was a military commander of the Imperial Japanese Army who was promoted to army general before his retirement in 1925.
He was a long-standing member of Uehara Yusaku's faction and an ally of Taro Utsunomiya.
Career Keiu Machida was born in 1865, the second son of Satsuma Domain Samurai . He was adopted as the heir of , who served in various diplomatic roles, including consul of Hankou.
Following attendance at the , Machida graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in July 1887 and was appointed a sub-lieutenant. In 1893, he graduated from the Army War College. During the First Sino-Japanese War, he served as an aide-de-camp to the 10th infantry brigade. Machida subsequently served at the first department of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, being dispatched to Vladivostok.
During the Russo-Japanese War, he was dispatched as part of the staff of the 4th Army. Post-war, Machida served in various posts such as the Japanese embassy to France, Section Manager for the General Staff HQ, commanding officer of the , and chief of staff of the 15th Division. In March 1912, he was promoted to major general. Following this promotion, he served as commander of the 30th Infantry Brigade, military attaché to China, and chief of the General Staff's 2nd Department. In August 1916, he commanded the 11th and 4th divisions. In 1921, he became the commanding officer for the Sakhalin Province Expeditionary Army. In May 1922, he was promoted to general and served on the Supreme War Council.
In 1924, Machida participated in a military exercise in Kanazawa. Tanaka Giichi commanded the southern forces opposing Machida's northern army. During the exercise, Tanaka removed his glove to shake Machida's hand. However, there was controversy surrounding Tanaka's candidacy for Minister of War at the time, and Tanaka belonged to the opposing Choshu Faction of the military. This caused Machida to keep his glove on and refuse to make eye contact while shaking hands with Tanaka. Behavior that was considered improper for a general of his seniority.
In May 1925, he was placed on reserve duty, and would fully retire ten years later in April 1935.
Personal life Keiu Machida's three children would maintain their proximity to Imperial Japan's military establishment. His first son served as a diplomat and married the daughter of Den Kenjirō. His second son became an army colonel. His daughter Shouko married Major General
In 1939, Keiu Machida died in Shinagawa at the age of 73.
Awards and honors
Court ranking Timeline of Keiu Machida's rankings in the Japanese imperial court:
October 15, 1890 - Upper 8th Rank January 27, 1892 - Lower 7th Rank March 11, 1901 - Lower 6th Rank December 27, 1907 - Lower 5th Rank May 10, 1912 - Upper 5th Rank September 11, 1916 - Lower 4th Rank October 10, 1918 - Upper 4th Rank November 10, 1921 - Lower 4th Rank December 15, 1924 - Upper 3rd Rank January 4, 1939 - Lower 2nd Rank
Domestic Honors Date略綬勲章名October 31, 1895Order of the Sacred Treasure 6th classOctober 31, 1895Order of the Golden Kite 5th class『官報』第3708号「叙任及辞令」1895年11月6日。November 18, 1895Military Medal of HonorNovember 30, 1901Order of the Sacred Treasure 5th class『官報』第3907号・付録「辞令」1896年7月8日。p2November 30, 1905Order of the Sacred Treasure 4th class『官報』第5525号「叙任及辞令」1901年12月2日。April 1, 1906Order of the Rising Sun 3rd class『官報』号外「叙任及辞令」1906年12月6日。p26April 1, 1906Order of the Golden Kite 3rd classApril 1, 1906Military Medal of HonorAugust 1, 1912Korean Annexation Commemorative Medal『官報』第248号・付録「辞令」1913年5月29日。p2November 7, 1915Order of the Rising Sun 2nd class『官報』第1190号「叙任及辞令」1916年7月19日。November 7, 1915Military Medal of HonorNovember 10, 1915Tairei Memorial Medal『官報』第1403号・付録「辞令」1917年4月9日。p1December 15, 1919Victory Medal『官報』第2903号「叙任及辞令」1922年4月10日。July 1, 1921First Census Commemorative Medal『官報』第2858号・付録「辞令」1922年2月14日。p4November 30, 1921Order of the Sacred Treasure 1st Class『官報』第2801号「叙任及辞令」1921年12月2日。April 29, 19341931-1934 Incident War Medal『官報』第2995号・付録「敍任及辞令二」1936年12月24日。p13
Foreign Honors DateCountryRibbonNameApril 18, 1904 Sweden-NorwayOrder of the SwordOctober 23, 1907 Legion of Honour (Officer)September 24, 1908 Cross of Military MeritMarch 17, 1910 Order of the Black StarMarch 28, 1918 Republic of ChinaOrder of the Precious Brilliant Golden GrainSeptember 21, 1935 Commemorative Medal for the Visit of the Manchurian Emperor to Japan
References
Further reading
秦郁彦編『日本陸海軍総合事典』第2版、東京大学出版会、2005年。 福川秀樹『日本陸軍将官辞典』芙蓉書房出版、2001年。 外山操編『陸海軍将官人事総覧 陸軍篇』芙蓉書房出版、1981年。 [ 『陸軍後備役将校同相当官服役停年名簿』（昭和9年4月1日調）]7コマ 日本近代史料研究会編『日本陸海軍の制度・組織・人事』