Nozu Michitsura

Marquis Nozu Michitsura
Japanese General Marquis Nozu Michitsura
Born	December 17, 1840 Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, Japan
Died	October 18, 1908(1908-10-18) (aged 67) Tokyo, Japan
Allegiance	Empire of Japan
Service/branch	Imperial Japanese Army
Years of service	1871 -1906
Rank	Field Marshal
Commands held	Imperial Japanese Army
Battles/wars	Boshin War First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War
Awards	Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

In this Japanese name, the family name is "Nozu".

Marquis Nozu Michitsura (野津 道貫^?, 17 December 1840 – 18 October 1908), was a Japanese field marshal and leading figure in the early Imperial Japanese Army.

Biography

Born in Kagoshima as the son of a samurai of the Satsuma domain, Nozu took part in the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration. In 1871, he was appointed an army major in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army, and later fought against his former Satsuma clansmen in the Satsuma Rebellion. In 1878, he became commander of the Tokyo military district. Together with War Minister Ōyama Iwao, he visited Europe to examine the military systems of various European nations. On returning to Japan, he was appointed commander of the Hiroshima military district and promoted to general in 1894.^[1]

During the First Sino-Japanese War Nozu led the Hiroshima Division at the Battle of Pyongyang (1894). He succeeded General Yamagata Aritomo as command-in-chief of the Japanese Manchurian Army, and fought in that capacity throughout the remainder of the war. Afterwards, he successively held various military posts including Commander of the Imperial Guard Division, Inspector-General of Military Training, and a member of the Military Councilor.

For his services, Emperor Meiji granted him the rank of viscount (shishaku) under the kazoku peerage system in 1895.^[2]

Nozu commanded the Japanese Fourth Army, which played a crucial role in the Battle of Mukden in the Russo-Japanese War, and was promoted to field marshal in 1906. His title was also upgraded to koshaku (marquis) in 1906.

Nozu's decorations included the Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) and the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.

He served as a member of the House of Peers of the Diet of Japan from 1907 until his death in 1908. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery in downtown Tokyo.

Notes

1. ^ Dupuy, Encyclopedia of Military Biography
2. ^ National Diet Library, Portraits of Modern Historical Figures

References

• Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3. 
• Jansen, Marius B. (1986). Japan in Transition: From Tokugawa to Meiji The Making of Modern Japan. Princeton University Press.  10-ISBN 0691054592/13-ISBN 9780691054599; OCLC 12311985
• Paine, S.C.M (2002). The Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895: Perceptions, Power, and Primacy. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-81714-5. 

External links

• National Diet Library. "Nozu, Michitsura". Portraits of Modern Historical Figures. http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/161.html. 

Persondata
Name	Nozu, Michitsura
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1840-12-17
Place of birth	Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, Japan
Date of death	1908-10-18
Place of death	Tokyo, Japan