was a Japanese rear admiral and judoka. He served in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

and

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and served as the 2nd director of the

Kodokan Judo Institute The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...

from 1938 to 1946.

Military career

Jirō was born on December 21, 1876, as the eldest son of who served as a politician and a civilian officer of the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. After graduating from the naval preparatory course at his ', he would graduate from the 26th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in December 1898 and was commissioned as an ensign in January 1900. During the

, he was the captain of the 4th Torpedo-Boat Division and would later command the of the 1st Torpedo-Boat Division. In December 1905, he was appointed as a Marine Secretary before studying as a Class B student at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

and a senior science student at the . In September 1907, he became the captain of the '' Hatsushimo'', and after commanding the '' Kashima'', In September 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy and commanded the '' Tokiwa''. After working as an instructor at the Naval Torpedo School, he graduated from the Naval War College within Class A of its 8th class in November 1910. In December 1910, he became the chief torpedo officer of the '' Satsuma'' and after serving as a marine instructor, he participated within

as deputy chief of the '' Asama''. In December 1913, he was promoted to Commander. From February 1916, he served as a

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

to Prince Yorihito Higashifushimi, and in December 1917, he was promoted to captain. In February 1919, he was appointed captain of '' Kasuga'' and later took command of the '' Katori'' before becoming deputy of the

Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo. History Created in 1893, the Navy General Staff took over operational (as opposed to a ...

. In December 1922, he advanced to the rank of rear admiral and became the commander of the Sasebo Defense Force. In December 1923, he was placed on standby, and in February 1924, he was transferred to the reserve. As the nephew of Jigorō Kanō, the founder of the

, he served as the second director after his retirement from the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Court Ranks

*Senior Eight Rank (February 20, 1900) *Junior Seventh Rank (December 17, 1901) *Senior Seventh Rank (December 19, 1903) *Junior Sixth Rank (December 11, 1908) *Senior Sixth Rank (January 30, 1914) *Junior Fifth Rank (January 30, 1918) *Senior Fifth Rank (December 28, 1922) *Junior Fourth Rank (March 24, 1924)

Awards

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...

, 4th class (May 16, 1914) *First Census Commemorative Medal (July 1, 1921)『官報』第2858号・付録「辞令」1922年2月14日。

Foreign Awards

*: Order of the Crown, Commander『官報』第3369号「叙任及辞令」1919年1月24日。 *:

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, Officer *:

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus () (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the world, tracing its lineage to AD 1098, a ...

, Commander *:

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

, Commander

References

Bibliography

*Ikuhiko Hata, ed., Japan Army and Navy General Encyclopedia, 2nd edition, University of Tokyo Press, 2005. *Misao Toyama, ed., Army and Navy Officer Personnel Directory, Navy Edition, Fuyo Shobo Publishing, 1981. *Hideki Fukukawa, Dictionary of Japan Navy Generals, Fuyo Shobo Publishing, 2000. *Japan Naval History, Vol. 10, edited by the Society for the Preservation of Naval History, released by Daiichi Hoki Publishing, 1995. *"List of Warship Asama Brigadier Officers and Above" Center for Asian Historical Records Ref.C11081162800 (Collection of the National Institute for Defense Studies, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of the Navy-Envoy-T3-13-19, Ministry of the Navy Kumon Remarks, Documents Related to the Mission of the U.S. Branch, Vol. 15) * ( Collection, Ministry of the Navy - Expeditions to the United Kingdom and the United States - T3-13-19 Ministry of the Navy Kumon Memorandum, Documents related to the Expeditionary Forces to the United States, Volume 15) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nangō, Jirō 1876 births 1951 deaths Military personnel from Tokyo People of the Meiji era Imperial Japanese Navy admirals Imperial Japanese Naval Academy alumni Japanese military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Japanese military personnel of World War I Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th class Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Commanders of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)