was a Japanese

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 ...

and an

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 ...

general who participated 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 the

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

. Nicknamed as the ''Warlord during the Warlord'', he was known for his extensive campaigns and service as he was a recipient of the

Order of the Golden Kite The was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu Tennō, the Romulus of Japan". It was officially abolished 1947 by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) during th ...

Biography

Motomi was born into the

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 ...

during the

Edo Period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

in Hagi as the son of Yoshiyoshi Yamamoto, a samurai of the Yamaguchi domain; he was adopted by Yoshiyoshi Yamaguchi, who was a samurai of the same domain. He partook in military service during the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

within the

Kiheitai The was a volunteer militia raised by Takasugi Shinsaku of the Chōshū domain during the Bakumatsu period of Japan. Background Formed in 1863 by Takasugi Shinsaku in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the Kiheitai militia consisted of 300 men ...

. After 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 ...

, he served in the Imperial Japanese Army. In September 1870, he joined the Second Guidance Corps of the Osaka Army and was appointed army sergeant in April 1871. During the same year, he was promoted from lieutenant to captain, and became an army major since October 1873. In January of the following year, when the First Regiment of the Konoye Infantry was established, he became the first battalion chief and participated in the

Saga Rebellion The was an 1874 uprising in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Saga no ran" in . It was led by Etō Shinpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen. Background Following the 18 ...

. In the following

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 beca ...

, he participated in the

Battle of Tabaruzaka The Battle of Tabaruzaka was a major battle of the Satsuma Rebellion. It took place in March 1877, on the island of Kyushu, Japan, concurrently to the Siege of Kumamoto Castle. Summary The Battle of Tabaruzaka began on March 3, 1877 when troops ...

on March 4. He attacked the right wing of the Satsuma army in the Toyooka and Hirahara districts (now Ueki-cho, Kita-ku,

Kumamoto City 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, ...

), but he was attacked and wounded. The Konoye Regiment at that time was organized by two battalions, and there were four battalion chiefs in total, but all three battalion chiefs other than Motomi were killed in battle. After the war, he announced his post-war training as commander of the 9th Infantry Regiment and the Commander of the 7th Infantry Regiment before advancing to army colonel in February 1882. From March of the same year, he was appointed chief of staff of Kumamoto Garrison, chief of staff of Tokyo in May 1885, and chief of staff of Konoye in May 1886. From September 1887 to June of the following year, he visited

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He was then given command of the 10th Infantry Brigade on September 11, 1888. On February 6, 1889, he became the Military Parade Chief of Staff In September 1889, he succeeded Shinagawa, who died of illness on September 5, 1890, and on February 12, 1890, he became the army major general and infantry 10th brigade chief. Upon the outbreak of the

, he became the 3rd Brigade Chief of the 2nd Division Subordinate Infantry. On January 20, he landed on the

Shandong Peninsula The Shandong (Shantung) Peninsula or Jiaodong (Chiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong Province in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. G ...

since July 25, 1894. During the War, vomiting was prevalent among soldiers who landed in the order of travel. When Yamaguchi visited the field hospital, he held a soldier's hand, stroked his back, and scolded him, "What should I do if the sickness takes my life to throw away for the nation?" 楓仙子著『帝国軍人亀鑑』東雲堂　明28年9月/ref> He led the right-wing corps to participate in the

Battle of Weihaiwei The Battle of Weihaiwei (Japanese: was a battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place between 20 January and 12 February 1895, in Weihai, Shandong Province, China, between the forces of Japan and Qing China. In early January 1895, the ...

. At the Battle, in the early morning of January 29, prior to the battle , he stood on a small hill to observe the battle situation. At that time, a shell on the Qing side exploded nearby, and a reporter from the American Chronicle (Either

The San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The pa ...

The Augusta Chronicle ''The Augusta Chronicle'' is the daily newspaper of Augusta, Georgia, and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States still in publication. The paper is known for its coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is played in Augusta. The ''C ...

) next to him fell. When Yamaguchi pulled him up, he said in a calm tone, "I may come back later, so I should go away soon." Due to his victory and achievement in Weihaiwei, he was awarded to be a baron in August 1895 after the war, and in October 1896, he advanced to Lieutenant General of the Army and was supplemented by the 5th Division Commander. In 1900, he was sent to participate in the

due to Japanese involvement in the conflict and was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Asahi and the

. In March 1904, he was promoted to General of the Army and appointed the military councilor officer before his death in August of the same year. His place of burial is at Aoyama Cemetery, Minato, Tokyo. Juhachi Yamaguchi, the adopted son who succeeded him, was attacked as a child. Juhachi later became a major general in the Army, and served as the chief of the Infantry 11th Brigade and the Chief of the 1st Brigade of the Guard Infantry.

Court Ranks

*Junior Fourth Rank (February 28, 1890) *Senior Fourth Rank (May 20, 1895) *Junior Third Rank (June 11, 1900) *Senior Third Rank (March 17, 1904)

Awards

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

* Commemorative Chapter *

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

, second class * Military Medal of Honor *

, third class; in 1901 second class

Foreign Honours

* :

Order of the Iron Crown The Order of the Iron Crown ( it, link=no, Ordine della Corona Ferrea) was an order of merit that was established on 5 June 1805 in the Kingdom of Italy by Napoleon Bonaparte under his title of Napoleon I, King of Italy. The order took its name ...

* : Order of Leopold * :

Order of the Double Dragon The Imperial Order of the Double Dragon () was an order awarded in the late Qing dynasty. The Order was founded by the Guangxu Emperor on 7 February 1882 as an award for outstanding services to the throne and the Qing court. Originally it was a ...

* :

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

* :

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

『官報』第5531号「叙任及辞令」1901年12月9日。 * :

Order of St. Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holst ...

Bibliography

Ikuhiko Hata is a Japanese historian. He earned his PhD at the University of Tokyo and has taught history at several universities. He is the author of a number of influential and well-received scholarly works, particularly on topics related to Japan's role ...

ed., 2nd edition of the Japanese Army and Navy Encyclopedia, The University of Tokyo Press, 2005. * List of years of service for the same amount of active-duty officers in the Army. July 1, 190110 pages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamaguchi, Motomi Japanese generals 1846 births 1904 deaths People of Edo-period Japan People of Meiji-period Japan Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War People of the Boshin War People of the Satsuma Rebellion Japanese military personnel of the Boxer Rebellion Recipients of the Order of the Golden Kite, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class