Sōjirō Tochiuchi 栃内曽次郎 | |
Honorific Suffix: | Junior Second Rank |
Birth Date: | 19 July 1866 |
Birth Place: | Morioka, Japan |
Death Place: | Morioka, Iwate, Japan |
Branch Label: | Branch |
Serviceyears: | 1886 – 1924 |
Rank: | Admiral |
Commands: | Miyako Suma |
Battles: | First Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War |
was a Japanese Admiral of the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. He commanded the Suma during the Battle of Tsushima and also a member of the House of Peers.
Born in Ueda Village, Iwate Prefecture as the second son of Rihei Tochiuchi, a samurai of the Morioka Domain. After going through the preparatory course of Sapporo Agricultural College and, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy from its 13th class on 1886. On 1891, he graduated from the Naval War College and served in the First Sino-Japanese War as squad leader of Kongō, squad leader of the Lushun Port Torpedo Laying Corps, and torpedo leader of Fusō. After the war, he became a torpedo training school instructor. In 1897, he went on a business trip to the United Kingdom as a member of the Asama navigation committee and returned to Japan in 1899 as the chief of the Asama torpedoes. In 1900, he served Gonnohyōe Yamamoto as Adjutant to the Ministry of the Navy and Secretary to the Minister of the Navy .
At the start of the Russo-Japanese War, he initially served as captain of the Miyako but after the Miyako was sunk by a mine. After temporarily serving as captain of Musashi and the temporary cruiser Hachimanmaru, he served as captain of the Suma during the Battle of Tsushima. After the war, he served as a military attaché to the British Embassy for three and a half years.[1] In 1909, he returned to Japan and became Rear Admiral of the Navy and Director of the in the same year. In addition, he successively served as Commander of the 2nd Fleet, Commander of the 1st Fleet, Commander of the 4th Squadron, Commander of the 3rd Squadron, Chief of the Technical Headquarters and in 1917, became Vice Minister of the Navy .
In 1920, he was appointed Admiral of the Navy, served as Chief of the 1st Fleet, Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Commander-in-Chief of the Sasebo Naval District, and Military Counselor, and was transferred to the Reserve in 1924. Afterwards, he was in opposition to the London Naval Treaty. He became a member of the House of Peers on March 15, 1932,[2] but on July 8 of the same year, he collapsed while giving a lecture at the time of his inauguration as the principal of the in Morioka City and died there.
Legion of Honor, Knight (April 4, 1901)