Isoroku Yamamoto
| Born | 4 Apr 1884 |
| Died | 18 Apr 1943 |
| Nationality | Japan |
| Category | Sea |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
Isoroku Yamamoto was born Isoroku Takano, but changed his name after being adopted by the Yamamoto family. His father was a former low-class samurai warrior. He entered the Naval Academy and graduated in 1904, and participated against Russia. He was seriously injured during the Battle of Tsushima in 1905; he recovered though left with many scars. Yamamoto was nicknamed "80 sen" by some of his favorite geisha girls because he lost two fingers from the said battle (at the time, a geisha manicure cost 100 sen, or 1 yen). He was American educated (Harvard University, 1919-1921);, and became a junior naval attaché to several nations. In 1924, at age 40, he changed his specialty from gunnery to aviation, recognizing the upcoming trend in naval warfare.
During 1926-28, Yamamoto was the senior naval attaché to Washington DC, United States at the rank of captain. After 1928 he returned to Japan, becoming an advocate of air power, and was partly responsible for the establishment of Japanese naval air fleet. He said his farewell to his commissioned carrier, the Akagi, briefly, as a delegate to the London naval disarmament conference of 1930. At the conference he had risen to become a popular figure among the Japanese military elite. He returned to Japan and served as the head of the technical division of the Navy's Aeronautics Department, and then commander of the First Carrier Division, taking the Akagi as his command ship once again. As Vice Admiral, Yamamoto took on the entire Aeronautics Department before becoming the Deputy Navy Minister in 1936. Due to his peaceful nature, his life was seriously threatened by warlike extremists, who at that time influenced Japanese politics greatly during this period of military and territorial expansion. Under the advice of his colleagues, he was transferred to the Combined Fleet as its Commander-in-Chief, escaping feared retribution, or even assassination, against his political views; assassinations could be called commonplace in this period in Japan. Yamamoto was promoted to the rank of full admiral in 1940 at the venerable age of 56. Despite his age, he continue to exercise regularly and keeping in excellent physical shape.
Away from his profession, Yamamoto was an avid gamer/gambler, enjoying shogi, billiards, bridge, mah jong, poker, among other games that tested his wits and sharpened his mind. While other military leaders avoided the image of being "soft", Yamamoto continued to practice calligraphy and wrote poems, though his poems were critiqued by some as being monotonous. He was also known to frequent geisha houses, reflecting the fact that he was never very close with his wife, Reizo. He did, however, father four children with his wife, two sons and two daughters. Reizo revealed to the Japanese public in 1954 that Yamamoto was closer to his favorite geisha Kawai Chiyoko than to her, which stirred some controversy.
In 1940, Admiral Yamamoto was pressured by the government, by now completely in control by the military, to devise an attack on America. Although at first IGHQ, dominated by Army generals, favored a westward/northward land-based expansion against Russia, setbacks suffered in northern Manchuria and Mongolia and the ever-draining war against China changed the priorities. At this point, especially with the US and UK cutting off critical raw materials from Japan, the island nation's need for raw materials led to her eyeing the resource rich South Pacific. With the Netherlands conquered and Britain busy defending against an expanding Germany, a Japanese expansion into the South Pacific seemed to be without great obstacles. Yamamoto deduced that a Japanese invasion into Britain-held territory would bring the United States into war, therefore before taking British and Dutch territories, the United States must be neutralized. During a private conversation with Prime Minister Prince Konoye, he said that:
This wish of his would not come true; his pessimistic attitude and the inability to use his stature as the former Navy Minister and the current Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet to recruit political allies to his cause. This failure ensured the rude awakening of of a giant on the other side of the Pacific. The previously peaceful Treaty Faction officer who resisted a wide-scale war against multiple western nations accepted his duties from above his chain of command. He not only planned for the war that IGHQ wanted against the United States, but he also worked to persuade others for a war against the US in the name of duty. Going against his own knowledge that the US was too much a giant to take on for Japan, Yamamoto devised an attack against key military installations in the Pacific, including those of the US - Malaya, Philippines, Guam, Wake, and at the last moment he added Pearl Harbor, the home port of the US Pacific Fleet. Japan declared war on the United States and attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 Dec 1941, drawing the US into the war.
It was after the initial victories of the Pacific War that really drew out Yamamoto's manipulative style of leadership. In order to ensure that the Combined Fleet targeted objectives that he deemed important, he slowly maneuvered himself to a position where fellow admirals Osami Nagano and Shigeru Fukudome slowly ceded their authority to Yamamoto. Unable to accept criticism, Yamamoto ran the Combined Fleet with intimidation.
Mere months after the impossibly successful victories, Yamamoto drew up the plan to attack Midway, an atoll northwest of Pearl Harbor, in order to destroy the aircraft carriers that escaped the Pearl Harbor attack. However, poor planning and less than perfect carrier doctrine ultimately led to the demise of four precious fleet carriers, including his former command ship, the Akagi. Naval historian Jonathan Parshall said that "[Yamamoto's] needlessly complex operational scheme at the Battle of Midway dispersed his forces in the face of a still-dangerous foe, and directly led to the disaster there." The fact that Yamamoto accepted to take on an Aleutian campaign at the same time as the Midway invasion reflected his failure, arrogantly underestimate the capability of the American fleet and reducing the overall effectiveness of his stab at central Pacific. The two light carriers and 16 submarines sent to the Aleutians could very well had changed the outcome of the Midway battle.
During the Solomons campaign, Yamamoto was unable or unwilling to leverage Japanese navy's collection of big guns against the American carrier fleet (when he did, it was too late) and Henderson Field. Despite of his contributions for the introduction airpower into the Japanese Navy, his endless pursuit of a Mahanian decisive battle with his big guns was ultimately his greatest short-coming. Many military historians also criticized his strategies at the Solomons, which "fritted away Japanese maritime strength instead of concentrating it", just like what he had done at Midway. In addition, Yamamoto must also at least take partial blame for not preparing Japan to manufacture enough aircrafts and train enough pilots to replace casualties. Japan's inability to keep the carriers occupied was a mistake that would prove to have had severe consequences later in the war. "A few more mistakes of this order," Dan van der Vat said in his book The Pacific Campaign, "Yamamoto might have come to be seen, even by the Americans, as an asset to their cause".
Admiral Yamamoto was killed in 1943, when US Army P-38 fighters intercepted the bomber carrying him on an inspection tour of forward bases. Tens of thousands of mourners came to Nagaoka City, where part of Yamamoto's ashes were buried, to pay their last respects at his funeral; part of his ashes was buried in the public cemetery in Tuma in Tokyo.
Sources: Naval Historical Center, Nihon Kaigun, the Pacific Campaign, Shattered Sword.
Famous Quote(s)
- "The fate of the Empire rests on this enterprise every man must devote himself totally to the task in hand."
» On the attacks across the Pacific, 7 Dec 1941
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Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 January 1943
28 May 2005 01:20:46 PM
This site is a grate useage for my book report! it was like the only one just about Isioroku! Well thank you for the great information!
9 Jul 2005 01:14:43 PM
dude person below must not be able to use GOOGLE ****
11 Jan 2006 05:06:51 PM
This is great ^_^ my research paper will be the best.
28 Mar 2006 08:18:37 PM
Ive always thought what the Japanese did in WWII was interresting, and this is neat.
29 May 2006 11:22:22 AM
Well, this was a great source for my analysis of American-Japan Relations: 1919-1955 project for US History.
31 Aug 2006 05:44:22 PM
the source sounds rather biased. wonder if i can get another view on yamamotos actions and decision making processes
2 Sep 2006 06:30:13 PM
excelent information it just might get me an A+ in school
4 Jan 2007 01:12:23 AM
informative but bias
27 Jan 2007 11:01:51 PM
Actually Peter, your comments are quite correct! I am a big fan of Yamamotos, but he stuffed up big time at Midway and the Solomons...imagine the mess the Musashi and Yamato could have made of Guadalcanal! They would have pounded the whole battle area to rubble (instead of sunning themselves at their anchorage at Truk!)
31 Jan 2007 05:33:24 PM
I enjoyed your article, but I do want to point out that there are some discrepancies regarding the Alutean attack force. The reason he attacked there was because, in theory, the Americans would have split their forces, and the larger force att Midway would have an easier time because of the diversion. The fact that the Americans cracked the Japanese Military communication code led to the discovery of the Midway battle plan (the Japanese werent very good at commint), therefore nullifying the element of surprise, and resulted in most of the American ships going to Midway. Had the code not been broken, the outcome would have been more favorable to Japan.
27 Apr 2007 09:56:32 AM
This is very helpful to me. This is the only thing just about Yamamoto-San that I could find that is good. Thanks
27 May 2007 07:55:26 PM
It sounds like in Yamamotos heart he was a friend of the US. His desire to rise thru the ranks must have been even greater ? But he faced assination by the militants for his view. I wonder what motivated him ? So interesting
29 Aug 2007 10:35:50 AM
sweet story
2 Oct 2007 12:39:18 AM
it is great article.but include more information.
7 Mar 2008 08:46:27 AM
very interesting and would like to know more...
24 Mar 2008 12:52:35 PM
I'M SMARTER ! ! ! !
2 Dec 2008 09:14:58 AM
Pearl Harbor... 67th anniversary in 6 days...
13 Jan 2009 04:57:20 PM
like it
15 Jan 2009 11:50:54 AM
WOW he lost 2 fingers
16 Feb 2009 11:40:10 AM
yamamoto understood carrier airpower, he qualified as a pilot in his 50's he also understood that if japan went to war with the u. s. he would have to win the war fast! he understood the industrail might of the u.s. japan gambled and lost. lesson learned: it took the u.s.a. 44 months to defeat little japan.
24 Feb 2009 05:01:04 PM
in class we were assined people during WW2 and i got yamamoto.awsomer
4 Mar 2009 07:35:02 AM
we picked our own people an i picked yamamoto.
9 Mar 2009 07:19:13 AM
this is great stuff iam going to get an A on my research project. )
17 Mar 2009 02:22:52 PM
this is awesome.
21 Apr 2009 01:56:09 PM
this page was great it was a great help having to read it for my end of the year social studies project
6 May 2009 11:57:17 AM
My ten-year son is a WWll fanatic. He recently completed a Biography on Isoruko Yamamoto and the only question I couldn't answer was "what became of Yamamoto's two sons and two daughters?" still the article was very good.
22 May 2009 04:51:23 PM
I honestly don't think Japan ever had a chance against us. Their only hope was to knock us out of the fight quickly because if it turned into a grapple, they were screwed, even though we were fighting Germany as well.
He may have been fond of us, but Japan was still his country and he would serve it. But unlike many in Japan, he had been to this country and knew us. Many considered Americans weak, stupid, and cowardly. Shows what they knew.
Also kind of ironic that he did not trust Germany but was the only non-German to be awarded the Knight's Cross.
11 Jul 2009 11:41:30 PM
The only thing I would like to add to the conversation is that Kido Butai and the entire Japanese War Effort especially including the Emperor, Admirals Yamamoto, Nagumo, Kondo, Tanaka, Ozawa and many others suddenly, tonight, seemed to be a story that Shakespeare could have written. I also think of Don Quixote(The entire Japanese War effort in the Pacific)tilting at windmills. And then thinking of it also as a Greek tragedy. I think Admiral Yamamoto had a perfect ending, also, and didn't have to be around when the wheels finally fell off.
25 Aug 2009 02:49:10 AM
Much of the JNAF’s early superiority over allied pilots can be put down to the tough pilot training instigated by Admiral Yamamoto. Whilst there were many fatal accidents in training, particularly in deck landings, the experience gained would pay dividends when it came to combat. It is said that Yamamoto once told his trainee pilots that to die in training was just as honourable as being killed in combat, but secretly kept a little black book in his tunic pocket which listed the names of all those aircrew that had been killed in training.
26 Jan 2010 07:59:14 PM
To me it sounds like Mr.Yamamoto had high respect for the Amarican navy and airforce he knew better then to underestamated his opponet. And im sure he had the right intenstion just not enough men and equipment to succesfully carry out his plans.
18 Feb 2010 08:42:53 AM
I just find it ever more intersting from the ways war was fought, to people of war and weapons of war......so admiral Isoroko Yamamoto is one for the books
24 Feb 2010 09:14:38 AM
Yea! I love this site! Now I'm sure I'll do a good report! ^_^ >:)
2 Mar 2010 02:49:15 PM
This was really great for my research paper and i really enjoyed this comment about him...well thanks for the info and adive..
23 Mar 2010 02:37:37 PM
cool i<3japan
5 Apr 2010 12:19:57 PM
this is perfect for a search I am doing on yammamoto! Thanks for the information
19 May 2010 08:50:09 AM
did this for my report great info
23 Jun 2010 10:19:37 AM
When you study WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam or any Desert War remember the information provided is frequently slanted one way. It isn't often that a historian can present a two way detailed accounting of factual data. If you chose Isoroku Yamamoto don't forget the Harvard, Smithsonian, Air and Space and separate military data bases on the subject material. I stumbled across letters that Isoroku wrote to Reiko where he wrote of the impending failure of Japan in the war. I forgot to mark the location of the material but It's under one of the aformention areas. Good Luck.