Togo Heihachiro
Togo Heihachiro 東郷 平八郎 (1846 - 1934) [hA'hächirO' tO'gO] was a Japanese admiral and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes. Alternative spellings are Tougou Heihachirou, Togo Hehachiro, Togo Heihachiro.Born in Satsuma province (modern-day Kagoshima prefecture) as a samurai family of Shimazu, togo studied naval science in England from 1871 to 1878, gained international recognition for his service in the First Sino-Japanese War, and contributed greatly to the development of Japanese sea power. In the Russo-Japanese War he defeated the Russian fleet at Port Arthur in 1904 and destroyed the Russian Baltic fleet in 1905 at the battle of Tsushima. This historic battle broke Russian strength in East Asia. Later he was chief of the naval general staff and a member of the supreme war council.
In 1940, shortly after his death, Togo Shrine was built in Harajuku, Tokyo in dedication to Togo Heihachiro. There he is celebrated as a shinto kami.
