Yoshika Inoue
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Marshal Admiral Viscount was a career naval officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during Meiji-period
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.


Biography

Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city, as the son of a '' samurai'' retainer of the
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, ...
, Inoue took part in the
Anglo-Satsuma War The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the , was a military engagement fought between Britain and the Satsuma Domain in Kagoshima from 15 to 17 August 1863. The British were attempting to extract compensation and legal justice from ''daimyo ...
as a youth. Although severely injured by
shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam ...
through his left thigh during the fighting, he was extremely impressed with the firepower of the Royal Navy and the amount of material damage that only a few vessels were able to inflict on Kagoshima. On recovery, he enlisted in the Satsuma Navy, and he was present at all of the major naval engagements associated with 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 ...
to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate as commander of the Satsuma warship . After the Meiji Restoration and the absorption of the various feudal navies into central government control, Inoue reenlisted as a lieutenant in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy, serving on the , rising to the position of
executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
by 1872, and returning to the ''Kasuga'' again as its captain in 1874. Inoue was a supporter of Saigō Takamori and his '' Seikanron'' position vis-a-vis Korea. At the time of the Ganghwa Island incident (1875), Inoue was captain of the gunboat and played a key role in the events which led to the opening of Korea to foreign trade and diplomatic relations. Inoue then was assigned to the new corvette of which he was the chief equipping officer in charge of overseeing her construction. ''Seiki'' was the first domestically-produced Japanese warship. Despite his admiration for Saigō and some concerns that he might defect with the ''Seiki'', Inoue remained loyal to the Meiji government against his former Satsuma clansmen during the Satsuma Rebellion. In October 1877, Inoue was assigned to take ''Seiki'' on a voyage to Europe and back. ''Seiki'' passed through the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
, and made a port call at Constantinople, where Inoue was received in an audience by the
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, and eventually reached London. The voyage was hailed in the foreign press as a major achievement for Japan. On his return to Japan, Inoue captained a wide selection of ships in the Japanese navy, including the Azuma, , and . Inoue was promoted to commander in June 1882 and to
rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...
on 15 June 1886, and appointed Director of the Bureau of Naval Affairs shortly thereafter. He was ennobled 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 ...
) under the '' kazoku'' peerage system on 24 May 1887. Inoue became first commandant of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy on 16 August 1888. He became Commander-in-Chief of the Readiness Fleet on 29 July 1889, and vice admiral and commander-in-chief of the
Sasebo Naval District was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and t ...
on 12 December 1892. He remained in charge of reserve forces, and thus did not see any combat during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1895. He was commander-in-chief of the Kure Naval District from 26 February 1896 to 20 May 1900. In November 1900, he was awarded the
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 ...
, 1st class. Inoue was commander-in-chief of the Yokosuka Naval District from 20 May 1901 to 14 January 1905. He was promoted to
admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
on 12 December 1901. In November 1905, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the
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 ...
. After the Russo-Japanese War, Inoue was elevated to ''shishaku'' ( viscount) on 21 September 1907, and to the largely ceremonial rank of Marshal Admiral on his retirement on 31 October 1911. After retirement, Inoue continued to exert an influence on naval policy, and was a strong proponent of the occupation and annexation of the Caroline Islands during World War I Inoue died in 1929. His grave is in his hometown of Kagoshima.


Decorations


Dates of rank

*June 25, 1873 (Meiji 6) -- Junior Sixth Rank *May 25, 1876 (Meiji 9) -- Sixth Rank *October 28, 1886 (Meiji 19) -- Junior Fourth Rank *February 13, 1892 (Meiji 25) -- Senior Fourth Rank *September 20, 1898 (Meiji 31) -- Third rank *December 27, 1901 (Meiji 34) -- Senior Third Rank *February 1, 1907 (Meiji 40) -- Second rank *February 20, 1914 (Taisho 3) -- Senior Second Rank *March 22, 1929—Junior First Rank 『官報』第668号「叙任及辞令」1929年3月25日。


Medals, etc.

*November 19, 1885 -- The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays *November 25, 1889 (Meiji 22) -- The Commemorative Medal for the Imperial Constitution Promulgation *November 29, 1893 (Meiji 26) --
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 ...
1895 (Meiji 28) *November 18 (Meiji 278 -- Military Medal of Honor *November 21-- Order of the Rising Sun Shigemitsu *November 30, 1900 (Meiji 33) -- The Order of the Sacred Treasure *November 30, 1905 (Meiji 38) -- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun *April 1, 1906 (Meiji 39) -- Order of the Golden Kite, Second Class *September 21, 1907 (Meiji 40) -- Viscount *October 31, 1911 (Meiji 44) -- Gensui Marshal, Marshal Emblem 1915 (Taisho 4) *November 7 -- A pair of gold cups, Military Medal of Honor in 1914 *November 10—Great Religion Memorial *November 1, 1920 (Taisho 9) -- Asahi Sun Kirihana Daihosho, (Taisho 3rd to 9th year) Military Medal of Honor 『官報』第2612号「叙任及辞令」1921年4月19日。 *March 22, 1929 -- Grand Cordon of the Supreme Chrysanthemum


References

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External links

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Yoshika 1845 births 1929 deaths People from Satsuma Domain Samurai People of Meiji-period Japan People of the Boshin War Japanese military personnel of the First Sino-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Imperial Japanese Navy marshal admirals Kazoku Shimazu retainers Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure People from Kagoshima