Sakuma was born in
Ōtsu District,
Nagato Province (present day
Nagato, Yamaguchi), as the younger son of Okamura Magoshichi, a
samurai of
Chōshū Domain, and was later adopted into the Sakuma family. He studied Western military science under
Ōmura Masujirō and was a company commander defending the domain against the
Second Chōshū expedition mounted by the
Tokugawa shogunate in 1866. He subsequently served in the
Boshin War of the
Meiji restoration with distinction at the
Battle of Aizu. In 1872, he entered the fledgling
Imperial Japanese Army as a captain. In February 1874, Sakuma participated in the suppression of the
Saga Rebellion, during which time he led a column of troops from
Kumamoto Castle. He then participated in the
Taiwan Expedition of 1874, where on May 22 he commanded the 150 strong force of soldiers that was ambushed by aborigines, initiating the Battle of Stone Gate. During the
Satsuma Rebellion, he was commander of the IJA 6th Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to colonel in 1878. In February 1881, Sakuma was promoted to
major general in command of the
Sendai military district. In May 1885, Sakuma was given command of the IJA 10th Infantry Brigade and promoted to
lieutenant general the following year. The same year, 1886, he was elevated to the title of
danshaku (
baron) under the
kazoku peerage system. With the outbreak of the
First Sino-Japanese War, Sakuma commanded the
IJA 2nd Division at the
Battle of Weihaiwei, and later served as Japanese military governor of
Weihaiwei in
Shandong Province,
China. At the end of the war, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of
Order of the Rising Sun, and elevated to
shishaku (
viscount). In 1898, Sakuma was appointed commander of the central division of the
Imperial Guards, and became a full
general. After a brief period on leave, he then became commander of the Tokyo Garrison. In April 1906, after his appointment as 5th
Governor-General of Taiwan, Sakuma was awarded the
Order of the Rising Sun (1st class with Paulownia Blossoms, Grand Cordon), and in 1907 was elevated to
hakushaku (
Count). With the end of armed resistance by
Han Taiwanese population, the colonial authorities turned their attention to the suppression of the mountain dwelling
aboriginal tribes. One of the reasons Sakuma was selected to head the colonial government was due to his participation in Japan's previous 1874 campaign, and his mission extended Japanese control into the aboriginal regions. During his tenure, Sakuma led several armed campaigns against the
Atayal,
Bunun and
Truku peoples. Sakuma was one of the longest-serving governor-generals of Taiwan. He died of severe wounds inflicted during the war with the Truku tribes. The Japanese used 200 machine guns and 10,000 soldiers against the Aboriginals, but grievous wounds were inflicted upon the Japanese Governor-General Sakuma. He was highly regarded by the Japanese administration for helping develop Taiwan's east coast, especially the port of
Hualien, and the
Taroko Gorge area. He is also credited with introducing
baseball to Taiwan in 1910. After his death, he became a
kami under
State Shinto, and a shrine was erected in his honor in
Sagamihara,
Kanagawa Prefecture, and in Taihoku (present-day
Taipei). The shrine in Japan still exists. ==Decorations==