Siege of Port Arthur
Tada was the second son of a former samurai retainer of Sendai Domain from Sendai, Miyagi, and was adopted by his uncle. After attending military preparatory schools, he graduated from the 15th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in 1903, specializing in the artillery, and as a junior officer, served with the IJA 18th Field Artillery Regiment at the Siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.