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Isoroku Yamamoto. Photo by 山本五十六.

Top 10 Facts about Isoroku Yamamoto

Isoroku Yamamoto was a Japanese Marshal Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). He was also the commander in chief of the Combined Fleet during World War two until his death. Isoruku Yamamoto also practiced calligraphy.

He was born on 4^th April 1884 in Nagaoka, Niigata in the Empire of Japan as it was. His father was a samurai of the Nagaoka Domain. He died in April 1943 after the plane he was in was shot down. His death was a major blow to the Japanese military during World War Two.

Isoroku Yamamoto contributed greatly to the military of Japan. Many films have, both Japanese and American depicted the character of Isoroku Yamamoto. He has also been featured by several authors in their books. Isoroku Yamamoto spent a part of his lifetime in the United States. He is a veteran who served in the Japanese navy for several years. Here are the top 10 facts about Isoroku Yamamoto.

1. Yamamoto was adopted after a few years in life

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Photo by Unknown.

In 1916, Isoroku was adopted into the Yamamoto family and took their family name Yamamoto. It was common practice for samurai families lacking sons to adopt suitable young men to carry on the family name, the rank, and the income that went with it.

2. He lost his two fingers in the Battle of Tsushima

Yamamoto fought in the Battle of Tsushima from May 27^th to 28^th in 1905. The Japanese warship Nisshin was hit several times by the Russian warships. Yamamoto sustained several injuries and lost two fingers of the left hand in the course of the war.

He was among the 583 injured Japanese men. The loss of the fingers led to him earning the nickname ’80 sen’. This is because a manicure cost 10 sen per finger at that time.

3. The admiral studied naval aviation

Yamamoto graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1904. He ranked 11^th in his class. While he served in many positions in his lifetime, he changed his specialty from gunnery to naval aviation.

His first command was the cruiser Isuzu in 1928. This was followed by the aircraft carrier Akagi. He was a strong proponent of naval aviation and served as the head of the Aeronautics Department.

4. He received threats and hate mail from Japanese nationalists

Throughout 1938 many young army and naval officers began to speak publicly against Yamamoto and other admirals like Shigeyoshi Inoue and Mitsumasa Yonai.

This is because they opposed a tripartite pact with Nazi Germany since they saw it as inimical to Japan’s natural interests. Yamamoto received hate mail and death threats from Japanese nationalists. His reaction to the prospect of the assassination was passive and accepting.

5. He was an avid gambler

Yamamoto started gambling during his days in Europe. Anytime he was free, he would go to Moroccan casinos. regarding the Pearl Harbor Attack, he said ‘If the emperor allows me to gamble, then I can win back a warship for the empire’.  Yamamoto was betting on the whole of Japan concerning the war of Pearl Harbor.

He enjoyed Go, shogi, billiards, bridge, mahjong, poker, and other games that tested his wits and sharpened his mind. He made jokes from time to time about moving to Monaco and starting his casino. He enjoyed gambling because he won every single time.

6. The plane he was in was shot down to kill him

State funeral of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. Photo by Unknown author. Wikimedia Commons.

The navy code-breakers intercepted the Japanese radio traffic which indicated that the admiral would fly over Bougainville Island on April 18^th, 1943. The air commander Rear Adm. Marc A. saw this as another opportunity to launch a long-range attack on Yamamoto’s plane.

They used a Lockheed P-38G lightning fighter. The shooting was done by the United States Army Air Forces. Yamamoto’s death was a huge blow to Japanese military morale.

7. The U.S. legal experts argued that he was killed legally

United States legal expert, Colonel Hays Parks defended the position of the U.S. in the killing of Isoroku Yamamoto. He stated that Admiral Yamamoto was killed because of his status as an enemy combatant in compliance with the applicable laws of war. He wrote that ‘enemy combatants are legitimate targets at all times. Such attacks do not constitute assassination unless carried out treacherously’.

8. He received many decorations

Yamamoto was a highly decorated man. He received even posthumous. Some of these are the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Nazi Germany, 27^th May 1943), the Oder of the Golden Kite, and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum.

He was also awarded while he was alive. Some of them are the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers, and the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure.

9. Yamamoto has been featured in many films

Many Japanese films have depicted the character of Isoroku Yamamoto. One of the most notable is Tora! Tora! Tora! A 1970 movie. Other films are the 1960 film, The Gallant Hours, and Taiheyo no washi, a 1953 film. Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune portrayed Yamamoto in three films; Rengo Kantai Shirei Chokan, Gekido no showashi Gunbatsu, and Midway.

10. He planned the Pearl Harbor attack

The household of Isoroku Yamamoto. Photo by Unknown. .

Since Yamamoto had spent his time in the U.S. studying English at Harvard. He knew that Japan would not win a direct attack against the United States. Thus, a surprise attack was the only means by which Japan would force the US into a treaty. Isoroku Yamamoto was the chief officer responsible for conceptualizing the attacks.

He was also the commander-in-chief of the fleet. Yamamoto was the major proponent of the attack. He also took part in convincing spheres of government and the military to embrace the plan.