Field Marshal (Japan) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

was the highest title in the prewar Imperial Japanese Military.

The term gensui, which was used for both the 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...

and the 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...

, was at first a rank held by Saigō Takamori

Saigo Takamori

was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai.-Early life:...

as the Commander of the Armies in 1872. However in May 1873 Saigō was 'demoted' to General, with gensui thereafter no longer a rank as such, but a largely honorific title awarded for extremely meritorious service to the Emperor

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

- thus similar in concept to the French title of Marshal of France

Marshal of France

The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...

.

While gensui would retain their actual ranks of general or admiral, they were entitled to wear an additional enamelled breast badge, depicting paulownia

Paulownia

Paulownia is a genus of from 6 to 17 species of plants in the monogeneric family Paulowniaceae, related to and sometimes included in the Scrophulariaceae. They are native to much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam, and long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea...

leaves between crossed army colour

Colours, standards and guidons

In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...

and naval ensign under the Imperial Seal of Japan

Imperial Seal of Japan

The Imperial Seal of Japan is a mon or crest used by members of the Japanese Imperial family. Under the Meiji Constitution, no one was permitted to use the Imperial Seal except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16 petal chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the...

. They were also entitled to wear a special samurai sword of a modern design on ceremonial occasions.

In the Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

, the title was awarded to 5 generals and 3 admirals. In the Taishō period

Taisho period

The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...

it was awarded to 6 generals and 6 admirals, and in the Shōwa period

Showa period

The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...

it was awarded to 6 generals and 4 admirals. The higher title of Dai Gensui was comparable to the title of Generalissimo

Generalissimo

Generalissimo and Generalissimus are military ranks of the highest degree, superior to Field Marshal and other five-star ranks.-Usage:...

.

Note that several were promoted the same year they died - these were posthumous promotions.

	Field Marshal !! Name!!(Birth-Death)!! From
X	July 19, 1872	Saigō Takamori Saigo Takamori was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai.-Early life:...	(1827-1877)	Kagoshima
1	January 20, 1898	Prince Yamagata Aritomo Yamagata Aritomo Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...	(1838-1922)	Yamaguchi Yamaguchi 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 :...
2	January 20, 1898	Prince Komatsu Akihito	(1846-1903)	Imperial Family
3	January 20, 1898	Prince Ōyama Iwao Oyama Iwao \|-...	(1842-1916)	Kagoshima
4	January 31, 1906	Marquis Nozu Michitsura Nozu Michitsura -External links:...	(1840-1908)	Kagoshima
5	October 24, 1911	Count Oku Yasukata Oku Yasukata - Notes :...	(1847-1930)	Fukuoka Fukuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
6	January 9, 1914	Count Hasegawa Yoshimichi	(1850-1924)	Yamaguchi
7	January 9, 1914	Prince Fushimi Sadanaru Prince Fushimi Sadanaru was the 22nd head of the Fushimi-no-miya shinnōke . He was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army.- Early life :...	(1858-1923)	Imperial Family
8	January 9, 1914	Baron Kawamura Kageaki	(1850-1926)	Kagoshima
9	June 24, 1916	Count Terauchi Masatake Terauchi Masatake , GCB was a Japanese military officer and politician. He was a Field Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 18th Prime Minister of Japan from 9 October 1916 to 29 September 1918.-Early period:...	(1852-1919)	Yamaguchi
10	December 12, 1919	Prince Kan'in Kotohito Prince Kan'in Kotohito , wasthe sixth head of a cadet branch the Japanese imperial family, and a career army officer who served as Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff from 1931 to 1940.-Early years:...	(1865-1945)	Imperial Family
11	April 27, 1922	Baron Uehara Yusaku	(1856-1933)	Miyazaki Miyazaki, Miyazaki is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Located on the coast and perforated by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains...
12	January 27, 1929	Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Meiji and Taishō periods. He was the father of Empress Kōjun , and therefore, the maternal grandfather of the present emperor of Japan, Akihito.-Early life:Prince Kuni Kuniyoshi was born in...	(1873-1929)	Imperial Family
13	August 8, 1932	Prince Nashimoto Morimasa	(1874-1951)	Imperial Family
14	May 3, 1933	Baron Nobuyoshi Muto Nobuyoshi Muto -External links:*- Notes :...	(1868-1933)	Saga Saga Prefecture is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
15	June 21, 1943	Count Hisaichi Terauchi	(1879-1946)	Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
16	June 21, 1943	Hajime Sugiyama	(1875-1945)	Fukuoka
17	June 2, 1944	Shunroku Hata	(1879-1962)	Fukushima Fukushima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

See also