Editing Yamamoto Gonnohyōe (section)

==Biography==
===Early life===
Yamamoto was born in [[Kagoshima]] in [[Satsuma Province]] (now [[Kagoshima Prefecture]]) as the sixth son of a [[samurai]] who served as a secretary and ''[[sōjutsu]]'' master of the [[Shimazu clan]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gibney |first=Frank |title=Buritanika Kokusai Daihyakkajiten |publisher=TBS-BRITANNICA |year=1995 |at=山本権兵衛 |oclc=55231838}}</ref> As a youth, he took part in the [[Anglo-Satsuma War]]. He later joined Satsuma's Eighth Rifle Troop in the [[Boshin War]] that ended the [[Tokugawa shogunate]], fighting at the [[Battle of Toba–Fushimi]] and other locations; he was also aboard one of the ships that pursued [[Enomoto Takeaki]] and the remnants of the Tokugawa fleet to [[Hokkaidō]] in 1869. After the success of the [[Meiji Restoration]], Yamamoto attended preparatory schools in [[Tokyo]] and entered the 2nd class of the [[Imperial Japanese Naval Academy]] in 1870. At the time of the [[Satsuma Rebellion]], he briefly returned to Kagoshima, but at the urging of [[Saigo Takamori]], he returned to the Naval Academy before the start of combat.

===Naval career===
[[File:Yamamoto Gonnohyoe bust portrait.jpg|thumb|left|Yamamoto Gonnohyoe]]
After graduation in 1874, Yamamoto went on a training cruise to [[Europe]] and [[South America]] aboard [[Imperial German Navy]] vessels from 1877 to 1878, and as junior officer acquired much sea experience. He wrote a gunnery manual that became the standard for the Imperial Japanese Navy and served as [[executive officer]] of the [[cruiser]] {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Naniwa||2}} on its shakedown voyage from [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]] to Japan (1885 to 1886). After serving as captain of the [[corvette]] {{ship|Japanese corvette|Amagi||2}}, he accompanied [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan|Navy Minister]] [[Kabayama Sukenori]] on a trip to the [[United States]] and Europe that lasted over a year (1887 to 1888).

As commander of the cruiser {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takao|1888|2}}, he undertook a confidential mission to meet [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]] General [[Yuan Shikai]] in [[Seoul|Hanseong (Seoul)]], [[Korea]] (1890). Afterwards, he assumed command of the {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Takachiho||2}}.

Working under his patron, Navy Minister [[Saigō Tsugumichi]] from 1893, Yamamoto became the real leader of the navy; initiating numerous reforms, attempting to end favoritism toward officers of his own Satsuma province, attempting to end officers from profiteering from military office, and attempting to attain roughly equal status with the Army in the [[Supreme War Council (Japan)|Supreme War Council]]. He also pushed for an aggressive strategy towards the [[Qing Dynasty|Chinese Empire]] in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] (1894–95). Yamamoto was promoted to [[rear admiral]] in 1895 and to [[vice admiral]] in 1898.

===As Minister of the Navy===
[[File:Admiral Yamamoto Gombei visiting Dalny.jpg|thumb|left|Japanese [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan#Ministers of the Navy of Japan|Minister of the Navy]], Admiral Baron Yamamoto visiting the captured city of [[Dalny]], just north of [[Lüshunkou|Port Arthur]] in December 1904.  Accompanying the Minister were several Western observers, including Italian naval attaché [[Ernesto Burzagli]] who photographed the inspection tour.]]
In November 1898, Yamamoto was appointed [[Ministry of the Navy of Japan|Navy Minister]] under the second [[Yamagata Aritomo]] administration. By this time, the [[Russian Empire]] was already perceived as the greatest threat to Japan, and Yamamoto advised the government that it was possible that Japan would win a conflict against Russia, albeit at the cost of more than half of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He sponsored promising junior officers a "brain trust", including [[Akiyama Saneyuki]] and [[Hirose Takeo]], whom he sent as [[naval attaché]]s to the United States, United Kingdom and Russia to gather intelligence and to make strategic assessments of capabilities. Domestically, he pushed for increased capacity and modernisation of shipyards and steel mills,  and for the increased import of higher quality coal from the United Kingdom to power his warships. Externally, he was a strong supporter of the [[Anglo-Japanese Alliance]]. As an indication of the increased independence and prestige of the Navy, Emperor Meiji appeared in naval uniform during a public appearance for the first time. Yamamoto was made [[baron]] (''danshaku'') under the ''[[kazoku]]'' peerage system in 1902; and he was promoted to the rank of [[admiral]] in 1904.

As Minister of the Navy during the [[Russo-Japanese War]], Yamamoto showed strong leadership and was responsible for appointing [[Tōgō Heihachirō]] as [[commander-in-chief]] of the [[Combined Fleet]].  He gave voice to Tōgō's reports when he read aloud his reports from the war to the assembled Diet.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1904/03/30/118944582.pdf  "Article 6 – no title,"] ''New York Times.'' 30 March 1904.</ref>

Yamamoto was replaced as Navy Minister by [[Saito Makoto]] in January 1906. He was elevated to [[count]] (''hakushaku'') in 1907.