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The Imperial Japanese Navy ('''IJN''') ( of the Empire Of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional Renunciation Of The Use Of Force as a means of settling international disputes. It was the third largest navy in the world by 1920 behind the United States Navy and Royal Navy ,Evans, Kaigun and perhaps the most modern at the brink of World War II . It was supported by Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for aircraft and airstrike operation from the fleet. The Origin s of the Imperial Japanese Navy trace back to early interactions with Nations on the Asian Continent , beginning in the early Medieval Period and reaching a peak of activity during the 16th and 17th centuries at a time of Cultural Exchange with Europe an Power s during the Age Of Discovery . After two centuries of stagnation during the country's ensuing Seclusion Policy under the Shogun s of the Edo Period , Japan's Navy was comparatively backward when the country was forced open to trade by American Intervention in 1854. This eventually led to the Meiji Restoration . Accompanying the re-ascendance of the Emperor came a period of frantic Modernization and Industrialization . The navy's history of successes, sometimes against much more powerful foes as in the 1895 Sino-Japanese War and the 1905 Russo-Japanese War , ended in almost complete annihilation during the concluding days of World War II . The IJN was officially dissolved in 1945. ORIGINS See Also: Naval history of Japan in 1185]] Japan has a long history of naval interaction with the Asian continent, involving transportation of troops between Korea and Japan, starting at least with the beginning of the Kofun Period in the 3rd century. Following the attempts at Mongol Invasions Of Japan by Kubilai Khan in 1274 and 1281, Japanese ''wakō'' became very active in Plunder ing the coast of the Chinese Empire . , combining eastern and western naval technologies]] , in fact, had many iron clad ships in his fleet."'' (referring to the anteriority of Japanese ironclads (1578) to the Korean Turtle Ship s (1592)). In Western sources, Japanese ironclads are described in CR Boxer "The Christian Century in Japan 1549–1650", p122, quoting the account of the Italian Jesuit Organtino visiting Japan in 1578. Nobunaga's ironclad fleet is also described in "A History of Japan, 1334–1615", Georges Samson, p309 ISBN 0-8047-0525-9. Korea's "ironclad Turtle ships" were invented by Admiral Yi Sun-sin (1545–1598), and are first documented in 1592. Incidentally, Korea's iron plates only covered the roof (to prevent intrusion), and not the sides of their ships. The first Western ironclads date to 1859 with the French ''Gloire'' ("Steam, Steel and Shellfire"). In 1588, Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a ban on Wakō piracy; the pirates then became vassals of Hideyoshi, and comprised the naval force used in the Japanese Invasion Of Korea . So it has been stated that Admiral Yi built the first combat ironclad that was seabound to wreck havoc on the Japanese supply ships during the Imjin Waeran War of 1592-97. Japan built her first large ocean-going warships in the beginning of the 17th century, following contacts with the Western nations during the Nanban Trade Period . In 1613, the Daimyo of Sendai , in agreement with the Tokugawa Bakufu , built ''Date Maru'' , a 500 ton Galleon -type ship that transported the Japanese embassy of Hasekura Tsunenaga to the Americas, which then continued to Europe. From 1604, about 350 Red Seal Ship s, usually armed and incorporating some Western technologies, were also commissioned by the Bakufu, mainly for Southeast Asia n trade. Seclusion and Western studies '' was built from Dutch technical drawings.]] From 1640 and for more than 200 years, Japan chose the policy of " Sakoku " (seclusion), which forbade contacts with the West, eradicated Christianity , and prohibited the construction of ocean-going ships on pain of death. Contacts were maintained through the Dutch enclave of Dejima however, allowing for the transfer of a vast amount of knowledge related to the Western technological and Scientific Revolution . This study of Western sciences, called " Rangaku ", also allowed Japan to remain updated in areas relevant to naval sciences, such as Cartography , Optics or mechanical sciences. The full study of Western Shipbuilding techniques resumed in the 1840s during the Late Tokugawa Shogunate ("Bakumatsu"). Early modernization of the Shogunal Navy In 1853 and 1854, U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Perry made a demonstration of force with the newest steam warships of the U.S. Navy. Perry finally obtained the opening of the country to international trade through the 1854 Convention Of Kanagawa . This was soon followed by the 1858 " Unequal " U.S.-Japan Treaty Of Amity And Commerce , which allowed the establishment of foreign concessions, extra-territoriality for foreigners, and minimal import taxes for foreign goods. , Japan's first screw-driven steam warship, 1857]] As soon as Japan agreed to open up to foreign influence, the Tokugawa shogun government initiated an active policy of assimilation of Western naval technologies. In 1855, with Dutch assistance, the Shogunate acquired its first steam warship, '' Kankō Maru '', which was used for training, and established the Nagasaki Naval Training Center . In 1857, it acquired its first screw-driven steam warship, the ''Kanrin Maru'' . In 1859, the Naval Training Center was transferred to Tsukiji in Tokyo . Naval students were sent to study in Western naval schools for several years, such as the future Admiral Takeaki Enomoto (who studied in the Netherlands from 1862–1867), starting a tradition of foreign-educated future leaders such as Admirals Heihachiro Togo and, later, Isoroku Yamamoto . .]] As early as 1863, less than 10 years after openning the country to foreign interaction, Japan completed its first domestically-built steam warship, the 1863 for the Army. '' (ex-CSS ''Stonewall''), Japan's first modern Ironclad , 1869]] By the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1867, the Tokugawa navy was already the largest of Eastern Asia, organized around eight Western-style steam warships and the flagship ''Kaiyō Maru'' , which were used against pro-imperial forces during the Boshin War , under the command of Admiral Enomoto. The conflict culminated with the Naval Battle Of Hakodate in 1869, Japan's first large-scale modern naval battle, and ended with the defeat of the last Tokugawa forces and the restoration of Imperial rule. The revolutionary French-built Ironclad '' Kotetsu '', originally ordered by the Tokugawa shogunate, was receptioned by the Imperial side and was used decisively towards the end of the conflict. CREATION OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY (1869) for "Imperial Japanese Navy"]] From 1868, the restored Meiji Emperor continued with reforms to industrialize and militarize Japan to prevent the United States and European powers from overwhelming her. On 17 January 1868 , the Ministry of Military Affairs (兵部省, also known as the Army-Navy Ministry) was established, with Iwakura Tomomi , Shimazu Tadayoshi and Prince Komatsu-no-miya Akihito as the First Secretaries. was the flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy until 1881.]] On 26 March 1868 , the first Naval Review was held in Japan (in Osaka Bay ), with 6 ships from the private domainal navies of Saga , Chōshū , Satsuma , Kurume , Kumamoto and Hiroshima participating. The total tonnage of these ships was 2252 tons, which was far smaller than the tonnage of the single foreign vessel (from the French Navy) that also participated. The following year, in July 1869, the Imperial Japanese Navy was formally established, two months after the last combat of the Boshin War . In July 1869, the private domanial navies were abolished, and their 11 ships were added to the 7 surviving vessels of the defunct Tokugawa ''bakufu'' navy to form the core of the new Imperial Japanese Navy. In February 1872, the Ministry of Military Affairs was replaced by a separate Army Ministry (陸軍省) and Navy Ministry (海軍省). In October 1873, Katsu Kaishu became Navy Minister. The new government drafted an ambitious plan to create a Navy with 200 ships organized into 10 fleets. It was abandoned within a year due to lack of resources. British support , around their English instructor, Lieutenant Horse (ホース中尉), in early 1871.]] During the 1870s and 1880s, the Imperial Japanese Navy remained an essentially coastal defense force, although the Meiji government continued to modernize it. '' Jho Sho Maru '' (soon renamed ''Ryūjō Maru'') commissioned by Thomas Glover was launched at Aberdeen , Scotland on March 27 , 1869 . In 1870, an Imperial decree determined that Britain 's Royal Navy should be the model for development, instead of the Netherlands ."Togo Heihachiro", II From September 1870, the English Lieutenant Horse, a former gunnery instructor for the Saga Fief during the Bakumatsu period, was put in charge of gunnery practice onboard the ''Ryūjō''."Togo Heiachiro", I7 In 1871, the Ministry resolved to send 16 trainees abroad for training in naval sciences (14 to Great Britain, 2 to the United States), among which was Togo Heihachiro ."Togo Heihachiro", II A 34-member British naval mission visited Japan in 1873 for two years, headed by Comdr. Archibald Douglas ."Togo Heihachiro", II Later, Comdr. L.P. Willan was hired in 1879 to train naval cadets. First interventions abroad (Taiwan 1874, Korea 1875-76) from the ''Unyo'' at Ganghwa Island , Korea, in the 1875 Ganghwa Island Incident .]] , on its way to Ganghwa Island (江華島), Korea , January 16th, 1876. There were 2 warships (''Nisshin'', '' Moshun ''), 3 troop transports, and one liner for the embassy led by Kuroda Kiyotaka .]] During 1873, a plan to invade the Korean Peninsula (the Seikanron proposal made by Saigo Takamori ) was narrowly abandoned by decision of the central government in Tokyo. In 1874, the Taiwan Expedition was the first foray abroad of the new Imperial Japanese Navy and the Imperial Japanese Army . Various interventions in the Korean peninsula continued in 1875-1876, starting with the Ganghwa Island Incident (江華島事件) provoked by the Japanese gunboat ''Unyo'' , leading to the dispatch of a large force of the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a result, the Treaty Of Ganghwa was signed, marking the official opening of Korea to foreign trade, and Japan's first example of Western-style interventionism and adoption of Unequal Treaties tactics. Soon however domestic rebellions, the ), and a coastal Navy, leading to a military organization under the ''Rikushu Kaijū'' (Jp:陸主海従, Army first, Navy second) principle. In 1878, the Japanese cruiser Seiki sailed to Europe with an entirely Japanese crew. Source Further modernization (1870s) Ships such as the ''Fusō'' , ''Kongō'' (1877) and the ''Hiei'' (1877) were built in British shipyards specifically for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Private construction companies such as Ishikawajima and Kawasaki also emerged around this time. ''Kongō'' (1877) .]] In 1883 two large warships were ordered from British shipyards. ''Naniwa'' and the ''Takachiho'' were 3,650-ton ships. They were capable of speeds up to 18 knots (33 km/h) and were armed with 2 to 3-inch deck armor and two 10.2-in (260 mm) Krupp guns. The naval architect Sasō Sachū designed these on the line of the Elswick class of Protected Cruisers but with superior specifications. An Arms Race was taking place with China however, who equipped herself with two German-built Battleship s of 7,335 tons ( ''Ting Yüan'' and ''Chen-Yüan'' ). Unable to confront the Chinese fleet with only two modern cruisers, Japan resorted to French assistance to build a large, modern fleet which could prevail in the upcoming conflict. Influence of the French "Jeune Ecole" (1880s) (1894).]] During the 1880s, France took the lead in influence, due to its " Jeune Ecole " ("young school") doctrine favoring small, fast warships, especially Cruiser s and Torpedo Boat s, against bigger units. The choice of France may also have been influenced by the Minister of the Japanese Navy (海軍卿), who happened to be Enomoto Takeaki at that time (Navy Minister 1880-1885), a former ally of the French during the Boshin War . The ''Meiji'' government issued its First Naval Expansion bill in 1882, requiring the construction of 48 warships, of which 22 were to be torpedo boats. The naval successes of the French Navy against China in the Sino-French War of 1883-85 seemed to validate the potential of torpedo boats, an approach which was also attractive to the limited resources of Japan. In 1885, the new Navy slogan became ''Kaikoku Nippon'' (Jp:海国日本, lit. "Maritime Japan"). In 1885, the leading French Navy engineer Emile Bertin was hired for four years to reinforce the Japanese Navy and to direct the construction of the arsenals of Kure and Sasebo . He developed the ''Sanseikan'' class of cruisers; 3 units featuring a single powerful main gun, the 12.6in (320 mm) Canet Gun . Altogether, Bertin supervised the building of more than twenty units. They helped establish the first true modern naval force of Japan. It allowed Japan to achieve mastery in the building of large units, since some of the ships were imported, and some others were built domestically at the arsenal of Yokosuka : on the ''Matsushima''.]]
This period also allowed Japan "to embrace the revolutionary new technologies embodied in Torpedo es, torpedo-boats and Mines , of which the French at the time were probably the world's best exponents" Howe, p281. Japan acquired its first torpedoes in 1884, and established a "Torpedo Training Center" at Yokosuka in 1886. These ships, ordered during the fiscal years 1885 and 1886, were the last major orders placed with France. The unexplained sinking of the '' Unebi '' in route from France to Japan in December 1886, created diplomatic frictions and doubts about the French designs. British shipbuilding (1887)]] Japan turned again to Britain, with the order of a revolutionary torpedo boat, the 1887 ''Kotaka'' , which is considered the first ever effective design of a destroyerPeattie & Evans, ''Kaigun'', p17, and with the purchase of the '' Yoshino '', built at the Armstrong works in Elswick , Newcastle Upon Tyne , the fastest cruiser in the world at the time of her launch in 1892."Her armament of twelve quick-firing guns was formidable for her size, and her 23-knot speed made her the fastest cruiser in the world"''ibid.'' In 1889, she ordered the Clyde-built ''Chiyoda'' , which defined the type for Armored Cruiser s.''Chiyoda (II): First Armoured Cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy'', Kathrin Milanovich, Warship 2006, Conway Maritime Press, 2006, ISBN 1-01844-86030-2. After 1882 (until 1918, with the visit of the French Military Mission To Japan ), the Imperial Japanese Navy stopped relying on foreign instructors altogether. In 1886, she manufactured her own Prismatic Powder , and in 1892 one of her officers invented a powerful explosive, the Shimose Powder . Source SINO-JAPANESE WAR (1894-1895) See Also: First Sino-Japanese War at the Battle Of Weihaiwei .]] Japan continued the modernization of its navy, especially as China was also building a powerful modern fleet with foreign, especially German, assistance, and the pressure was building between the two countries to take control of Korea . The Sino-Japanese War was officially declared on August 1 , 1894 , though some naval fighting had already taken place. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1906, It Launched The Battleship | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Japanese_battleship_Satsuma" class="copylinks">''Satsuma'' , at the time the largest warship in the world by displacement, and the first ship in the world to be designed, ordered and laid down as an "all-big-gun" battleship, about one year before the British HMS ''Dreadnought'' "Laid down before ''Dreadnought'' and intended to carry 12-inch guns, she should have been completed as the world's first all-big-gun battleship However, there were not enough Armstrong 1904 pattern 12-inch guns available, and 10-inch gunshad to be substituted for all but four of the weapons Thus it was that future all-big gun battleships were to be called "dreadnoughts", and not "satsumas"" Jane's "Battleships of the 20th Century", p68 |
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