Ōyama Iwao

Lore & Background

Ōyama was born in Kagoshima to a samurai family of the Satsuma Domain. He was a younger paternal cousin to Saigo Takamori. A protégé of Ōkubo Toshimichi, he worked to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate and played a major role in the Meiji Restoration. He served as commander of the Detached First Brigade during the Boshin War. At the Battle of Aizu, he commanded Satchōdo's field artillery on Mount Oda and was wounded by an Aizu guerrilla force under Sagawa Kanbei. In 1870, he was sent to the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in France (August 1870 – March 1871) and was appointed official Japanese military observer to the Franco-Prussian War. He spent three years (July 1871 – October 1874) in Geneva studying foreign languages, becoming fluent in Russian. After promotion to major general, he went to France again for further study with Kawakami Sōroku. He helped establish the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army, which was soon employed in suppressing the Satsuma Rebellion. In the First Sino-Japanese War, he was commander-in-chief of the Japanese Second Army, which captured Port Arthur and Weihaiwei. After the war, he was disparaged by American reporter Trumbull White for failing to restrain his troops during the Port Arthur Massacre. He received the title of marquis under the kazoku peerage system, and in January 1898 became a field-marshal. In the Russo-Japanese War, he was Commander-in-Chief of Japanese armies in Manchuria, directing forces in the Battle of Liaoyang, Battle of Shaho, Battle of Sandepu, and Battle of Mukden. He was briefly replaced by General Kodama Gentarō in early 1905 due to illness. After victory, Emperor Meiji elevated him to prince in September 1907. He served as War Minister, Chief of the Army General Staff, and from 1914 to his death as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, attending the accession ceremony of Emperor Taishō in November 1915. He was awarded the Order of Merit by King Edward VII in 1906, and Japanese decorations included Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) and Order of the Chrysanthemum. He died at age 75 in 1916 and was accorded a state funeral. His weight exceeded 210 pounds, possibly contributing to his death from diabetes. His first wife Sawa died of puerperal disorder; his second wife Sutematsu, a survivor of the Battle of Aizu and sister of Yamakawa Hiroshi and Yamakawa Kenjirō, was one of the first female students sent to

Reader's Guide

Ōyama Iwao was a Japanese field marshal and a founder of the Imperial Japanese Army, representing the outstanding military commanders of the late modern period. Born in Kagoshima to a samurai family of the Satsuma Domain, he was a younger paternal cousin of Saigo Takamori and a protégé of Ōkubo Toshimichi. He worked to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate, playing a major role in the Meiji Restoration, and served as commander of the Detached First Brigade during the Boshin War. At the Battle of Aizu, he commanded Satchōdo’s field artillery on Mount Oda, where he was wounded by an Aizu guerrilla force. He studied at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr in France and was the official Japanese military observer to the Franco-Prussian War; he also spent three years in Geneva studying languages, becoming fluent in Russian. Ōyama is the first recorded Japanese customer for Louis Vuitton, having purchased luggage during his stay in France. He helped establish the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army, which suppressed the Satsuma Rebellion despite his kinship with Saigō. In the First Sino-Japanese War, he commanded the Japanese Second Army, storming Port Arthur and capturing Weihaiwei, though he was disparaged by an American reporter for failing to restrain his troops during the Port Arthur Massacre. He received the title of marquis under the kazoku peerage system and became a field marshal in 1898. In the Russo-Japanese War, he was Commander-in-Chief of Japanese armies in Manchuria, directing all major battles including Liaoyang, Shaho, Sandepu, and Mukden. After victory, Emperor Meiji elevated him to prince in 1907. As War Minister and Chief of the Army General Staff, he upheld the autocratic power of the oligarchs but shunned politics. He served as Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal from 1914 until his death in 1916 at age seventy-five, receiving a state funeral. A large man who enjoyed large meals, his weight may have contributed to his death, possibly from diabetes. He spoke several European languages and built a house in Tokyo modeled after a German castle. In 1869, he selected the poem that became Japan’s national anthem, Kimigayo.

Did You Know?

• Ōyama Iwao was a younger paternal cousin to Saigo Takamori.
• He was wounded at the Battle of Aizu by an Aizu guerrilla force under Sagawa Kanbei.
• He studied in France and Geneva, becoming fluent in Russian.
• His second wife Sutematsu was a survivor of the Battle of Aizu and a Vassar College graduate.
• He selected the poem for Japan's national anthem Kimigayo in 1869.