Shimazu Tadashige

Prince Shimazu Tadashige (島津 忠重) was born on October 20, 1886, and died on April 4, 1968. He was the son of Shimazu Tadayoshi and served as the 30th head of the Shimazu clan. His place of birth was Kagoshima, Japan, and he was primarily raised at the Shimazu residence in Tokyo.

Shimazu Tadashige received his early education at the Gakushuin Peers’ School. In 1904, he entered the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, where he graduated from the 35th class, ranking 79th out of 172 cadets. His naval career commenced with midshipman duties aboard the cruiser Itsukushima and the battleship Fuji. After his commissioning as an ensign, he was assigned to the cruisers Katori and Izumo.

He specialized in weaponry, becoming a torpedo and naval artillery expert through further training at designated weaponry schools. As a sub-lieutenant, he served aboard the battleship Iwami and again on the cruiser Katori. Between 1911 and 1913, Shimazu left active naval service to serve in the House of Peers. He resumed his naval duties in December 1914 aboard the battleship Settsu after completing additional navigation and gunnery training.

During World War I, Shimazu served as a lieutenant aboard the battleship Tsukuba and the cruisers Kawachi, but he did not participate in combat operations. He graduated from the Japanese Naval War College in December 1920, after which he was promoted to lieutenant commander. Between December 1921 and 1923, he traveled to England at his personal expense. Upon his return, he was appointed as an instructor at the Naval War College and served within the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff. He was promoted to the rank of commander in December 1924.

Shimazu was appointed as a military attaché to England in December 1928, serving until December 1930. During his tenure abroad, he was promoted to captain. After returning to Japan, he continued service on the Navy General Staff and was promoted to rear admiral on November 15, 1935. He retired from active naval service approximately one month later, on December 15, 1935.

Following his retirement, Shimazu Tadashige provided advisory services to the Gakushuin and was involved in managing the heritage of the Shimazu clan. His Tokyo residence, designed by Josiah Conder in 1915, was seized by American occupation forces during the occupation of Japan; it now functions as the main hall for Seisen University.

In the postwar period, Shimazu was involved in financial scandals related to the Shimazu Kosan Company. As a consequence, he sold much of his inherited wealth, including the Shimazu clan archives, which were transferred to Tokyo University. He died in 1968 at the age of 81.