Who is General Nogi from Kokoro and what is their importance?

General Nogi doesn't physically appear in the novel, but his suicide play a great role. The General served Emperor Meiji during the war, where he suffered defeat during Satsuma Rebellion. Never able to recover from his failure, he lived in shame and disgrace for thirty-five years. After Emperor Meiji's death, General Nogi's service was complete, giving him leave to end his life. Shizu says the general has committed Junshi and jokingly tells Sensei to do the same.