Admiral Togo Heihachirō

[Bugyotsuji]

He studied in Britain in the late 1800s, and ordered dreadnoughts for Japan. He masterminded the great sea victory at Tsushima over the Russian fleet, drawing his inspiration from the naval tactics of his hero Lord Nelson. The Tachi he insisted in wearing on the bridge, splashed with seawater, was his famous Yoshifusa.
He kept a diary in English, and is said to have believed he was a reincarnation of Nelson. Perhaps the name Horatio even sounded somewhat like his own name Heihachirō?

 

Recently I came across this solid silver paperweight, which goes nicely with a copper commemorative medallion and saké cup, each from different phases of his life.

 

[Bugyotsuji]

The two medallions.
The silver one on left is stamped 純銀 Jun Gin, for pure silver (135g), 6.3 cm x 0.5cm @mimi.

The copper one, 7.0 cm x 0.6 @ mimi, shows Kongo class battle cruiser Kirishima, I think.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

https://en.m.wikiped...man_will_do_his_duty

Quote: A similar signal was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War. At the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905, Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō – who had studied naval tactics in Britain from 1871 to 1878, and was known as the "Nelson of the East"– signalled to his fleet: "The fate of the Empire depends upon today's battle: let every man do his utmost".

 

[Bugyotsuji]

The copper coin shows the fleet review off Kobe in 1930, and somewhere among those ships was the visiting HMS Belfast.

[PNSSHOGUN]

It is very interesting to see all of these Togo related items. Thank you for sharing, Piers.

 

High quality Swedish steel was branded as 'Togo Hagane' and was quite popular in Japan (perhaps similar in a way to 'Toledo steel' in the west?), used in tools, razors, woodworking planes and even swords.  There was some relationship between Hayama Enshin and this Togo Hagane.

 

https://ohmura--stud...tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-GB

 

[Davis]

Postcard 1905