Oyama, Iwao

Oyama, Iwao ēwäˈō ōˈyämä [key], 1842–1916, Japanese field marshal. A native of Satsuma and a follower of Okubo Toshimichi, he worked to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and restore the emperor. Made acting war minister in 1876, he was instrumental in putting down the Satsuma rebellion of 1877. In the First Sino-Japanese War he captured Port Arthur and Weihaiwei, and in the Russo-Japanese War he was commander in Manchuria. As war minister in several cabinets and as chief of staff he upheld the autocratic power of the oligarchs (see genro) against democratic encroachments. Oyama was given the rank of prince for his military accomplishments, and on his death he was awarded a state funeral.

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