Yamada Akiyoshi
| Yamada Akiyoshi | |
|---|---|
Yamada Akiyoshi
|
|
| Born |
November 18, 1844 Hagi, Yamaguchi, Japan |
| Died | November 11, 1892 (aged 47) Asago, Hyōgo, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | General, Politician, Cabinet Minister |
Count Yamada Akiyoshi (山田顕義?, November 18, 1844 – November 11, 1892), was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Chōshū Province, and one of the early leaders of the Meiji Restoration.
Yamada was born in what is now the city of Hagi, Yamaguchi, as the son of a 102-koku samurai official of the Chōshū Navy. After studies at the domain's Meirinkan academy (where he studied the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of Japanese swordsmanship), he joined the Shoka Sōnjuku run by Yoshida Shōin in June 1857. He was in the retinue of Mōri Motonori in Kyoto in the autumn of 1862. A strong supporter of the sonnō jōi movement, he signed his name in blood (together with Takasugi Shinsaku, Kusaka Genzui, Itō Hirobumi, Inoue Kaoru, Shinagawa Yajirō) to a petition to rid Japan of the foreigners. After the Chōshū forces were driven from Kyoto by supporters of the kōbu gattai movement, he went into exile with Sanjō Sanetomi. During this period, he studied western military science under Ōmura Masujirō. He soon had the opportunity to put his training to practical use during the Kinmon incident, Shimonoseki Campaign, and Second Chōshū expedition. He subsequently played a major role in the Boshin War, commanding a group of 700 men under the authority of Chōshū daimyō Mōri Takachika, starting with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, and also commanding Satchō Alliance naval forces in Mutsu Bay.
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