Togo Heihachiro

Tōgō Heihachirō was born in 1848 in Kagoshima, a city in the southwestern part of Japan. He was the third of four sons of a samurai family that served the Shimazu clan, the feudal lords of Satsuma domain. He received a traditional samurai education and learned swordsmanship, archery, and horsemanship. He also developed an interest in Western culture and technology, especially in naval science and engineering. He joined the Satsuma navy at the age of 15 and participated in the Anglo-Satsuma War of 1863, in which the British bombarded Kagoshima in retaliation for the murder of a British merchant by Satsuma samurai. He later fought in the Boshin War of 1868-1869, which was a civil war between the pro-imperial forces and the Tokugawa shogunate that resulted in the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan. He distinguished himself in several naval battles, such as the Battle of Awa, the Battle of Hakodate, and the Battle of Miyako Bay. After the war, he was selected to study naval science in England from 1871 to 1878, where he learned about the latest developments in naval warfare, shipbuilding, and navigation. He also visited other European countries and witnessed the Franco-Prussian War. He returned to Japan in 1878 and became an instructor at the Naval Academy. He rose in the ranks of the Imperial Japanese Navy and held various commands and posts, such as the captain of the ironclad warship Fuso, the chief of staff of the Yokosuka Naval District, and the commander of the Standing Fleet. He also served as a naval attaché in China during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, where he observed the naval operations and battles, such as the Battle of Pungdo, the Battle of the Yalu River, and the Battle of Weihaiwei. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1895 and became the commander of the Sasebo Naval District in 1896. He was involved in a diplomatic incident in 1897, when he sank a British merchant ship, the Kowshing, that was carrying Chinese troops to Korea. He claimed that he acted in self-defense, but the British government protested and demanded an apology and compensation. The incident was eventually settled peacefully, but it strained the relations between Japan and Britain. In 1898, he was promoted to vice admiral and became the commander of the China Area Fleet. He was also appointed as a member of the Supreme War Council and the Naval Affairs Bureau. He retired from active service in 1902, but he was recalled in 1903 to become the commander in chief of the Combined Fleet, the main striking force of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was also made an admiral on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which was a conflict between Japan and Russia over the control of Korea and Manchuria. He led the surprise attack on the Russian naval base at Port Arthur (now Lüshun) on February 8, 1904, which started the war. He then imposed a naval blockade on Port Arthur and engaged the Russian fleet in several battles, such as the Battle of Port Arthur, the Battle of the Yellow Sea, and the Battle of the Sea of Japan (also known as the Battle of Tsushima). He achieved a decisive victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet at the Battle of Tsushima on May 27-28, 1905, which was one of the most decisive and influential naval battles in history. He destroyed or captured 33 out of the 35 Russian ships, while losing only three torpedo boats and 116 men. He also captured the Russian commander, Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky, and treated him with respect and courtesy. The Battle of Tsushima ended the war and established Japan as a major naval power. Tōgō was hailed as a national hero and a naval genius. He was compared to Admiral Horatio Nelson, the British naval hero who defeated the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He was nicknamed "the Nelson of the East" by Western journalists and "Johnny Chinaman" by his British friends. He was also honored with various awards and decorations, such as the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, the Order of the Golden Kite, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, the Order of Merit, the Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and the Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold. He was also ennobled as a hakushaku (count) in 1907 and as a kōshaku (marquess) in 1934. After the war, he became the chief of the Naval General Staff and the war councillor to the emperor. He retired from the navy in 1913 and was promoted to fleet admiral in 1914. He was also appointed as the tutor to the future emperor Hirohito from 1914 to 1924. He taught him about naval affairs, history, geography, and ethics. He also accompanied him on his visits to naval bases and ships. He was regarded as a mentor and a father figure by Hirohito, who respected and admired him. He died of heart failure on May 30, 1934, at the age of 86. He was buried at the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo, where a monument was erected in his honor. He was also commemorated with shrines, statues, streets, and schools named after him. He remains one of the most revered and celebrated figures in Japanese history and culture.