Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

was a Japanese bureaucrat, statesman and cabinet minister, active in Meiji period Empire of Japan.

Biography

Utsumi was born to a '' samurai'' family in

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was base ...

, in what is now part of the city of Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Prefecture). As a youth, he participated in the

Kinmon Incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on August 20 unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1 ...

in Kyoto, where pro''- sonnō Jōi'' Chōshū forces sought to seize control of the Emperor to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. After the Meiji Restoration, he went to Tokyo and entered into service of the new Meiji government, and was selected as a member of the 1871 Iwakura Mission, visiting the United States, Great Britain and other European countries. After his return to Japan, he was appointed governor of Nagasaki Prefecture (1877–1883), Mie Prefecture (1884–1885),

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

(1885–1889),

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

(1889–1891), Kanagawa Prefecture (1891–1893),

Osaka Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture ...

(1895–1897), and Kyoto Prefecture (1897–1900). He then served as chairman of the

Board of Audit The reviews government expenditures and submits an annual report to the Diet. Article 90 of the Constitution of Japan and the Board of Audit Act of 1947 give this body substantial independence from both cabinet and Diet control. In 1968, it hos ...

from 1900 to 1901. While Utsumi was Governor of Nagasaki, he hosted former United States President Ulysses S. Grant on his visit to Japan. Utsumi was ennobled with the '' kazoku'' peerage title ''danshaku'' (

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

) in 1887. He also served as a member of the House of Peers from its inception in 1890. Utsumi was selected to become Home Minister in the cabinet of the 1st administration of Prime Minister Katsura Tarō in 1901.

References

* Keene, Donald. ''Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852–1912''. Columbia University Press (2005). * Fredrick, Louis. ''Japan Encyclopedia''. Harvard University Press (2005). * Sims, Richard. ''Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000''. Palgrave Macmillan. {{DEFAULTSORT:Utsumi, Tadakazu 1843 births 1905 deaths Samurai People from Chōshū domain Government ministers of Japan Kazoku People of Meiji-period Japan Ministers of Home Affairs of Japan Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Governors of Nagano Governors of Kyoto Governors of Osaka Governors of Kanagawa Prefecture Members of the Iwakura Mission