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 diplomat of the Empire of Japan.

Biography

Hayashi was born in

Aizu Domain was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1601 to 1871.Ravina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 The Aizu Domain was based at Tsuruga Castle in Mutsu Province, the core of the ...

(modern

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

). His grandfather,

Hayashi Yasusada was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Also known by his formal name (), , A retainer of the Aizu domain, Gonsuke was an accomplished martial artist of Ichinomiya ryu iaijutsu, Naganuma ryu strategy, and gunnery. Promoted to in 1862, he ...

(also known as "Hayashi Gonsuke") was a noted samurai leader in 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 ...

of the Meiji Restoration, but fighting for the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1867, his grandfather and father were both killed in combat during the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

, leaving the seven-year-old Gonsuke as head of the Hayashi household. Despite his youth, he was given a military rank and assigned to a position in the defense of

Aizuwakamatsu Castle , also known as Tsuruga Castle (鶴ヶ城 ''Tsuru-ga-jō'') is a concrete replica of a traditional Japanese castle in northern Japan, at the center of the city of Aizuwakamatsu, in Fukushima Prefecture. Background Aizu Wakamatsu Castle is locate ...

during the

Battle of Aizu The Battle of Aizu (Japanese: 会津戦争, "War of Aizu") was fought in northern Japan from October to November in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War. History Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time a s ...

. After the defeat of the Aizu forces and the establishment of the Meiji government, Hayashi, along with many surviving members of the Aizu clan, were sent to the newly created Tonami Domain in what is now northern Aomori Prefecture. However, after a period in northern Japan, he caught the attention of an officer from

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, ...

, Kodama Sanefumi, who had known his grandfather in Kyoto from the days of the Kōbu gattai movement, and Kodama brought the young Hayashi and his mother to live in Tokyo. Kodama subsequently died during the Satsuma Rebellion. Hayashi graduated from Tokyo Imperial University and obtained a position at the Foreign Ministry in 1887. After serving as Consul to the Japanese diplomatic missions at Chemulpo, Korea and Shanghai,

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 ...

, he served as secretary at the Japanese embassies in London and Beijing. While in China, he helped Liang Qichao escape to exile in Japan after the Conservative Coup ended the Hundred Days' Reform. Hayashi was highly regarded by

Katō Takaaki Count was a Japanese politician, diplomat, and Prime Minister of Japan from 1924 until his death on 28 January 1926, during the period which historians have called " Taishō Democracy". He was also known as Katō Kōmei. Early life Katō, w ...

, and was appointed Director of the Communications Bureau in the Foreign Ministry in 1899. During the Russo-Japanese War, Hayashi served as Deputy Ambassador to the Kingdom of Korea, and in that capacity signed the

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1904 The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1904 was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1904. Negotiations were concluded on February 23, 1904.Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington ...

of February 23, 1904, which gave the Imperial Japanese Army freedom of action on the Korean Peninsula. This was followed by the

Japan–Korea Agreement of August 1904 The Japan–Korea Protocol of August 1904 was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1904. Negotiations were concluded on August 22, 1904.Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Was ...

and the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 which resulted in Korea becoming a protectorate of the Empire of Japan. Hayashi was rewarded with elevation to the '' kazoku'' peerage of Japan, with the title of ''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 ...

). He served as resident minister of Japan to the Kingdom of Italy in 1908. During World War I, Hayashi served as Minister Plenipotentiary to China. In 1919–1920 Hayashi served as the first civilian governor of the

Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory ( ja, 關東州, ''Kantō-shū''; ) was a leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Trea ...

. In 1920, he was reassigned to London, and in 1921 was part of the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations Assembly in Geneva,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. Hayashi served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1920–1925, and in that capacity represented his country at the

Genoa Conference The Genoa Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of 34 nations held in Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922 that was planned by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George to resolve the major economic and political issues faci ...

in 1922."Japanese Delegates to Genoa" ''The New York Times'', January 25, 1922
/ref> Hayashi subsequently served as a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

from 1934 until his death in 1939. His grave is at the

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 origin ...

in Tokyo.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayashi, Gonsuke (diplomat) Japanese colonial governors and administrators 1860 births 1939 deaths Kazoku Ambassadors of Japan to the United Kingdom People of the Kwantung Leased Territory Japanese people of the Russo-Japanese War University of Tokyo alumni Consuls General of Japan in Shanghai

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links