St. Alexander Nevsky with Diamonds for Non-Christians of Viscount Motono Ichiro

Awarded on December 11, 1916.

Height (with a ring) 60 mm.
Width 53 mm.
Weight 39.7 g.

Cross was made by Saint Petersburg jeweler Carl Blank /Karl Blank; Карл Карлович Бланк/.

St. Alexander Nevsky Motono Ichiro (1862-1918).jpg


St. Alexander Nevsky Motono Ichiro (1862-1918)..jpg


Viscount Motono Ichirō (本野 一郎, March 23, 1862 – September 17, 1918) was a statesman and diplomat. Born on March 23, 1862 in Saga (Japan), Ichirō Motono studied law in Lyon and after a doctorate in 1887, he began a brilliant diplomatic career where he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 1888 to December 1889, aged only 27 years old. After having held several positions, notably that of Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Belgium from 1898 to 1901, representative of Japan at the Peace Conference of The Hague in 1899, or even judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration of La Hague in 1905, Ichirō Motono would become a diplomat and Japanese ambassador to Russia from 1908 to 1916, during which time he would play a key role in Russian-Japanese relations in the pre-revolutionary period.
Returning to Japan, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Marshal Terauchi Masatake from October 9, 1916 until his resignation on April 23, 1918. He died in Tokyo on September 17, 1918. In recognition of his services, he was given the title Baron in 1907, then Viscount in 1916. He was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 1907, and the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia flowers posthumously on the day of his death. Emperor Nicholas II awarded him the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky with Diamonds on October 16, 1916.

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On June 14, 1907, he was granted the title of baron (danshaku) under the kazoku peerage system for his services, and was also awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, 1st class. His title was elevated to that of viscount (shishaku) on July 14, 1916. Under the cabinet of Terauchi Masatake, he served as foreign minister of Japan between October 9, 1916 and his resignation on April 23, 1918. He was noted for his harsh stance against the Russian Revolution and his support of the Siberian Intervention. He died on September 17, 1918, and was awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum.​


Motono Ichiro-.jpg
 
Cross was placed on deposit and was part of the permanent exhibition at the Musée de la Légion d'honneur in Paris, between June 2018 and December 2022.
On display at the Musée de la Légion d'honneur in Paris.

St. Alexander Nevsky with Diamonds for Non-Christians of Viscount Motono Ichiro.jpg
 
  • Tags
    awards of viscount motono ichiro orden der hl. anna für nicht-christen order of st. alexander nevsky with diamonds russian imperial orders russian imperial orders for non-christians награды императорской россии орден святого александра невского ордена императорской россии ордена лицам нехристианского вероисповедания
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