Gonsuke Hayashi
Encyclopedia
was a diplomat during Meiji
and Taishō period
Japan
.
). His grandfather, Hayashi Yasusada (also known as "Hayashi Gonsuke") was a noted samurai
leader in the Boshin War
of the Meiji Restoration
, but fighting for the Tokugawa shogunate
. In 1867, his grandfather and father were both killed in combat during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi
, leaving the seven-year-old Gonsuke as head of the Hayashi household. Despite his youth, he was given a military rank and assigned to a position in the defense of Aizuwakamatsu Castle
during the Battle of Aizu
. After the defeat of the Aizu forces and the estabishment of the Meiji government, Hayashi, along with many surviving members of the Aizu clan, were sent to the newly created Tonami Domain in what is now northern Aomori Prefecture
. However, after a period in northern Japan, he caught the attention of an officer from Satsuma Domain, Kodama Sanefumi, who had known is grandfather in Kyoto
from the days of the Kōbu gattai
movement, and Kodama brought the young Hayashi and his mother to live in Tokyo
. Kodama subsequently died during the Satsuma Rebellion
.
Hayashi graduated from Tokyo Imperial University and obtained a position at the Foreign Ministry
in 1887. After serving as Consul
to the Japanese diplomatic missions at Chemulpo
, Korea
and Shanghai
, China
, he served as secretary at the Japanese embassies in London
and Beijing
. While in China, he assissed Liang Qichao
escape to exile in Japan after the Conservative Coup ended the Hundred Days' Reform
. Hayashi was highly regarded by Kato Takaaki
, and was appointed Director of the Communications Bureau in the Foreign Ministry in 1899.
During the Russo-Japanese War
, Hayashi served as Deputy Ambassador to the Kingdom of Korea, and in that capacity signed the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1904 of February 23, 1904, which gave the Imperial Japanese Army
freedom of action on the Korean Peninsula
. This was followed by the Japan-Korea Agreement of August 1904
and the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 which resulted in Korea becoming a protectorate
of the Empire of Japan
. Hayashi was rewarded with elevation to the kazoku
peerage of Japan, with the title of danshaku (baron
). He served as resident minister of Japan to the Kingdom of Italy
in 1908.
During World War I
, Hayashi served as Minister Plenipotentiary to China. In 1919-1920 Hayashi served as the first civilian governor of the Kwantung Leased Territory
. In 1920, he was reassigned to London, and in 1921 was part of the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations
Assembly in Geneva
, Switzerland
. Hayashi served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom
in 1920-1925, and in that capacity represented his country at the Genoa Conference in 1922.
Hayashi subsequently served as a member of the Privy Council
from 1934 until his death in 1939. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery
in Tokyo.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
and Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
Hayashi was born in Aizu Domain (modern Fukushima prefectureFukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
). His grandfather, Hayashi Yasusada (also known as "Hayashi Gonsuke") was a noted samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
leader in the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, but fighting for the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. In 1867, his grandfather and father were both killed in combat during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi
Battle of Toba-Fushimi
The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 , when the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa domains clashed near Fushimi...
, leaving the seven-year-old Gonsuke as head of the Hayashi household. Despite his youth, he was given a military rank and assigned to a position in the defense of Aizuwakamatsu Castle
Aizuwakamatsu Castle
, also known as Tsuruga Castle is a traditional castle in northern Japan, at the center of the city of Aizuwakamatsu, in Fukushima Prefecture.- History :The castle was constructed by Ashina Naomori in 1384, and was originally named...
during the Battle of Aizu
Battle of Aizu
The Battle of Aizu was fought in northern Japan in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War.Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time, a standing army of over 5000. It was often deployed to security operations on the northern fringes of the country, as far north as...
. After the defeat of the Aizu forces and the estabishment of the Meiji government, Hayashi, along with many surviving members of the Aizu clan, were sent to the newly created Tonami Domain in what is now northern Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
. However, after a period in northern Japan, he caught the attention of an officer from Satsuma Domain, Kodama Sanefumi, who had known is grandfather in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
from the days of the Kōbu gattai
Kōbu Gattai
Kōbu gattai was a policy in Bakumatsu Japan aiming at obtaining a political coordination between the Bakufu and the Imperial Court....
movement, and Kodama brought the young Hayashi and his mother to live in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Kodama subsequently died during the Satsuma Rebellion
Satsuma Rebellion
The was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...
.
Hayashi graduated from Tokyo Imperial University and obtained a position at the Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
in 1887. After serving as Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to the Japanese diplomatic missions at Chemulpo
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, he served as secretary at the Japanese embassies in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. While in China, he assissed Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao |Styled]] Zhuoru, ; Pseudonym: Rengong) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynasty , who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and reform movements...
escape to exile in Japan after the Conservative Coup ended the Hundred Days' Reform
Hundred Days' Reform
The Hundred Days' Reform was a failed 104-day national cultural, political and educational reform movement from 11 June to 21 September 1898 in late Qing Dynasty China. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu Emperor and his reform-minded supporters...
. Hayashi was highly regarded by Kato Takaaki
Kato Takaaki
Count was a Japanese politician and the 24th Prime Minister of Japan from 11 June 1924 to 28 January 1926. He was also known as Katō Kōmei.- Early life :...
, and was appointed Director of the Communications Bureau in the Foreign Ministry in 1899.
During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
, Hayashi served as Deputy Ambassador to the Kingdom of Korea, and in that capacity signed the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1904 of February 23, 1904, which gave the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
freedom of action on the Korean Peninsula
Korean Peninsula
The Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
. This was followed by the Japan-Korea Agreement of August 1904
Japan-Korea Agreement of August 1904
The Japan–Korea Protocol of August 1904 was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1904. Negotiations were concluded on August 22, 1904.-Treaty provisions:...
and the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905 which resulted in Korea becoming a protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
of the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. Hayashi was rewarded with elevation to the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage of Japan, with the title of danshaku (baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
). He served as resident minister of Japan to the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
in 1908.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Hayashi served as Minister Plenipotentiary to China. In 1919-1920 Hayashi served as the first civilian governor of the Kwantung Leased Territory
Kwantung Leased Territory
The Kwantung Leased Territory was a territory in the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula in Inner Manchuria that existed from 1898 to 1945. It was one of the numerous territorial concessions that the Empire of China was compelled to award to foreign countries at the end of the 19th century...
. In 1920, he was reassigned to London, and in 1921 was part of the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
Assembly in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Hayashi served as Ambassador to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1920-1925, and in that capacity represented his country at the Genoa Conference in 1922.
Hayashi subsequently served as a member of the Privy Council
Privy Council (Japan)
was an advisory council to the Emperor of Japan that operated from 1888 to 1947.-Functions:Modeled in part upon the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, this body advised the throne on matters of grave importance including:...
from 1934 until his death in 1939. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery
Aoyama Cemetery
is a cemetery in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, many people visit.-History:...
in Tokyo.
For further reading
- Obituary in the New York Times for Hayashi's death http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0916FB3E54107A93CAAB178DD85F4D8385F9