Gensui (Imperial Japanese Navy)
Kaigun-gensui (海軍元帥, Grand admiral), formal rank designations: Gensui-kaigun-taishō (元帥海軍大将, Marshal-admiral) was the highest rank in the prewar Imperial Japanese Navy. The term gensui was used for both the navy and the Imperial Japanese Army, and was a largely honorific title awarded for extremely meritorious service to the Emperor. In the Meiji period, the title was awarded to five generals and three admirals. In the Taishō period it was awarded to six generals and six admirals, and in the Shōwa period it was awarded to six generals and four admirals. Equivalent to a five-star rank (OF-10), it is similar to Admiral of the Fleet in the UK Royal Navy and Fleet admiral in the United States Navy.
Note that several were promoted the same year they died; these were posthumous promotions.
| Marshal Admiral | Name | (Birth-Death) | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 January 1898 | Marquis Saigo Tsugumichi | (1843–1902) | Kagoshima |
| 2 | 31 January 1906 | Count Itō Sukeyuki | (1843–1914) | Kagoshima |
| 3 | 31 October 1911 | Viscount Inoue Yoshika | (1845–1929) | Kagoshima |
| 4 | 21 April 1913 | Marquis Togo Heihachiro | (1847–1934) | Kagoshima |
| 5 | 7 July 1913 | Prince Arisugawa Takehito | (1862–1913) | Imperial Family |
| 6 | 26 May 1917 | Baron Goro Ijuin | (1852–1921) | Kagoshima |
| 7 | 27 June 1922 | Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito | (1867–1922) | Imperial Family |
| 8 | 8 January 1923 | Baron Hayao Shimamura | (1858–1923) | Kochi |
| 9 | 24 August 1923 | Baron Tomozaburo Kato | (1861–1923) | Hiroshima |
| 10 | 27 May 1932 | Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu | (1876–1946) | Imperial Family |
| 11 | 18 April 1943 | Isoroku Yamamoto | (1884–1943) | Niigata |
| 12 | 21 June 1943 | Osami Nagano | (1880–1947) | Kochi |
| 13 | 31 March 1944 | Mineichi Koga | (1885–1944) | Saga |
