Background
Born as the 5th son of Aizu domain samurai Shiba Satazō, Shiba Gorō witnessed the events of the Boshin War as a child, and survived the domain"s destruction.
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Shiba Goro
Edit Profile柴 五郎
Education
He joined the new Meiji government and after working for a short time for the Aomori prefecture government, he attended the Imperial Japanese Army Academy.
Career
In his same class were a number of men who later rose to considerable prominence, including Uehara Yusaku, Akiyama Yoshifuru, and Hongo Fusataro. He was appointed a second lieutenant in the artillery in 1879, and first lieutenant in 1884. Military career After serving with the Osaka Armory, Shiba was later assigned to the Imperial Guards unit
In 1895, he served in the First Sino-Japanese War.
As a colonel in 1900, Shiba was military attaché at the Japanese legation during the Boxer Rebellion. He served with distinction during that campaign, including the siege of Beijing, and was awarded with decorations by many of the western nations in the Eight-Nation Alliance participating in the combat.
His name was also mentioned in The Times. He subsequently served in an artillery regiment in the Russo-Japanese War, and was awarded the Order of the Golden Kite (2nd class), for bravery in battle.
He was later sent as military attaché to Great Britain.
He was chosen to accompany Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito on an official visit to England in 1918. After his return to Japan, he was briefly placed in charge of the Taiwan Army before retirement. Following the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Shiba attempted suicide.
He died of his wounds four months later.
Shiba is also the author of his memoirs "Remembering Aizu" (Boshin Junnan Kaikoroku, "A Record of the Sacrifices of the Boshin War" in Japanese). The book portrays his childhood years and family life, as well as an insider"s view of the Meiji Restoration in Japan.
This view includes a description of the difficulties faced by the Aizu daimyo Matsudaira Katamori and the rest of the domain"s population, wrapping up with Shiba"s return to Aizu in the 1870s. He also wrote an account of the siege of Beijing, titled Pekin rōjō (北京篭城).
Achievements
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Born
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Died
December 13, 1945 (aged 85) -
Nationality
Japan