On 19 December 1910, Yoshitoshi Tokugawa performed the first flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft in Japan, flying the Farman III aeroplane.
Yoshitoshi Tokugawa was born in 1884, as the son of Count Tokugawa Atsumori. In 1903, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy with an engineer degree.
In 1909, Tokugawa was appointed military attaché in France and given the task to gain insight of aeronautics and the use of aeroplane for military purposes.
In France, the young officer learned to fly and became the first Japanese to receive the pilot´s licence. Following his orders, Tokugawa bought a Farman III (also known as the Henry Farman 1909) biplane and returned to the country.
On 19 December 1910, Yoshitoshi Tokugawa demonstrated the flight capabilities of the aircraft at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Although a few sources discuss minor date/reporting variations for the flight, but primary accounts record Tokugawa’s achievement on the aforementioned day.
Over the next years, Tokugawa continued with his aviation career, marking the Japan aviation history with several “firsts”. On 5 April 1911, he made the inaugural flight from the first official airfield in the country, the Tokorozawa aerodrome. Tokugawa also took the first aerial photograph in Japan and set the country´s records for flight duration and distance. Later, he modernised the Farman III design and developed his own aeroplane, known as Kaishiki No.1.
In 1912, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service was established. Tokugawa was appointed commander of the 2nd Air Battalion, then of the 1st Air Regiment. Finally, after being promoted to lieutenant general, he became the commander of the Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Corps.
Later, Yoshitoshi Tokugawa led the army aviation schools in Tokorozawa and Akeno. Eventually, he was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff.
In 1939, Tokugawa left the army and was transferred to the reserve. However, staff-shortages during the final years of the Second World War caused the sixty-year-old general was recalled in 1944 and appointed commander of the Imperial Army Aviation School.
The Japanese aviation pioneer passed away on 17 April 1963, aged 78.
Cover photo: Henry Farman 1909 biplane, illustrative photo (source: gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France, ark:/12148/btv1b53239806h)
