Katsu Kaishū
Count Katsu Yasuyoshi (勝 安芳) (born Katsu Yoshikuni (勝 義邦); March 12, 1823—January 21, 1899, best known by his nickname Katsu Kaishū (勝 海舟)) was a Japanese statesman and naval engineer during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period.
Katsu Yasuyoshi | |
|---|---|
Katsu Kaishū (as Katsu Yasuyoshi) in his later years | |
| Native name | 勝 安芳 |
| Birth name | Katsu Yoshikuni |
| Other name(s) | Katsu Rintarō |
| Nickname(s) | Katsu Kaishū (勝 海舟) Awa Katsū |
| Born | March 12, 1823 Edo, Japan |
| Died | January 21, 1899 (aged 75) Tokyo, Japan |
| Buried | Senzoku Pond Public Park, Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance | Tokugawa Shogunate Empire of Japan |
| Service/ | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Years of service | 1855–1868 (Tokugawa), 1872–1899 (Japanese Empire) |
| Rank | Gunkan-bugyō (commissioner), Vice Minister, Naval Lord (海軍卿) |
| Commands held | Kanrin-maru (warship), Kobe Naval School |
| Battles/wars | Boshin War |
| Awards | See Honours |
| Spouse(s) | Katsu Tamiko, Masuda Ito, 4 other concubines |
| Children | 9 children |
| Relations | Katsu Kokichi (father) Katsu Nobuko (mother) |
| Other work | Military theorist |
Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy (Kaishū Shooku 海舟書屋) by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was Rintarō (麟太郎). He was often called Awa (安房) from his ceremonial title Awa-no-kami (安房守) during the late Tokugawa shogunate and later changed his name to Yasuyoshi after the Meiji Restoration.
An advocate of modernization and westernization, Katsu was an influential figure during the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate (Bakumatsu) and subsequent Meiji Restoration. He eventually rose to occupy the position of commissioner (Gunkan-bugyō) in the Tokugawa navy and was a chief negotiator of the bakufu. As a major Tokugawa commander during the Boshin War, he is particularly known for his surrender of Edo to Imperial forces commanded by Saigō Takamori.