The Imperial Guard of Japan was formed in 1867 and became part of the army when the Emperor Meiji assumed all the powers of the state and formed an army based on European lines during the Meiji Restoration. This army consisted of 12,000 men originally organized and trained along French lines, but was retrained and organized by German officers after the German victory in the Franco-Prussian War. By 1885 the Imperial Japanese Army consisted of seven divisions, one of which was the Imperial Guard, with each division consisted of four regiments of two battalions each. The Imperial Guard was based on the Prussian Garde du Korps so it recruited nationally for duty in Tokyo. It stayed at one division until 1905 when, after the Russo-Japanese War, two Guard Brigades were formed from Formosans. Formosa, was known, even then, as a place of headhunters. Japan had defeated these headhunters after bloody fighting on both sides. The Guard stayed at one division until World War Two when a total force of three divisions was realized. Two (2nd and 3rd) of the Guard divisions saw combat in China and Manchuria while one(the 1st) was always stationed in Tokyo. The IJA Imperial Guard was dissolved at the end of world war two and was reformed in 1947 as part of the National Police Agency, which itself is part of the National Public Safety Commission.

The Divisions

• Guards Division was formed in 1867 and became the 2nd Guards Division when the 1st Guards was formed in 1942. Consisted of the 3d, 4th, and 5th Guards Regiments. It saw service in Manchuria with the Kantogun.
• 1st Guards Division was formed in 1943 from the Guards Mixed Brigade and consisted of the 1st, 2nd and 6th Guards Regiments.
• 3rd Guards Division was formed in 1944 from the 8th, 9th and 10th Guards Regiments and saw combat in China.

Guards Uniforms

The Guard wore a French style uniform constisting of a dark-blue double breasted tunic with a red kepi and red breeches. The red kepi had a white plume with a red base. Off duty, a dark blue tunic with 5 rows of black mohair ropings or froggings with dark blue breeches with a red stripe down each seam, were worn. During the summer an all white linen uniform was worn. In the field the army's basic uniform was worn. It was worn with either a crysanthemum or a star in a wreath.

National Police Agency Imperial Guard

The Imperial Guard was reconstituted as part of the National Police Agency of Japan in 1947. It consist of over 800 security police personnel who provide security and protection to the Emperor, the Imperial Palace and also provides guards of honor at state ceremonies.

See Also

• Imperial Guard
• Imperial Japanese Army