Uryu Sotokichi
Encyclopedia
Baron was an early admiral
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
, active in the Russo-Japanese War
, most notably at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay
and the Battle of Tsushima
. His name is sometimes transliterated as "Uriu Sotokichi", or "Uriu Sotokitchi", but actually it's inaccurate transliteration for old kana spelling, which Japanese pronunciation is the same as modern .
family in the Kaga Domain
(present day Kanazawa
in Ishikawa prefecture
), Uryū became one of the first cadets of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy
but did not graduate; instead, he was then sent to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis
on 9 June 1875, returning on 2 October 1881.
Commissioned as a lieutenant
, he served aboard various ships throughout the 1880s, including the corvette
, the ironclad
, and the cruiser
. On 23 July 1891, he assumed his first command: the gunboat
. Promoted to captain
in 1891, he was then posted as naval attaché to France
from 5 September 1892-31 August 1896.
After the outbreak of the First Sino-Japanese War
, Uryū briefly commanded the new cruiser , followed by his old ship Fusō.
A brief spell in prison for three months from 5 April 1898 did not seem to hurt his career, as he was appointed captain of the cruiser on 1 February 1898, and the battleship
on 16 June 1898. He became a rear admiral
and Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff
on 21 May 1900.
Uryū was promoted to vice admiral
on 6 June 1904. During the Russo-Japanese War
, he commanded the Second Squadron at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay
and sank the Russian
cruiser and gunboat . For his war service, he was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun
(1st class) and the Order of the Golden Kite
(2nd class) in 1906.
He was made commander of the Sasebo Naval District
on 22 November 1906, he was ennobled with the title of danshaku (baron
) under the kazoku
peerage system on 21 September 1907.
Appointed commander of the Yokosuka Naval District
on 1 December 1909, Uryū was made a full admiral
on 16 October 1912. He was the official representative from Japan at the opening ceremonies for the Panama Canal
in 1912. From 1922-1925, he served on the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan
. He entered the reserve list in 1927, and died in 1937.
His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery
in Tokyo
. He was a lifelong proponent of better ties with the United States
.
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"...
of 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...
, active in the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, most notably at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay
Battle of Chemulpo Bay
The Battle of Chemulpo Bay was an early naval battle in the Russo-Japanese War , which took place on 9 February 1904, off the coast of present-day Incheon, Korea.-Background:...
and the Battle of Tsushima
Battle of Tsushima
The Battle of Tsushima , commonly known as the “Sea of Japan Naval Battle” in Japan and the “Battle of Tsushima Strait”, was the major naval battle fought between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese War...
. His name is sometimes transliterated as "Uriu Sotokichi", or "Uriu Sotokitchi", but actually it's inaccurate transliteration for old kana spelling, which Japanese pronunciation is the same as modern .
Biography
Born to a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
family in the Kaga Domain
Kaga Domain
The was a powerful feudal domain in Kaga, Noto and Etchū Provinces of Japan during the Edo period. The domain was founded by Maeda Toshiie and headed by the Maeda clan. Its income rating, over 1,000,000 koku, was the highest in the nation after the Tokugawa shogunate itself...
(present day Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's...
in Ishikawa prefecture
Ishikawa Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island. The capital is Kanazawa.- History :Ishikawa was formed from the merger of Kaga Province and the smaller Noto Province.- Geography :Ishikawa is on the Sea of Japan coast...
), Uryū became one of the first cadets 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...
but did not graduate; instead, he was then sent to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
on 9 June 1875, returning on 2 October 1881.
Commissioned as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, he served aboard various ships throughout the 1880s, including the 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...
, the ironclad
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
, and the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
. On 23 July 1891, he assumed his first command: the gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
. Promoted to captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in 1891, he was then posted as naval attaché to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 5 September 1892-31 August 1896.
After the outbreak of 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...
, Uryū briefly commanded the new cruiser , followed by his old ship Fusō.
A brief spell in prison for three months from 5 April 1898 did not seem to hurt his career, as he was appointed captain of the cruiser on 1 February 1898, and the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
on 16 June 1898. He became a 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"...
and 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:...
on 21 May 1900.
Uryū 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...
on 6 June 1904. During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, he commanded the Second Squadron at the Battle of Chemulpo Bay
Battle of Chemulpo Bay
The Battle of Chemulpo Bay was an early naval battle in the Russo-Japanese War , which took place on 9 February 1904, off the coast of present-day Incheon, Korea.-Background:...
and sank the Russian
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
cruiser and gunboat . For his war service, he was decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(1st class) and the Order of the Golden Kite
Order of the Golden Kite
The ' was an order of the Empire of Japan, established on 12 February 1890 by Emperor Meiji "in commemoration of Jimmu Tennō, the Romulus of Japan."-Background:...
(2nd class) in 1906.
He was made commander of the Sasebo Naval District
Sasebo Naval District
was the third of five main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included the western and southern coastline of Kyūshū, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan and Korea, as well as patrols in the East China Sea and the Pacific...
on 22 November 1906, he was ennobled with the title of danshaku (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"...
) 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 on 21 September 1907.
Appointed commander of the Yokosuka Naval District
Yokosuka Naval District
was the first of four main administrative districts of the pre-war Imperial Japanese Navy. Its territory included Tokyo Bay and the Pacific coasts of central and northern Honshū from the Kii Peninsula to Shimokita Peninsula.-History:...
on 1 December 1909, Uryū was made a full admiral
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"...
on 16 October 1912. He was the official representative from Japan at the opening ceremonies for the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in 1912. From 1922-1925, he served on the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. He entered the reserve list in 1927, and died in 1937.
His grave is at Aoyama Cemetery
Aoyama, Tokyo
is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area...
in 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...
. He was a lifelong proponent of better ties with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.