'This stalwart fellow of five lands and two seas': The Life of Fukushima Yasumasa

摘要

Although known primarily for his lone horseback ride from Berlin to Vladivostok in 1892-93, Fukushima Yasumasa's career encompassed more than just this one remarkable ride. Born in 1852, Fukushima was caught up in the 1867 civil war, before beginning a military career that took him to almost all corners of the globe. In addition to his service during the 1894-95 Sino-Japanese and 1904-05 Russo-Japanese Wars, Fukushima played an important part in the development of Anglo-Japanese and Japanese-Mongolian relations in the early twentieth century, an aspect of his career that has been largely overlooked. This article re-examines Fukushima's career.