Nozu was born in
Kagoshima as the second son of a low-ranking
samurai of the
Satsuma Domain. He studied
Japanese swordsmanship under
Yakumaru Kaneyoshi, a noted instructor within Satsuma Domain, and was appointed a company commander during the
Boshin War of the
Meiji Restoration. Nozu was at every major battle in the war, from the
Battle of Toba–Fushimi, to the
Battle of Aizu and the
Battle of Hakodate. After the war, Nozu went to
Tokyo, and in March 1871, was appointed as a
major in the 2nd Brigade of the fledgling Imperial Japanese Army. He was promoted to
lieutenant colonel in August 1872, and colonel in January 1874 upon his appointment as
chief of staff of the
Imperial Guards Brigade. From July to October 1876, Nozu traveled to the
United States, where he attended the
Centennial Exhibition in
Philadelphia. Soon after his return to Japan, he had the unpleasant task of fighting against his former Satsuma clansmen in the
Satsuma Rebellion. In February 1877, Nozu was appointed chief of staff of the 2nd Brigade, and was stationed in
Bungo Province, in
Kyushu – the heartland of the rebellion, from May to August 1877. In November 1878, Nozu was promoted to
major general, and subsequently served as commander of the Tokyo Military District. In February 1884, Nozu accompanied
War Minister Ōyama Iwao, on a year-long tour of
Europe to examine the military systems of various European nations. In July 1884, he was elevated to the title of
baron (
danshaku) in the
kazoku peerage system by
Emperor Meiji. From February to April 1885, Nozu was sent to
Beijing in
Qing Dynasty China as a
military attaché. On his return to Japan in May 1885, he was promoted to
lieutenant general and made commander of the
Hiroshima Military District. In May 1888, with the reorganization of the Imperial Japanese Army into
divisions per the advice of
Prussian
military advisor Jakob Meckel, Nozu was made commander of the new
IJA 5th Division, which saw combat under his command in the
First Sino-Japanese War at the
Battle of Pyongyang (1894). In March 1895, Nozu was promoted to full
general and replaced General
Yamagata Aritomo as command-in-chief of the
Japanese First Army in
Manchuria. In August 1895, he was elevated to the title of
viscount (
shishaku). After the end of the war, Nozu he successively held various military posts including Commander of the
Imperial Guard Division,
Inspector-General of Military Training, and served as a Military Councilor. With the start of the
Russo-Japanese War, Nozu was assigned command of the
Japanese Fourth Army, which played a crucial role in the
Battle of Mukden. At the end of the war, he received promotion to the post of
field marshal in January 1906. His title was also upgraded to
marquis (
koshaku). By Imperial appointment, Nozu served as a member of the
House of Peers of the
Diet of Japan from September 1907 until his death in October 1908. Nozu's decorations included the
Order of the Golden Kite (1st class) and the Grand Cordon of the Supreme
Order of the Chrysanthemum. His grave is at the
Aoyama Cemetery in downtown Tokyo. ==Notes==