Miura Gorō
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Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
was a
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
in the early
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
; he is notable for orchestrating the murder of Queen Min of Korea in 1895.


Biography

Miura was born in Hagi in Chōshū Domain (modern
Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). ...
), to a ''
samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
'' family with the name of Andō, but was adopted by the Miura that was the family name of his father-in-law. After studying at the Meirinkan clan military academy, he entered the '' Kiheitai'' irregular militia of the Chōshū domain and played an active role in the Boshin War to overthrow the
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
. He fought at the Battle of Hokuetsu. He later held various posts in Army-Navy Ministry under the
Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...
and was commander of the
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
District. He helped suppress the Hagi Rebellion in his native Chōshū. During the Satsuma Rebellion, he served as commander of the Army's Third Brigade during the Battle of Tabaruzaka. In 1882, Miura was appointed commander of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. In 1884, he accompanied Ōyama Iwao on a tour of
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, to study the military systems in various western countries, and favoured an army organisation modelled after the French, and on his return became commander of the Tokyo Garrison. However, Miura come into increasing conflict with the Army leadership under General Yamagata Aritomo over conscription policies, the need for a large standing army, and the government's fire-safe of the assets of the Hokkaidō Colonization Office, as well as Aritomo's favouritism for an army modelled after that of Prussia. Yamagata and Prince Arisugawa blocked a move by
Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...
to appoint Miura as
Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...
of the Ministry of the Army in 1886, and he was transferred from Tokyo to the
Kumamoto is the capital Cities of Japan, 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 populat ...
Garrison. Miura resigned rather than accept the demotion, but remained an outspoken critic of Yamagata and the direction he was taking the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
. He became a leading member of the ''Getsuyōkai'', an army fraternal association which had been established by the largely-French trained first graduating classes of the Army Academy. While the ''Getsuyōkais main purpose was to encourage research into the latest military developments, under Miura the association's journal, ''Getsuyōkai kiji'', published scathing critics of Yamataga and other army leaders, and promoted the concept of a small, defensive army. Stung by the unceasing criticism, Yamagata ordered Miura into the secondary reserves and ordered the ''Getsuyōkai'' disbanded in 1889. Miura, who had been elevated to the title ''shishaku'' (
viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
) under the ''
kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...
'' peerage system in 1884, was appointed a member of the House of Peers from 1890, and became president of the Gakushuin Peers School from 1892. In September 1895, Miura was appointed Japan’s resident minister in
Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, succeeding Inoue Kaoru. Miura was increasingly concerned over growing Russian influence over the Korean government, and less than a month after his arrival in Korea, Empress Myeongseong ordered the disbanding of the Japanese-trained Hullyeondae militia. Miura saw this as a first step in an attempt to remove pro-Japanese members of the government and loyalists to the Heungseon Daewongun, which would then lead to Russian intervention. Miura then staged a counter-coup, assassinating the Empress; however, this plan backfired due to international outrage over the incident, widespread anti-Japanese violence throughout Korea, the arrest of pro-Japanese government officials and King Gojong seeking shelter in the Russian consulate. Miura initially denied any Japanese involvement in the incident, despite eye-witness accounts otherwise, and the Japanese government issued a statement that he had acted independently, without instructions from Tokyo. Miura was recalled to Japan and placed on trial with the involved military personnel at the Hiroshima District Court. The holding of a trial would have given the impression of the rule of law to observers including Western nations. Miura's attorney argued in defense, that killing is not murder when done to achieve political supremacy with Miura admitting the fact of the assassination. Nonetheless, the court found him not guilty on technical grounds of insufficient evidence, presumably of personal motive.''The History of Korea'' Homer B. Hulbert Vol 2 The Methodist Publishing House, Seoul (1905) Chapter XXI at page 298 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52749 Retrieved 9 September 2023 Miura and cohorts emerged from trial as national heroes. Later, after the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty in 1910, Miura became a privy council member and focused on eliminating vestiges of the clan-based factionalism from politics, gaining a reputation as an Éminence grise for fixing issues "behind-the-scenes". On his death of uremia in 1926, he was posthumously awarded the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers.


Popular culture

* Portrayed by Kim Eung-soo in the 2012 film '' Gabi''.


Awards and decorations

* Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (posthumously conferred) * Order of the Rising Sun, 1st class * Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class *
Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...
* Order of St. Anna, 1st class * Order of the Crown * Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur * Order of Franz Joseph


See also

* List of Ambassadors from Japan to South Korea * Assassination of Empress Myeongseong


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miura, Gorō 1847 births 1926 deaths People from Chōshū Domain Kazoku People of the Boshin War Military personnel from Yamaguchi Prefecture People from Hagi, Yamaguchi Japanese generals Regicides People of the Meiji era Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class People of the assassination of Empress Myeongseong Japanese assassins