Takeichi Nishi


Takeichi Nishi
Native name
西 竹一
Nickname(s)Baron Nishi
Born(1902-07-12)July 12, 1902
Azabu, Tokyo, Japan
DiedMarch 22, 1945(1945-03-22) (aged 42)
Iwo Jima, Japan
AllegianceEmpire of Japan
Service / branchImperial Japanese Army
Years of service1924–1945
RankColonel (posthumous)
Commands26th Tank Regiment, Mudanjiang
Battles / wars
RelationsSon of Nishi Tokujirō
Sports career
Country Empire of Japan
SportEquestrian
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1932 Los Angeles Individual show jumping

Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi (西 竹一, Nishi Takeichi, July 12, 1902 – c. March 22, 1945) was an Imperial Japanese Army officer, equestrian show jumper, and Olympic Gold Medalist at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Near the end of the Second World War he commanded the 26th Tank Regiment during the Battle of Iwo Jima and was killed in action during the defense of the island.

Family and early life

Nishi was born in the Azabu district of Tokyo. He was the illegitimate third son of Tokujirō Nishi, a danshaku (baron under the kazoku peerage system). His mother was not married to Tokujirō and was forced to leave the house soon after giving birth. His father had various high-level positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Imperial Privy Council, leading up to ambassador to China's Qing dynasty during the Boxer Rebellion.

Nishi went to Gakushuin pre-school and, while in elementary school, repeatedly got into fights with students of nearby Bancho elementary school. In 1912, at the age of 10, he succeeded to the title of Baron upon the death of his father. In 1915, he entered Tokyo First Junior High School (now Hibiya High School) in accordance with the dying wishes of his father; his classmates included Hideo Kobayashi, future pre-eminent literary critic, and Hisatsune Sakomizu, who would be Chief Cabinet Secretary in 1945.

In September 1917, Nishi entered Hiroshima Army Cadet School, a military preparatory school established on Prussian models, and in 1920 took courses at Tokyo Central Cadet Academy. One of his classmates was Masanobu Tsuji, formerly head student of the Nagoya Academy. He completed his studies at Central Cadet School in six months in April 1920, due to the reorganization of the military schools, and began courses at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy. Midway through his studies, he was attached to the First Cavalry Regiment based in Setagaya, Tokyo. In 1924, he graduated from the academy, the 13th of the 19 students in his class, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in October. He went on to the First Cavalry after graduating from Army Cavalry School. He was promoted to lieutenant in October 1927.

Uranus and Olympics competition

Nishi with his Olympic steed, Uranus

In 1930, Nishi encountered what would be his favorite horse, Uranus, while in Italy. As the army wouldn't pay for the horse, Nishi bought Uranus with his personal funds. Nishi and Uranus competed in competitions around Europe, doing well. In 1932, when Nishi was a first lieutenant, they participated in the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, winning a gold medal in Equestrian at the 1932 Summer Olympics show jumping individual. His victory broke through the general hostility towards Japan that followed from the Mukden Incident and invasion of Manchuria. Westerners, especially Americans, referred to him as Baron Nishi. He was also popular among Japanese Americans, who were ostracized by American society in this period.

During his stay in Los Angeles, Nishi became the topic of conversation both for his love of driving convertibles around town and for becoming part of the social circle led by movie legend Charlie Chaplin, movie star couple Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.

After the Olympics, he was reassigned to the 16th Narashino Cavalry Regiment and promoted to be a cavalry instructor at the regimental school with the rank of captain, which he was promoted to in August 1933.

Takeichi Nishi with Uranus at the 1932 Summer Games

Nishi and Uranus participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany but Nishi fell off his horse mid-course. There is speculation this was intentional and done for the benefit of host country Nazi Germany, with whom Japan would sign the 1940 Tripartite Pact, forming the Axis Powers. The 1936 Show Jumping individual event gold medal was won by Germany. Following this, Nishi was reposted to the Tokachi Subdivision of the department responsible for supply of military horses. He was promoted to major in March 1939.

War years to Iwo Jima

In this period, Japan was cutting its cavalry forces and forming tank regiments. Nishi was reassigned the regimental commander of the 26th Tank Regiment, based in Mudanjiang, in northern Manchukuo on defensive duties. He eventually gained the rank of lieutenant colonel in August 1943.

In 1944, the 26th Tank Regiment was reassigned to the defense of Iwo Jima under the command of Lieutenant General Tadamichi Kuribayashi. On July 18, 1944, while en route from Pusan to Iwo Jima, the ship Nisshu Maru transporting the regiment was struck by torpedoes fired by submarine USS Cobia (SS-245). While only two soldiers were killed, all 28 of the tanks in the regiment were lost.

Nishi briefly returned to Tokyo to obtain replacement tanks, and eventually received 22 of them. While there, he borrowed the car of Daijiro Kawasaki, future CEO of Daihyaku Insurance (eventually bought out by Manulife Financial), a close friend and a son of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries zaibatsu. When he had a chance, he visited his horse Uranus, who remained at the Bajikōen Horse Grounds, Setagaya.

Battle of Iwo Jima

Nishi as young Army officer

On Iwo Jima in 1945, Nishi commanded the 26th Tank Regiment under the Ogasawara Corps (IJA 109th Division). He would walk about the island wearing his Hermès brand riding boots and carrying his favorite crop. The regimental headquarters, which was located near the village of Maruman, was moved to the eastern part of the island when the battle began. Due to the topography of the island, some of the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium and Type 95 Ha-Go light tanks were placed in hull defilade (buried up to their turrets) and used as fortified emplacements, in particular, against the American M4 Shermans.

After extensive air and naval gunfire bombardment, the United States Marine Corps launched an amphibious assault on Iwo Jima starting February 19. The American forces, who knew that Nishi was an enemy commander, broadcast daily appeals for him to surrender, stating that the world would regret losing "Baron Nishi"; Nishi never responded to those appeals. The American intelligence officer responsible for this attempt was Sy Bartlett of the 315th Bomber Wing out of Guam, who would later write the novel and film screenplay Twelve O'Clock High (1949). In 1966, Bartlett visited Nishi's widow in Tokyo and paid his respects at Yasukuni Shrine.

Death

The circumstances of Nishi's death are unknown and subject to competing theories. One theory is that he found himself in the midst of enemy forces on the morning of March 21 and was killed by machine gun fire while moving to the regimental headquarters. Another is that he and his aide killed themselves with their pistols near Ginmyōsui or Futagoiwa. Yet another is that he was burnt to death by American flamethrowers on March 22, or that he and several subordinates carried out a final assault and were killed in action.

John C. Shively, in his novel The Last Lieutenant (2006), recounts a story told by his uncle in which his platoon fires upon a group of Japanese soldiers during the night. In the morning, a body resembling Nishi's was found wearing riding boots and jodhpurs. Shively's uncle was almost certain that this was the body of Nishi.

Nishi was 42 years old at the time of the battle.

Legacy

Nishi was posthumously promoted to the rank of colonel and awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. A cenotaph was later erected by his family in the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo. His son Yasunori Nishi succeeded him as the 3rd Baron Nishi. His hereditary title was abolished during the American occupation of Japan after the war.[1] In 2012 Yasunori Nishi was appointed vice-chairman of Iwo Jima Association of Japan and attended the 68th Reunion of Honor held on the island in 2013.[2]

Biographer Ōno Kaoru said of Nishi, "Few people comprehended him and only Uranus understood him."[3]

After the war a small monument was erected on the eastern coast of Iwo Jima near where Nishi is believed to have died, in 1988 due to concerns over high geothermal heat and the difficulty of access construction started on another more elaborate memorial on a cliff around 250 meters north of the original monument.[4][5] It was noted to still be under construction by San Diego Reader journalist Ray Westberg during his visit to the island in 1989.[6] The completed memorial features a plaque on the front with the inscription:

"The cherry blossoms of the warriors' hearts bloom in Iwo Jima, never to be scattered".[7]

In 1995 another plaque was installed on the back of the monument in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the end of the war.[8]

Nishi's gold medal from the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics is on display at the Chichibunomiya Memorial Sports Museum in Funabashi.[9]

In 1964 Nishi's widow gifted his favorite riding crop to the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, in 2021 the AAFLA's successor organization the LA84 Foundation returned the crop to Nishi's grandson on the occasion of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.[10]

Uranus died one week after Nishi at the Tokyo Equestrian Park, he was later buried at the Army Cavalry School in Tsudanuma but the grave was destroyed in a US bombing raid. In 1990, Uranus was commemorated at the War Horse Memorial in the History and Folklore Museum in Honbetsu, Hokkaidō.[11]

In the 2006 film Letters from Iwo Jima, Baron Nishi was played by Korean-Japanese actor Tsuyoshi Ihara. The film portrays Nishi as being close friends with General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, but in reality, the two had some disagreements. Nishi ignored Kuribayashi's prohibition on using precious water to wash tanks, as well as the general's orders to punish soldiers who did so. Regardless, the popularity (mainly in Japan) of both men as defenders of Iwo Jima grew. An anecdote repeated by Kakehashi Kumiko in the February 2006 issue of Bungei Shunju magazine is that in the final days of the battle, as the number of commanding officers who refused to put their men in caves increased, Nishi agreed that they should go out and fight together. In the 2006 movie, Nishi uses some of the scarce medical supplies on a wounded US Marine he is questioning. Ōno Kaoru's biography of Nishi gives credence to this as an actual event. The film also portrays Nishi as having taken his own life after being wounded and blinded during the battle.

Awards and Decorations

Nishi's other decorations include:[13]

References and other works

Translations of Japanese language titles are approximate.
  • Shiroyama Saburō, 硫黄島に死す (To die on Iwo Jima), Shinchosha, 1984, ISBN 978-4-10-113316-4 (in Japanese)
  • Ōno Kaoru, オリンポスの使徒「バロン西伝説はなぜ生れたか」 (Disciple of Olympus: Why was the legend of Baron Nishi born?), Bungei Shunju, 1984, ASIN B000J74FDC (in Japanese)
  • Futabashi Shingo (images by Kisaki Takashi), 風と踊れ! 時代を疾走ぬけた男 バロン西 (Dance with the Wind! Baron Nishi, the man who raced to the end of an era), 2003 comic published by Shueisha (in Japanese)
  • Zaloga, Steven J. Japanese Tanks 1939-45. (2007) Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84603-091-8.
  1. ^ "The Story of Baron Nishi and His Horse Uranus". Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  2. ^ "Gold medalist Takeichi Nishi dies on Iwo Jima Baron Nishi, Apostle of Olympus". Archived from the original on 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  3. ^ "Blog 03/22/2021 - MHT Iwo Jima & Baron Nishi". Archived from the original on 2024-05-24.
  4. ^ "Maritime Self-Defense Force 4th Air Group post regarding Monument Commemorating Lt. Colonel Nishi Takeichi". Archived from the original on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  5. ^ "Nishizhu Ichisa related". Archived from the original on 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  6. ^ Westberg, Ray (7 September 1989). "The meaning of Iwo Jima". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  7. ^ "The first place I visited on Iwo Jima this year (1) Baron Nishi Monument". Archived from the original on 2024-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  8. ^ "Monument to Colonel Nishi on Iwo Jima: "To the Spirit of the Soldiers of Colonel Nishi's Unit"". 9 July 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  9. ^ "The Story of Baron Nishi and His Horse Uranus". Hokkaido University Equestrian Club. Archived from the original on 2018-10-20. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Masi Oka returns Baron Nishi's riding crop to his family". Consulate-General of Japan in Los Angeles. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  11. ^ "The Story of Baron Nishi and His Horse Uranus". Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  12. ^ "The Story of Baron Nishi and His Horse Uranus". Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  13. ^ "Japanese Forces Takeichi Nishi". Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2024-10-08.

Read other articles:

Aleksandr Vasilyevich SamsonovJenderal Aleksandr Samsonov, 1913.Lahir(1859-11-14)14 November 1859Andreevka, Kegubernuran Kherson, Kekaisaran Rusia (kini Kherson, Ukraina)Meninggal30 Agustus 1914(1914-08-30) (umur 54)Willenberg, Prusia Timur(kini Wielbark, Polandia)Pengabdian Kekaisaran RusiaDinas/cabang Angkatan Darat Kekaisaran RusiaLama dinas1877–1914PangkatJenderal KavaleriKomandanDistrik Militer Warsawa (1906–?)Angkatan Darat Kedua (1914)Perang/pertempuranPemberontakan ...

 

 

Aer Chór na hÉireann(ga)Irish Air Corps(en) Emblème du Corps aérien Irlandais Création 1924 Pays Irlande Allégeance Forces de Défense irlandaises Type Force aérienne Effectif 930 Surnom IAC Couleurs Devise Forḟaire agus Tairiseaċt Équipement 24 aéronefs modifier  Le Corps aérien Irlandais (irlandais : Aer Chór na hÉireann, anglais :Irish Air Corps) est la composante aérienne des forces de Défense irlandaises[1]. qui fournit un appui aérien à l'armée et au servi...

 

 

Divisi Utama Liga IrlandiaNegara Republik Irlandia (dan satu tim dari Irlandia Utara)KonfederasiUEFADibentuk1985Jumlah tim10Tingkat pada piramida1Degradasi keDivisi Satu Liga IrlandiaPiala domestikPiala FAIPiala Liga IrlandiaPiala internasionalLiga ChampionsLiga EropaJuara bertahan ligaShamrock Rovers (gelar ke-8) (2023)Klub tersuksesShamrock Rovers (8 gelar)Dundalk (8 gelar)Televisi penyiarRTÉ 2Setanta SportsSitus webAirtricityLeague.ie Divisi Utama Liga Irlandia 2023 Divisi Utama Liga Irla...

Questa voce sull'argomento calciatori tedeschi è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Hans Schäfer Schäfer (sinistra) Nazionalità  Germania Altezza 174 cm Calcio Ruolo Attaccante Termine carriera 1965 Carriera Squadre di club1 1948-1965 Colonia421 (261) Nazionale 1952-1962 Germania Ovest39 (15) Palmarès  Mondiali di calcio Oro Svizzera 1954 1 I due numeri indicano le presenz...

 

 

American baseball player Baseball player Robbie ErlinErlin with the San Diego Padres in 2013Free agent PitcherBorn: (1990-10-08) October 8, 1990 (age 33)Oakland, California, U.S.Bats: RightThrows: LeftProfessional debutMLB: April 30, 2013, for the San Diego PadresNPB: April 17, 2021, for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham FightersMLB statistics (through 2022 season)Win–loss record13–20Earned run average4.87Strikeouts275NPB statistics (through 2021 season)Win–loss...

 

 

Câu Tiễn勾踐Vua chư hầu Trung Quốc (chi tiết...)Một hình ảnh của Câu Tiễn.Vua nước ViệtTại vị496 TCN - 465 TCNTiền nhiệmDoãn ThườngKế nhiệmLộc DĩnhThông tin chungMất465 TCNTrung QuốcTên thậtTự Câu Tiễn (姒勾踐)Thụy hiệuBá VươngTước vịViệt Vương (越王)Hoàng tộcnước ViệtThân phụDoãn Thường Câu Tiễn (chữ Hán: 越王勾踐; trị vì 496 TCN - 465 TCN) là vua nước Việt (ngày nay là Thư�...

Liga Nacional de Fútbol SalaAbbreviationLFPTypeSports associationHeadquartersMadrid, SpainRegion served SpainPresidentJavier Lozano CidMain organGeneral AssemblyWebsitewww.lnfs.es The Liga Nacional de Fútbol Sala (LNFS) (National Futsal League) is the governing body that runs the major professional futsal leagues in Spain. It was founded in 1989 and serves under the authority of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Competitions Men Primera División de Futsal Segunda División de Futsal C...

 

 

Women's national association football team representing Vietnam This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see Vietnam national football team. VietnamNickname(s)Những Nữ Chiến Binh Sao Vàng(Golden Star Women Warriors)AssociationVietnam Football Federation (VFF)ConfederationAFC (Asia)Sub-confederationAFF (Southeast Asia)Head coachMai Đức ChungCaptainHuỳnh NhưMost capsNguyễn Thị Tuyết Dung (126)Top scorerHuỳnh Như (68)Home stadiumCẩm Phả StadiumFIFA co...

 

 

Month of 1931 1931 January February March April May June July August September October November December << June 1931 >> Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30   The following events occurred in June 1931: Monday, June 1, 1931 The United States Supreme Court decided Near v. Minnesota. The Spanish provisional government eliminated all titles of nobility.[1] Fascist Italy banned Catholic youth organ...

Questa voce o sezione sull'argomento sportivi non è ancora formattata secondo gli standard. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Chun Byung-kwan Nazionalità  Corea del Sud Altezza 155 cm Sollevamento pesi Categoria Pesi mosca, Pesi gallo Palmarès  Giochi olimpici Argento Seul 1988 52 kg. Oro Barcellona 1992 56 kg.  Mondiali Bronzo Budapest 1990 56 kg. Oro Donaueschingen 1991 56 kg. Argento Gua...

 

 

National rugby union squad This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Scotland women's national rugby union team. ScotlandEmblemThistleUnionScottish Rugby UnionHead coachGregor TownsendCaptainFinn Russell & Rory Darge (Co-Captains)Most capsRoss Ford (110)Top scorerChris Paterson (809)Top try scorerStuart Hogg (27)Home stadiumMurrayfield Stadium First colours Second colours World Rugby rankingCurrent6 (as of 18 March 2024)Highest5 (2018 & 2023)Lowest12 (2015)First ...

 

 

Line of HP-branded iPods iPod+HPAn iPod mini with HP brandingDeveloperApple Inc.TypePortable media playerRelease dateJanuary 8, 2004 (2004-01-08)DiscontinuedJuly 29, 2005Related iPod (4th generation) iPod mini iPod photo iPod shuffle (1st generation) The Apple iPod+HP was a line of Hewlett-Packard–branded iPods, distributed through HP. On January 8, 2004, then-CEO of HP Carly Fiorina announced the Apple iPod+HP deal at the Consumer Electronics Show. As part of the deal, Apple...

American politician Colleen DavisDavis in 2023Treasurer of DelawareIncumbentAssumed office January 1, 2019GovernorJohn CarneyPreceded byKen Simpler Personal detailsBornColleen Carroll1979 or 1980 (age 43–44)Political partyDemocraticEducationPhiladelphia University (BS, MS)SignatureWebsiteGovernment website Colleen Davis (née Carroll; born 1979 or 1980) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party serving as the Delaware State Treasurer since 2019...

 

 

Nigerian actress (born 1994) Sophie AlakijaAlakija in 2019BornSophie RammalFebruary 8, 1993Lagos, NigeriaNationalityNigerianOccupationActressYears active2010–presentChildren2 Sophie Rammal is an actress in the Nigerian Film Industry. Personal life Sophie Rammal Alakija ( born February 8, 1993), popularly known as Sophie Alakija, is a Nigerian actress ex-dancer and model. Born into an Islamic family in Lagos state, South Western Nigeria, she grew up in Surulere. Her father is of Lebanes...

 

 

Trần gia từ (giản thể: 陈家祠; phồn thể: 陳家祠 là từ đường tại thành phố Quảng Châu - Trung Hoa. Nó là thư viện, vừa là từ đường. Trước khi trở thành từ đường 祠堂, Trần Gia Từ là một thư viện 书院 (thư viện là nơi dùng cho việc học - ôn luyện) và cũng là nơi ở của tầng lớp giàu - quyền thế trong xã hội phương Nam. Kiểu trúc Tứ hợp viện Điển tích và các câu chuy...

1492-1833 territorial jurisdiction under the Crown of Castile Not to be confused with Emirate of Granada. Kingdom of GranadaReino de Granada (Spanish)1492–1833 Standard Coat of arms Motto: Reinar es agridulce(Reigning is bittersweet)Kingdom of GranadaCapitalGranadaReligion Roman Catholic, Sunni Islam, Judaism.GovernmentManorialismHistory • Conquest of Granada 1492• Morisco Revolt 1568–1571• Territorial division of Spain 1833 Preceded by Succeeded by Emi...

 

 

American anarchist writer and feminist (1866–1912) Voltairine de CleyreVoltairine de Cleyre in Philadelphia, 1901BornVoltairine De Claire(1866-11-17)November 17, 1866Leslie, Michigan, U.S.DiedJune 20, 1912(1912-06-20) (aged 45)Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Resting placeWaldheim Cemetery41°52′12″N 87°49′11″W / 41.869909°N 87.8197364°W / 41.869909; -87.8197364Occupation(s)Writer, lecturer, tutorEraSecond Industrial RevolutionMovementAnarchism, feminism, indiv...

 

 

めむろちょう 芽室町 芽室公園 芽室町旗1999年10月1日制定 芽室町章1999年10月1日制定 国 日本地方 北海道地方都道府県 北海道(十勝総合振興局)郡 河西郡市町村コード 01637-3法人番号 8000020016373 面積 513.76km2総人口 17,844人 [編集](住民基本台帳人口、2024年8月31日)人口密度 34.7人/km2隣接自治体 十勝総合振興局:帯広市、河東郡音更町、鹿追町、上川郡清水町日高振興�...

この記事は検証可能な参考文献や出典が全く示されていないか、不十分です。 出典を追加して記事の信頼性向上にご協力ください。(このテンプレートの使い方)出典検索?: 旧唐書 – ニュース · 書籍 · スカラー · CiNii · J-STAGE · NDL · dlib.jp · ジャパンサーチ · TWL (2024年6月) 二十四史 二十四史 司馬遷『史記』 班固『漢書』 范...

 

 

British theatrical award Laurence Olivier Award for Best ActorThe 2024 Recipient: Mark GatissAwarded forBest Actor in a PlayLocation EnglandPresented bySociety of London TheatreFirst awarded1985Currently held byMark Gatiss for The Motive and the Cue (2024)Websiteofficiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/ The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Play is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards w...