JapaneseField Marshals and Admirals of the Fleet

[Mark Costa]

Does anyone have a complete list of all those officers promoted to Field Marshal and Admiral of the Fleet in the Japanese military from the late 1880's when the rankswere created, to the end of WWII ???

Thanks.

Mark Costa

[AJK]

This is not my area of expertise, but I have collected some information over the years. The list below is by no means complete, and there may be one or two questionable inclusions, but I have seen the listed names shown at the ranks of Field Marshal or Fleet Admiral is one source or another, whether correctly or incorrectly, so even the questionable names are included below in order to provide a starting point for further research.

Army

Field Marshal Shunroku HATA (1879 - 1962)
Field Marshal Prince Naruhiko HIGASHIKUNI (1887 - 1990)
Field Marshal Prince Haruhito KANIN (1865 - 1945)
Field Marshal Count Tamemoto Tamesada KUROKI
Field Marshal Baron Nobuyoshi MUTO (1868 - 1933)
Field Marshal Prince Morimasa NASHIMOTO (1874 - 1951)
Field Marshal Count Maresuke NOGI (1849 - 1912)
Field Marshal Marquis Michitsura NOZU (1840 - 1908)
Field Marshal Count Yasukata OKU (1846 - 1930)
Field Marshal Prince Iwao OYAMA (1842 - 1916)
Field Marshal Hajime SUGIYAMA (? - 1945)
Field Marshal Count Juichi Hisaichi TERAUCHI (1879 - 1945)
Field Marshal Viscount Yusaku UEHARA
Field Marshal Prince Aritomo YAMAGATA (1838 - 1922)

Navy

Fleet Admiral Prince Hiroyasu FUSHIMI (1875 - 1946)
Fleet Admiral Goro IJUIN
Fleet Admiral Yoshika INOUE
Fleet Admiral Sukeyuki ITO (1843 - 1914)
Fleet Admiral Viscount Tomozaburo KATO (1861 - 1923)
Fleet Admiral Mineichi KOGA (1885 - 1944)
Fleet Admiral Osami NAGANO (1880 - 1947)
Fleet Admiral Marquis Tsugumichi SAIGO (1843 - 1902)
Fleet Admiral Baron Hayao SHIMAMURA (1858 - 1923)
Fleet Admiral Prince Arisugawa TAKEHITO (1862 - 1913)
Fleet Admiral Marquis Heihachiro TOGO (1848 - 1934)
Fleet Admiral Isoroku YAMAMOTO (1884 - 1943)
Fleet Admiral Prince Higashifushimi YORIHITO (1867 - 1922)

AJK

[AJK]

In my haste I forgot to mention that the ranks of Field Marshal and Fleet Admiral were not official ranks in the Japanese military hierarchy, but honorary titles awarded to senior, deserving Generals and Admirals, and members of the Japanese royal family.

AJK

[AJK]

A correction (surname and first name inverted on original list) and some additional new names:

Correction: instead of Arisugawa TAKEHITO:
Fleet Admiral Prince Takehito ARISUGAWA (1862 - 1913)

Additional names:
Field Marshal Prince Sadanaru FUSHIMI (1858 - 1923)
Field Marshal Prince Akihito KOMATSU (1846 - 1903)
Field Marshal Kuniyoshi KUNI (1873 - 1929)

AJK

[Wilfried Abenaschon]

Hello !
I'm also interested in that subject... Take notice by the way that it didn't mean a rank, but more a dignity. There was no particular insignia, it was just a title given (gensui : supreme general / admiral) and they were member of the supreme war council and as such, immediate advisor to the Mikado.
I know Iwao OYAMA, CenC of the japanese armies in 1905, a certain Marshal Aritomo YAMAGATA(?) in 1905. Later, Takemoti (?) Itei (?) KUROKI (1st army) and Maresuke NOGI (3rd army) were promoted as far as I know.
I ignore if Togo was made Gensui (Grand admiral) and I remember to have read that Nagano, the chief of the marine general staff, got it. I assume that Yamamoto held it but I'm not sure.
For the army, Hata, Terauchi (1944) and Sugiyama were made field marshalls during WW2 (or just before). Hata was the oldest of the three, Sugiyama the youngest.
This is all I know.
Willab

Hello,
For a reason I fail to anderstand, an answer I post on wednesday ended up in a different thread.
Thank you for these details you gave us.
Willab

[Mark Costa]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. It is much appreciated.

Best regards,

Mark Costa

[Zachary]

I know this is irrelivent but most of the men listed were really old when they died. One I saw was 103. Just observing
Regards,
Zachary

[Marcus Wendel]

AJK,

Interesting info, thanks for sharing it.

/Marcus

[Wilfried Abenaschon]

A correction (surname and first name inverted on original list) and some additional new names:

AJK

Hello,
NB that in japanese, the surname comes first i.e. YAMAMOTO Isoroku.
Willab

[AJK]

Hi Wilfried!

You're right - it is the same in Hungarian. My problem in this specific case was that I saw the name in both styles - the correct Japanese way with surname first, and the anglicized version with the surname second. Since both styles are used apparently at random, depending on the source, at times it can be difficult to make out the correct presentation - particularly as I am not familiar with Japanese names. At least in Hungarian the situation is (usually) much more clear.

AJK

[prj453]

Hello-

There was also one honorary Field Marshal:

-George V, King of Great Britian and Ireland 1865-1936 01.01.1918

Emperor Yoshihito was created a FM in the British Army on this date.

-Patrick

[prj453]

Here are the dates for some of the Field Marshals (I apologize for not placing the surnames first on all of them, and for putting the dates in MO/DAY/YR):

Field Marshal Takamori Saigo 1827-1877 7.19.1872
Field Marshal Aritomo Prince Yamagata 1838-1922 1.20.1898
Field Marshal Prince Akihito Komatsu 1846-1903 1.20.1898
Field Marshal Iwao Oyama 1842-1916 1.20.1898
Field Marshal Michitsura Nozu 1841-1907 1.31.1906
Field Marshal Yasukata Viscount Oku 1846-1930 10.24.1911
Field Marshal Yoshimichi Hasegawa 1850-1924 1.9.1914
Field Marshal Prince Sadanaru Fushimi 1858-1923 1.9.1914
Field Marshal Makakata Terauchi 1852-1919 6.24.1916
Field Marshal Kotohito Prince Kan’in 1865-1945 12.12.1919
Field Marshal Yusaku Uehara 1856-1933 4.27.1922
Field Marshal Kuniyoshi Prince Kuni 1873-1929 1.27.1929
Field Marshal Morimasa Prince Nashimoto 1874-1951 8.8.1932
Field Marshal Nobuyoshi Baron Muto 1868-1933 5.3.1933
Field Marshal Hisaichi Count Terauchi 1879-1946 6.21. 1943
Field Marshal Hajime Sugiyama 1880-1945 6.21.1943
Field Marshal Shunroku Hata 1879-1962 6.2.1944

-Patrick

[prj453]

Here are some of the Admirals of the Fleet:

Admiral of the Fleet Tsugumichi Marquis Saigo 1843-1902 1.20.1898
Admiral of the Fleet Sukeyuki Ito 1843-1914 1.31.1906
Admiral of the Fleet Yoshika Viscount Inoue 1845-1929 10.31.1911
Admiral of the Fleet Heihachiro Marquis Togo 1847-1934 4.21.1913
Admiral of the Fleet Takehito Prince Arisugawa 1862-1913 7.7.1913
Admiral of the Fleet Sukeyuki Viscount Ito 1843-1914 11.10.1913
Admiral of the Fleet Yorihito Prince Higashi 1867-1922 6.27.1922
Admiral of the Fleet Hayao Baron Shimamura 1858-1923 1.8.1923
Admiral of the Fleet Tomozaburo Baron Kato 1861-1923 8.24.1923
Admiral of the Fleet Hiroyasu Prince Fushimi 1876-1946 5.27.1932
Admiral of the Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto 1884-1943 4.18.1943
Admiral of the Fleet Osami Nagano 1880-1947 6.21.1943
Admiral of the Fleet Mineichi Koga 1885-1944 3.31.1944

-Patrick

[genstab]

Does anyone have a complete list of all those officers promoted to Field Marshal and Admiral of the Fleet in the Japanese military from the late 1880's when the rankswere created, to the end of WWII ???

Thanks.

Mark Costa

Mark, I have garnered a lot of info in the last few days so I want to correct my ignorance in what I sent you yesterday. Koga WAS an Admiral of the Fleet but it was a posthumous promotion, on the day of his death. The Japanese did this several times- also for Admirals Kato, Shimamura, Koga, Yamamoto and Higashifushimi (Yorihito). The German Army occasionally promoted Colonels posthumously to Major General but not higher ranks than a few Major Generals to posthumous Lieutenant General.
Bill McCroden

[Ken McCanliss]

RE: Posthumous Promotions

Günter Korten was promoted to Generaloberst posthumously.