Shizuo Matsuoka

was a Japanese naval officer, linguist, and ethnologist.

Biography

Born in Tsujikawa, Tahara-mura, Shinto-gun, Hyogo (now part of Fukusaki, Hyogo), the seventh of eight children to physician Yakusai Matsuoka. He is the younger brother of noted Japanese scholar Kunio Yanagita. It was said that his mother dreamed of watching the sunset, and the halo lit around the sunset and looked like a military flag, saying, "This child is likely to be a soldier".

Shizuo would graduate from Imperial Japanese Naval Academy (25th class) and commissioned an ensign in the Imperial Japanese Navy in February 1899. During the Russo-Japanese War, he served aboard Chiyoda as Operations Officer and participated in the Battle of Tsushima. Following the war, he served aboard Chitose, as Chief of Staff for the 2nd Fleet, and Chief of Staff for Imperial General Headquarters.

In September 1909, Shizuo was assigned to the Japanese Embassy in Austria-Hungary as military attaché. Upon his return to Japan, he served as executive officer aboard Iwate, Asahi and Tsukuba. In December 1916, he promoted to captain, and assigned to Yokosuka Naval District as Director of the Navy Ministry's Library. In December 1918, he transferred to a reserve role and retired in May 1921.

Following his retirement, Shizuo moved to Kugenuma, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He survived the Great Kanto Earthquake that devastated the area in 1923 and assisted in the clean-up efforts. He would take command of the Navy Gunboat Yūnagi, escorting the remains of Prince Moromasa back to Tokyo.

After the earthquake, Shizuo would settle on the west coast of Kugenuma, studying linguistics and folklore, publishing numerous books on the history of the Japanese language and the languages of Oceania.

Family

Shizuo (front left), with his brothers Teruo, Kunio, & Kanae. Kanae's son Fuyuki in front. Shizuo was seventh of eight children. The oldest brother, Kanae, would follow in their father's footsteps and become a doctor. Brothers Yasuzo (Michiyasu Inoue) and Kunio (Yanagida) would be adopted by other families and become authors as well. Shizuo would marry Aiko Inajiro, who would pass shortly after their marriage. Shizuo would then go on to marry Hatsuko Nomura, the daughter of Viscount Yasushi Nomura. Shizuo and Hatsuko would have 4 children, 3 daughters and one son, Iwaki Matsuoka (1919–1995), who would go to become a professor at Hosei University in Business Administration.

Honors

30 November 1907 - Lower-Sixth Court Rank (:ja:従六位) 10 February 1913 - Upper-Sixth Court Rank (:ja:正六位) 28 December 1916 - Bottom-Fifth Court Rank (:ja:従五位)