Gengo Hyakutake
Encyclopedia
was a career officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
.
of Saga Domain
, Hyakutake’s elder brother Saburō Hyakutake was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
, and his younger brother Harukichi Hyakutake was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army
. Initially destined for a career in agriculture, after his elder brother Kōji’s death due to illness, he decided to follow his brother’s desires for a naval career instead.
Hyakutake graduated from the 30th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
in 1902. He served as a midshipman on and during the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-1905, and was on Mikasa during the Battle of the Yellow Sea
. Afterwards, he transferred to the Karasaki Maru, followed by the battleship , on which he participated in the Battle of Tsushima
.
After the war, Hyakutake served on the cruiser , on which he made a voyage to Great Britain. In September 1907, he was promoted to lieutenant. He graduated from Naval Artillery School the same year. After serving on and , he attended the Naval Staff College
in 1910 and was promoted to lieutenant commander. Hyakutake was subsequently sent to the United States
from May 1915 through June 1917, during which time he was promoted to the rank of commander. On his return, he served as an instructor at the Naval Staff College through the end of 1921. In the period following the Russo-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Navy had increasingly looked towards the United States Navy
as its “theoretical number one enemy” and had increasing promoted an anti-American stance in politics. Hyakutake spoke out strongly against this trend in his lectures at the Naval Staff College, emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation with the United States.
In December 1920, Hyakutake was promoted to captain, and in December 1921 was given command of the cruiser . Tama was assigned as escort to during its visit with the Prince of Wales
to Japan, and collided with a collier off Shimonoseki. Hyakutake transferred command to the cruiser in March 1923, and joined the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
in December of the same year.
In February 1925, Hyakutake was sent as a naval attache to France
and in June of the same year was part of Japan’s delegation to the League of Nations
. He was promoted to rear admiral while in France, and returned to Japan in February 1926. On his return, he continued to teach at the Naval Staff College, continuing to promote the concepts of disarmament, external cooperation and negotiations and thus coming increasingly into conflict with the militaristic ultra-nationalism of General Sadao Araki
and members of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Imperial Way Faction
. His relations with General Shigeru Honjō
were so strained that Honjō refused to speak or meet with him. Hyakutake was promoted to vice admiral on December 1, 1930 and became Commandant of the Naval Staff College in 1932. In September 1933, he was transferred to become commander of the Maizuru Naval District
and in November 1934 was commander-in-chief of the IJN 3rd Fleet
. He became commander of the Sasebo Naval District
in December 1935 and commander of the Yokosuka Naval District
from December 1936. Promoted to full admiral on April 1, 1937, Hyakutake then became a Naval Councillor on April 26, 1938. He remained stubbornly steadfast in his opposition to war with the United States, and was forced into early retirement in July 1942. In March 1945, he briefly was president of Kyushu Imperial University.
After the war, Hyakutake moved to Inasa District, Shizuoka
, where he took up farming. He died in 1976 at the age of 94.
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
.
Biography
Born to a low-ranking samuraiAshigaru
The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...
of Saga Domain
Saga Domain
Saga Domain was a han, or feudal domain, in Tokugawa period Japan. Largely contiguous with Hizen Province on Kyūshū, the domain was governed from Saga Castle in the capital city of Saga by the Nabeshima clan of tozama daimyō...
, Hyakutake’s elder brother Saburō Hyakutake was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, and his younger brother Harukichi Hyakutake was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
. Initially destined for a career in agriculture, after his elder brother Kōji’s death due to illness, he decided to follow his brother’s desires for a naval career instead.
Hyakutake graduated from the 30th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
The was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888...
in 1902. He served as a midshipman on and during the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
of 1904-1905, and was on Mikasa during the Battle of the Yellow Sea
Battle of the Yellow Sea
The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from...
. Afterwards, he transferred to the Karasaki Maru, followed by the battleship , on which he participated in the Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
.
After the war, Hyakutake served on the cruiser , on which he made a voyage to Great Britain. In September 1907, he was promoted to lieutenant. He graduated from Naval Artillery School the same year. After serving on and , he attended the Naval Staff College
Naval War College (Japan)
The was the staff college of the Imperial Japanese Navy, responsible for training officers for command positions either on warships, or in staff roles....
in 1910 and was promoted to lieutenant commander. Hyakutake was subsequently sent to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from May 1915 through June 1917, during which time he was promoted to the rank of commander. On his return, he served as an instructor at the Naval Staff College through the end of 1921. In the period following the Russo-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Navy had increasingly looked towards the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as its “theoretical number one enemy” and had increasing promoted an anti-American stance in politics. Hyakutake spoke out strongly against this trend in his lectures at the Naval Staff College, emphasizing the importance of continued cooperation with the United States.
In December 1920, Hyakutake was promoted to captain, and in December 1921 was given command of the cruiser . Tama was assigned as escort to during its visit with the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
to Japan, and collided with a collier off Shimonoseki. Hyakutake transferred command to the cruiser in March 1923, and joined the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...
in December of the same year.
In February 1925, Hyakutake was sent as a naval attache to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and in June of the same year was part of Japan’s delegation to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. He was promoted to rear admiral while in France, and returned to Japan in February 1926. On his return, he continued to teach at the Naval Staff College, continuing to promote the concepts of disarmament, external cooperation and negotiations and thus coming increasingly into conflict with the militaristic ultra-nationalism of General Sadao Araki
Sadao Araki
Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before World War II. A charismatic leader and one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the late Japanese Empire, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the politicized Japanese Army and served as...
and members of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Imperial Way Faction
Imperial Way Faction
The was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army, active in the 1920s and 1930s and largely supported by junior officers aiming to establish a military government, that promoted totalitarian, militarist, and expansionist ideals...
. His relations with General Shigeru Honjō
Shigeru Honjo
-Notes:...
were so strained that Honjō refused to speak or meet with him. Hyakutake was promoted to vice admiral on December 1, 1930 and became Commandant of the Naval Staff College in 1932. In September 1933, he was transferred to become commander of the Maizuru Naval District
Maizuru Naval District
was one of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the entire Sea of Japan coastline from northern Kyūshū to western Hokkaidō.-History:...
and in November 1934 was commander-in-chief of the IJN 3rd Fleet
IJN 3rd Fleet
The was a fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was created on six separate occasions.-Russo-Japanese War:First established on 28 December 1903, the IJN 3rd Fleet was created by the Imperial General Headquarters as an administrative unit to manage various vessels considered too obsolete for...
. He became commander of the Sasebo Naval District
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 the Pacific...
in December 1935 and commander of the Yokosuka Naval District
Yokosuka Naval District
was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula.-History:...
from December 1936. Promoted to full admiral on April 1, 1937, Hyakutake then became a Naval Councillor on April 26, 1938. He remained stubbornly steadfast in his opposition to war with the United States, and was forced into early retirement in July 1942. In March 1945, he briefly was president of Kyushu Imperial University.
After the war, Hyakutake moved to Inasa District, Shizuoka
Inasa District, Shizuoka
was a rural district located in western Shizuoka, Japan. Over the course of several mergers and consolidations, all of the district has been absorbed into the city of Hamamatsu, and was abolished in 2005....
, where he took up farming. He died in 1976 at the age of 94.