The badge depicts a golden kite, a messenger of the ''

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...

'' as described in the ancient Japanese chronicle '' Nihon Shoki'', which helped

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"enameled in red. Below the kite are two crossed ancient shields, enameled blue, with two crossed spears with

silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

heads enameled yellow with red banners each bearing a

mitsudomoe , commonly translated as "comma", is a comma-like swirl symbol used in Japanese (roughly equivalent to a heraldic badge or charge in European heraldry). It closely resembles the usual form of a . The appears in many designs with various use ...

. On one side is a chokutō (enameled green with white trappings). The reverse side is plain. The badge was gilt for the 1st-5th classes and

for the 5th–7th classes. It was suspended on a ribbon in blue-green with a white stripe near the edges, worn as a sash on the left shoulder by the 1st class, as a necklet by the 2nd and 3rd classes, on the left chest by the 4th and 5th classes. The badges for 6th and 7th classes were non-enameled. The ''star'' of the 1st and 2nd classes was similar to the badge as described above, but with both red and yellow enameled rays. It was worn on the left chest by the 1st class, on the right chest by the 2nd class.

Selected recipients

First Class

:Imperial Japanese Army *

Yamagata Aritomo '' Gensui'' Prince , also known as Prince Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a senior-ranking Japanese military commander, twice-elected Prime Minister of Japan, and a leading member of the '' genrō'', an élite group of senior statesmen who dominated J ...

(1838–1922) *

Ōyama Iwao was a Japanese field marshal, and one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Early life Ōyama was born in Kagoshima to a ''samurai'' family of the Satsuma Domain. as a younger paternal cousin to Saigo Takamori. A prot ...

(1842–1916) *

Kuroki Tamemoto Count was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He was the head of the Japanese First Army during the Russo-Japanese War; and his forces enjoyed a series of successes during the Manchurian fighting at the Battle of Yalu River, the B ...

(1844–1923) *

Oku Yasukata Count was a Japanese field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Early life Born in Kokura (in present-day Kitakyūshū) to a ''samurai'' family of the Kokura Domain in Buzen Province, Oku joined the militar ...

(1847–1930) *

Nogi Maresuke Count , also known as Kiten, Count Nogi (December 25, 1849September 13, 1912), was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and a governor-general of Taiwan. He was one of the commanders during the 1894 capture of Port Arthur from Chin ...

(1849–1912). "Nogi, Maresuke,"
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' (12th ed.), Vol. XXX, p. 1139. *

Kawamura Kageaki Viscount was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Kawamura was born in Kagoshima in the Satsuma han feudal domain (present day Kagoshima prefecture. He first fought as a samurai in the Anglo-Satsuma War. He was part of the ...

(1850–1926) *

Kodama Gentarō Viscount was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and a government minister during the Meiji period. He was instrumental in establishing the modern Imperial Japanese military. Early life Kodama was born on March 16, 1852, in Toku ...

(1852–1906). *

Terauchi Masatake Gensui Count Terauchi Masatake ( ja, 寺内正毅), GCB (5 February 1852 – 3 November 1919), was a Japanese military officer, proconsul and politician. He was a '' Gensui'' (or Marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army and the Prime Minister o ...

(1852–1919) *

Nozu Michitsura Marshal (Japan), Field Marshal The Marquis was a Japanese people, Japanese Field Marshal (Japan), field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Nozu was born in Kagoshima as the second son of a low-ranking '' ...

(1840–1908) *

Hasegawa Yoshimichi Count was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and Japanese Governor General of Korea from 1916 to 1919. His Japanese decorations included Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) and Order of the Chrysanthemum. Biography Hasegawa was born ...

(1850–1924) *

Kamio Mitsuomi was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army, who commanded the Allied land forces during the Siege of Tsingtao in World War I. Biography Kamio was the younger son of Kamio Heizaburō, a samurai retainer of the Suwa clan in Shinano ...

(1856–1927) * Okamura Yasuji (1884–1966) * Honjō Shigeru (1876–1945) * Mutō Nobuyoshi (1868–1933) * Hata Shunroku (1879–1962) *

Terauchi Hisaichi Count was a '' Gensui'' (or field marshal) in the Imperial Japanese Army, commander of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group during World War II. Biography Early military career Terauchi was born in Tokyo Prefecture, and was the eldest son of ...

(1879–1946) *

Prince Asaka Yasuhiko General was the founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of China and the Second World War. Son-in-law of Emperor Meiji and uncle by marriage of E ...

(1887–1981) *

Matsui Iwane was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the commander of the expeditionary force sent to China in 1937. He was convicted of war crimes and executed by the Allies for his involvement in the Nanjing Massacre. Born in Nagoya, Matsui chose ...

(1878–1948) * Sugiyama Hajime (1880–1945) * Nishio Toshizō (1881–1960) *

Yamashita Tomoyuki was a Japanese officer and convicted war criminal, who was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Yamashita led Japanese forces during the invasion of Malaya and Battle of Singapore, with his accomplishment of conquering ...

(1885–1946) :Imperial Japanese Navy *

Tōgō Heihachirō Marshal-Admiral Marquis , served as a '' gensui'' or admiral of the fleet in the Imperial Japanese Navy and became one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. He claimed descent from Samurai Shijo Kingo, and he was an integral part of preserving ...

(1848–1934) *

Yamamoto Gonnohyōe , was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy and twice Prime Minister of Japan from 1913 to 1914 and again from 1923 to 1924. Biography Early life Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima in Satsuma Province (now Kagoshima Prefecture) as the sixth son ...

(1852–1933) *

Ijuin Gorō Marshal Admiral Baron was a Meiji-period career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Life and career Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city, as the son of a ''samurai'' retainer of Satsuma domain, he fought as a Satsuma ''samurai'' and ...

(1852–1921) *

Itō Sukeyuki Marshal-Admiral Count (20 May 1843 – 16 January 1914) was a Japanese career officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in Meiji-period Japan. Biography Born in what is now part of Kagoshima City as the son of a ''samurai'' of the Sa ...

(1843–1914) *

Kamimura Hikonojō Baron was an early Japanese admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy, commanding the IJN 2nd Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War, most notably at the Battle off Ulsan and Tsushima. Biography Born to a ''samurai'' family in the Satsuma Domain (pr ...

(1849–1916) * Kataoka Shichirō (1854–1920) *

Suzuki Kantarō is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal com ...

(1868–1948) *

Yonai Mitsumasa was a Japanese general and politician. He served as admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minister of the Navy, and Prime Minister of Japan in 1940. Early life and career Yonai was born on 2 March 1880, in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, the firs ...

(1880–1948) *

Yamamoto Isoroku was a Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II until he was killed. Yamamoto held several important posts in the IJN, and undertook many of its changes and reor ...

(1884–1943) * Nagumo Chūichi (1887–1944) *

Koga Mineichi was a Japanese Marshal Admiral and commander-in-chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet. Biography Early life and career Koga was born in the famous ceramics center of Arita in Nishimatsuura County of Saga Prefecture in 1885. ...

(1885–1944) * Arima Masafumi (1895–1944) *

Oikawa Koshirō Oikawa (written: ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese film director *, Japanese fencer *, Japanese figure skater and journalist *, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral *, Japanese actress, television personality a ...

(1883–1958) * Hasegawa Kiyoshi (1883–1970) * Yamaguchi Tamon (1892–1942)

Second Class

:Imperial Japanese Army *

Prince Komatsu Akihito was a Japanese career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, who was a member of the Fushimi-no-miya, one of the ''shinnōke'' branches of the Imperial Family of Japan, which were eligible to succeed to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Biography Earl ...

(1846–1903) *

Prince Fushimi Sadanaru was the 22nd head of the Fushimi-no-miya shinnōke (branch of the Imperial Family). He was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army. Early life Prince Sadanaru was born in Kyoto as the fourteenth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie (1802– ...

(1858–1923) *

Yamaguchi Motomi was a Japanese Samurai and an Imperial Japanese Army general who participated in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Boxer Rebellion. Nicknamed as the ''Warlord during the Warlord'', he was known for his extensive campaigns and service as he ...

(1846–1904) *

Kawakami Soroku Viscount , was a general and one of the chief military strategists in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Donghak Peasant Revolution and First Sino-Japanese War. Biography Born in Satsuma Domain to a ''samurai''-class family, Kawakami fought ...

(1848–1899) *

Ōshima Yoshimasa Viscount was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. His great-great-grandson, Shinzō Abe was Prime Minister of Japan. Biography Ōshima was born as the eldest son to a samur ...

(1850–1926) *

Fukushima Yasumasa Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. Life as a Samurai Fukushima was born to a ''samurai'' family; his father was a retainer to the ''daimyō'' of Matsumoto, in Shinano Province (modern Nagano Prefecture). He also became a retain ...

(1852–1919) * Umezawa Michiharu (1853–1924). *

Ishimoto Shinroku Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and Minister of War under the second Saionji Kinmochi administration from 1911 to 1912. Early life Ishimoto was born to a ''samurai-''class family in Himeji, Harima Province (present-day Hyōgo ...

(1854–1912) *

Uehara Yūsaku Viscount was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army. His wife was a daughter of General Nozu Michitsura. He was the founder of the Imperial Japanese Army Engineering Corps. Biography Early career Uehara was born as Tatsuoka Shinaga in ...

(1856–1933) *

Nagaoka Gaishi Count was a Japanese military officer. He served in the First Sino-Japanese War and was Vice Chief of the General Staff in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War. He became a member of the House of Representatives in 1924. History Gaishi Nagao ...

(1858–1933) *

Akiyama Yoshifuru was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and is considered the father of modern Japanese cavalry. He was older brother to Vice Admiral Akiyama Saneyuki Biography Early life Born as the third son to a poor samurai in the Matsuyama Domain, ...

(1859–1930) * Yamanashi Hanzō (1864–1944) * Shirakawa Yoshinori (1869–1932) * Araki Sadao (1877–1966) * Tada Hayao (1882–1948) *

Tojo Hideki Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

(1884–1948) * Ushiroku Jun (1884–1973) * Katō Tateo (1903–1942).Honor awarded 1942 �
"Tokyo Awards List Big Officer Loss; Vice Admiral, 2 Rear Admirals and 2 Major Generals Win Posthumous Honors; 55 Naval Fliers Named; Group Included Covers the Japanese Pacific Dead Up to Mid-February"
''

'', October 16, 1942. :Imperial Japanese Navy *

Kabayama Sukenori Count was a Japanese samurai military leader and statesman. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Kabayama Sukenori"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 441. He was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He ...

(1837–1922) *

Saigō Jūdō Marshal-Admiral Marquis (1 June 1843 – 18 July 1902) was a Japanese politician and admiral in the Meiji period. Biography Early life Saigō was born in Shimokajiyachō, Kagoshima, the son of the ''samurai'' Saigō Kichibe of the Satsuma Domai ...

(1843–1902) *

Inoue Yoshika Marshal Admiral Viscount was a career naval officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during Meiji-period Japan. Biography Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city, as the son of a ''samurai'' retainer of the Satsuma Domain, Inoue ...

(1845–1929) * Hidaka Sōnojō (1848–1932) * Saito Makoto (1858–1936) *

Katō Tomosaburō Marshal-Admiral Viscount was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy, cabinet minister, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1922 to 1923. Biography Born in Hiroshima, Aki Province (modern Hiroshima Prefecture) to a ''samurai'' family, Ka ...

(1861–1923) *

Shimada Shigetarō Shimada may refer to: *Shimada (surname), a Japanese surname * Shimada (city), Shizuoka, Japan **Shimada-juku **Shimada Station *Shimada (hairstyle) is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinc ...

(1883–1976) * Takagi Takeo (1892–1944).

Third Class

:Imperial Japanese Army *

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926. The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...

(1879–1926) *

Prince Chichibu , was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of severa ...

(1902–1953) *

Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa of Japan, was the second head of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family. He was formerly enshrined in Tainan-Jinja, Taiwan, under the name ''Kitashirakawa no Miya Yoshihisa-shinnō no Mikoto'' as the main and only deity. Biogra ...

(1847–1895) *

Katsura Taro Katsura or Katsuura may refer to: Architecture *The Katsura imperial villa, one of Japan's most important architectural treasures, and a World Heritage Site Botany *Katsura, the common name for Cercidiphyllum, a genus of two species of trees nativ ...

(1848–1913) *

Tanaka Giichi Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, politician, cabinet minister, and the Prime Minister of Japan from 1927 to 1929. Early life and military career Tanaka was born as the third son of a low-ranking ''samurai'' family in the se ...

(1864–1929) *

Yamaji Motoharu Viscount , was a lieutenant general in the early Imperial Japanese Army during the First Sino-Japanese War. Biography Early career Yamaji was born in Tosa Domain (present day Kōchi Prefecture) in what is now part of the city of Kōchi, where ...

(1841–1897) * Andō Sadayoshi (1853–1932) *

Kusunose Yukihiko was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army. Biography Kusunose was born as the eldest son to a samurai family of the Tosa Domain (present day Kōchi Prefecture). He entered the Imperial Japanese Army in December 1880, serving in artillery ...

(1858–1927) *

Ōshima Ken'ichi Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and Army Minister during World War I. His son, Hiroshi Ōshima was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and served as Japanese ambassador to Nazi Germany. Biography Ōshima was ...

(1858–1947) *

Akashi Motojiro Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 7th Governor-General of Taiwan from 6 June 1918 to 26 October 1919. Early life and career A native of Fukuoka and a graduate of the 1889 class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, ...

(1864–1919) * Ueda Kenkichi (1875–1962) *

Mori Ōgai Lieutenant-General , known by his pen name , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, poet and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German la ...

(1862–1922) * Ishiwara Kanji (1889–1949) * Tanaka Ryūkichi (1893–1972) :Imperial Japanese Navy *

Prince Arisugawa Takehito was the 10th head of a cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family and a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Early life Prince Takehito was born in Kyoto as a scion of the house, one of the ''shinnōke'' branches of the Imperial ...

(1862–1913) *

Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito was the second (and last) head of the Higashifushimi-no-miya, an '' ōke'' cadet branch of the Japanese imperial family. Early life Born on September 19, 1867, as seventeenth (and posthumous) son of Prince Fushimi Kuniie, head of the Fushimi- ...

(1867–1922) *

Okada Keisuke was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, politician and Prime Minister of Japan from 1934 to 1936. Biography Early life Okada was born on 20 January 1868, in Fukui Prefecture, the son of a samurai of the Fukui Domain. He attended the 15th ...

(1868–1952) *

Tsuboi Kōzō Baron was an admiral of the early modern Imperial Japanese Navy, known primarily for his role in the First Sino-Japanese War. Biography Tsuboi Kōzō was born as Hara Kōzō, the second son of a doctor in what is now part of Hōfu, Yamaguchi, ...

(1843–1898) * Taketomi Kunikane (1852–1931) * Yashiro Rokurō (1860–1930) * Yamashita Gentarō (1863–1931) * Satō Tetsutarō (1866–1942) *

Takarabe Takeshi was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and served as Navy Minister in the 1920s. He was also the son-in-law of Yamamoto Gonnohyōe. Biography Takarabe was born in Miyakonojō city in Miyazaki Prefecture. He graduated at the top out of ...

(1867–1949) * Eto Kyōsuke (1881–1917)

Fourth Class

:Imperial Japanese Army *

Prince Takamatsu was the third son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako) and a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). He became heir to the Takamatsu-no-miya (formerly Arisugawa-no-miya), one of the four ''shinnōke'' or branches of ...

(1905–1987) *

Prince Nashimoto Morimasa was a member of the Japanese Imperial Family and a ''Field Marshal (Japan), field marshal'' in the Imperial Japanese Army. An uncle-in-law of Emperor Shōwa, an uncle of his consort, Empress Kōjun, and the father-in-law of Crown Prince Euimin ...

(1874–1951) *

Ugaki Kazushige was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and cabinet minister before World War II, the 5th principal of Takushoku University, and twice Governor-General of Korea. Nicknamed Ugaki Issei, he served as Foreign Minister of Japan in the ...

(1868–1956) * Minami Jirō (1874–1955) * Hayashi Senjūrō (1876–1943) * Masaki Jinzaburō (1876–1956) *

Koiso Kuniaki was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army, Governor-General of Korea and Prime Minister of Japan from 1944 to 1945. After Japan's defeat in World War II, he was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment. Early li ...

(1880–1950) * Ishii Shirō (1892–1959). :Imperial Japanese Navy *

Ogasawara Naganari Viscount was an Admiral and naval strategist in the Imperial Japanese Navy in Meiji and Taishō period Japan, and a member of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. He was also known as Ogasawara Chōsei, Ogasawara Nagayo.Evans, ''Kaigun'' ...

(1867–1958) *

Abo Kiyokazu Baron was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, who served as Ministry of the Navy of Japan, Navy Minister in the early 1930s. Biography Abo was born in Saga Prefecture as Sawano Yasusaburō, where his father was the commandant of the milita ...

(1870–1948) * Hyakutake Saburō (1872–1963)

Fifth Class

:Imperial Japanese Army * Prince Takeda Tsunehisa (1883–1919) * Hishikari Takashi (1871–1952) * Katsuki Kiyoshi (1881–1950) * Ōba Sakae (1914–1992) * Tsuji Masanobu (1902–1961).Honor awarded 1942 – Tsuji, Masanobu. (1997). ''Japan's Greatest Victory, Britain's Worst Defeat'', p. 108. :Imperial Japanese Navy * Kobayashi Seizō (1877–1962) * Matsudaira Morio (1878–1944) * Nishida Yoshimi (1892–1944) * Iwamoto Tetsuzō (1916–1955)

Sixth Class

Seventh Class

Notes

References

* Chamberlain, Basil Hall. (1905
''Things Japanese: Being Notes on Various Subjects Connected with Japan for the Use of Travelers and Others,''
London: John Murray. * Iwata Nishizawa. (1917). ''Japan in the Taisho era. In Commemoration of the Enthronement.'' Tokyo: __________
OCLC 28706155
* Keene, Donald. (1998). "The Sino-Japanese War of 1894–95 and its Cultural Effects in Japan", in ''Meiji Japan'', Peter F. Kornicki, editor. London: Routledge. (paper) . * Peterson, James W., Barry C. Weaver and Michael A. Quigley. (2001). ''Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States.'' San Ramon, California: Orders and Medals Society of America. * Tsuji, Masanobu. (1997). ''Japan's Greatest Victory, Britain's Worst Defeat'', Margaret E. Lake, tr. New York: Da Capo Press. (cloth)

External links

* Japan, Cabinet Office
Decorations and Medals
��Order of the Golden Kite unmentioned in current system of honors *

Japan Mint The is an Independent Administrative Institution of the Japanese government, responsible for producing and circulating the coins of Japan. The agency has its head office in Osaka with branches in Saitama and Hiroshima. The Japan Mint does not pr ...

Production Process

{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of The Golden Kite Military awards and decorations of Japan Military of the Empire of Japan 1890 establishments in Japan 1947 disestablishments in Japan Awards established in 1890

Background

Symbolism

Selected recipients

First Class

Second Class

Third Class

Fourth Class

Fifth Class

Sixth Class

Seventh Class

See also

Notes

References

External links