Yamamoto Gonnohyōe

Yamamoto was born in Kagoshima in Satsuma Province (now Kagoshima Prefecture) as the sixth son of a samurai who served as a secretary and sōjutsu master of the Shimazu clan.[1] As a youth, he took part in the Anglo-Satsuma War. He later joined Satsuma's Eighth Rifle Troop in the Boshin War that ended the Tokugawa shogunate, fighting at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi and other locations; he was also aboard one of the ships that pursued Enomoto Takeaki and the remnants of the Tokugawa fleet to Hokkaidō in 1869. After the success of the Meiji Restoration, Yamamoto attended preparatory schools in Tokyo and entered the 2nd class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1870. At the time of the Satsuma Rebellion, he briefly returned to Kagoshima, but at the urging of Saigo Takamori, he returned to the Naval Academy before the start of combat.

Yamamoto Gonnohyoe

After graduation in 1874, Yamamoto went on a training cruise to Europe and South America aboard Imperial German Navy vessels from 1877 to 1878, and as junior officer acquired much sea experience. He wrote a gunnery manual that became the standard for the Imperial Japanese Navy and served as executive officer of the cruiser Naniwa on its shakedown voyage from Elswick to Japan (1885 to 1886). After serving as captain of the corvette Amagi, he accompanied Navy Minister Kabayama Sukenori on a trip to the United States and Europe that lasted over a year (1887 to 1888).

As commander of the cruiser Takao, he undertook a confidential mission to meet Qing General Yuan Shikai in Hanseong (Seoul), Korea (1890). Afterwards, he assumed command of the Takachiho.

Working under his patron, Navy Minister Saigō Tsugumichi from 1893, Yamamoto became the real leader of the navy; initiating numerous reforms, attempting to end favoritism toward officers of his own Satsuma province, attempting to end officers from profiteering from military office, and attempting to attain roughly equal status with the Army in the Supreme War Council. He also pushed for an aggressive strategy towards the Chinese Empire in the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–95). Yamamoto was promoted to rear admiral in 1895 and to vice admiral in 1898.

Japanese Minister of the Navy, Admiral Baron Yamamoto visiting the captured city of Dalny, just north of Port Arthur in December 1904. Accompanying the Minister were several Western observers, including Italian naval attaché Ernesto Burzagli who photographed the inspection tour.

In November 1898, Yamamoto was appointed Navy Minister under the second Yamagata Aritomo administration. By this time, the Russian Empire was already perceived as the greatest threat to Japan, and Yamamoto advised the government that it was possible that Japan would win a conflict against Russia, albeit at the cost of more than half of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He sponsored promising junior officers a "brain trust", including Akiyama Saneyuki and Hirose Takeo, whom he sent as naval attachés to the United States, United Kingdom and Russia to gather intelligence and to make strategic assessments of capabilities. Domestically, he pushed for increased capacity and modernisation of shipyards and steel mills, and for the increased import of higher quality coal from the United Kingdom to power his warships. Externally, he was a strong supporter of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. As an indication of the increased independence and prestige of the Navy, Emperor Meiji appeared in naval uniform during a public appearance for the first time. Yamamoto was made baron (danshaku) under the kazoku peerage system in 1902; and he was promoted to the rank of admiral in 1904.

As Minister of the Navy during the Russo-Japanese War, Yamamoto showed strong leadership and was responsible for appointing Tōgō Heihachirō as commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet. He gave voice to Tōgō's reports when he read aloud his reports from the war to the assembled Diet.[2]

Yamamoto was replaced as Navy Minister by Saito Makoto in January 1906. He was elevated to count (hakushaku) in 1907.

• Baron (27 February 1902) [4]
• Count (21 September 1907)[5]

• 1887 – Order of the Rising Sun, 6th class [6]
• 1895 – Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class [7]
• 1895 – Order of the Golden Kite, 4th class [8]
• 1900 – Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class[9]
• 1901 – Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun[10]
• 1906 – Order of the Golden Kite, 1st class [11]
• 1906 – Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers[12]
• 1928 – Order of the Chrysanthemum[13]
• 1930 – Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum[14]

• 1900 – - Prussia - Order of the Red Eagle, 1st class[15]
• 1900 – - France - Legion of Honour, Grand officier[16]
• 1907 – - France - Legion of Honour, Grand Croix[17]
• 1907 – - Prussia - Order of the Red Eagle, Grand Cross[17]
• 1907 – - UK - Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Grand Cross (GCMG).[17][18]