Admiral Togo and the Imperial Navy at War

The story of Japan’s premier naval commander and his greatest victory

Togo Heihachiro was a gensui (admiral) of the fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early years of the 20th century. He is regarded as one of the most outstanding naval figures Japan has produced, earning him the title ‘the Nelson of the East’ from the Western press. This special Leonaur edition covers the career of Togo from his birth in 1848 to his first experience of naval conflict at the bombardment of Kagoshima, through his time as a naval student in Britain and to his early commands of small warships. Togo observed the Sino-French War of 1884-5 from the French side of the conflict and took an active part in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-5, after which was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. In 1903 Togo was appointed Commander in Chief of the Combined Imperial Navy Fleet. It would during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 that his command capabilities were fully realised, resulting in decisive Japanese victories at the battles of the Yellow Sea, at Port Arthur and at the pivotal Battle of Tsushima—which demonstrated that he was a naval strategist and commander of the fist rank. These famous events are, of course, described in some detail within these pages. The second book here was written by a nephew of Admiral Togo and describes the naval war against the Russians from the perspective of the Japanese, making it an ideal companion piece to the Togo biography. Contains illustrations and photographs not present in original editions.

Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket.