Kodama Gentarō
| Viscount Kodama Gentarō | |
|---|---|
Japanese General Viscount Kodama Gentarō
|
|
| Born |
16 March 1852 Tokuyama, Suō Province, Japan |
| Died | 23 July 1906 (aged 54) Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance |
 Empire of Japan
|
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Army
|
| Years of service | 1868–1906 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars |
Boshin War Saga rebellion Shinpūren Rebellion Satsuma Rebellion First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War |
| Awards |
Order of the Golden Kite (first class) Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure |
| Other work | Cabinet Minister |
Viscount Kodama Gentarō (兒玉 源太郎?, 16 March 1852 – 23 July 1906) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, and government minister during Meiji period Japan. He was instrumental in establishing the modern Imperial Japanese military.
Born in Tokuyama, Suō Province (modern Yamaguchi Prefecture), from a samurai class family loyal to the Chōshū domain, Kodama began his military career fighting in the Boshin War for the Meiji Restoration against the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868. He was appointed a non-commissioned officer on 2 June 1870, advanced to sergeant major on 10 December and promoted to warrant officer on 15 April 1871; he was commissioned a second lieutenant on 6 August and promoted to lieutenant on 21 September. He was promoted to captain on 25 July 1872 and to major on 19 October 1874.
As a soldier in the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army, he saw combat during the suppression of the Satsuma Rebellion. He later enrolled in the Osaka Heigakuryo (大阪兵学寮） military training school). Successive and rapid promotions followed: lieutenant-colonel on 30 April 1880, colonel on 6 February 1883 and major-general on 24 August 1889.
Kodama was appointed head of the Army Staff College, where he worked with German Major Jakob Meckel to reorganize the modern Japanese military after the Prussian system.
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