Maresuke Nogi

General Maresuke Nogi (乃木希典 Nogi Maresuke, December 25 1849 - September 13 1912) was a Japanese army general, and a prominent figure in the Russo-Japanese War.

Nogi was born to a house of samurai from Chōfu region on November 11, 1849. His childhood name was Mujin, literally "no one", to prevent evil spirits from coming to harm him. On turning 18, he was renamed Nogi Bunzō.

On November 1869, by the order of the Nagato domain's lord, he enlisted in Fushimi Goshin Heisha (lit. the Fushimi Loyal Guard Barrack) to be trained in a French style for the Army. After completing the training, he was reassgined to the Kawatō Barrack in Kyoto as a teacher and then as Toyōra domain's Army trainer in charge of the coastal defence troop. On 1871, he became a Army major and renamed himself Maresuke taking a kanji from his father. On 1875, he became the 14th infantry regiment's attache and for his service in Seinannoeki, he would become a lieutenant colonel. However, in a fierce battle, he had lost the regiment's banner to the enemy, and he considered this a grave mistake which he listed as one of the reasons for his later seppuku. In October, his father Maretsugu died from disease in Tokyo.

Next year in 1876, he was named as the Kumamoto regional troop's staff officer and commanded the first infantry regiment. On August 27, he married Sizuko, the fourth daughter of Satsuma samurai Yuji Sadano, who was then 20 years old. Nogi was 28 years old at the time, a very late marriage at that time considering that the average age to marry was in the early 20s. On August 28 1877, their first son Katsunori was born, and Nogi bought his first house at Nizakamachi, Tokyo. On 1878, he became a colonel and next year his second son Kazunori was born in December. Both sons were killed in action in the Russo-Japanese War.

He served as the Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan from 14 October 1896 to February 1898.

Nogi also assisted in the raising of Emperor Hirohito by heading the Peers' School from 1908-1912. He was, perhaps, the most important influence on the life of the future emperor of Japan.

He committed seppuku (切腹) within hours of the death of the Meiji Emperor Mutsuhito. The suicide was in accordance with the samurai practice of following the master into death, called junshi (殉死). Nogi and his spouse bathed togther, and changed into white kimono, before sharing a cup of sake before the tokonoma. He then killed his wife and ripped open his own bowels, leaving a letter explaining that he wished to expiate for a defeat suffered in his past, and the thousands of casualties at Port Arthur. All four members of the Nogi family are buried at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.

External links

ja:乃木希典 pl:Maresuke Nogi zh:乃木希典

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