Arichi Shinanojo
Encyclopedia
Baron was an admiral
in the early Imperial Japanese Navy
, and served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
in the late 19th century.
. His younger brother was Admiral Nashiba Tokioki
. As a samurai youth, he fought in the Boshin War
to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate
, participating in combat in the northern Tohoku campaign. He was then dispatched by the domain to Europe
for studies, observing military operations in the Franco-Prussian War
first-hand. On his return to Japan, he was commissioned as a major
in the new Imperial Japanese Army
in 1871. Under the new Meiji government, he served in the Minister of the Military, and transferred to the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy
in 1873 with the rank of lieutenant commander
. He was thus was of the few men from the Chōshū domain to choose the Navy over the Army as a career. It is not certain why he made this choice, but some historians theorize it was part of a strategy by the Chōshū clan leaders to ensure that the navy did not become a Satsuma monopoly.
Arichi was captain of the frigate
in 1878 and corvette
Nisshin in 1881. After his promotion to the rank of captain in 1882, he was assigned as commanding officer to the corvette , followed by Tsukuba. In 1884, while captain of Tsukuba, the ship suffered from an outbreak of beriberi
in which 23 crewmen died. Subsequently, Tsukuba was used as the basis of a successful experiment by Naval doctor Takaki Kanehiro into the sailors' diet, which later eliminated beriberi as an issue within the Japanese navy.
Arichi was promoted to rear admiral
on 15 June 1886 and became commandant of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
from 1887-1889. He was Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
from 1889-1891.
From 1891-1892, Arichi served as commander in chief of the Readiness Fleet. He was promoted to vice admiral
in 1892, and was commander in chief of the Kure Naval District
during the First Sino-Japanese War
. He was commander in chief of the Combined Fleet from May–October 1895, and took part in the Japanese invasion of Taiwan
. He was forced to resign over an incident involving the illegal boarding of British MV Thales by sailors from the cruiser off Taiwan
on 21 October 1895 in search of Liu Yung-fu, the fugitive president of the Republic of Formosa
.
On 5 June 1896, he was ennobled with the title of baron
(danshaku) under the kazoku
peerage system.
Arichi entered the reserves from 1895, and served in the House of Peers
from 1897-1904. He retired in 1911, but continued to serve as a member of the Privy Council (Japan)
from 1914 until his death in 1919. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the early Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
, and served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...
in the late 19th century.
Biography
Arichi was born in Chōshū domain (now Yamaguchi prefectureYamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
. His younger brother was Admiral Nashiba Tokioki
Nashiba Tokioki
- Notes :...
. As a samurai youth, he fought in the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, participating in combat in the northern Tohoku campaign. He was then dispatched by the domain to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for studies, observing military operations in the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
first-hand. On his return to Japan, he was commissioned as a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the new Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
in 1871. Under the new Meiji government, he served in the Minister of the Military, and transferred to the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
in 1873 with the rank of lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
. He was thus was of the few men from the Chōshū domain to choose the Navy over the Army as a career. It is not certain why he made this choice, but some historians theorize it was part of a strategy by the Chōshū clan leaders to ensure that the navy did not become a Satsuma monopoly.
Arichi was captain of the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
in 1878 and corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Nisshin in 1881. After his promotion to the rank of captain in 1882, he was assigned as commanding officer to the corvette , followed by Tsukuba. In 1884, while captain of Tsukuba, the ship suffered from an outbreak of beriberi
Beriberi
Beriberi is a nervous system ailment caused by a thiamine deficiency in the diet. Thiamine is involved in the breakdown of energy molecules such as glucose and is also found on the membranes of neurons...
in which 23 crewmen died. Subsequently, Tsukuba was used as the basis of a successful experiment by Naval doctor Takaki Kanehiro into the sailors' diet, which later eliminated beriberi as an issue within the Japanese navy.
Arichi was promoted to rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
on 15 June 1886 and became commandant of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
The was a school established to train officers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. It originally located in Nagasaki, moved to Yokohama in 1866, and was relocated to Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1869. It moved to Etajima, Hiroshima in 1888...
from 1887-1889. He was Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
The was the highest organ within the Imperial Japanese Navy. In charge of planning and operations, it was headed by an Admiral headquartered in Tokyo.-History:...
from 1889-1891.
From 1891-1892, Arichi served as commander in chief of the Readiness Fleet. He was promoted to vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
in 1892, and was commander in chief of the Kure Naval District
Kure Naval District
was the second of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the Inland Sea of Japan and the Pacific coasts of southern Honshū from Wakayama to Yamaguchi prefectures, eastern and northern Kyūshū and Shikoku....
during the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
. He was commander in chief of the Combined Fleet from May–October 1895, and took part in the Japanese invasion of Taiwan
Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)
The Japanese invasion of Taiwan was a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the armed forces of the short-lived Republic of Formosa following the Qing Dynasty's cession of Taiwan to Japan in April 1895 at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War...
. He was forced to resign over an incident involving the illegal boarding of British MV Thales by sailors from the cruiser off Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
on 21 October 1895 in search of Liu Yung-fu, the fugitive president of the Republic of Formosa
Republic of Formosa
The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing Dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its invasion and occupation by Japanese troops...
.
On 5 June 1896, he was ennobled with the title of baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
(danshaku) under the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage system.
Arichi entered the reserves from 1895, and served in the House of Peers
House of Peers (Japan)
The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....
from 1897-1904. He retired in 1911, but continued to serve as a member of the Privy Council (Japan)
Privy Council (Japan)
was an advisory council to the Emperor of Japan that operated from 1888 to 1947.-Functions:Modeled in part upon the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, this body advised the throne on matters of grave importance including:...
from 1914 until his death in 1919. His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.