Masatake Terauchi

Marshal, Army General, and Politician. Born on February 5, 1852, as the third son of Utada Shosuke, a samurai of the Choshu clan, he was later adopted by his mother's Terauchi family. During the late Edo period, he joined the Mitate-tai at a young age and participated in the Second Choshu-Bakufu War, and fought in the Boshin War as far as Hakodate. After the Meiji Restoration, he learned French-style infantry tactics at the recommendation of Yamada Akiyoshi, and advanced through the ranks as a soldier in the new government. During the Seinan War, he fought as a company commander in the Imperial Guard Regiment, where he was wounded in his right hand and lost the use of his hands. In 1882 (Meiji 15), he studied in France, inspecting the military systems of each country, and returned to Japan in 1886. He later served as the head of the military academy, the Minister of Military Transport and Communications during the Sino-Japanese War, and after the war as Inspector General of Education and Vice Chief of the General Staff. In 1902 (Meiji 35), he became Minister of War in the first Katsura Taro cabinet, and remained in that position in the first Saionji Kinmochi and second Katsura cabinets. In 1906, he was awarded the title of Army General, and the following year, 1907, he was awarded the title of Viscount. In 1910, while still Minister of War, he also served as the Governor-General of Korea, and in the same year he annexed Korea and became its first Governor-General, governing Korea with military rule. In 1911, he was promoted to Count, and in 1916 (Taisho 5), he became Prime Minister after the second Okuma Shigenobu cabinet and organized a Cabinet of Distans, but in 1918, he resigned from his post due to the rice riots. He died of illness about a year later on November 3, 1919. He was a powerful leader of the Choshu clan, second only to Yamagata Aritomo and Katsura Taro, but he was also a meticulous, nit-picking, bureaucratic type of military man. His eldest son, Hisaichi, also became a marshal and army general.

[Masaomi Yui]

"The Life of Marshal Count Terauchi, edited by Kuroda Koshiro (1920, Biographical Compilation Institute of the same institution)" ▽ "The Diary of Terauchi Masatake -- 1900-1918, edited by Yamamoto Shiro (1980, Kyoto Women's University)" ▽ "Biographical Series 40: The Life of Marshal Count Terauchi -- Biography of Terauchi Masatake, edited by Kuroda Koshiro (1988, Ozorasha)" ▽ "Biographical Series 9: Marshal of the Prime Ministers, Terauchi Masatake, supervised by Mikuriya Takashi (2005, Yumani Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

元帥・陸軍大将、政治家。嘉永(かえい)5年2月5日長州藩士宇多田正輔(しょうすけ)の三男に生まれ、のち母方の寺内家の養嗣子(ようしし)となる。幕末期、幼少にして御楯(みたて)隊に入り、第二次長幕戦争に参加、戊辰戦争(ぼしんせんそう)には箱館(はこだて)まで転戦。維新後山田顕義(やまだあきよし)の勧めでフランス式歩兵術を修め、新政府の軍人として累進。西南戦争では近衛連隊(このえれんたい)の中隊長として出陣、右手に傷を受けその自由を失う。1882年（明治15）フランス留学、各国軍事制度を視察して1886年帰国。その後士官学校長、日清(にっしん)戦争時には軍輸通信長官、戦後は教育総監、参謀次長を歴任、1902年（明治35）第一次桂太郎(かつらたろう)内閣の陸相となり、第一次西園寺公望(さいおんじきんもち)、第二次桂内閣に留任。1906年には陸軍大将、翌1907年子爵を授けられた。1910年には陸相のまま韓国統監を兼任、同年韓国併合を行って初代朝鮮総督となり、武断政治をもって朝鮮統治を行った。1911年伯爵に昇叙、1916年（大正5）第二次大隈重信(おおくましげのぶ)内閣の後を受けて内閣総理大臣となり、超然内閣を組織したが、1918年米騒動によって内閣を総辞職。約1年後の大正8年11月3日病没。山県有朋(やまがたありとも)、桂太郎に次ぐ長州軍閥の巨頭として軍政に力を発揮したが、その性格はきちょうめんで、重箱の隅をつつくような細かいところがあり、官僚タイプの軍人であった。長男の寿一(ひさいち)も元帥・陸軍大将。

［由井正臣］

『黒田甲子郎編『元帥寺内伯爵伝』（1920・同伝記編纂所）』▽『山本四郎編『寺内正毅日記――1900～1918』（1980・京都女子大学）』▽『黒田甲子郎編『伝記叢書40　元帥寺内伯爵伝――伝記・寺内正毅』（1988・大空社）』▽『御厨貴監修『歴代総理大臣伝記叢書9　寺内正毅』（2005・ゆまに書房）』

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