- 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 ofFushimi-no-miya (伏見宮家) and a career soldier in theImperial 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 theBuddhist priesthood. He returned to secular life in 1867 and led imperial forces toOsaka , Yamato,Shikoku andAizu during theBoshin War to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogun. Prince Yoshiaki, along withPrince Arisugawa Taruhito , was a key figure in theMeiji Restoration .Prince Akihito married Arima Yoriko (
18 June 1852 -26 June 1914 ), daughter of LordArima Yorishige , the former "daimyo " ofKurume , (Chikugo ), on6 November 1869 . Emperor Meiji permitted him to establish a separate princely house ofHigashifushimi-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 tactic s inEngland for two years from 1870-1872. During that time, he changed the name of his house toKomatsu-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 theMeiji period , including theSaga Rebellion of 1874, and theSatsuma Rebellion of 1877. The emperor granted him the rank oflieutenant general in the newly createdImperial Japanese Army and awarded him theOrder of the Rising Sun (1st class). He rose to the rank ofgeneral and received command of the First Imperial Guard Division in 1890.He was nominal commander of the expeditionary forces to
China in theFirst Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and became a member of the Supreme Military Council. Following the death of his uncle, PrinceArisugawa Taruhito in 1895, Prince Komatsu Akihito became the chief of theGeneral 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 betweenTurkey and Japan. Prince Komatsu was received in an audience by theOttoman 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 thecoronation ofKing 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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