"Military history of Japan The military history of Japan is characterized by a period of clan warfare that lasted until the 12th century AD. This was followed by feudal wars that culminated in military governments known as the ""Shogunate"". Feudal militarism transitioned to imperial militarism in the 19th century after the landings of Admiral Perry and the elevation of the Meiji Emperor. This led to rampant imperialism until Japan's defeat by the Allies in World War II. The Occupation of Japan marks the inception of modern Japanese military history, with the drafting of a new Constitution prohibiting the ability to"
"From 1192 to 1867, sovereignty of the state was exercised by the ""shōguns"", or their ""shikken"" regents (1203–1333), whose authority was conferred by Imperial warrant. When Portuguese explorers first came into contact with the Japanese (see ""Nanban period""), they described Japanese conditions in analogy, likening the Emperor with great symbolic authority but little political power, to the Pope, and the ""shōgun"" to secular European rulers (e.g., the Holy Roman Emperor). In keeping with the analogy, they even used the term ""Emperor"" in reference to the ""shōguns"" and their regents, e.g. in the case of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, whom missionaries called ""Emperor"
"Gensui (Imperial Japanese Army) The title originated from the Chinese title ""yuanshuai""（元帥）. The term ""gensui"", which was used for both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy, was at first a rank held by Saigō Takamori as the Commander of the Armies (陸軍元帥 Rikugun-gensui) in 1872. However, in May 1873 Saigō was ""demoted"" to general, with ""gensui"" thereafter no longer a rank as such, but a largely honorific title awarded for extremely meritorious service to the Emperor - thus similar in concept to the French title of Marshal of France. Equivalent to a five-star rank (OF-10), it is"
"Shōgun The was the military dictator of Japan during the period from 1185 to 1868 (with exceptions). The shōgunate was their administration or government. In most of this period, the ""shōguns"" were the ""de facto"" rulers of the country, although nominally they were appointed by the Emperor as a ceremonial formality. The ""shōguns"" held almost absolute power over territories through military means. Nevertheless, an unusual situation occurred in the Kamakura period (1199–1333) upon the death of the first ""shōgun"", whereby the Hōjō clan's hereditary titles of ""shikken"" (1199–1256) and ""tokusō"" (1256–1333) dominated the shogunate as dictatorial positions, collectively known as"
"the shogunate, and thus Japan: ""tokusō"", ""shikken"", and ""rensho"". Shikken The was a titular post, officially a regent of the shogunate, from 1199 to 1333, or during the Kamakura period, therefore it was head of the ""bakufu"" (shogunate). It was part of the era referred to as . During roughly the first half of that period, the ""shikken"" was the de facto military dictator of Japan (not including the independent Northern Fujiwara). The title of ""shikken"" was modified, as second in command to the ""Tokusō"" beginning in 1256, but by the Muromachi period (1333–1573) the position, though not abolished, did"
"competition included the Emperor and the court aristocracy, the remnants of the imperial governmental systems, the ""daimyōs"", the ""shōen"" system, the great temples and shrines, the ""sōhei"", the ""shugo"" and ""jitō"", the ""jizamurai"" and early modern ""daimyō"". Each shogunate reflected the necessity of new ways of balancing the changing requirements of central and regional authorities. Shōgun The was the military dictator of Japan during the period from 1185 to 1868 (with exceptions). The shōgunate was their administration or government. In most of this period, the ""shōguns"" were the ""de facto"" rulers of the country, although nominally they were appointed by"
"grave is in in Kanagawa. He is said to have had a love of learning, like his father, and to have contributed to the establishment of the Kanazawa Bunko. Hōjō Akitoki Hōjō Akitoki (; 1248 – 7 May 1301) was a Japanese military leader during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). He was the third head of the of the Hōjō clan. Akitoki was the son of Kanezawa Sanetoki and a daughter of Hōjō Masamura. In 1257 Akitoki had his ""genpuku"" coming-of-age ceremony under the ""tokusō"" Hōjō Tokiyori and took the name ""Tokikata"" (). In 1260 he became a guard of the"
"imagined) of ""Colonel Akashi"" have been the subject of countless novels, manga, movies and documentary programs in Japan, where he has been dubbed the ""Japanese James Bond"". Akashi Motojiro Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 7th Governor-General of Taiwan from 6 June 1918 to 26 October 1919. A native of Fukuoka and a graduate of the 1889 class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, Akashi was nominally under the Imperial Guard Division attached to the staff of General Kawakami Sōroku during the First Sino-Japanese War. His primary duty was information gathering. In that capacity he"
"similar to Field Marshal in the UK British Army and General of the Army in the United States Army. While ""gensui"" would retain their actual ranks of general or admiral, they were entitled to wear an additional enamelled breast badge, depicting paulownia leaves between crossed army colors and a naval ensign under the Imperial Seal of Japan. They were also entitled to wear a special samurai sword (""katana"") of a modern design on ceremonial occasions. In the Meiji period, the title was awarded to five generals and three admirals. In the Taishō period it was awarded to six generals and"
"greatest threat and for the most part supported the ""Hokushin-ron"" concept that Japan's strategic interests were on the Asian continent. The Navy looked across the Pacific Ocean and saw the United States as the greatest threat, and for the most part supported the ""Nanshin-ron"" concept that Japan's strategic interests were in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. Hirohito, the Emperor of Japan, was defined as the Head of State and the Generalissimo of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces according to the constitution of 1889. During World War II, the leadership of the Imperial General Headquarters consisting of the following: The"
"of Kumamoto Prefecture. During the Boshin War of 1868–69, the Hosokawa of Kumamoto, Kumamoto-Shinden, and Udo sided with the imperial government. Its forces took part in the Battle of Aizu and the Battle of Hakodate, among others. Following the abolition of the feudal class in 1871, the Hosokawa clan and its branches were made part of the new nobility in the Meiji era. The head of the main family line (Kumamoto) was given the hereditary title of marquis (""kōshaku""), while the heads of the secondary branches became viscounts (""shishaku""); the titles became obsolete in 1947. The present head of the"
"six admirals, and in the Shōwa period it was awarded to six generals and four admirals. The higher title of ""dai-gensui"" was comparable to the title of ""generalissimo"" and was held only by the Emperor himself. Note that several were promoted the same year they died; these were posthumous promotions. The title was also bestowed on King George V of the United Kingdom on October 28, 1918. Gensui (Imperial Japanese Army) The title originated from the Chinese title ""yuanshuai""（元帥）. The term ""gensui"", which was used for both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy, was at first a"
"(Japanese: , Hepburn: ""Taiwan Sōtoku"", Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân Chóng-tok) was the ruler of Taiwan in the Japanese era. The Governor-General was supervised by the Prime Minister of Japan, and then by the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Colonial Affairs. The Governor-General exercised executive, legislative, and judicial powers in Taiwan. The Governor-General was also the commander of the Mixed Brigade of Taiwan Defense until it reorganized to the Taiwan Army under the Imperial Japanese Army in 1919 The Chief of General Affairs (Japanese: , Hepburn: ""Sōmu Chōkan"", Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chóng-bū Tiúⁿ-koaⁿ), named Chief of Civil Affairs (Japanese: , Hepburn: ""Minsei"
"of 1832–1837, in which thousands are known to have perished. The years in which Ienari was shōgun are more specifically identified by more than one era name or ""nengō"". Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari; 徳川 家斉 (November 18, 1773 – March 22, 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ""shōgun"" of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837. He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune through his son Munetada (1721–1764), head of the Hitotsubashi branch of the family, and his grandson Harusada (1751–1827). Ienari died in 1841 and was given the Buddhist name Bunkyouin"
"five years. In 1192 he received the title ""shōgun"" and set up the first ""bakufu"" at Kamakura. The later Ashikaga (founders of the Ashikaga shogunate), Nitta, and Takeda clans claim descent from the Seiwa Genji. The protagonist of the classical Japanese novel ""The Tale of Genji"", Hikaru Genji, was bestowed the name Minamoto for political reasons by his father the emperor and was delegated to civilian life and a career as an imperial officer. The Genpei War is also the subject of the early Japanese epic ""The Tale of the Heike"" (""Heike Monogatari""). Even within royalty there was a distinction"
"commander in Korea. He was promoted to general in February 1912 and entered the reserves the same year. He retired from service in April 1917. Ueda Arisawa Baron was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army. Ueda was born as the second son to a samurai family from Tokushima Domain and as a youth was a samurai in the service of the Hachisuka clan with a revenue of 300 ""koku."" He fought for the clan during the Boshin War of the Meiji restoration and in February 1869 was made a battalion commander in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. He"
"Kamakura shogunate The Kamakura shogunate (Japanese: 鎌倉幕府, ""Kamakura bakufu"") was a Japanese feudal military government of imperial-aristocratic rule that ruled from 1185 to 1333. The heads of the government were the ""shōguns"". The first three were members of the Minamoto clan. The next two were members of the Fujiwara clan. The last six were minor Imperial princes. These years are known as the Kamakura period. The period takes its name from the city where the Minamoto shōguns lived. After 1203, the Hōjō clan held the office of ""shikken"". In effect, the ""shikken"" governed in the name of the ""shōguns"". Before"
"remained in place during the initial period when nothing else had been contrived to replace the existing Tokugawa system. For example, the commander-in-chief of artillery under the early Meiji government was called the ""Hohei-bugyō."" Bugyō , often translated as ""commissioner"" or ""magistrate"" or ""governor"", was a title assigned to samurai officials of the Tokugawa government in feudal Japan; other terms would be added to the title to describe more specifically a given commissioner's tasks or jurisdiction. In the Heian period (794–1185), the post or title of ""bugyō"" would be applied only to a set task; once that task was complete,"
"of the Army and Navy. The ""kanji"" characters also refer to a Buddhist deity, Daigensui Myō'ō (大元帥明王), a Wisdom King worshipped by the Imperial Court since Emperor Ninmyō and by the Shingon sect, for its legendary miraculous power to quell foreign enemies and rebellions, just like a military leader. The insignia of a ""dai-gensui"" were identical to those of a full general, with the addition of the gold imperial chrysanthemum. The holders of this rank were: Dai-gensui The term originated in the Chinese military title ""da yuan shuai"" (大元帥), a title higher than ""yuan shuai"" (元帥, pronounced ""gensui"" in Japanese)."
"Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; ""Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun""; ""Army of the Greater Japanese Empire"") 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 of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the navy. Later an Inspectorate General of Aviation became the third agency with oversight of the army. During wartime or national emergencies, the nominal command functions of the emperor would be centralized in"
"the . The ""shōguns"" during this 134-year period met the same fate as the Emperor and were reduced to figurehead status until a coup d'état in 1333, when the ""shōgun"" was restored to power in the name of the Emperor. ""Shōgun"" is the short form of , the individual governing the country at various times in the history of Japan, ending when Tokugawa Yoshinobu relinquished the office to Emperor Meiji in 1867. The tent symbolized the field commander but also denoted that such an office was meant to be temporary. The ""shōgun""s officials were collectively the ""bakufu"", and were those"
"primary connections between the Kamakura ""shōguns"" and their successors. Numerous other family links existed as the various clans and cadet branches were heavily interrelated through marriage. Kamakura shogunate The Kamakura shogunate (Japanese: 鎌倉幕府, ""Kamakura bakufu"") was a Japanese feudal military government of imperial-aristocratic rule that ruled from 1185 to 1333. The heads of the government were the ""shōguns"". The first three were members of the Minamoto clan. The next two were members of the Fujiwara clan. The last six were minor Imperial princes. These years are known as the Kamakura period. The period takes its name from the city where"
"""Kyūshū Tandai"", who represented the ""shōgun""s interests and orders in the southernmost of the main islands. Kanrei Originally, from 1219 until 1333, the post was synonymous with the ""Rokuhara Tandai"", and was based in Kyoto. The Hōjō clan monopolized this post, and there were during this period two Deputies – a southern chief, and a northern chief. From 1336 to 1367, the Deputy was called . The first to hold this title was Kō no Moronao. In 1367, Hosokawa Yoriyuki was chosen by a council to become Deputy (Kyoto ""Kanrei""). In order to ensure the loyalty of his colleagues, the"
"the rank of field marshal in 1898. He showed his leadership on military issues as acting War Minister and Commanding General during the First Sino-Japanese War; as the Commanding General of the Japanese First Army during the Russo-Japanese War; and as the Chief of the General Staff Office in Tokyo. He was the political and military ideological ancestor of the ""Hokushin-ron "" as he traced the first lines of a national defensive strategy against Russia after Russo-Japanese War. Yamagata was one of the group of seven political leaders, later called the ""genrō"", who came to dominate the government of Japan."
"an Imperial General Headquarters (IGHQ), an ad-hoc body consisting of the chief and vice chief of the Army General Staff, the Minister of the Army, the chief and vice chief of the Naval General Staff, the Inspector General of Aviation, and the Inspector General of Military Training. In the mid-19th century, Japan had no unified national army and the country was made up of feudal domains (""han"") with the Tokugawa shogunate (""bakufu"") in overall control, which had ruled Japan since 1603. The bakufu army, although large force, was only one among others, and bakufu efforts to control the nation depended"
"a colonel in the army: ""Taisa"" (colonel), so the rank of ""Rikugun Taisa"" denoted an army colonel, while the rank of ""Kaigun daisa"" denoted a naval captain. Ranks of the Imperial Japanese Army The following tables present the rank insignia of the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. These designs were worn on shoulders as passants (shoulder straps) between the years 1911 and 1938, then on collars afterwards until 1945, when the army was dissolved. The same officer ranks were used for both the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy, the only distinction being the placement"
"as Military Commissioner of Kyoto, but he resigned on 7 April. On October 1867, Yoshinobu resigned as shōgun, returning political power to the Imperial Court, but tried to maintain Tokugawa hegemony as the most powerful of the feudal lords. In the subsequent Boshin War, Shungaku acted as an intermediary until the final surrender of the pro-Tokugawa forces in 1869. In 1868, his court rank was elevated to Junior Second Rank, and his courtesy title to ""Gon-Chūnagon"". His court rank became Senior Second Rank in 1869. In new Meiji government he served in a number of cabinet-equivalent posts, including Chief Executive"
"with the title of ""danshaku"" (baron) under the ""kazoku"" peerage system. During the Russo-Japanese War, Hasegawa was assigned to the First Army under General Kuroki Tamemoto as commander of the Imperial Guards Division in the spring of 1904. He later fought with distinction at the Battle of the Yalu on 30 April – 1 May 1904, and was soon after promoted to general in June 1904. He was commander of the Korea Garrison Army from September 1904 until December 1908. In 1907, Hasegawa was elevated to the title of ""shishaku"" (viscount). Hasegawa was appointed Chief of Staff of the Imperial"
"Over the course of the Imperial Japanese Army's existence, millions of its soldiers were either killed, wounded or listed as missing in action. Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; ""Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun""; ""Army of the Greater Japanese Empire"") 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 of Japan as supreme commander of the army and the navy. Later an Inspectorate General of Aviation became the"
"""appoint stewards and constables in all provinces"". Finally, in 1192, after Go-Shirakawa's death, Yoritomo was granted the imperial commission ""Sei-i Tai Shōgun"". This was the beginning of a feudal state in Japan, with real power now in Kamakura. However, Kyoto remained the ""seat of national ceremony and ritual."" The end of the Genpei War and beginning of the Kamakura shogunate marked the rise to power of the warrior class (""samurai"") and the gradual suppression of the power of the emperor, who was compelled to govern without effective political or military power, being effectively reduced to a purely symbolical and ceremonial"
"the Imperial Armed Forces and head of state. Early period World War II The military of Imperial Japan was divided into two main branches: the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Imperial Japanese Army. To coordinate operations, the Imperial General Headquarters, headed by the Emperor, was established in 1893. Prominent generals and leaders: Empire of Japan The was the historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 to the enactment of the 1947 constitution of modern Japan. Japan's rapid industrialization and militarization under the slogan and led to its emergence as a world power and the"
"to help modernize the armies of the Bakufu. Japan sent a delegation to and participated in the 1867 World Fair in Paris. Tokugawa Yoshinobu (informally known as Keiki) reluctantly became head of the Tokugawa house and ""shōgun"" following the unexpected death of Tokugawa Iemochi in mid-1866. In 1867, Emperor Kōmei died and was succeeded by his second son, Mutsuhito, as Emperor Meiji. Tokugawa Yoshinobu tried to reorganize the government under the Emperor while preserving the ""shōgun""s leadership role, a system known as ""kōbu gattai"". Fearing the growing power of the Satsuma and Chōshū ""daimyōs"", other ""daimyōs"" called for returning the"
"Japanese Army General Staff in 1912. He forced War Minister Uehara Yūsaku to resign over Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi's tight fiscal policy and attempted revision of the system whereby only active duty officers would be able to serve as Ministers of War and Navy. The collapse of Saionji’s government was known as the ""Taishō Political Crisis"". In 1915, Hasegawa was awarded the title of field marshal, and was elevated to the title of ""hakushaku"" (count) in 1916. From October 1916, he served as the second Japanese Governor-General of Korea, and was later criticized for his military approach to the Samil"