- Kawamura Sumiyoshi
Infobox Military Person
name=Count Sumiyoshi Kawamura
lived=18 December 1836 -12 August 1904 [Nishida, Imperial Japanese Navy]
placeofbirth=Kagoshima ,Satsuma domain ,Japan
placeofdeath=Japan
caption= Japanese Admiral Sumiyoshi Kawamura
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=navy|Empire of Japan
serviceyears=
rank=Admiral
commands=Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
unit=
battles=Boshin War Satsuma Rebellion Taiwan Expedition of 1874
awards=
family=
laterwork=Navy Minister, Privy CouncillorCount nihongo|Kawamura Sumiyoshi|川村純義|Kawamura Sumiyoshi, (
18 December 1836 -12 August 1904 ), was an admiral in theImperial Japanese Navy . Kawamura's wife Haru was the aunt ofSaigō Takamori .Biography
A native of Satsuma, Kawamura studied navigation at
Tokugawa bakufu naval school at Nagasaki. In 1868, he joined his Satsuma clansmen, and fought on the imperial side in theBoshin War of theMeiji Restoration as an army general. He was especially noted for his role in the Battle of Aizu-Wakamatsu.Under the new
Meiji government , he became an officer in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy, and steadily rose through the ranks. He became first Director of theImperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1870 and "taifu" (senior vice minister) of Navy in 1872. He was in command of Japanese naval forces during theTaiwan Expedition of 1874 .During the
Satsuma Rebellion , he was placed in command of all Imperial troops in September 1877 at the finalBattle of Shiroyama near Kumamoto, whenSaigō Takamori was killed (or committed "seppuku "). This battle, Saigō's last stand against the Meiji government, was the historical basis for the famous 2003 film "The Last Samurai ".In 1878, Kawamura became "sangi" (councillor) and the second Navy Minister. He remained in that position until 1885 except when he was temporarily replaced by
Enomoto Takeaki , and during that period he expanded the influence of people from Satsuma within the navy.In 1884, he was ennobled with the title of "hakushaku" (count) under the "
kazoku " peerage system. Later serving as court councillor andPrivy Councillor , in 1901 he was given responsibility for the upbringing of the newborn Prince Michi (the future Emperor Hirohito) and his younger brother Prince Chichibu (Yasuhito).In 1904, Kawamura was posthumously appointed to the rank of
admiral , setting a precedent for such honors.References
Books
* cite book
last = Cobbing
first = Andrew
year = 1989
title = The Japanese Discovery of Victorian Britain
publisher = RoutledgeCurzon
location =
isbn = 1-873410-81-6
* cite book
last = Cobbing
first = Andrew
year = 2000
title = The Satsuma Students in Britain
publisher = RoutledgeCurzon
location =
isbn = 1-873410-97-2
* cite book
last = Keane
first = Donald
year = 2005
title = Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852-1912
publisher = Columbia University Press
location =
isbn = 0-231-12341-8
* cite book
last = Ravina
first = Mark
year = 2003
title = The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
publisher = Whiley
location =
isbn = 0-471-08970-2Notes
External links
* [http://homepage2.nifty.com/nishidah/e/px00.htm#a003 Kawamura Sumiyoshi] at the Imperial Japanese Navy website
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