Count Itō Sukeyuki |
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Native name | 伊東 祐亨 |
Born |
Kagoshima, Satsuma domain, Japan |
20 May 1843
Died | 16 January 1914 Tokyo, Japan |
(aged 70)
Allegiance | Empire of Japan |
Service/branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
Years of service | 1871 -1907 |
Rank | Marshal Admiral |
Commands held | |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
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Marshal Admiral Count Itō Sukeyuki (伊東 祐亨 Itō Sukeyuki; also known as Itō Yūkō?) (20 May 1843 – 16 January 1914) was a career officer and admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy in Meiji-period Japan.
Born in what is now part of Kagoshima city as the son of a samurai of the Satsuma Domain, Itō studied naval engineering and gunnery at the Kobe Naval Training Center together with Sakamoto Ryōma and Mutsu Munemitsu. He participated in the Anglo-Satsuma War as a member of the Satsuma domain's navy. Before the Boshin War, Itoh had already relocated to Edo and had placed his naval skills at the service of the forces striving to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate. He escaped from the burning of the Satsuma Domain residence in Edo and subsequently fought in many of the naval engagements of the Boshin War.
After the Meiji Restoration, Itō was commissioned as a lieutenant and served on the corvette Nisshin in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Navy, commanding the Nisshin from 1877. Promoted to captain in 1882, he served on many warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy in its pioneer days, notably the Ryūjō, Fusō, and Hiei. In 1885, he was placed in charge of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. The same year, he travelled to the United Kingdom, and brought the Naniwa back to Japan.