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ViscountEnomoto Takeaki(Giả bổn võ dương,5 October 1836 – 26 October 1908)was aJapanesesamuraiand admiral of the Tokugawa navy ofBakumatsu periodJapan, who remained faithful to theTokugawa shogunateand fought against the newMeiji governmentuntil the end of theBoshin War.He later served in the Meiji government as one of the founders of theImperial Japanese Navy.
Enomoto Takeaki | |
|---|---|
Giả bổn võ dương | |
 | |
| Presidentof theRepublic of Ezo | |
| In office 27 January 1869 – 27 June 1869 | |
| Vice President | Matsudaira Tarō |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 October 1836 Edo,Japan |
| Died | 26 October 1908(aged 72) Tokyo,Japan |
| Resting place | Kisshō-ji,Bunkyō-ku,Tokyo 35°43′39″N139°45′13″E/ 35.727425°N 139.75364°E |
| Spouse |
Hayashi Tatsu
(m.1867; died 1892) |
| Children |
|
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Enomoto Takeshi (brother) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Tokugawa bakufu Republic of Ezo Empire of Japan |
| Branch/service |  Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1874–1908 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Battles/wars | Boshin War Battle of Hakodate Naval Battle of Hakodate Bay |
Biography
editEarly life
editEnomoto was born as a member of a samurai family in the direct service of theTokugawa clanin the Shitaya district ofEdo(modernTaitō,Tokyo). Enomoto started learningDutchin the 1850s, and after Japan's forced "opening" byCommodoreMatthew Perryin 1854, he studied at the Tokugawa shogunate'sNaval Training Center in Nagasakiand at theTsukijiWarship Training Center in Edo.
At the age of 26, Enomoto was sent to theNetherlandsto study western techniques in naval warfare and to procure western technologies. He stayed in Europe from 1862 to 1867, and became fluent in both the Dutch andEnglishlanguages.[1]
Enomoto returned to Japan on board theKaiyō Maru,a steam warship purchased from the Netherlands by the Shogunal government. During his stay in Europe, Enomoto had realized that thetelegraphwould be an important means of communication in the future, and started planning a system to connect Edo andYokohama.Upon his return, Enomoto was promoted toKaigun Fukusōsai(Hải quân phó tổng tài),the second highest rank in the Tokugawa Navy, at the age of 31. He also received the court title ofIzumi-no-kami(Cùng tuyền thủ).
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Enomoto inThe Hague,1864 -
Enomoto Takeaki in Holland 1863-1866
Boshin War and Meiji Restoration
editDuring theMeiji Restoration,after the surrender of Edo in 1868 during theBoshin Warto forces loyal to theSatchō Alliance,Enomoto refused to deliver up his warships, and escaped toHakodateinHokkaidowith the remainder of the Tokugawa Navy and a handful ofFrenchmilitary advisers and their leaderJules Brunet.His fleet of eight steam warships was the strongest in Japan at the time.
Enomoto hoped to create an independent country under the rule of the Tokugawa family inHokkaidō,but the Meiji government refused to accept partition of Japan. On 27 January 1869, the Tokugawa loyalists declared the foundation of theRepublic of Ezoand elected Enomoto as president.
The Meiji government forces engaged and defeated Enomoto's forces in theNaval Battle of Hakodatein May 1869. Following theBattle of Hakodateon 27 June 1869, the Republic of Ezo collapsed, and Hokkaidō came under the rule of the central government headed by theMeiji Emperor.
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8 Tokugawa Warships led by Enomoto sailing Off Shinagawa 1868 -
Enomoto Takeaki in Ezo, aged 32 (c. 1868–1869)
As a Meiji politician
edit
After his surrender, Enomoto was arrested, accused ofhigh treasonand imprisoned. However, the leaders of the new Meiji government (largely at the insistence ofKuroda Kiyotaka) realized that Enomoto's various talents and accumulated knowledge could be of use, and pardoned him in 1872. Enomoto became one of the few former Tokugawa loyalists who made the transition to the new ruling elite, as politics at the time was dominated by men fromChōshūandSatsuma,who had a strong bias against outsiders in general, and former Tokugawa retainers in particular. However, Enomoto was an exception, and rose quickly within the new rulingclique,to a higher status than any other member of the former Tokugawa administrations.
In 1874, Enomoto was given the rank ofvice-admiralin the fledglingImperial Japanese Navy.The following year, he was sent toRussiaas a special envoy to negotiate theTreaty of St. Petersburg.The successful conclusion of the treaty was very well received in Japan and further raised Enomoto's prestige within the ruling circles, and the fact that Enomoto had been chosen for such an important mission was seen as evidence of reconciliation between former foes in the government.[2]
In 1880, Enomoto becameNavy Minister(Hải quân khanh).In 1885, his diplomatic skills were again called upon to assistItō Hirobumiin concluding theConvention of TientsinwithQing China.Afterwards, Enomoto held a series of high posts in the Japanese government. He was Japan's firstMinister of Communications(1885–1888) after the introduction of thecabinetsystem in 1885. He was alsoMinister of Agriculture and Commercefrom 1894 to 1897,Minister of Educationfrom 1889 to 1890 andForeign Ministerfrom 1891 to 1892.[3]
In 1887, Enomoto was ennobled to the rank ofviscountunder thekazokupeerage system, and was selected as a member of thePrivy Council.
Enomoto was especially active in promoting Japanese emigration through settler colonies in thePacific OceanandSouthandCentral America.In 1891, he established—against the will of the cabinet ofMatsukata Masayoshi—a "section foremigration"in the Foreign Ministry, with the task of encouraging emigration and finding new potential territories for Japanese settlement overseas. Two years later, after leaving the government, Enomoto also helped to establish a private organization, the" Colonial Association ", to promote external trade and emigration.
Death
editEnomoto died in 1908 at the age of 72. His grave is at the temple ofKisshō-ji,Bunkyō-ku,Tokyo[4](35°43′39″N139°45′13″E/ 35.727425°N 139.75364°E).
Honours
edit
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Rising Sun(1886)- Senior Second Rank(1896)
Grand Cordon of theOrder of the Paulownia Flowers(1908)
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- Kamo, Giichi.Enomoto Takeaki.Chuo KoronshaISBN4-12-201509-X(Japanese)
- Yamamoto, Atsuko.Jidai o shissoshita kokusaijin Enomoto Takeaki: Raten Amerika iju no michi o hiraku.Shinzansha (1997).ISBN4-7972-1541-0(Japanese)
- Akita, George. (1967) Foundations of constitutional government in modern Japan, 1868–1900. Cambridge, Harvard University Press,ISBN978-0-8248-2560-7.
- Hane, Mikiso.Modern Japan: A Historical Survey.Westview Press (2001).ISBN0-8133-3756-9
- Hillsborough, Romulus.Shinsengumi: The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps.Tuttle Publishing (2005).ISBN0-8048-3627-2
- Jansen, Marius B.andJohn Whitney Hall,eds. (1989).The Emergence of Meiji Japan,The Cambridge History of Japan,Vol. 5. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN9780521482387;ISBN9780521484053;OCLC31515308
- Keene, Donald.(1984).Dawn to the West: Japanese Literature of the Modern Era.New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.ISBN9780030628146;ISBN9780030628160;OCLC8728400
- Ravina, Mark.(2004).The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori.Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.ISBN9780471089704;OCLC427566169
