Prince Komatsu Akihito

Infobox Military Person
name= Prince Komatsu Akihito
lived= 11 February 1846 - 18 February 1903)
placeofbirth=Kyoto, Japan
placeofdeath=Tokyo, Japan


caption= Prince Komatsu Akihito
nickname=
allegiance=Empire of Japan
branch=
serviceyears=1867-1895
rank=Field Marshal
commands=
unit=
battles=Satsuma Rebellion
First Sino-Japanese War
awards= Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class)
Order of the Rising Sun (1st class)
Order of the Chrysanthemum.
family=
laterwork=nihongo|Prince Komatsu Akihito|小松宮彰仁親王| Komatsu-no-miya Akihito shinnō|extra=11 February 1846 - 18 February 1903 was a member of the Japanese imperial family from the princely house of Fushimi-no-miya (伏見宮家) and a career soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army.

Biography

Early life

Prince Akihito was born as Prince Yoshiaki, the seventh son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye (24 October 1802 - 5 August 1872). In 1858, he adopted the title "Ninnaji-no-miya" and entered the Buddhist priesthood. He returned to secular life in 1867 and led imperial forces to Osaka, Yamato, Shikoku and Aizu during the Boshin War to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogun. Prince Yoshiaki, along with Prince Arisugawa Taruhito, was a key figure in the Meiji Restoration.

Prince Akihito married Arima Yoriko (18 June 1852 - 26 June 1914), daughter of Lord Arima Yorishige, the former "daimyo" of Kurume, (Chikugo), on 6 November 1869. Emperor Meiji permitted him to establish a separate princely house of Higashifushimi-no-miya (東伏見宮家) in 1867, which was recognized as one of the "oke".

Prince Komatsu Akihito was initially chosen to seal an alliance with the Kingdom of Hawai'i bv marrying Princess Ka'iulani. However, these plans never came to fruition. [ [http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring03/Shimizu/japan.htm] Princess Kaiulani | Japan ]

Meiji Period Military Career

Prince Akihito studied military tactics in England for two years from 1870-1872. During that time, he changed the name of his house to Komatsu-no-miya and his personal name from “Yoshiaki” to “Akihito”, and became therefore known as "Prince Komatsu-no-miya Akihito".

Considered a brilliant military tactician, he helped subdue many of the "samurai" rebellions in the early years of the Meiji period, including the Saga Rebellion of 1874, and the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. The emperor granted him the rank of lieutenant general in the newly created Imperial Japanese Army and awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun (1st class). He rose to the rank of general and received command of the First Imperial Guard Division in 1890.

He was nominal commander of the expeditionary forces to China in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and became a member of the Supreme Military Council. Following the death of his uncle, Prince Arisugawa Taruhito in 1895, Prince Komatsu Akihito became the chief of the General Staff, and received the honorary rank of field marshal.

Diplomatic career

Prince Komatsu Akihito also had diplomatic skills, and in 1887 was sent to the Ottoman Empire to mark the inaugural step in relations between Turkey and Japan. Prince Komatsu was received in an audience by the Ottoman Emperor ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II and presented him a message of good will from the Meiji Emperor.

In July 1901, Prince Komatsu Akihito and his consort Princess Yoriko returned to the United Kingdom to represent Emperor Meiji at the coronation of King Edward VII.

Prince Komatsu Akihito died without children. The title of Komatsu-no-miya reverted back to his younger brother, Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito.

External links

* [http://www.turkishembassy.org/governmentpolitics/regionsjapan.htm Turkish Embassy in Washington DC | Japan-Turkey History of Friendship]
* [http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring03/Shimizu/japan.htm Princess Kaiulani | Japan]

References

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last = Cortazzi
first = Hugh
year = 2003
title = Britain and Japan (Japan Library Biographical Portraits)
publisher = RoutledgeCurzon
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id = ISBN 1-903350-14-X
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*cite book
last = Paine
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title = The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: Perceptions, Power, and Primacy
publisher = Cambridge University Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-521-81714-5