Historical Figures Codexery

Nogi Maresuke

Japanese general and governor-general of Taiwan, known for his role in the capture of Port Arthur and his suicide following Emperor Meiji's funeral.

Nogi Maresuke was a Japanese army general who became a national hero for his role in the Russo-Japanese War.[1][2] He died by ritual suicide on the day of Emperor Meiji's funeral, an act that highlighted the samurai practice of junshi.[1][3] His life was marked by two military disgraces he sought to atone for: losing an imperial banner in the Satsuma Rebellion and suffering heavy casualties at Port Arthur.[1][4]

Quick Facts

Office
3rd Governor-General of Taiwan
Monarch
Meiji
Took office
14 October 1896
Left office
26 February 1898
Predecessor
Katsura Tarō
Successor
Kodama Gentarō
Nickname
Kiten; Count Nogi
Birth name
Nogi Nakito

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

In 1894, Major-General Nogi commanded the First Infantry Brigade that captured Port Arthur in one day during the First Sino-Japanese War.[5] Recalled to active service in 1904, General Nogi commanded the Japanese Third Army in the siege of Russian-held Port Arthur.[6] After the siege, he broke down before Emperor Meiji, apologizing for the 56,000 lives lost and asking to commit suicide.[7] From 1908 to 1912, he served as head of the Peers' School and was mentor to the young Hirohito.[8]

In 1871, Nogi received a commission as a major in the Imperial Japanese Army, and around that time he adopted the name Maresuke, taking a kanji from his father's name.[4] After Emperor Meiji's funeral cortege departed the palace, Nogi and his wife Shizuko died by seppuku, following the samurai practice of junshi.[3]

What the cited sources add

The National Diet Library's portrait record lists Nogi Maresuke under its author heading for modern Japanese historical figures.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Benesch, Oleg. (2014). Inventing the Way of the Samurai, p. 153. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jukes, Geoffrey. (2002). The Russo-Japanese War 1904–1905, p. 66. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Noss, John Boyer. (1980). Man's Religions, p. 319.; Lyell, Thomas. (1948). Case History of Japan, p. 142. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bix, Herbert. (2000). Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, p. 42. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tucker, "500 Great Military Leaders", ABC-CLIO, December 16, 2014, p. 560 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Connaughton, Richard. (1988). Rising Sun and Tumbling Bear, p. 101. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keene, Donald. (2005). Emperor of Japan, Meiji and his World, pp. 712–713. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Nogi Maresuke" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bix, Herbert. (2000). Hirohito and the Making of Modern Japan, pp. 36-37, 43. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. National Diet Library: "Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures," Nogi Maresuke.. facts only, no text reused. ndl.go.jp

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Nogi Maresuke (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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