Uehara Yūsaku
| Viscount Uehara Yūsaku | |
|---|---|
 Japanese General Viscount Uehara Yūsaku |
|
| Born | December 6, 1856 Miyakonojo, Hyūga, Japan |
| Died | November 8, 1933 (aged 76) Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1879 -1933 |
| Rank | Field Marshal |
| Commands held | IJA 3rd Division |
| Battles/wars | Russo-Japanese War |
| Other work | Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff |
Viscount Uehara Yūsaku (上原 勇作, 6 December 1856 – 8 November 1933) was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Born in Miyakonojo, Hyūga province (currently Miyazaki prefecture, Uehara's father was a samurai of the Satsuma domain. He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1879 with Akiyama Yoshifuru as one of his classmates. Uehara was sent to France for studies on modern military techniques from 1881-1885. He later fought in the Russo-Japanese War, as a staff officer in the Japanese Fourth Army commanded by his father-in-law, General Nozu Michitsura.[1]
In December 1912, Uehara was appointed War Minister in Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi's second cabinet. Since the civilian government was pursuing a tight fiscal policy, it soon came into conflict with the army, which was demanding an increase in funding for another two infantry divisions. When Uehara resigned as War Minister over this conflict, the remainder cabinet resigned en masse when the Army refused to nominate a successor, precipitating the collapse of Saionji's government. This event was known as the "Taisho Political Crisis".[2]
From March–June 1913, Uehara was commander in chief of the IJA 3rd Division. In 1915, Uehara became Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff, and remained in this post longer than any person before or after (with the exception of a member of the Imperial House). While in this position, he (together with Tanaka Giichi and Ugaki Issei authorized the Siberian Intervention in support of White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army in the Russian Civil War.
Uehara received the rank of field marshal in 1921, and was ennobled with the title of shishaku (viscount) under the kazoku peerage system the same year.[3]
Later, Uehara became Inspector General of Military Training, one of the three most prestigious posts within the Army. He was also the founder of the Imperial Japanese Army Engineering Corps.
Uehara died in 1933.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Dupuy, Encyclopedia of Military Biography
- ^ Sims, Japanese Political History
- ^ 華族一覧表 勲功者の部 1
[edit] References
- Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd. ISBN 1-85043-569-3.
- Harries, Meirion. (1994). Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House. ISBN 0-679-75303-6.
- Jansen, Marius B. (1992). The Making of Modern Japan. Harvard University Press. 10-ISBN 0674003349/13-ISBN 9780674003347; OCLC 44090600
- Sims, Richard. (1992). Japanese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868-2000. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-23915-7.
[edit] External links
- National Diet Library. "Uehara Yusaku". Portraits of Modern Historical Figures. http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/24.html.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ishimoto Shinroku |
War Minister Apr 1912 - Dec 1912 |
Succeeded by Kigoshi Yasutsuna |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Asada Nobuoki |
Inspector-General of Military Training Apr 1914 – Dec 1915 |
Succeeded by Ichinohe Hyoe |
| Preceded by Hasegawa Yoshimichi |
Chief of Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Dec 1915 – Mar 1923 |
Succeeded by Kawai Misao |
