Heihachiro Togo (1848-1934) was Japan's greatest admiral, the mentor of Emperor Hirohito, and one of the architects of Japan's emergence as a military power in the twentieth century. His bold naval strategy won the most decisive sea battle in history, the Battle of Tsushima.

Heihaciro Togo was born on January 27, 1848 in Kajima-Machi, a Japanese village on the island of Kyushu in Satsuma Province (later Kogoshima Prefecture). Although located in one of the outlying provinces, the area contained fertile agricultural land. Togo was the fourth son of a highly esteemed nobleman, a samurai. His father served the lord of his province, Shimazu Nariakira, as a comptroller of the revenue, master of the wardrobe, and district governor. His mother, Masuko, was a noblewoman who belonged to the same clan as her husband.

At birth, Togo's parents gave him the name Nakagoro Togo. In a religious and patriotic celebration held upon...