Ijichi Kosuke
Encyclopedia
Baron
was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army
in the First Sino-Japanese War
and Chief of Staff of the Japanese Third Army
during the Siege of Port Arthur
in the Russo-Japanese War
. His wife was the niece of Marshal Oyama Iwao
.
family in Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima prefecture
). He was a graduate of the 2nd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. After serving in the Imperial Guard
, he was sent in 1880 to France
for four years of training at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
, and from there to Germany
. He was recalled before the start of the First Sino-Japanese War
to serve on the planning department of the Imperial General Headquarters
. After the war, he was sent as a military attaché
to Great Britain
from 1898-1900.
Promoted to major general
in 1900, he held numerous staff positions within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff pertaining to field artillery
. He was also briefly assigned to the staff of the Japanese embassy in Seoul
, Korea
in 1903. With the start of the Russo-Japanese War
, he was assigned as Chief of staff to General Nogi Maresuke’s Third Army, in charge of the operation against the Imperial Russian stronghold of Port Arthur during the Siege of Port Arthur
. There were several reasons for his choice: Ijichi had wide experience with foreign tactics from his years overseas, spoke several languages fluently and could interface with foreign military observers. He was also a specialist in artillery. And furthermore, his Satsuma background provided for a balance to Nogi’s Chōshū origins, which was thought necessary in an army still divided by regional loyalties. However, Ijichi clashed with Nogi on several occasions during the Port Arthur campaign over the extremely high rate of casualties the Japanese forces were taking, and the long months without appreciable progress against the heavily fortified Russian positions. The Japanese command blamed Ijichi, rather than Nogi, for incompetence, and for continuing to order ineffective human wave attack
s against Russian positions. Marshall Yamagata Aritomo
, on the General Staff of the Manchurian Army pushed strongly to have Ijichi replaced by General Kodama Gentarō. Due to these issues, Nogi replaced him as chief of staff after the fall of Port Arthur, and refused him a position in the 3rd Army at the Battle of Mukden
, reassigning him back to the Japanese home islands to assume command of the coastal artillery at Tokyo Bay
.
After the war, Ijichi was promoted to lieutenant general
and given the rank of danshaku (baron
) in the kazoku
peerage in 1907. He attempted to resign, citing health reasons; however, he was persuaded to stay on as commander of the IJA 11th Division until 1908. He retired in 1913.
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
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...
in the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
and Chief of Staff of the Japanese Third Army
Japanese Third Army
The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army based in Manchukuo as a garrison force under the overall command of the Kwantung Army during World War II, but its history dates to the Russo-Japanese War.-History:...
during the Siege of Port Arthur
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
in 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...
. His wife was the niece of Marshal Oyama Iwao
Oyama Iwao
|-...
.
Biography
Ijichi was born to a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
family in Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima prefecture
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Kagoshima.- Geography :Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southwest tip of Kyushu and includes a chain of islands stretching further to the southwest for a few hundred kilometers...
). He was a graduate of the 2nd class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. After serving in the Imperial Guard
Imperial Guard of Japan
The Japanese is an organization which is dedicated to protection of the Emperor of Japan and his family, palaces and other imperial properties. Following the end of World War II the traditional Guard, which also served as a unit in the Imperial Japanese Army, was dissolved and in 1947 a civil...
, he was sent in 1880 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...
for four years of training at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr
École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr
The École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr is the foremost French military academy. Its official name is . It is often referred to as Saint-Cyr . Its motto is "Ils s'instruisent pour vaincre": literally "They study to vanquish" or "Training for victory"...
, and from there to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was recalled before the start of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
to serve on the planning department of the Imperial General Headquarters
Imperial General Headquarters
The as part of the Supreme War Council was established in 1893 to coordinate efforts between the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy during wartime...
. After the war, he was sent as a military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from 1898-1900.
Promoted to major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1900, he held numerous staff positions within the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff pertaining to field artillery
Field artillery
Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
. He was also briefly assigned to the staff of the Japanese embassy in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in 1903. With the start of 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...
, he was assigned as Chief of staff to General Nogi Maresuke’s Third Army, in charge of the operation against the Imperial Russian stronghold of Port Arthur during the Siege of Port Arthur
Siege of Port Arthur
The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....
. There were several reasons for his choice: Ijichi had wide experience with foreign tactics from his years overseas, spoke several languages fluently and could interface with foreign military observers. He was also a specialist in artillery. And furthermore, his Satsuma background provided for a balance to Nogi’s Chōshū origins, which was thought necessary in an army still divided by regional loyalties. However, Ijichi clashed with Nogi on several occasions during the Port Arthur campaign over the extremely high rate of casualties the Japanese forces were taking, and the long months without appreciable progress against the heavily fortified Russian positions. The Japanese command blamed Ijichi, rather than Nogi, for incompetence, and for continuing to order ineffective human wave attack
Human wave attack
Human wave attack, also known as human sea attack, is an offensive infantry tactic, in which an attacker conducts an unprotected frontal assault with densely concentrated infantry formations against the enemy line, intended to overrun the defenders by engaging in melee combat.-Definition:According...
s against Russian positions. Marshall Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...
, on the General Staff of the Manchurian Army pushed strongly to have Ijichi replaced by General Kodama Gentarō. Due to these issues, Nogi replaced him as chief of staff after the fall of Port Arthur, and refused him a position in the 3rd Army at the Battle of Mukden
Battle of Mukden
One of the largest land battles to be fought before World War I, the , the last major land battle of the Russo-Japanese War, was fought from 20 February to 10 March 1905 between Japan and Russia near Mukden in Manchuria...
, reassigning him back to the Japanese home islands to assume command of the coastal artillery at Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
.
After the war, Ijichi was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General 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 normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and given the rank of danshaku (baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
) in the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage in 1907. He attempted to resign, citing health reasons; however, he was persuaded to stay on as commander of the IJA 11th Division until 1908. He retired in 1913.