Takeo Hirose

A naval officer from Oita Prefecture. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1889 (Meiji 22). He studied in Russia in 1897, became a military attaché in Russia in 1899, and became the torpedo officer of the battleship "Asahi" in 1902 (Meiji 35). In March 1904, after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, he participated in a blockade battle with steamships at the port of Port Arthur, the base of the Russian Navy, and was killed in action, after which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. His final moments were popularized in the Ministry of Education song "Lieutenant Colonel Hirose," and he was sanctified as a military god, appearing in national textbooks, and was used as a perfect material for promoting militarist ideology.

[Yoshida Yutaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

海軍軍人。大分県出身。1889年（明治22）海軍兵学校卒業。1897年ロシア留学、1899年ロシア駐在武官となり、1902年（明治35）戦艦「朝日」の水雷長となる。日露戦争開戦後の1904年3月、ロシア海軍の根拠地旅順(りょじゅん)港の汽船による閉塞(へいそく)戦に参加して戦死し、中佐に進級。その最期は文部省唱歌『広瀬中佐』により歌い広められ、国定教科書にも登場するなど軍神として聖化され、軍国主義イデオロギー鼓吹のためのかっこうの材料にされた。

［吉田　裕］

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