Theodor von Lerch

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Theodor Edler von Lerch (August 31, 1869 – December 24, 1945) was a major general in the Austro-Hungarian Army and an early ski instructor in Japan. He spoke at least seven languages and traveled across Europe, Turkey, Japan, Korea, China and India. He enjoyed painting, and about forty-eight of his watercolors of Austrian mountains and towns are in Joetsu, Japan.

Lerch studied at the Theresian Military Academy and began serving in 1891. He worked as a staff officer in many places and learned skiing in 1902 with Mathias Zdarsky. In 1908 he taught skiing at army courses in Tyrol, and a visit to the Japanese Pavilion at an exhibition sparked his interest in Japan, where he spent two years.

During World War I, Lerch held various commands and became a major general in 1918. He retired in 1919 due to injuries. Earlier, from 1910 to 1912, he visited the Far East as a military observer, taught skiing in Japan, and helped bring the sport to Japanese officers and civilians. He even made a partial ascent of Mount Fuji in 1911.

Lerch was awarded Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, 4th class. His legacy includes a statue in Joetsu (since 1961) and a Lerch Festival every February, plus a 1992 museum about his life. A caricature of him was used as a 2009 mascot for Niigata Prefecture. There are also a statue in Kutchan, Hokkaido, a monument at Asahikawa Airport, and an exhibit at the Hokuchin Memorial Museum. He is buried in Vienna Central Cemetery.