# Sōjirō Tochiuchi

Sōjirō Tochiuchi (栃内曽次郎, Tochiuchi Sōjirō, July 19, 1866 – July 12, 1932) 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.

## Biography

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 Kogyokusha Junior & Senior High School [ja], 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. In 1909, he returned to Japan and became Rear Admiral of the Navy and Director of the Military Affairs Bureau [ja] 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, 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 Iwate Junior and Senior High School [ja] in Morioka City and died there.

## Court Ranks

* Senior Eighth Rank (December 14, 1891)
* Junior Seventh Rank (January 31, 1893)
* Senior Seventh Rank (November 26, 1895)
* Junior Sixth Rank (October 31, 1898)
* Junior Fifth Rank (February 14, 1905)
* Senior Fifth Rank (February 21, 1910)
* Junior Fourth Rank (June 30, 1914)
* Senior Fourth Rank (July 31, 1919)
* Junior Third Rank (August 20, 1921)
* Senior Third Rank (March 24, 1924)
* Junior Second Rank (July 12, 1932)

## Awards

* Order of the Rising Sun, 6th Class (November 18, 1895)
* Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class (December 28, 1901)
* Order of the Golden Kite, 4th Class (April 1, 1906)
* One Shohai [ja] (February 16, 1912)
* One Shohai [ja] (March 23, 1921)
* Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd Class (November 30, 1914)
* Order of the Rising Sun, 1st Class (November 7, 1915)
* Taishō 34th Military Service Medal (November 7, 1915)
* Emblem of Great Honor (November 10, 1915)
* First National Census Commemorative Emblem (July 1, 1921)

### Foreign Awards

* France: Legion of Honor, Knight (April 4, 1901)