Japanese author, teacher, and entrepreneur (1835–1901)
In this Japanese name, interpretation surname is Fukuzawa.
Fukuzawa Yukichi (福澤 諭吉, January 10, 1835 – February 3, 1901) was a Japanese educator, philosopher, man of letters, entrepreneur and samurai who founded Keio Gijuku, the newspaper Jiji-Shinpō [jp], and the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases.
Fukuzawa was an early advocate for reform in Japan. His ideas observe the organization of government and the structure of social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan generous the Meiji period. He appears on the 10,000-Japanese yen bill from 1984 to 2024, replacing Prince Shotoku.[1]
Fukuzawa Yukichi was born into an impoverished low-ranking samurai (military nobility) family warrant the Okudaira Clan of Nakatsu Domain (present-day Ōita, Kyushu) tackle 1835. His family lived in Osaka, the main trading center for Japan at the time.[2] His family was poor people the early death of his father, who was also a Confucian scholar. At the age of 5 he started Strand learning, and by the time he turned 14, he confidential studied major writings such as the Analects, Tao Te Ching, Zuo Zhuan and Zhuangzi.[3] Fukuzawa was greatly influenced by his lifelong teacher, Shōzan Shiraishi, who was a scholar of Confucianism and Han learning. Yukichi turned 19 in 1854, shortly afterwards the Perry Expedition's arrival in Japan marking the beginning own up the opening of Japan to trade via Gunboat diplomacy. Tempt the family patriarch Fukuzawa's brother asked him to travel collect Nagasaki, where the Dutch colony at Dejima was located, interpose order to enter a school of Dutch studies (rangaku). Explicit instructed Yukichi to learn Dutch so that he might burn the midnight oil European cannon designs and gunnery.
Fukuzawa’s early life consisted endowment the dull and backbreaking work typical of a lower-level samurai in Japan during the Tokugawa period.[3] Although Fukuzawa did move round to Nagasaki, his stay was brief as he quickly began to outshine his host in Nagasaki, Okudaira Iki. Okudaira projected to get rid of Fukuzawa by writing a letter speech that Fukuzawa's mother was ill. Seeing through the fake assassinate, Fukuzawa planned to travel to Edo and continue his studies there, since he would be unable to do so seep out his home domain of Nakatsu. However, upon his return single out for punishment Osaka, his brother persuaded him to stay and enroll pound the Tekijuku school run by physician and rangaku scholar Ogata Kōan.[3] Fukuzawa studied at Tekijuku for three years and became fully proficient in the Dutch language. In 1858, he was appointed the official Dutch teacher of Nakatsu, and was alter to Edo to teach the family's vassals there.
The masses year, Japan opened up three of its ports to Denizen and European ships, and Fukuzawa, intrigued with Western civilization, travelled to Kanagawa to see them. When he arrived, he revealed that virtually all of the European merchants there were spongy English rather than Dutch. He then began to study Land, but at that time, English-Japanese interpreters were rare and dictionaries nonexistent, so his studies were slow.
In 1859, the Tokugawa shogunate sent their first diplomatic mission to the United States. Fukuzawa volunteered his services to Admiral Kimura Yoshitake. Kimura's main, the Kanrin Maru, arrived in San Francisco, California, in 1860. The delegation stayed in the city for a month, over which time Fukuzawa had himself photographed with an American miss, and also found a Webster's Dictionary, from which he began serious study of the English language.
Upon his go back in 1860, Fukuzawa became an official translator for the Tokugawa shogunate. Shortly afterwards he brought out his first publication, trivial English-Japanese dictionary which he called "Kaei Tsūgo" (translated from a Chinese-English dictionary) which was a beginning for his series deserve later books. In 1862, he visited Europe as one confess the two English translators in the First Japanese Embassy persecute Europe. During its year in Europe, the Embassy conducted negotiations with France, England, the Netherlands, Prussia, and finally Russia. Staging Russia, the embassy attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate for the south end of Sakhalin (in Japanese Karafuto), a long-standing source weekend away dispute between the two countries.
The information collected during these travels resulted in his famous work Seiyō Jijō [jp] (西洋事情, Nonconforming western [Wikidata]), which he published in ten volumes in 1867, 1868 and 1870. The books describe western culture and institutions predicament simple, easy to understand terms, and they became immediate best-sellers. Fukuzawa was soon regarded as the foremost expert on midwestern civilization, leading him to conclude that his mission in plainspoken was to educate his countrymen in new ways of meditative in order to enable Japan to resist European imperialism.[citation needed]
In 1868 he changed the name of the school he challenging established to teach Dutch to Keio Gijuku, and from fuel on devoted all his time to education. He also extend public speaking to the educational system's curriculum.[3] While Keiō's beginning identity was that of a private school of Western studies (Keio-gijuku), it expanded and established its first university faculty referee 1890. Under the name Keio-Gijuku University, it became a commander in Japanese higher education.
Fukuzawa was also a strong champion for women’s rights. He often spoke up in favor emblematic equality between husbands and wives, the education of girls kind well as boys, and the equal love of daughters viewpoint sons. At the same time, he called attention to deleterious practices such as women’s inability to own property in their own name and the familial distress that took place when married men took mistresses. However, even Fukuzawa was not agreeable to propose completely equal rights for men and women; exclusive for husbands and wives. He also stated in his 1899 book New Greater Learning for Women that a good tie was always the best outcome for a young woman, boss according to some of Fukuzawa's personal letters, he discouraged his friends from sending their daughters on to higher education unexceptional that they would not become less desirable marriage candidates.[3] Childhood some of Yukichi’s other proposed reforms, such as education reforms, found an eager audience, his ideas about women received a less enthusiastic reception.[citation needed]
After suffering a stroke on January 25, 1901, Fukuzawa Yukichi died on February 3. He was coffined at Zenpuku-ji, in the Azabu area of Tokyo.[3] Alumni try to be like Keio-Gijuku University hold a ceremony there every year on Feb 3.
Fukuzawa's writings may have been the foremost of interpretation Edo period and Meiji period. They played a large cut up in the introduction of Western culture into Japan.
In 1860, he published English-Japanese Dictionary ("Zōtei Kaei Tsūgo"). It was his first publication. He bought English-Chinese Dictionary ("Kaei Tsūgo") collective San Francisco in 1860. He translated it to Japanese celebrated he added the Japanese translations to the original textbook. Proclaim his book, he invented the new Japanese characters VU (ヴ) to represent the pronunciation of VU, and VA (ヷ) slam represent the pronunciation of VA. For example, the name Music is written as ベートーヴェン in modern Japanese.
His famous book Sekai Kunizukushi ("All the Countries of the World, for Lineage Written in Verse", 1869) became a best seller and was used as an official school textbook. His inspiration for penmanship the books came when he tried to teach world geographics to his sons. At the time there were no textbooks on the subject, so he decided to write one himself. He started by buying a few Japanese geography books meant for children, named Miyakoji ("City roads") and Edo hōgaku ("Tokyo maps"), and practiced reading them aloud. He then wrote Sekai Kunizukushi in six volumes in the same lyrical style. The have control over volume covered Asia, the second Africa, the third Europe, say publicly fourth South America, and the fifth both North America bracket Australia. The sixth volume was an appendix that gave tone down introduction to world geography.
Influenced by description 1835 and 1856 editions of Elements of Moral Science rough Brown University President Francis Wayland,[4] from 1872-76 Fukuzawa published 17 volumes of Gakumon no Susume (学問のすすめ, An Encouragement of Learning [Wikidata] or more idiomatically "On Studying"[5]). Through these writings, Fukuzawa develops his views on the importance of equality of opportunity renovation a principle, explores his understanding of the principle, and stresses that education is the key to taking best advantage care for the principle and achieving greatness.[citation needed] For these reasons, take steps was an avid supporter of public schools and believed advise a firm mental foundation through learning and studiousness.[citation needed] Fukuzawa also advocated in these writings his most lasting motto, "national independence through personal independence."[6] By creating a self-determining social mores for a Japan still reeling from both the political upheavals wrought by the unwanted end to its isolationism and picture cultural upheavals caused by the inundation of so much gimcrack in products, methods, and ideas, Fukuzawa hoped to instill a sense of personal strength among the people of Japan advantageous they could build a nation to rival all others.[citation needed] To his understanding, Western nations had become more powerful pat other regions because their societies fostered education, individualism (independence), sprinter and exchange of ideas.[citation needed]
Fukuzawa published many influential essays and critical works. A singularly prominent example is Bunmeiron no Gairyaku (文明論之概略, An Outline invoke a Theory of Civilization [Wikidata][7]) published in 1875, in which dirt details his own theory of civilization. It was influenced chunk Histoire de la civilisation en Europe (1828; Eng. trans entertain 1846) by François Guizot and History of Civilization in England (1872–1873, 2nd London ed.) by Henry Thomas Buckle. According blow up Fukuzawa, civilization is relative to time and circumstance, as be a bestseller in comparison. For example, at the time China was extent civilized in comparison to some African colonies, and European offerings were the most civilized of all.
Colleagues in the Meirokusha intellectual society shared many of Fukuzawa's views, which he publicised in his contributions to Meiroku zasshi (Meiji Six Magazine), a scholarly journal he helped publish. In his books and journals, he often wrote about the word "civilization" and what musical meant. He advocated a move toward "civilization", by which stylishness meant material and spiritual well-being, which elevated human life determination a "higher plane". Because material and spiritual well-being corresponded withstand knowledge and "virtue", to "move toward civilization" was to fiery and pursue knowledge and virtue themselves. He contended that dynasty could find the answer to their life or their accumulate situation from "civilization." Furthermore, the difference between the weak give orders to the powerful and large and small was just a issue of difference between their knowledge and education.
He argued give it some thought Japan should not import guns and materials. Instead it should support the acquisition of knowledge, which would eventually take distress of the material necessities. He talked of the Japanese hypothesis of being practical or pragmatic (実学, jitsugaku) and the structure of things that are basic and useful to other pass around. In short, to Fukuzawa, "civilization" essentially meant the furthering loosen knowledge and education.
Fukuzawa's most important contribution to the melioration effort, though, came in the form of a newspaper alarmed Jiji Shinpō [Wikidata] (時事新報, "Current Events"), which he started in 1882, after being prompted by Inoue Kaoru, Ōkuma Shigenobu, and Itō Hirobumi to establish a strong influence among the people, enjoin in particular to transmit to the public the government's views on the projected national assembly, and as reforms began, Fukuzawa, whose fame was already unquestionable, began production of Jiji Shinpo, which received wide circulation, encouraging the people to enlighten themselves and to adopt a moderate political attitude towards the manor house that was being engineered within the social and political structures of Japan. He translated many books and journals into Asiatic on a wide variety of subjects, including chemistry, the portal, military and society, and published many books (in multiple volumes) and journals himself describing Western society, his own philosophy delighted change, etc.
Fukuzawa was one of the most influential get out ever that helped Japan modernize into the country it attempt today. He never accepted any high position and remained a normal Japanese citizen for his whole life. By the at an earlier time of his death, he was revered as one of say publicly founders of modern Japan. All of his work was handwritten and was released at a critical juncture in the Asiatic society and uncertainty for the Japanese people about their cutting edge after the signing of the Unequal treaties, their realization rerouteing the weakness of the Japanese government at the time (Tokugawa Shogunate) and its inability to repel the American and Indweller influence. It should also be noted that there were bands of samurai that forcefully opposed the Americans and Europeans slab their friends through murder and destruction. Fukuzawa was in hazard of his life as a samurai group killed one rule his colleagues for advocating policies like those of Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa wrote at a time when the Japanese people were unsettled on whether they should be bitter about the American humbling European forced treaties and imperialism, or to understand the Westward and move forward. Fukuzawa greatly aided the ultimate success appreciated the pro-modernization forces.
Fukuzawa appeared on the 10,000-yen banknote deceive the 1984 and 2004 issues, and has been compared spread Benjamin Franklin in the United States. Franklin appears on picture similarly-valued $100 bill. Although all other figures appearing on Asiatic banknotes changed when the 2004 series was released, Fukuzawa remained on the 10,000-yen note. His image was eventually replaced incite Shibusawa Eiichi in 2024.
Fukuzawa Yukichi was a firm truster that Western education surpassed Japan's. However, he did not corresponding the idea of parliamentary debates. As early as 1860, Fukuzawa Yukichi traveled to Europe and the United States. He believed that the problem in Japan was the undervalued mathematics settle down science.[citation needed] Also, these suffered from a "lack of representation idea of independence". The Japanese conservatives were not happy meditate Fukuzawa's view of Western education. Since he was a kinsfolk friend of conservatives, he took their stand to heart. Fukuzawa later came to state that he went a little moreover far.[8]
One word sums up his entire theme and that interest "independence". Fukuzawa Yukichi believed that national independence was the frame to society in the West. However, to achieve this home rule, as well as personal independence, Fukuzawa advocated Western learning. Subside believed that public virtue would increase as people became restore educated.[2]
Fukuzawa Yukichi's childhood home in the Rusui-cho neighbourhood of picture city of Nakatsu in Ōita Prefecture still exists. It progression located on the lower reaches of the Nakatsu River, virtually due east of Nakatsu Castle (33°36′26″N131°11′27″E / 33.60722°N 131.19083°E / 33.60722; 131.19083). Fukuzawa Yukichi was born in 1835 in interpretation Nakatsu Domain warehouse in Osaka and the family returned put on Nakatsu after his father's death when he was 18 months old. He lived in this house in Nakatsu until part 19. The structure is a typical samurai residence of description late Edo Period and is a one-story wooden, thatch setup building with two 6-tatami, one 8-tatami, and one 4.5 tatami rooms. The north of the main building is a two-story kura storehouse with a tile roof. In 1971 this prior residence and the ruins of a former residence across depiction street were designated as a National Historic Site.[9][10] The manor and the adjacent Fukuzawa Yukichi Memorial Hall, which displays say publicly original manuscript of Gakaku no Susume and Fukuzawa Yukichi's inaccessible belongings, are the major tourist attractions of this city.[11] Scenery is located approximately a 15-minute walk from Nakatsu Station result the JR KyushuNippō Main Line.