Katurou Imahara: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
mNo edit summary
mNo edit summary
 
(25 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Region icon Esquarium}}
{{Region icon Kylaris}}
''This is a [[Senrian name]]; the {{wp|surname|family name}} is Imahara.''
{{Senrian name|Imahara}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name        = <small>Prime Minister of Senria</small><br>Katurou Imahara<br>이마하라까뚜로우
|name        = <small>Prime Minister of Senria</small><br>Katurou Imahara<br>이마하라까뚜로우
|image        = ZhengHyeJeou.jpg
|image        = ZhengHyeJeou.jpg
|imagesize    = 200px
|imagesize    = 250
|office1      = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] 1st [[Prime Minister of Senria]]
|office1      = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] 1st [[Prime Minister of Senria]]
|primeminister1      =
|primeminister1      =
|deputy1            = [[Nobuyuki Youiti]]<br>[[Hatirou Nakayama]]
|deputy1            = [[Iturou Nakagawa]]<br>[[Hatirou Nakayama]]
|term_start1  = December 11, 1933
|term_start1  = December 11, 1933
|term_end1    = December 13, 1948
|term_end1    = December 14, 1953
|predecessor1  = ''Position created''<br><small>Himself (as Chairman)</small>
|predecessor1  = ''Position created''<br><small>Himself (as Chairman)</small>
|successor1    = [[Hatirou Nakayama]]
|successor1    = [[Hatirou Nakayama]]
|office2      = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] Chairman of the Government of National Preservation
|office2      = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] Chairman of the [[Government of National Preservation]]
|primeminister2      =
|primeminister2      =
|term_start2  = July 10, 1927
|term_start2  = July 10, 1927
|term_end2    = December 11, 1933
|term_end2    = December 11, 1933
|predecessor2  = ''Position created''<br><small>[[Council of the Senrian State]]</small>
|predecessor2  = ''Position created''<br><small>[[Isao Isiyama]] (as [[Speaker of Senria|Speaker]])</small>
|successor2    = ''Position abolished''<br><small>Himself (as Prime Minister)</small>
|successor2    = ''Position abolished''<br><small>Himself (as Prime Minister)</small>
|office3      = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] Member of the [[Council of the Senrian State]]
|president3    = [[Isao Isiyama]]
|term_start3  = December 12, 1923
|term_end3    = July 10, 1927
|predecessor3  = ''Position created''
|successor3    = ''Position abolished''<br><small>Himself (as Chairman)</small>
|birth_date  = September 30, 1883
|birth_date  = September 30, 1883
|birth_place  = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Nisiyama]], Senria
|birth_place  = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Marugame]], Senria
|death_date  = April 5, 1954 (70 years)
|death_date  = April 5, 1954 (70 years)
|death_place  = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Saeki]], Senria
|death_place  = [[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Saeki]], Senria
|alma_mater  = [[Tokiyori National Military Academy]]
|alma_mater  = [[Tokiyori National Military Academy|Tokiyori Imperial Military Academy]]
|nationality  = Senrian
|nationality  = Senrian
|profession  = Soldier, general, politician
|profession  = Soldier, general, politician
|party        = [[File:People's-Senria.png|25px]] [[People's Party (Senria)|People's Party]]
|party        = [[File:People's-Senria.png|25px]] [[Aikokutou]]
|religion    = [[Tenkyou]]
|religion    = [[Tenkyou]]
|spouse      = Keiko Minamoto
|spouse      = [[Keiko Imahara|Keiko Minamoto]]
|children    = [[Kitirou Imahara]] <small>(adopted)</small>
|children    = [[Kitirou Imahara]] <small>(adopted)</small>
| branch          = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Imperial Senrian Army]] <small>(1901-1926)</small><br>[[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Senrian Republican Army]] <small>(1926-1954)</small>
| signature      = Signature of Katurou Imahara.png
| allegiance      = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Empire of Senria]] <small>(1901-1926)</small><br>[[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Senria|Republic of Senria]] <small>(1926-1954)</small>
| branch          = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Imperial Senrian Army]] <small>(1901-1923)</small><br>[[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Senrian Republican Army]] <small>(1923-1953)</small>
| allegiance      = [[File:SenriaFlag-monarchy.png|22px]] [[Empire of Senria]] <small>(1901-1923)</small><br>[[File:SenriaFlag.png|22px]] [[Senria|Republic of Senria]] <small>(1923-1953)</small>
| rank            = {{wp|Dai-gensui|Grand marshal}}
| rank            = {{wp|Dai-gensui|Grand marshal}}
| battles          = [[Senrian Revolution]]<br>[[Senrian-Xiaodongese War]]
| battles          = [[First Sakata Incident]]<br>[[1909 Concession Riots]]<br>[[Senrian Revolution]]<br>[[Second Sakata Incident]]<br>[[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]]<br>[[Solarian War]]
}}
}}
'''Katurou Imahara''' ({{wp|Japanese language|Senrian}}: 이마하라까뚜로우, ''Imahara Katurou''; September 30, 1883 - April 5, 1954) was an influential [[Senrian people|Senrian]] military and political leader who served as the leader of [[Senria]] between 1927 and 1948. Born into a military family, Imahara graduated from [[Tokiyori National Military Academy]] and became an officer in the [[Imperial Senrian Army]] in 1901, becoming a general within the body by 1919. He served in the imperial military during most of the [[Senrian Revolution]], but was a member of the [[Gangs of Six (Senria)|First Gang of Six]] that deposed Emperor [[Katuhito of Senria|Katuhito]] in early 1926. Imahara was invited to join Senria's interim government by [[Isao Isiyama]], and founded the [[People's Party (Senria)|People's Party]] to compete with Isiyama's [[Republican Party (Senria)|Republicans]].
{{Template:Katurou Imahara sidebar}}
'''Katurou Imahara''' ({{wp|Japanese language|Senrian}}: 이마하라까뚜로우, ''Imahara Katurou''; {{wp|Kanji|Gyoumon}}: 今原勝郎; September 30, 1883 - April 5, 1954) was a [[Senrian people|Senrian]] military and political leader who served as the leader of [[Senria]], first as head of the [[Government of National Preservation]] and then as [[Prime Minister of Senria|Prime Minister]], between 1927 and 1948. He played an important role in both the [[Senrian Revolution]] and the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]], and in the subsequent reconstruction of the country into a military and economic power, undertaking a sweeping set of reforms in line with is [[Imaharism|personal ideology]]; as a result, he is widely known as the "Father of the Fatherland" within Senria.


Before the [[Council of the Senrian State]]- of which Imahara was a member- could agree upon the structure of a more permanent Senrian government, the [[Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire]] launched an invasion of northern Senria in 1927, triggering the [[Senrian-Xiaodongese War]]. Imahara was named Chairman of the Government of National Preservation, and tasked with defeating the Xiaodongese invasion force. As chairman, Imahara promoted himself to marshal and undertook a series of programs aimed at rapidly industrializing Senria and modernizing the [[Senrian Republican Army]]. These policies are generally credited with Senria's eventual victory in the conflict. After the war, Imahara was [[Senrian general election, 1933|elected]] the first [[Prime Minister of Senria]] under suspicious circumstances.
Born into a {{wp|shizoku|sizoku}} family in [[Nisiyama]], Imahara was groomed for a life in the military; he graduated from [[Tokiyori National Military Academy|Tokiyori Imperial Military Academy]] and became an officer in the [[Imperial Senrian Army]] in 1901, ascending to the rank of general by 1919. Initially a distinguished figure on the imperial side during the [[Senrian Revolution]], he became frustrated with the imperial government and subsequently became a leading figure in the [[Gang of Six (Senria)|Gang of Six]], the group of generals that [[The Reaping (Senria)|overthrew]] the [[Monarchy of Senria|Emperor]] [[Katuhito of Senria|Katuhito]] in 1923. He subsequently formed a power-sharing agreement between the Gang of Six and the revolutionary government of [[Isao Isiyama]], forming the [[Aikokutou]] to compete with Isiyama's [[Kyouwakai]] politically.


As Prime Minister, Imahara established a {{wp|dominant-party system|dominant-party state}}, restricting the activities of but not banning opposition parties, controlling the ability of the press to report freely, and largely ignoring the rights to assembly and petition. He also continued the programs of military modernization and industrialization he had begun as chairman, turning Senria into a military and economic powerhouse within the [[Borea (Esquarium)|Boreo]]-[[Lahudica|Lahudic]] region of [[Esquarium]]. He declined to seek reelection in 1948 as his health weakened, and was succeeded by [[Hatirou Nakayama]]. Imahara died of {{wp|Kidney failure|renal failure}} in 1954.
The ensuing government, headed by the [[Council of the Senrian State]], was frequently paralyzed by conflict between Imahara and Isiyama. In 1926, with Isiyama's backing, Imahara provoked the [[Second Sakata Incident]] as a means of restoring public confidence in the struggling government. The Second Sakata Incident subsequently escalated into the [[Great War (Kylaris)|Great War]] in 1927; with the divided government struggling to respond to a [[Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire|Xiaodongese]] invasion, the Council of the Senrian State voted to give Imahara unlimited power as the chairman of a "[[Government of National Preservation]]" for the duration of the conflict. As chairman, Imahara embarked on a campaign of {{wp|total war}}, mobilizing all sectors of society towards the industrialization of the country and the modernization of the [[Senrian Republican Armed Forces]]. As the leader of a major Allied power, Imahara was involved heavily in the alliance's decision-making. Under his command, the Senrian military was able to slow and subsequently reverse the Xiaodongese advance, eventually launching an invasion of Xiaodong in 1933 and obtaining Xiaodong's surrender in 1935 after eight years of conflict.


Within Senria, Imahara is widely admired as the man who led the country through the Senrian-Xiaodongese War and transformed Senria into a modern industrial power. Imahara's military leadership played a critical role in both the Senrian Revolution and Senrian-Xiaodongese War, and he is widely regarded as a talented military commander. Furthermore, his economic policies drastically improved Senria's standard of living, and his social policies increased the rights of women and {{wp|Burakumin|burakumin}}. Critics, however, have noted the suspicious circumstances under which he was elected Prime Minister and his violations of {{wp|human rights}} while holding the office, and claim that his continuing popularity within Senria is the result of a {{wp|Cult of personality|cult of personality}} established by Imahara and his successors.
Following the expulsion of Xiaodongese forces from Senria in 1932, Imahara oversaw the drafting of a new [[Constitution of Senria|constitution]], and was [[1933 Senrian general election|elected]] [[Prime Minister of Senria]] the following year. As Prime Minister, Imahara established a {{wp|dominant-party system|dominant-party state}} under the leadership of the Aikokutou, with public dissent strictly controlled and opposition groups subject to surveillance and periodic harassment. He also undertook a rigorous program of political and economic reforms aimed at continuing the country's industrialization, further modernizing the country's military, updating the country's legal and penal systems, and expanding infrastructure and public services, with the end goal of establishing a modern {{wp|nation-state}} and bringing Senrian living standards on par with those in Euclea. He expanded social rights for women and {{wp|burakumin}}, but simultaneously promoted "traditional morals" through initiatives such as the [[Koutoku'un|Public Virtue Movement]]. Imahara also worked tirelessly to promote [[Senrian culture]] and [[Senrian nationalism]]; his government heavily promoted museums and the arts, oversaw the shift from {{wp|Kanji|Gyoumon}} characters to the {{wp|Hangul|Kokumon}} script, and pursued a policy of [[Senrianization]] for ethnic minorities. Imahara further successfully sought the end of the various concessions and privileges imposed on Senria in previous decades by Euclean powers. He was reelected in [[1938 Senrian general election|1938]], [[1943 Senrian general election|1943]], and [[1948 Senrian general election|1948]]; with his health declining, however, he opted to step down in 1953, handing power to [[Hatirou Nakayama]]. Imahara died of {{wp|renal failure}} in 1954.
 
Imahara's political legacy is substantial and controversial. He is widely admired and memorialized in Senria, where he is credited with leading Senria to victory during the Great War and transforming the country into a modern economic and military power, and where his ideology, [[Imaharism]], remains influential into the present. Imahara's military leadership played a critical role in both the Senrian Revolution and the Great War, and he is widely regarded as one of [[Kylaris]]'s most talented military commander as a result. His supporters also credit him with vastly improving the Senrian standard of living, implementing {{wp|women's suffrage}}, and promoting culture and the arts. Detractors and critics of Imahara's rule, however, denounce him as a military {{wp|dictator}} who aggressively suppressed opposition in the name of preserving social order, violated the rights of [[Senria#Demographics|ethnic minorities]], established the {{wp|monopoly|monopolistic}} {{wp|Keiretsu|keiretu}} system, and created a culture of endemic [[Corruption in Senria|corruption]] and {{wp|illiberalism}} in Senrian governance.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==


Imahara was born in the town of [[Nisiyama]], in southern [[Sadaisuu]], to Hiroyuki and Satiko Imahara. A member of the {{wp|shizoku|sizoku}} class, Imahara's ancestors had been {{wp|samurai}} for several generations; after the abolition of the samurai during the [[Keiou Restoration]], Hiroyuki Imahara became an officer within the [[Imperial Senrian Army]], and it was widely expected of Katurou that he would become an officer as well. Imahara's mother Satiko died in childbirth when he was six years old, and as a result Imahara was largely raised by his father Hiroyuki. Imahara had two younger siblings, Tihiro and Saburou; his only elder sibling, a brother, was stillborn.
Imahara was born on September 30, 1883 in the town of [[Marugame]] to [[Munetaka Imahara|Munetaka]] and Satiko Imahara. He was the fourth of seven children; he had one older sister, three younger sisters, and two older brothers. Both elder brothers were {{wp|stillbirth|stillborn}}, however, and Imahara was treated as his parents' eldest, and only, son as a result. His parents had initially planned to give their sons {{wp|Generation name|generation names}}, as was typical among upper-class Senrians of the time, but following the stillbirths of his first two sons, his father opted to give Imahara the name ''Katurou'' (勝郎), literally meaning "victorious son", instead.


Hiroyuki Imahara continually groomed his son for a military career, having him study the conquests of a variety of generals and commanders from Senria and from abroad, and attempting to train him in tactics and strategy, as well as in martial arts. At age 18, Imahara was enrolled in the [[Tokiyori National Military Academy]]. Imahara excelled in his classes; a report card from his second-to-last semester at the academy also noted that he "showed exemplary attention and diligence", and was "very well-liked among the other students". He graduated in 1905 as first in his class, becoming an officer in the Imperial Senrian Army.
Satiko died of {{wp|tuberculosis}} when Imahara was five, and as a result he was primarily raised by his father. The Imahara family belonged to the {{wp|shizoku|sizoku}} caste; his ancestors had been landed {{wp|samurai}} for several generations and his father was a general in the [[Imperial Senrian Army]] who had played an important role in the [[Keiou Restoration]], and as a result it was expected that Imahara would enter the military as well. Munetaka Imahara groomed his son for a military career from birth, as Imahara later recounted:
{{Quote
|text=In my early childhood I was somewhat bookish, particularly inclined towards the classics of Senrian literature and poetry. My father did not oppose these interests - a proper warrior was supposed to be properly versed in these classics - but he did press me to place my primary focus upon those subjects which would more directly prepare me for a military career. So he instructed me to read military histories, works on strategy and tactics, and the biographies of famous commanders from Senria and elsewhere, and had me trained in both traditional and modern martial arts. Initially I had some hesitation, but he guided me firmly, and ultimately I took enthusiastically to these areas as well.
|author=
|title=
|source=
}}
Imahara enrolled as a cadet at [[Tokiyori National Military Academy]] in 1901; he excelled in his classes and was popular both with his fellow students and with faculty. He graduated in 1905 as first in his class, immediately thereafter becoming an officer in the Imperial Senrian Army.
[[File:Katurou Imahara young.PNG|thumb|left|150px|Imahara in the late 1910s.]]
==Before the Senrian Revolution==


==Career==
Imahara was initially assigned to an army garrison in the city of [[Tosei]]. There, he met [[Keiko Imahara|Keiko Minamoto]]; Minamoto belonged to a {{wp|hatamoto}} family from the region and, like Imahara, belonged to the {{wp|sizoku}} caste. Imahara and Minamoto quickly developed a romantic relationship, and, in 1906, the pair resolved to marry. Both had previously been slated for arranged marriages; however, Imahara's betrothed died in 1904 of pneumonia before the marriage could go ahead, and Minamoto's father had broken her betrothal following a personal falling-out with her betrothed's father. Minamoto's father assented to the marriage, but Munetaka Imahara did not approve until after a meeting with Minamoto and her parents in 1907. The pair were married in June of that year.


===Before the Revolution===
Imahara's parentage, academic record, competence, tendency to ingratiate himself to superiors, and ambition helped him rise quickly through the officer corps. He was reassigned to command a coastal fortification in [[Aoyama]] in 1908, leaving Keiko in Tosei. While there, Imahara played a minor role in the [[First Sakata Incident]], overseeing the garrison's response to the incursion of [[Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire|Xiaodongese]] ships into the [[Nangyoku Inland Sea]] and attempting to keep the city's port open during the ensuing Xiaodongese blockade. The First Sakata Incident resulted in the cession of [[Sakata]] to Xiaodong; anger regarding this decision exploded into the [[1909 Concession Riots]] across much of Senria, but riots in Aoyama were averted after Imahara, riding at the head of a column of armed soldiers, spoke to demonstrators and convinced them to disperse.
[[File:1927 Chiang Soong wedding photo1.jpg|175px|left|thumb|A wedding photo of Imahara and Keiko Minamoto.]]
Imahara was initially stationed as part of the standing army garrison in [[Furosawa]]. While there, he met [[Keiko Minamoto]], the daughter of a salt merchant. While Imahara's father had arranged a marriage between Imahara and a Tubame Onazawa back in Nisiyama, Onazawa had died of pneumonia in 1903 before the marriage could occur. Imahara asked his father for permission to marry Minamoto in 1906; after visiting Hurosawa to meet Minamoto and her parents, Imahara's father consented and the pair were married in January of 1907.


During the [[1909 Concession Riots]], provoked by the concession of [[Sakata]] to [[Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire|Xiaodong]], Imahara was credited with successfully preventing a riot in Hurosawa. Shortly thereafter, Imahara was promoted several ranks and reassigned to a mid-level command position in [[Keisi]] by [[Emperor of Senria|Emperor]] [[Hisahito of Senria|Hisahito]]. While in Keisi, Imahara continued to advance up the ranks of the Imperial Senrian Army.
As a result of his actions during the First Sakata Incident and the Concession Riots, Imahara was further promoted and reassigned to command a military garrison in [[Keisi]], the country's capital; this time, Keiko came with him, and the two purchased a home in the northern areas of the city. During his time in Keisi, Imahara continued to rise through the ranks, reaching the rank of colonel in 1916.


===During the Revolution===
==During the Senrian Revolution==
{{main|Senrian Revolution}}


On April 7, 1918, members of the [[Republican Party (Senria)|Senrian Republican Party]] held several simultaneous marches across Senria calling for the creation of a constitutional monarchy. The largest of these marches was in [[Keisi]], where roughly 3,000 marched. As the marchers approached the [[Keisi Imperial Palace]], however, they were halted by municipal police and by the Imperial Senrian Army. Keisi's police chief, [[Yosimasa Tiyoda]], issued a demand that the protesters disperse; when the protesters refused, the soldiers and policemen opened fire, killing as many as 300 people. Imahara's role in the shootings is unclear; some Republican leaders during this era accused Imahara of giving the order to open fire, while Imahara himself maintained the order to fire was given by Tiyoda and other subordinate officers.
[as the commander of one of the garrisons in keisi, imahara possibly played some role in the massacre which provoked the senrev, though this is a charged topic then and now; the senrev begins as republicans led by [[Ryuunosuke Miyamoto]] and his [[Kyouwakai]] flee to [[Ukyou]] and declare a rival government ]


In the wake of the shootings, pro-republican riots broke out across Senria. On April 10, Republican leader [[Ryuunosuke Miyamoto]] [[Declaration of the Senrian Republic|declared]] the foundation of a Senrian Republic; Miyamoto and other Republican leaders established an interim government, headed by a collective executive known as the [[Council of the Senrian State]], in the northern city of Ukyou. This triggered the beginning of the [[Senrian Revolution]].
[as the revolution breaks out, [[Monarchy of Senria|Dragon King]] hisahito promotes imahara - all of thirty-five - to general and orders him to the front, where he proves a very competent commander]
[[File:Chiang Kaishek during Northern Expedition.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Imahara as Keisi garrison commander in 1921.]]
[in 1919, hisahito is assassinated while travelling between the palace and tokiyori; his successor, katuhito, is left deeply paranoid by this and, as imahara was previously a garrison commander in keisi, reassigns him to command all garrisons in keisi; this frustrates imahara who wants to remain on the front, but he complies. he also orders a stupidly large number of soldiers and supplies expended upon fortifying keisi, over imahara's protests]


During the early part of the war, Imahara quickly proved himself a skilled commander, scoring major victories for royalist forces in the battles of [[First Battle of Koriyama|First Koriyama]] and [[Battle of Narita|Narita]]. As a result, he was promoted to the rank of general. In 1919, however, Hisahito was assassinated by [[Akane Takenaka]], a member of the Republican Party, and succeeded by his son [[Katuhito of Senria|Katuhito]].
===Gang of Six and the Reaping===
{{main|Gang of Six (Senria)}}


Katuhito became infamous among the Senrian officer corps for overruling his generals and for making decisions that were unsound tactically and strategically. This proved frustrating to Imahara and his fellow generals; in 1920, after a direct order from Katuhito caused imperial forces to lose the [[Second Battle of Koriyama]], Imahara bluntly requested "a reassignment away from the front, as it is clear His Imperial Majesty does not trust my capabilities there". Katuhito denied the request, ordering Imahara to "continue his service to the Emperor in fighting the bandits"; by 1923, however, Imahara wrote to his wife that "so many of my orders are countermanded by the emperor that to say I command my troops is to lie".
[imahara is angry that he has to sit around keisi while the war is being fought elsewhere, and that both his protests and requests for reassignment are being ignored or rejected; he begins to reach out to other generals who are frustrated with katuhito rerouting supplies, countermanding orders, and generally mucking up the war effort; gradually a conspiracy begins to emerge to sideline or, potentially, dethrone the emperor]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek and Dai Li.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Imahara in 1924, inspecting troops under his command.]]
On December 6, 1925, the magnitude 8.1 [[1925 Great Sansuu Earthquake|Great Sansuu Earthquake]] devastated Keisi and many surrounding areas. Katuhito finally recalled Imahara from the front, ordering him to assume command of forces tasked with the defense and reconstruction of Keisi. While returning to the city, Imahara received a letter from his wife informing him that she had begun caring for a child who she had found on the property and who had been orphaned by the earthquake. As she and Imahara had been unable to conceive, she requested that they adopt the child. Imahara consented, and the child- named [[Kitioru Imahara|Kitirou]]- was raised as Imahara's son.


====First Gang of Six====
[imahara and his close friend [[Iturou Nakagawa]], an admiral based in keisi, form the initial core; they gain the explicit participation of generals [[Sintarou Miyake]], [[Nobuyuki Youiti]], and [[Isoroku Nomura]] and admiral [[Ienobu Miyazawa]], who become the [[Gang of Six (Senria)|Gang of Six]] and the tacit consent of several others in the officers corps; loyalist general [[Noriyosi Horitome]] attempts to alert katuhito that he thinks there's funny business but katuhito dismisses it, in part because imahara's father was part of the keiou restoration]


In 1924, Imahara was approached by General [[Sintarou Miyu]] and Admiral [[Itigo Nakagawa]] about the possibility of joining a clandestine group composed of generals and admirals who were dissatisfied with the perceived bungling of the war effort by Katuhito. Imahara, who blamed Katuhito for the poor state of the war and for several losses imperial forces had suffered, accepted the offer. This group- known retroactively as the [[Gangs of Six (Senria)|First Gang of Six]]- consisted of Imahara, Miyu, Nakagawa, [[Nobuyuki Youiti]], [[Isoroku Nomura]], and [[Ienobu Miyazawa]]. Initially, the group was unclear as to its exact aims, but by 1925, the First Gang of Six had dedicated itself to the deposition of Katuhito.
[the [[1923 Great Kinkeidou Earthquake]] destroys what little public support the monarchy still has; imahara and his wife, who have been unable to concieve, adopt an orphan named [[Kitirou Imahara|Kitirou Maeno]]; at the same time, imahara and the gang of six agree that clearly the monarchy is screwed and their best bet is to launch the plot, seize the capital and the emperor, and negotiate with the republicans of [[Isao Isiyama]]]


Initially, the group's plan had involved an army under Miyu seizing the mountain passes around Keisi while a navy under Nakagawa enforced a blockade; after Imahara was reassigned to the defense of Keisi, however, the group's plan changed to involve the immediate capture of Katuhito by troops under Imahara. The start of the operation would be signaled by the playing of a Senrian folk song, ''Humiisi Ume'' ("Searching for Plums in the Snow", a reference to the plum blossom {{wp|mon}} used by the Imperial House), on military radio channels. Troops under Imahara would seize Keisi, while armies under Miyu and Youichi would halt offensives against republican forces and the navies under Nakagawa, Nomura, and Miyazawa would begin to blockade or attack royalist targets.
[the plan is carried out on November 27, 1923, [[Reaping (Senria)|The Reaping]]; it goes off basically without a hitch and imahara's forces capture keisi and the emperor]


While Imahara was personally confident the plan could be carried out, he nevertheless prepared an escape route for his wife and adopted son that would allow them to flee to Himura and then to a location abroad.
[as a result of having keisi and katuhito, imahara becomes ''de facto'' leader of the gang, and isiyama opts to negotiate with him; a compromise between the two men is reached, and the senrev ends]
[[File:Imahara and Isiyama, 1926.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Imahara and [[Isao Isiyama]] in 1926.]]
==Before the Great War==


The plot was carried out on January 17, 1926. Imahara's forces were able to seize the [[Keisi Imperial Palace]], Tokiyori Military Academy, the city hall, railway stations, and the offices of most government ministries; the other members of the First Gang of Six were similarly successful in their areas of the plot. Loyalist armies under [[Noriyosi Horitome]] and [[Tutomu Abe]] were ultimately unable to stop the plan from being carried out. While attempting to flee the city, Katuhito and his family were captured by troops under Imahara; Imahara forced Katuhito to abdicate the throne and demanded that he and the other members of the [[Imperial House of Senria|Imagawa dynasty]] enter exile abroad. After Katuhito's abdication, Imahara ordered that news of the abdication be broadcast on all radio frequencies and sent out on all telegraph lines.
[the structure of the council of state functionally paralyzes it; the republican loyalists who isiyama has brought to the table are hesitant to work with the ex-imperials of imahara, and the feeling is mutual, so to some extent there's two parallel governments that don't much want to work together]


===Before the Senrian-Xiaodongese War===
[the biggest issue is reconstruction; both sides agree in principle here, but disputes over who oversees reconstruction and the associated funds delay things severely; keisi, notably, just kinda remains a ruin after the earthquake, and this becomes a symbol of gov't dysfunction]


After the capture and abdication of Katuhito, [[Isao Isiyama]]- who had succeeded Ryuunosuke Miyamoto as leader of the Republican Party- proposed a bilateral cession of hostilities between Republican forces and the forces under the First Gang of Six. Imahara consented, formally ending the Senrian Revolution. Isiyama expanded the Council of the Senrian State to eight members, forced two Republican members of the body to resign, and offered Imahara, Miyu, Nakagawa, and Nomura positions on the council. Imahara and his fellow officers accepted, evenly dividing the Council between four members of the Republican Party and four military leaders. Shortly thereafter, Imahara founded the [[People's Party (Senria)|People's Party]]; the nationalist People's Party quickly became the main opposition to the populist Republican Party.
[the second-biggest issue is economics, since senria was not off well economically even before the war; isiyama is rather left-wing and wants tight regulation and welfare, but imahara and his ilk are more hesitant or outright opposed, and this too gets bogged down]
[[File:Wang Jingwei and Chiang Kai-shek.jpg|200px|left|thumb|[[Isao Isiyama]] and Imahara in 1927.]]
The Council of the Senrian State quickly became paralyzed on most issues, however, owing to its even division between members of the Republican Party and members of the People's Party. Negotiations on replacing the body- intended as an interim government, to be replaced after the war- stalled entirely and were effectively abandoned. Debates on other issues, such as budgeting, military organization, reconstruction, and industrialization proved similarly acrimonious and contentious.


One of the few successes of the Council, however, was the reclamation of the city of Sakata- given to Xiaodong as a concession in 1909- in 1926. The operation had been proposed by Imahara in May of that year and approved unanimously; while originally scheduled for December, it was moved forward to November after Senrian intelligence forces discovered a Xiaodongese military report which stated that Xiaodong "[did] not consider the Senrian republican regime to be a serious obstacle, much less a threat". Senrian troops, aided by local support and the defection of the Sakata municipal police force, recaptured the city on November 17, 1926. While Imahara had masterminded the plan, Isiyama- as the ''de facto'' leader of the Council- took much of the credit, angering Imahara.
===Second Sakata Incident===
{{main|Second Sakata Incident}}


On April 3, 1927, the Xiaodongese government- in retaliation for the capture of Sakata- issued a series of demands to the Senrian government. The demands included the effective swearing of fealty to the Xiaodongese regime, the permanent cession of Sakata, and the vetting of Senrian civil and military leadership by the Xiaodongese government. Imahara publicly denounced the demands as "unacceptable in the eyes of any Senrian patriot", and- alongside all seven other members of the Council- voted to reject the demands on April 28. The following day, Isiyama formally rejected Xiaodong's demands as a "wholly uancceptable assault upon the sovereignty of the Senrian people and nation by a backwards regime".
[the paralysis on the council of the senrian state is becoming an issue and the gov't is getting worried that it will lose legitimacy; imahara writes to keiko that some decisive action will have to be retaken to restore public faith]


===As Chairman===
In July of 1926, intelligence forces loyal to [[Isao Isiyama]] obtained a Xiaodongese military report which stated that there was only a skeletal Xiaodongese military presence in [[Sakata]] because the Xiaodongese government did not regard the young, fragile Senrian republic as a military threat; instead, the city's defense was largely left to the municipal police force, which consisted mostly of ethnic Senrians. Isiyama relayed this information to the other members of the Council, including Imahara. Imahara proposed that Senria launch an operation to reclaim the city as a means to restore popular support for the Council of Senrian State, and requested that he command the operation; Isiyama agreed, on the condition that a member of the [[Kyouwakai]] would be the one to publicly announce the operation if it succeeded, a demand to which Imahara assented.


On May 2, 1927, Xiaodongese troops led by General [[Lu Keqian]] landed in northern [[Kitasuu]] at four landing sites. While Senria had moved troops into Kitasuu after retaking Sakata in 1926 in case of a potential Xiaodongese response, Senrian military commanders- including Imahara- had expected that any Xiaodongese military response would have come sooner after the seizure of Sakata, and in the months in between the recapture of Sakata and Xiaodong's invasion the government had moved troops back to other regions of the country and placed troops on lowered readiness. As a result, Senrian troops in northern Kitasuu were caught off guard and outnumbered by Xiaodongese troops. Xiaodong formally sent a declaration of war two hours later. Xiaodong launched a second wave of amphibious assaults in central and central-southern Kitasuu on June 24.
[the plan goes off, seemingly without a hitch]


The divisions within the Council of the Senrian State, coupled with Senria's comparatively small industrial capacity, the destruction of the Senrian navy by Xiaodongese fleets, and the devastation of the Senrian Revolution and Great Sansuu Earthquake, severely hampered Senria's ability to respond adequately to the Xiaodongese invasion. By 1928, Xiaodongese troops controlled most of Kitasuu and some had launched assaults on [[Sadaisuu]] and [[Okasuu]] as well. With panic spreading among the public, the Senrian government still deeply divided, and the Senrian military struggling to respond to the Xiaodongese invasion as a result, Katurou Imahara proposed the creation of a "government of national preservation", headed by himself as Chairman. Imahara proposed that this government would replace the Council, but would only last so long as Senria was at war with Xiaodong. Once peace was reestablished, he claimed, the powers of the Council would be restored long enough for it to create a permanent Senrian government. While Republican leaders were uneasy about the proposal, the desperate situation of the war and the need for a unified government pushed them into supporting the measure. The council voted unanimously to create the government of national preservation on July 9, and formally announced it to the public the following day.
[but then shit spirals out of control and the gw begins]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek(蔣中正).jpg|175px|right|thumb|Imahara's official portrait as Chairman of the Government of National Preservation.]]
In his first speech as Chairman, Imahara swore "unwavering devotion to the cause of the Senrian nation" and announced a program of "mass production, mass industrialization, and mass mobilization" aimed at saving Senria's war effort. The plan called for the creation of a state of {{wp|total war}}. To this end, the ages at which Senrians could be conscripted were vastly expanded and the age at which young men could willingly join the military or a military academy was lowered to fifteen. Women would enter the workforce to produce equipment and supplies for the war. Meanwhile, the government would use deficit spending to pay for the construction of factories, military facilities, seaports, and infrastructure aimed at aiding the war effort. In the process, many of the cities destroyed during the Senrian Revolution or by the Great Sansuu Earthquake would be reconstructed. In addition to using deficit spending, major landowning families would be requested to use their wealth to alleviate the costs; in return, these landowning families would be given control of constructed factories. This program, commonly known as the "three-point plan", helped to create public confidence in the capability and efficacy of the new government in prosecuting the war effort.


In addition to serving as Chairman, Imahara gave himself control of several Senrian armies fighting in eastern Kitasuu, and spent a significant amount of time travelling between [[Keisi]] and the front lines. This frustrated many within the government, including Republican leaders and civil bureaucrats- Isao Isiyama once wrote to a friend that "[Imahara] spends so much time at the front that it is now foolish to claim the Senrian government is based in Keisi"- but helped build the image that Imahara was active in his role as leader, which made Imahara popular among the soldiers under his command and among large areas of the Senrian population.
==During the Great War==
[[File:Chen Cheng Chiang Kai Shek.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Imahara at an inspection of Senrian troops near [[Kitakawa]] in 1930.]]
{{main|Great War (Kylaris)}}


Xiaodong continued to advance into Senrian territory through early 1928; the front lines began to stagnate, however, during the early spring. The Senrian Republican Army, at Imahara's behest, launched its first offensive in November of that year; Senrian troops under the command of [[Itigo Nakagawa|Nakagawa]] and [[Sintarou Miyu|Miyu]] successfully forced Xiaodongese troops out of Sadaisuu and Okasuu, and troops under Imahara were able to make significant advances in western Kitasuu. Imahara was present on the front lines during the battles of [[Battle of Isiwata|Isiwata]], [[Battle of Yasukata|Yasukata]], and [[Second Battle of Sekiguti|Second Sekiguti]].
===1927-1929===


Troops under Imahara were also the first to uncover Xiaodongese-run concentration camps, known as "extermination zones", in Kitasuu, liberating the [[Sitigahama Extermination Zone]] on September 21, 1929 and the [[Hirasawa Extermination Zone]] on November 30, 1929. A total of 1,319 survivors were rescued from the Sitigahama and Hirasawa camps; more than 100,000, however, had already died in those two camps before their liberation. While Xiaodong's anti-Senrian racial rhetoric was well-known, and the stated Xiaodongese plan for the post-war Senrian archipelago involved the resettling of large areas of Senria with ethnic Xiaodongese, few had realized the industrial scale of Xiaodong's {{wp|ethnic cleansing}} operations. Imahara himself, in writing to his wife, had said he "did not believe the Xiaodongese were capable of a murder operation of this scale before the liberation of the death camps at Kaziwara and Hirasawa". Speaking to troops following the liberation of the Hirasawa extermination zone, Imahara declared that the "conflict we are presently engaged in is no longer one of merely preserving our national sovereignty, but one of preserving the very existence of the Senrian nation upon [[Esquarium|this earth]]."
[the brief period before imahara becomes head of the gov't of national preservation, where senria looks entirely fucked; the failed otuzi-mareimeisa coup attempt, foiled by men under imahara's command]


In 1930, Xiaodong launched a second offensive. While troops under Imahara's command were defeated at [[Kitakawa]], the Senrian military was able to halt the Xiaodongese advance shortly thereafter. Imahara also ordered that Senrian troops {{wp|scorched earth|destroy infrastructure}} as they retreated, most notably the Hirasawa Extermination Zone, which was destroyed by Senrian troops on January 17, 1930 to prevent its future use by Xiaodongese forces.
[the situation gets desperate when xiaos land in kunigami; imahara is given dictatorship; "three-point plan" of "mass production, mass industrialization, and mass mobilization" unveiled]


Meanwhile, Imahara's "three-point plan" began to manifest serious benefits for the Senrian war effort. Construction of new infrastructure and a drastically expanded industrial capacity greatly eased the ability of the [[Senrian Republican Armed Forces]] to supply and mobilize troops. The Senrian navy was steadily rebuilt as well, and research and development efforts undertaken by the government of national preservation began to pay off as Senrian military technology steadily improved. In a public speech delivered in Keisi, Imahara boasted that his government "had laid the foundation for the construction of a new Senria".
[as dictator, imahara splits his time between keisi and commanding troops along the front, the latter being something he takes to naturally and also a way to compensate for being stuck in keisi during the revolution; this frustrates bureaucrats, and isiyama, but the senrian people like the image of imahara as an active leader]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek in 1933.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Imahara at an inspection of Senrian troops near Kitakawa in 1930.]]
(stalemate- imahara holds forces to recuperate while allowing guerrillas and tuthina to sap xiaodongese strength)


(imahara refuses to make a push to connect with army of kitasuu during ukyou uprising, instead only sending supplies; this is his biggest f*ckup of the war)
[imahara works to sort out the military and integrate imaharists and isiyamists, though he *does* favor the former where he can; the loss of territory slows, and by 1929 things have slowed to a stalemate, but the situation is still dire]


(second senrian offensive- imahara's commands and battles)
[imahara is impressed by the work of organic resistance groups and decides the senrian gov't will encourage this; also, during the first major senrian offensive of the war, troops under imahara stumble on an extermination zone near kunigami, the first hard evidence senria has of the [[Senrian Genocide]]]


(liberation of senria; "unforgivable crime" speech; imahara national hero now)
===1930-1932===


(planning operation grey viper)
[senria's offensive stagnates and xiaodong attempts another, but between senria getting its shit together and the resistance strengthening, it's less effective; on the home front, the three-point plan continues apace thanks to financial and technical support from the euclean allies, with imahara giving control of many of these new factories and whatnot to a handful of close friends and political allies]


====After the War====
[the ukyou uprising; imahara works to smuggle arms and rations to the insurgents, but does not order an army offensive. this is one of his most controversial decisions and dogs him for years; he claims it was because senrian armies needed to recover and prepare for an offensive, but his opponents see a massive missed opportunity, or even a deliberate attempt to prevent the resistance developing an independent base of power]


(treaty of keisi; imahara demands strong penalties for xiaodong)
[in '32, senria seizes control of the seas and launches a massive offensive on land; xiao morale is collapsing, between a blockade and resistance they have no supplies, and senria very rapidly retakes ground, liberating the entirety of the country by june]


(council never reconvened; isiyama and imahara agree to new constitution)
[a bunch of collaborators and xiao generals end up trapped in senria and, spurred on by the genocidal horrors uncovered during the offensive, imahara orders them hunted down aggressively; most high-ranking individuals are executed, with lower-ranking individuals stringently punished or, in some cases, left for lynch mobs]


(elections; imahara likely uses military to guarantee overwhelming landslide rather than just a clear majority, and becomes pm)
===1933-1935===


===As Prime Minister===
[senria invades jindao and xiaodong; imahara now largely remains in keisi, though he makes a few trips to the front in xiaodong; senria shows no mercy]


(controls on dissent carried over from war on the grounds of security)
[initially things go well, but things get complicated; over time senria becomes overstretched and xiao resistance becomes an issue. also, a rift very clearly forms between imahara and euclean leaders, as imahara agitates for an end to euclean imperialism while euclea reacts poorly to things like the [[Nakagawa Plan]]]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek 1947.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Katurou Imahara delivering a speech at his inauguration as prime minister.]]
(programs to rebuild kitasuu; relocating refugees and orphans to repopulate it)


(planning to turn senria into global industrial power)
[imahara finds himself in a bind as the front stagnates and it becomes clear that senria, for both practical reasons and because euclea won't allow it, won't get all it wants; eventually euclea forces imahara to make peace with xiaodong, the [[Treaty of Keisi]]]


(continue to f*** with xiaodong- xiaodul war if that's still on, operation red pheasant)
==As Prime Minister==
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek ratified the Charter of the United Nations 19450824.jpg|thumb|left|235px|Imahara signing the [[Constitution of Senria]] in 1933.]]
[imahara and isiyama and co, once senria is driven out of xiaodong, negotiate the drafting of a new constitution and then of elections, which imahara and the [[Aikokutou]] win]


(switch to navy dominance in 1938- imahara says no foreign enemy should ever set foot on senrian soil again)
===First term===


(shady keiretu business; kind of enabling them since they're all run by his friends and stuff)
[what imahara does as PM domestically during the final years of the great war]


(deputy pm nakagawa, imahara's right-hand man, steps down in spite of imahara's protests; nakayama succeeds him)
===Second term===


(continued push on burakumin and women- "all sectors of senrian society must unite for the future of the nation")
[[File:Jiangvote.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Imahara casting a ballot in Senria's [[1943 Senrian general election|1943 elections]].]]


(keiko pushes for women's suffrage and katurou agrees, so it happens)
===Third term===


('46 assassination attempt on imahara; xiaodong's fault but it doesn't work)
===Fourth term===
 
(amidst health issues, retires; nakayama named heir)


==Later life==
==Later life==
 
[[File:Imahara with a dog.png|thumb|left|150px|Imahara with one of his dogs in 1954.]]
(settles down in a large mansion in the town of saeki, lives with keiko and several dogs)
[retires to saeki, lives with keiko and several dogs; is too sick to be further involved in senrian politics]
<imgur thumb="yes" w="150" comment="Imahara with one of his dogs in 1952.">bVU2a2R.png</imgur>
(health issues, mostly; too sick to do much about nakayama going batsh!t)
 
(did resurface briefly to give his favor to kitamura and the second gang of six, though)


==Death==
==Death==


(renal failure; mourning across senria)
[death of renal failure; immediate responses from domestic and int'l figures; mourning across senria, his funeral, his burial]


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling in 1955.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Imahara and his wife [[Keiko Imahara|Keiko]] in 1950.]]
[imahara's relation with his parents and siblings; any living relatives through this line]


(with keiko)
[imahara's relationship with his wife; her influence upon his ideology and governance]
[[File:1943 Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Imahara and Minamoto together in 1944.]]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Wei-kuo.jpg|150px|left|thumb|Imahara and his adopted son [[Kitirou Imahara|Kitirou]] in 1942.]]
(with kitirou)
[imahara's relationship with kitirou; kitirou's own rise to power on his father's legacy, and its end; any living heirs through this line]
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Wei-kuo.jpg|100px|left|thumb|Imahara and his adopted son Kitirou in 1942.]]
(with father and with siblings tihiro and saburou)


(any other stuff i suppose)
[religion, hobbies, any other details i guess]
 
Imahara was also a {{wp|polyglot}}, fluent in {{wp|Japanese language|Senrian}}, [[Literary Tuthinan]], {{wp|Chinese language|Xiaodongese}}, [[Namorese language|Namorese]], {{wp|Interslavic language|Slovianic}}, and {{wp|French language|French}}.


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek memorial amk.jpg|215px|right|thumb|[[Kinyougawa Mausoleum]], Imahara's final resting place, in Keisi.]]
[lauded in senria; elaborate further]


(national hero for senria, basically untouchable, part 1: war hero and political idol)
===Criticism===
[[File:Chiang Kai-shek memorial amk.jpg|200px|right|thumb|[[Kinyougawa Mausoleum]], Imahara's final resting place, in Keisi.]]
(national hero, part 2: even the opposition respects him)
 
(maybe some newspaper did a "100 greatest senrians of all time" and he managed to beat literally everyone else, incl. emperor kousuu)
 
(criticized by int'l rights activists; cult of personality, dominant-party system, keiretu dealings)
 
(briefly detail kitirou's life, and any surviving relatives through kit, tihiro, and saburou)


==Honors==
==Honors==
Line 201: Line 205:


===Foreign honors===
===Foreign honors===
* {{flag|Ainin}}
 
** Knight of the [[Order of Saint-Charles the Great]]
[[Category:Senria]][[Category:Senrian people]]
** [[Guardian of the Aininian Republic]]
** Adjutant of the [[Order of Ainin]]
* {{flag|Aucuria}}
** Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Aucurian Revolution]]
** Commander's Cross of the [[Order of King Viltautas the Great]]
* {{flag|Katranjiev}}
** Knight of the [[Order of Apostol I]]
* {{flag|Luziyca}}
** Commander of the [[Order of Liberty]]
* {{flag|Sjealand}}
** Commander of the {{wp|Order of Chivalry|Royal Order of the Triple Lions}}
** Grand Knight of the {{wp|Order of Chivalry|Northern Order}}
** Recipient of the {{wp|Order of Chivalry|Order of the Eleph}}
* {{flag|Tuthina}}
** [[Honour Sabre of the Red Jade Embroidery|Honor Saber of the Red Jade Embroidery]]
[[Category:Senria]]

Latest revision as of 14:46, 2 October 2021

Template:Region icon Kylaris

Prime Minister of Senria
Katurou Imahara
이마하라까뚜로우
ZhengHyeJeou.jpg
SenriaFlag.png 1st Prime Minister of Senria
In office
December 11, 1933 – December 14, 1953
DeputyIturou Nakagawa
Hatirou Nakayama
Preceded byPosition created
Himself (as Chairman)
Succeeded byHatirou Nakayama
SenriaFlag.png Chairman of the Government of National Preservation
In office
July 10, 1927 – December 11, 1933
Preceded byPosition created
Isao Isiyama (as Speaker)
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Himself (as Prime Minister)
SenriaFlag.png Member of the Council of the Senrian State
In office
December 12, 1923 – July 10, 1927
PresidentIsao Isiyama
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Himself (as Chairman)
Personal details
BornSeptember 30, 1883
SenriaFlag-monarchy.png Marugame, Senria
DiedApril 5, 1954 (70 years)
SenriaFlag.png Saeki, Senria
NationalitySenrian
Political partyPeople's-Senria.png Aikokutou
SpouseKeiko Minamoto
ChildrenKitirou Imahara (adopted)
Alma materTokiyori Imperial Military Academy
ProfessionSoldier, general, politician
Signature
Military service
AllegianceSenriaFlag-monarchy.png Empire of Senria (1901-1923)
SenriaFlag.png Republic of Senria (1923-1953)
Branch/serviceSenriaFlag-monarchy.png Imperial Senrian Army (1901-1923)
SenriaFlag.png Senrian Republican Army (1923-1953)
RankGrand marshal
Battles/warsFirst Sakata Incident
1909 Concession Riots
Senrian Revolution
Second Sakata Incident
Great War
Solarian War

Katurou Imahara (Senrian: 이마하라까뚜로우, Imahara Katurou; Gyoumon: 今原勝郎; September 30, 1883 - April 5, 1954) was a Senrian military and political leader who served as the leader of Senria, first as head of the Government of National Preservation and then as Prime Minister, between 1927 and 1948. He played an important role in both the Senrian Revolution and the Great War, and in the subsequent reconstruction of the country into a military and economic power, undertaking a sweeping set of reforms in line with is personal ideology; as a result, he is widely known as the "Father of the Fatherland" within Senria.

Born into a sizoku family in Nisiyama, Imahara was groomed for a life in the military; he graduated from Tokiyori Imperial Military Academy and became an officer in the Imperial Senrian Army in 1901, ascending to the rank of general by 1919. Initially a distinguished figure on the imperial side during the Senrian Revolution, he became frustrated with the imperial government and subsequently became a leading figure in the Gang of Six, the group of generals that overthrew the Emperor Katuhito in 1923. He subsequently formed a power-sharing agreement between the Gang of Six and the revolutionary government of Isao Isiyama, forming the Aikokutou to compete with Isiyama's Kyouwakai politically.

The ensuing government, headed by the Council of the Senrian State, was frequently paralyzed by conflict between Imahara and Isiyama. In 1926, with Isiyama's backing, Imahara provoked the Second Sakata Incident as a means of restoring public confidence in the struggling government. The Second Sakata Incident subsequently escalated into the Great War in 1927; with the divided government struggling to respond to a Xiaodongese invasion, the Council of the Senrian State voted to give Imahara unlimited power as the chairman of a "Government of National Preservation" for the duration of the conflict. As chairman, Imahara embarked on a campaign of total war, mobilizing all sectors of society towards the industrialization of the country and the modernization of the Senrian Republican Armed Forces. As the leader of a major Allied power, Imahara was involved heavily in the alliance's decision-making. Under his command, the Senrian military was able to slow and subsequently reverse the Xiaodongese advance, eventually launching an invasion of Xiaodong in 1933 and obtaining Xiaodong's surrender in 1935 after eight years of conflict.

Following the expulsion of Xiaodongese forces from Senria in 1932, Imahara oversaw the drafting of a new constitution, and was elected Prime Minister of Senria the following year. As Prime Minister, Imahara established a dominant-party state under the leadership of the Aikokutou, with public dissent strictly controlled and opposition groups subject to surveillance and periodic harassment. He also undertook a rigorous program of political and economic reforms aimed at continuing the country's industrialization, further modernizing the country's military, updating the country's legal and penal systems, and expanding infrastructure and public services, with the end goal of establishing a modern nation-state and bringing Senrian living standards on par with those in Euclea. He expanded social rights for women and burakumin, but simultaneously promoted "traditional morals" through initiatives such as the Public Virtue Movement. Imahara also worked tirelessly to promote Senrian culture and Senrian nationalism; his government heavily promoted museums and the arts, oversaw the shift from Gyoumon characters to the Kokumon script, and pursued a policy of Senrianization for ethnic minorities. Imahara further successfully sought the end of the various concessions and privileges imposed on Senria in previous decades by Euclean powers. He was reelected in 1938, 1943, and 1948; with his health declining, however, he opted to step down in 1953, handing power to Hatirou Nakayama. Imahara died of renal failure in 1954.

Imahara's political legacy is substantial and controversial. He is widely admired and memorialized in Senria, where he is credited with leading Senria to victory during the Great War and transforming the country into a modern economic and military power, and where his ideology, Imaharism, remains influential into the present. Imahara's military leadership played a critical role in both the Senrian Revolution and the Great War, and he is widely regarded as one of Kylaris's most talented military commander as a result. His supporters also credit him with vastly improving the Senrian standard of living, implementing women's suffrage, and promoting culture and the arts. Detractors and critics of Imahara's rule, however, denounce him as a military dictator who aggressively suppressed opposition in the name of preserving social order, violated the rights of ethnic minorities, established the monopolistic keiretu system, and created a culture of endemic corruption and illiberalism in Senrian governance.

Early life and education

Imahara was born on September 30, 1883 in the town of Marugame to Munetaka and Satiko Imahara. He was the fourth of seven children; he had one older sister, three younger sisters, and two older brothers. Both elder brothers were stillborn, however, and Imahara was treated as his parents' eldest, and only, son as a result. His parents had initially planned to give their sons generation names, as was typical among upper-class Senrians of the time, but following the stillbirths of his first two sons, his father opted to give Imahara the name Katurou (勝郎), literally meaning "victorious son", instead.

Satiko died of tuberculosis when Imahara was five, and as a result he was primarily raised by his father. The Imahara family belonged to the sizoku caste; his ancestors had been landed samurai for several generations and his father was a general in the Imperial Senrian Army who had played an important role in the Keiou Restoration, and as a result it was expected that Imahara would enter the military as well. Munetaka Imahara groomed his son for a military career from birth, as Imahara later recounted:

In my early childhood I was somewhat bookish, particularly inclined towards the classics of Senrian literature and poetry. My father did not oppose these interests - a proper warrior was supposed to be properly versed in these classics - but he did press me to place my primary focus upon those subjects which would more directly prepare me for a military career. So he instructed me to read military histories, works on strategy and tactics, and the biographies of famous commanders from Senria and elsewhere, and had me trained in both traditional and modern martial arts. Initially I had some hesitation, but he guided me firmly, and ultimately I took enthusiastically to these areas as well.

Imahara enrolled as a cadet at Tokiyori National Military Academy in 1901; he excelled in his classes and was popular both with his fellow students and with faculty. He graduated in 1905 as first in his class, immediately thereafter becoming an officer in the Imperial Senrian Army.

Imahara in the late 1910s.

Before the Senrian Revolution

Imahara was initially assigned to an army garrison in the city of Tosei. There, he met Keiko Minamoto; Minamoto belonged to a hatamoto family from the region and, like Imahara, belonged to the sizoku caste. Imahara and Minamoto quickly developed a romantic relationship, and, in 1906, the pair resolved to marry. Both had previously been slated for arranged marriages; however, Imahara's betrothed died in 1904 of pneumonia before the marriage could go ahead, and Minamoto's father had broken her betrothal following a personal falling-out with her betrothed's father. Minamoto's father assented to the marriage, but Munetaka Imahara did not approve until after a meeting with Minamoto and her parents in 1907. The pair were married in June of that year.

Imahara's parentage, academic record, competence, tendency to ingratiate himself to superiors, and ambition helped him rise quickly through the officer corps. He was reassigned to command a coastal fortification in Aoyama in 1908, leaving Keiko in Tosei. While there, Imahara played a minor role in the First Sakata Incident, overseeing the garrison's response to the incursion of Xiaodongese ships into the Nangyoku Inland Sea and attempting to keep the city's port open during the ensuing Xiaodongese blockade. The First Sakata Incident resulted in the cession of Sakata to Xiaodong; anger regarding this decision exploded into the 1909 Concession Riots across much of Senria, but riots in Aoyama were averted after Imahara, riding at the head of a column of armed soldiers, spoke to demonstrators and convinced them to disperse.

As a result of his actions during the First Sakata Incident and the Concession Riots, Imahara was further promoted and reassigned to command a military garrison in Keisi, the country's capital; this time, Keiko came with him, and the two purchased a home in the northern areas of the city. During his time in Keisi, Imahara continued to rise through the ranks, reaching the rank of colonel in 1916.

During the Senrian Revolution

[as the commander of one of the garrisons in keisi, imahara possibly played some role in the massacre which provoked the senrev, though this is a charged topic then and now; the senrev begins as republicans led by Ryuunosuke Miyamoto and his Kyouwakai flee to Ukyou and declare a rival government ]

[as the revolution breaks out, Dragon King hisahito promotes imahara - all of thirty-five - to general and orders him to the front, where he proves a very competent commander]

Imahara as Keisi garrison commander in 1921.

[in 1919, hisahito is assassinated while travelling between the palace and tokiyori; his successor, katuhito, is left deeply paranoid by this and, as imahara was previously a garrison commander in keisi, reassigns him to command all garrisons in keisi; this frustrates imahara who wants to remain on the front, but he complies. he also orders a stupidly large number of soldiers and supplies expended upon fortifying keisi, over imahara's protests]

Gang of Six and the Reaping

[imahara is angry that he has to sit around keisi while the war is being fought elsewhere, and that both his protests and requests for reassignment are being ignored or rejected; he begins to reach out to other generals who are frustrated with katuhito rerouting supplies, countermanding orders, and generally mucking up the war effort; gradually a conspiracy begins to emerge to sideline or, potentially, dethrone the emperor]

[imahara and his close friend Iturou Nakagawa, an admiral based in keisi, form the initial core; they gain the explicit participation of generals Sintarou Miyake, Nobuyuki Youiti, and Isoroku Nomura and admiral Ienobu Miyazawa, who become the Gang of Six and the tacit consent of several others in the officers corps; loyalist general Noriyosi Horitome attempts to alert katuhito that he thinks there's funny business but katuhito dismisses it, in part because imahara's father was part of the keiou restoration]

[the 1923 Great Kinkeidou Earthquake destroys what little public support the monarchy still has; imahara and his wife, who have been unable to concieve, adopt an orphan named Kitirou Maeno; at the same time, imahara and the gang of six agree that clearly the monarchy is screwed and their best bet is to launch the plot, seize the capital and the emperor, and negotiate with the republicans of Isao Isiyama]

[the plan is carried out on November 27, 1923, The Reaping; it goes off basically without a hitch and imahara's forces capture keisi and the emperor]

[as a result of having keisi and katuhito, imahara becomes de facto leader of the gang, and isiyama opts to negotiate with him; a compromise between the two men is reached, and the senrev ends]

Imahara and Isao Isiyama in 1926.

Before the Great War

[the structure of the council of state functionally paralyzes it; the republican loyalists who isiyama has brought to the table are hesitant to work with the ex-imperials of imahara, and the feeling is mutual, so to some extent there's two parallel governments that don't much want to work together]

[the biggest issue is reconstruction; both sides agree in principle here, but disputes over who oversees reconstruction and the associated funds delay things severely; keisi, notably, just kinda remains a ruin after the earthquake, and this becomes a symbol of gov't dysfunction]

[the second-biggest issue is economics, since senria was not off well economically even before the war; isiyama is rather left-wing and wants tight regulation and welfare, but imahara and his ilk are more hesitant or outright opposed, and this too gets bogged down]

Second Sakata Incident

[the paralysis on the council of the senrian state is becoming an issue and the gov't is getting worried that it will lose legitimacy; imahara writes to keiko that some decisive action will have to be retaken to restore public faith]

In July of 1926, intelligence forces loyal to Isao Isiyama obtained a Xiaodongese military report which stated that there was only a skeletal Xiaodongese military presence in Sakata because the Xiaodongese government did not regard the young, fragile Senrian republic as a military threat; instead, the city's defense was largely left to the municipal police force, which consisted mostly of ethnic Senrians. Isiyama relayed this information to the other members of the Council, including Imahara. Imahara proposed that Senria launch an operation to reclaim the city as a means to restore popular support for the Council of Senrian State, and requested that he command the operation; Isiyama agreed, on the condition that a member of the Kyouwakai would be the one to publicly announce the operation if it succeeded, a demand to which Imahara assented.

[the plan goes off, seemingly without a hitch]

[but then shit spirals out of control and the gw begins]

During the Great War

Imahara at an inspection of Senrian troops near Kitakawa in 1930.

1927-1929

[the brief period before imahara becomes head of the gov't of national preservation, where senria looks entirely fucked; the failed otuzi-mareimeisa coup attempt, foiled by men under imahara's command]

[the situation gets desperate when xiaos land in kunigami; imahara is given dictatorship; "three-point plan" of "mass production, mass industrialization, and mass mobilization" unveiled]

[as dictator, imahara splits his time between keisi and commanding troops along the front, the latter being something he takes to naturally and also a way to compensate for being stuck in keisi during the revolution; this frustrates bureaucrats, and isiyama, but the senrian people like the image of imahara as an active leader]

[imahara works to sort out the military and integrate imaharists and isiyamists, though he *does* favor the former where he can; the loss of territory slows, and by 1929 things have slowed to a stalemate, but the situation is still dire]

[imahara is impressed by the work of organic resistance groups and decides the senrian gov't will encourage this; also, during the first major senrian offensive of the war, troops under imahara stumble on an extermination zone near kunigami, the first hard evidence senria has of the Senrian Genocide]

1930-1932

[senria's offensive stagnates and xiaodong attempts another, but between senria getting its shit together and the resistance strengthening, it's less effective; on the home front, the three-point plan continues apace thanks to financial and technical support from the euclean allies, with imahara giving control of many of these new factories and whatnot to a handful of close friends and political allies]

[the ukyou uprising; imahara works to smuggle arms and rations to the insurgents, but does not order an army offensive. this is one of his most controversial decisions and dogs him for years; he claims it was because senrian armies needed to recover and prepare for an offensive, but his opponents see a massive missed opportunity, or even a deliberate attempt to prevent the resistance developing an independent base of power]

[in '32, senria seizes control of the seas and launches a massive offensive on land; xiao morale is collapsing, between a blockade and resistance they have no supplies, and senria very rapidly retakes ground, liberating the entirety of the country by june]

[a bunch of collaborators and xiao generals end up trapped in senria and, spurred on by the genocidal horrors uncovered during the offensive, imahara orders them hunted down aggressively; most high-ranking individuals are executed, with lower-ranking individuals stringently punished or, in some cases, left for lynch mobs]

1933-1935

[senria invades jindao and xiaodong; imahara now largely remains in keisi, though he makes a few trips to the front in xiaodong; senria shows no mercy]

[initially things go well, but things get complicated; over time senria becomes overstretched and xiao resistance becomes an issue. also, a rift very clearly forms between imahara and euclean leaders, as imahara agitates for an end to euclean imperialism while euclea reacts poorly to things like the Nakagawa Plan]

[imahara finds himself in a bind as the front stagnates and it becomes clear that senria, for both practical reasons and because euclea won't allow it, won't get all it wants; eventually euclea forces imahara to make peace with xiaodong, the Treaty of Keisi]

As Prime Minister

Imahara signing the Constitution of Senria in 1933.

[imahara and isiyama and co, once senria is driven out of xiaodong, negotiate the drafting of a new constitution and then of elections, which imahara and the Aikokutou win]

First term

[what imahara does as PM domestically during the final years of the great war]

Second term

Imahara casting a ballot in Senria's 1943 elections.

Third term

Fourth term

Later life

Imahara with one of his dogs in 1954.

[retires to saeki, lives with keiko and several dogs; is too sick to be further involved in senrian politics]

Death

[death of renal failure; immediate responses from domestic and int'l figures; mourning across senria, his funeral, his burial]

Personal life

Imahara and his wife Keiko in 1950.

[imahara's relation with his parents and siblings; any living relatives through this line]

[imahara's relationship with his wife; her influence upon his ideology and governance]

Imahara and his adopted son Kitirou in 1942.

[imahara's relationship with kitirou; kitirou's own rise to power on his father's legacy, and its end; any living heirs through this line]

[religion, hobbies, any other details i guess]

Legacy

Kinyougawa Mausoleum, Imahara's final resting place, in Keisi.

[lauded in senria; elaborate further]

Criticism

Honors

Senrian honors

Foreign honors