Kigoshi Yasutsuna

Infobox Military Person
name= Kigoshi Yasutsuna
lived= 22 April 1854 - 26 March 1932
placeofbirth=Ishikawa prefecture, Japan
placeofdeath=


caption=General Kigoshi Yasutsuna
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=
serviceyears=1880 -1917
rank=General
commands=IJA 12th Division, IJA 2nd Army, IJA 4th Army, Manchurian Army
unit=
battles= Satsuma Rebellion
First Sino-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
awards=
family=
laterwork=Minster of Warnihongo|Kigoshi Yasutsuna|木越安綱| Kigoshi Yasutsuna|extra= 22 April 1854 - 26 March 1932 was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army.

Biography

Kigoshi was born as the eldest son to a samurai family of the Kaga domain (present day Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture). In 1875, while still a student at the very first class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, he participated in combat during the Satsuma Rebellion. He was sent as a military attaché for training in Prussia from 1883.

After his return to Japan, Kigoshi served as Chief of Staff of the IJA 3rd Division in the First Sino-Japanese War.

In 1898, Kigoshi was promoted to major general and was assigned as Chief of Staff of the Taiwan Army of Japan. From 1901-1902, he served on the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff and was given a field command again during the Russo-Japanese War, where he commanded of the IJA 23rd Infantry Brigade, which especially distinguished itself during the Battle of Sandepu.

After the war, he served on the staff of the Manchurian Army, and subsequently as commander of the IJA 1st Division, IJA 5th Division and IJA 6th Division. In 1907, he was ennobled with the title of baron (danshaku) under the kazoku peerage system.

Kusunose was also promoted to lieutenant general in 1907. In January 1913, he became Minister of War under the First Yamamoto Gonnohyoe cabinet. [Wendel, Axis History Factbook ] . Under his tenure, the nihongo|"Military Ministers to be Active-Duty Officers Law"|軍部大臣現役武官制|Gumbu daijin gen'eki bukan sei, much to the outrage of the Army General Staff, who ensured that Kigoshi would be bypassed for promotion to full general. He entered the reserves in 1914, and retired from military service immediately afterwards. From 1920 until his death in 1932, Kigoshi served as a member of the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.

References

Books

*cite book
last = Ching
first = Leo T.S.
coauthors =
year = 2001
title = Becoming Japanese: Colonial Taiwan and the Politics of Identity Formation
publisher = University of California Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-520-22553-8
*cite book
last = Jukes
first = Geoffry
year = 2002
title = The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905
publisher = Osprey Essential Histories
location =
id = ISBN 9-78184-17644-67
*cite book
last = Harries
first = Meirion
year = 1994
title = Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army
publisher = Random House
location =
id = ISBN 0-679-75303-6

External links

*cite web
last = Wendel
first = Marcus
url = http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=6793
title = Army Ministers of State
work = Axis History Factbook

Notes