Kotohito file photo [18080]

Kotohito

Given NameKotohito
HouseImperial House of Japan
Born10 Nov 1865
Died21 May 1945
CountryJapan
CategoryGovernment
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbasePrince Kotohito was born in Kyoto, Japan as the 16th son of Prince Kuniie of the Fushimi branch of the Japanese Imperial family. He was adopted by Emperor Komei, thus making him a potential heir, though that was not to be. In 1868, at the age of three, he was sent to study at the Sambo-in Buddhist temple for aristocrats, but in 1872 he returned home to be made the head of the Kanin branch of the Imperial family. In 1877, he entered the Japanese Army Academy, graduating in 1881. In 1882, he was dispatched by Emperor Meiji, his adoptive brother, to France as a military attaché. In 1891, he was assigned to 7th Light Cavalry Regiment. In Dec 1891, he married Chieko Sanjo, daughter of Prince Sanetomi Sanjo; they would have seven children. He graduated from the Army Staff College in 1894 as a captain in the cavalry, and subsequently saw action in the Yalu River region during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 to 1895. Between 1897 and 1899, he was the commanding officer of 1st Cavalry Regiment. In 1901, he was given command of 2nd Cavalry Brigade; later in the same year, he was promoted to the rank of major general. He saw action in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in 1904 and was given comand of 1st Division in 1906. In 1911, he was made the commander of Imperial Guard Division. In the following year, he was promoted to the rank of general and was made a member of the Supreme War Council. In 1919, he was promoted to the rank of field marshal. In 1921, he toured Europe with Prince Hirohito. In 1931, he became the Chief of the Japanese Army General Staff, and would hold this position until 1940. When WW2 began in Asia, it was through his office where the authorization to use chemical weapons in China was given; later, in 1938, the authorization to use posion gas in the Inner Mongolia region of China was issued in his name. Aligned with hawkish politicians, Prince Kotohito opposed efforts to improve relations with the United States and the United Kingdom and supported the signing of the Tripartite Pact. Although he stepped down from the Japanese Army in Oct 1940, he remained a member of the Supreme War Council. He passed away at the Kanin family summer residence in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan. Prince Kotohito was given a state funeral in Jun 1945, which was to be the last state funeral of Imperial Japan. His son Prince Haruhito succeeded him as the head of the Kanin branch of the Imperial family.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: May 2013

Kotohito Interactive Map

Photographs

Prince Akira of Yamashina (center) with Earl Kakyo Kiyosu of Higashifushimi, Prince Sadanaru of Higashifushimi, Prince Akihito of Komatsu, Prince Kotohito of Kanin and their wives, circa 1890Portrait of Prince Kotohito with Princess Yukiko and Prince Haruhito, 1905Portrait of Japanese and Korean princes and princesses, 1920sPortrait of Prince Kotohito, date unknown

Kotohito Timeline

10 Nov 1865 Prince Kotohito was born in Kyoto, Japan.
18 Aug 1887 Prince Kotohito was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.
19 Dec 1891 Prince Kotohito married Chieko Sanjo, daughter of Prince Sanetomi Sanjo.
3 Nov 1894 Prince Kotohito was made the commanding officer of 1st Cavalry Battalion.
20 Nov 1896 Prince Kotohito was made the commanding officer of 1st Cavalry Regiment.
3 Nov 1899 Prince Kotohito was promoted to the rank of colonel.
25 Jan 1900 Prince Kotohito was attached to the Army Chief of Staff.
28 Feb 1900 Prince Kotohito was dispatched to Europe.
3 Sep 1900 Prince Kotohito returned to Japan.
3 Nov 1901 Prince Kotohito was made the commanding officer of 2nd Cavalry Brigade.
21 Sep 1904 Prince Kotohito was attached to the Manchurian Army of the Japanese Army.
3 Nov 1904 Prince Kotohito was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
20 Dec 1905 Prince Kotohito was attached to the Japanese Army General Staff Office.
3 Feb 1906 Prince Kotohito was made the commanding officer of 1st Division.
6 Sep 1911 Prince Kotohito was made the commanding officer of Imperial Guard Division.
27 Nov 1912 Prince Kotohito was promoted to the rank of general and was made a member of the Japanese Supreme War Council; he stepped down as the head of Imperial Guard Division.
12 Dec 1919 Prince Kotohito was promoted to the rank of field marshal.
3 Mar 1921 Prince Kotohito departed Japan to tour Europe with Prince Hirohito.
3 Sep 1921 Prince Kotohito returned to Japan.
24 Sep 1921 Prince Kotohito was awarded Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum.
1 Sep 1923 Prince Kotohito was inside his family mansion at Odawara, Japan when the Kanto Earthquake of 1923 struck; the building suffered damage but he escaped with minimal injuries.
27 Oct 1923 Prince Kotohito was made the Protocol Officer.
23 Dec 1931 Prince Kotohito was named the Chief of the Japanese Army General Staff.
11 Apr 1938 Prince Kotohito, Chief of Japanese Army General Staff, signed Directive No. 11 authorizing the use of poison gas in the Inner Mongolia region of China.
3 Oct 1940 Prince Kotohito stepped down as the Chief of the Japanese Army General Staff.
4 Apr 1942 Prince Kotohito was awarded Order of the Golden Kite.
21 May 1945 Prince Kotohito passed away in Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan.
18 Jun 1945 Prince Kotohito was given a state funeral in Japan.




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Kotohito Photo Gallery
Prince Akira of Yamashina (center) with Earl Kakyo Kiyosu of Higashifushimi, Prince Sadanaru of Higashifushimi, Prince Akihito of Komatsu, Prince Kotohito of Kanin and their wives, circa 1890
See all 4 photographs of Kotohito


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"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You win the war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country!"

George Patton, 31 May 1944


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