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{{Short description|Japanese admiral (1830–1901)}}
{{Short description|Japanese admiral (1830–1901)}}
{{Expand Japanese |topic=history, biography |otherarticle=ja:木村芥舟|date=December 2023}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio |otherarticle=ja:木村芥舟|date=December 2023}}
{{family name hatnote|Kimura|lang=Japanese}}
{{family name hatnote|Kimura|lang=Japanese}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| image = Kaisyu Kimura 1865.jpg
| image = Kaisyu Kimura 1865.jpg
| caption = Kimura, aged 36
| caption = Kimura, aged 36
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1830|02|27}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1830|02|27}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1901|12|09|1830|02|27}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1901|12|09|1830|02|27}}
| other_names = {{nihongo|Kimura Yoshitake|木村喜毅}}
| other_names = {{nihongo|Kimura Yoshitake|木村喜毅}}
}}
}}


{{nihongo|'''Kimura Kaishū'''|木村芥舟|extra=27 February 1830 – 9 December 1901}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''Kimura Yoshitake'''|木村喜毅}}, was a Japanese admiral known for being the commander of the ''[[Kanrin Maru]]'', as part of the [[Japanese Embassy to the United States]] in 1860, Japan's first foreign embassy mission after the end of ''[[sakoku]]''. He was the governor of [[Settsu Province]] ({{lang-ja|摂津守|Settsu-no-kami}}), which covered parts of modern-day [[Osaka prefecture]] and [[Hyogo prefecture]].<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref>
{{nihongo|'''Kimura Kaishū'''|木村芥舟|extra=27 February 1830 – 9 December 1901}}, also known as {{nihongo|'''Kimura Yoshitake'''|木村喜毅}}, was a Japanese admiral known for being the commander of the [[Japanese Embassy to the United States]] in 1860, Japan's first foreign embassy mission after the end of ''[[sakoku]]'', sailing aboard the ''[[Kanrin Maru]]''. He was also the governor of [[Settsu Province]] ({{langx|ja|摂津守|Settsu-no-kami}}), which covered parts of modern-day [[Osaka prefecture]] and [[Hyogo prefecture]].<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref>


==Biography==
==Biography==


===Early career===
===Early career===
⚫
Kimura was born in 1830 into a [[Hatamoto]] family, part of the samurai class in direct service to the [[Tokugawa shogunate]]. As a teenager and young man, he held several minor posts within the shogunal bureaucracy.<ref>{{harv|Kodansha|p=211}}</ref> In 1856 he was appointed as director of the [[Nagasaki Naval Training Center]] after the previous director, [[Nagai Naoyuki]], moved to the new [[Tsukiji]] Naval Training Center in [[Edo]]. During this time, Kimura learned about the latest naval technology from Dutch instructors [[Pels Rijcken]] and [[Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke]]. With the closure of the Nagasaki training center in 1859, Kimura returned to Edo and was promoted to a newly created position, magistrate of warships ({{langx|ja|軍艦奉行|[[Gunkan-bugyō]]}}), often translated as "Admiral".<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref> At this time, he had a home in the Shinsenza district of [[Edo]] (modern-day [[Hamamatsucho]]).<ref>{{harv |Fukuzawa |p=122}}</ref>
Kimura was born in 1830 with the name Kansuke ({{lang-ja|勘助}}) as the seventh generation of a [[Hatamoto]] family, part of the samurai class. In 1842, he was appointed as an apprentice to the [[Hama-rikyū Gardens#History|Hama palace]] magistrate by [[Mizuno Tadakuni]]. Due to being favoured by the twelfth [[Tokugawa shogun]], [[Tokugawa Ieyoshi]], he rose through the ranks quickly, and in 1856 he was appointed to the {{transliteration|ja|[[kōbusho]]}} as inspector of the western wing ({{lang-ja|西の丸目付|nishi-no-maru [[metsuke]]}}), a position at [[Edo castle]].

⚫
In 1857 he was appointed as director of the [[Nagasaki Naval Training Center]] after the previous director, [[Nagai Naoyuki]], moved to the new [[Tsukiji Naval Training Center]] in [[Edo]]. During this time, Kimura learned about the latest naval technology from Dutch instructors [[Pels Rijcken]] and [[Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke]]. With the closure of the Nagasaki training center in 1859, Kimura returned to Edo and was promoted to magistrate of warships ({{lang-ja|軍艦奉行|[[Gunkan-bugyō]]}}), often translated as "Admiral".<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref>


===The Embassy of 1860===
===The Embassy of 1860===
Line 24: Line 22:
After the [[Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Japan)|Harris Treaty of 1858]], Japan was required to send ambassadors to the United States to ratify the treaty. These ambassadors travelled on the [[USS Powhatan (1850)|USS Powhatan]], and this vessel was accompanied by the Japanese ship ''[[Kanrin Maru]]'', purchased from the Dutch a few years previously, intended as a showcase of Japanese mastery of Western technology. Due to his experience with modern naval technology, Kimura was made commander of the mission, putting him in charge of organising the transport, and, if the ambassadors had been unable to make it to Washington, Kimura would have been deputised to complete the mission in their place.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref>
After the [[Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Japan)|Harris Treaty of 1858]], Japan was required to send ambassadors to the United States to ratify the treaty. These ambassadors travelled on the [[USS Powhatan (1850)|USS Powhatan]], and this vessel was accompanied by the Japanese ship ''[[Kanrin Maru]]'', purchased from the Dutch a few years previously, intended as a showcase of Japanese mastery of Western technology. Due to his experience with modern naval technology, Kimura was made commander of the mission, putting him in charge of organising the transport, and, if the ambassadors had been unable to make it to Washington, Kimura would have been deputised to complete the mission in their place.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=264}}</ref>


As commander, Kimura was able to select some members of the mission, including [[Katsu Kaishū]], former head instructor at the Nagasaki training center, who he appointed as captain of the ''Kanrin Maru''; [[Nakahama Manjiro|Nakahama "John" Manjiro]], one of the few Japanese people to speak good English at the time, as translator and interpreter; and a young [[Fukuzawa Yukichi]] as an attendant. In addition, he persuaded the ''bakufu'' to allow American sailors on the ship as guides and technological advisors, lead by Lieutenant [[John Mercer Brooke]].
As commander, Kimura was able to personally select some members of the mission, including [[Katsu Kaishū]], former head instructor at the Nagasaki training centre, who he appointed as captain of the ''Kanrin Maru''; [[Nakahama Manjiro|Nakahama "John" Manjiro]], one of the few Japanese people to speak good English at the time, as translator and interpreter; and a young [[Fukuzawa Yukichi]] as an attendant.<ref>{{harv|Fukuzawa |p=106}}</ref>


The ''Kanrin Maru'' set sail from [[Uraga, Kanagawa|Uraga]] on February 9, 1860 and arrived in San Francisco 37 days later, well ahead of the Powhatan, as the other ship had made a stop in the [[Kingdom of Hawaiʻi]]. This meant that they were the first Japanese government representatives to set foot in the US, and as such were given a warm and elaborate welcome by the Americans, despite not being the official ambassadors. As the highest-ranking Japanese on the ship, Kimura represented the embassy at the functions, via Nakahama's English–Japanese interpretation.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|pp=264–269}}</ref> Kimura's insistence on proper etiquette regarding issues such as disembarkation and the order of toasts given at a reception were remarked on by the American press.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=266}}</ref>
The ''Kanrin Maru'' set sail from [[Uraga, Kanagawa|Uraga]] on 9 February 1860, and arrived in San Francisco 37 days later, well ahead of the Powhatan, as the other ship had made a stop in the [[Kingdom of Hawaiʻi]]. This meant that they were the first Japanese government representatives to set foot in the US, and as such were given a warm and elaborate welcome by the Americans, despite not being the official ambassadors. As the highest-ranking Japanese on the ship, Kimura represented the embassy at the functions, via Nakahama's English–Japanese interpretation.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|pp=264–269}}</ref> Kimura's insistence on proper etiquette regarding issues such as disembarkation and the order of toasts given at a reception were remarked on by the American press.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|p=266}}</ref> While he was there, Kimura bought a black Western-style umbrella, different from those made in Japan.<ref>{{harv |Fukuzawa |p=122}}</ref>


The official embassy arrived in San Francisco aboard the Powhatan on March 29, and were received with similar acclaim, but left for [[Washington D.C.]] on April 7.<ref>{{harv|Cole 1941|p=143}}</ref> The ''Kanrin Maru'' was still undergoing repairs. Kimura had intended to remain in San Francisco until they heard news from Washington about the embassy, but the rudimentary transcontinental communication meant this was not forthcoming, so the ''Kanrin Maru'' set off back to Japan from San Francisco on May 8, and arrived in Uraga on June 24, having stopped in Hawaiʻi.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|pp=273–274}}</ref>
The official embassy arrived in San Francisco aboard the Powhatan on 29 March, and were received with similar acclaim, but left for [[Washington D.C.]] on 7 April, while the ''Kanrin Maru'' was still undergoing repairs.<ref>{{harv|Cole 1941|p=143}}</ref> Kimura had intended to remain in San Francisco until they heard news from Washington about the embassy, but the rudimentary transcontinental communication meant this was not forthcoming, so the ''Kanrin Maru'' set off back to Japan from San Francisco on 8 May, and arrived in Uraga on 24 June, having stopped in Hawaiʻi.<ref>{{harv|Young 1983|pp=273–274}}</ref>


===Later life===
===Later life===
After returning to Japan, Kimura returned to his duties as magistrate of warships for the ''bakufu'', pushing for modernising reforms to the structure of the Navy. Leading up to and during the [[Boshin War]], Kimura held several different roles on the side of the ''bakufu'', including Magistrate of Accounts ({{lang-ja|勘定奉行|[[Kanjō bugyō]]}}).
After returning to Japan, Kimura returned to his duties as magistrate of warships for the ''bakufu'', pushing for modernising reforms to the structure of the Navy.<ref>{{harv|Kodansha|p=211}}</ref> Leading up to and during the [[Boshin War]], Kimura held several different roles on the side of the ''bakufu''.<ref>{{harv|Fukuzawa |p=349}}</ref> He remained close with Fukuzawa Yukichi in the years after the voyage, the latter spending so much time at Kimura's Shinzenza residence that he was "almost like a member of the household".<ref>{{harv|Fukuzawa |p=266}}</ref>

Despite having fought for the now-deposed ''bakufu'', after the [[Meiji restoration]] Kimura was offered positions in the new government, but he refused them, retiring to a life of seclusion, writing essays and [[Classical Chinese]] poetry. He remained close with Fukuzawa Yukichi for the rest of his life, due to the latter's gratitude for Kimura giving him the opportunity of going to the US.


Despite having fought for the now-deposed ''bakufu'', after the [[Meiji restoration]] Kimura was offered positions in the new government, but he turned them down. During his retirement, he wrote books such as the "Thirty Year History" ({{langx|ja|三十年史|Sanjūnen-shi}}).<ref>{{harv|Fukuzawa |p=349}}</ref><ref>{{harv|Kimura 1892}}</ref> Kimura died in 1901.
Kimura died on December 9, 1901, at the age of 71.


== References ==
== References ==
Line 41: Line 37:


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
* {{cite journal |author-last=Cole |author-first= Allan B |title=Japan’s First Embassy to the United States, 1860 |journal=The Pacific Northwest Quarterly |volume=32 |number=2 |year=1941 |pages=131–66 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40486450 |access-date=26 Feb 2023 |ref=CITEREFCole 1941}}
* {{cite journal |author-last=Cole |author-first= Allan B |title=Japan's First Embassy to the United States, 1860 |journal=The Pacific Northwest Quarterly |volume=32 |number=2 |year=1941 |pages=131–66 |jstor= 40486450 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/40486450 |access-date=26 Feb 2023 |ref=CITEREFCole 1941}}
* {{cite book | author-last=Doi |author-first=Ryōzō |title={{transliteration|ja |Gunkan Bugyō Kimura Settsunokami : Kindai Kaigun Tanjō No Kage No Tateyakusha}} |year=1994 |isbn=9784121011749 |publisher=[[Chūōkōron-Shinsha]] |series=Chūkō Shinsho |number=1174 |language=japanese |ref=CITEREFDoi 1994}}
* {{cite book | author-last=Doi |author-first=Ryōzō |title={{transliteration|ja |Gunkan Bugyō Kimura Settsunokami : Kindai Kaigun Tanjō No Kage No Tateyakusha}} |year=1994 |isbn=9784121011749 |publisher=[[Chūōkōron-Shinsha]] |series=Chūkō Shinsho |number=1174 |language=japanese |ref=CITEREFDoi 1994}}
* {{cite book |author=Fukuzawa Yukichi |translator=Eiichi Kiyooka |year=1960 |title=The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi, with a foreword by Shinzou Koizumi |location=Tokyo |publisher= The Hokuseido Press |ref=CITEREFFukuzawa}}
* {{cite web |author1=Kimura Kaishu |title=Sanjūnen-shi. Thirty years' history of the Meiji period. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031088217&view=1up&seq=794&q1=%E6%9C%A8%E6%9D%91%E8%8A%A5%E8%88%9F |website=Hathi Trust. |publisher=Japan: Kojunsha. |access-date=2 December 2023 |date=1892 |ref=CITEREFKimura 1892}}
* {{cite web |author1=Kimura Kaishū |title=Sanjūnen-shi. Thirty years' history of the Meiji period. |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031088217&view=1up&seq=794&q1=%E6%9C%A8%E6%9D%91%E8%8A%A5%E8%88%9F |website=Hathi Trust. |publisher=Japan: Kojunsha. |access-date=2 December 2023 |date=1892 |ref=CITEREFKimura 1892}}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title=Kimura Yoshitake |encyclopedia=Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan |year=1983 |publisher=Kōdansha |location=Tokyo |volume=4 |ref=CITEREFKodansha}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Wert |author-first=Michael |title=Meiji Restoration Losers: Memory and Tokugawa Supporters in Modern Japan |edition=1st | volume=358 |publisher=Harvard University Asia Center |year=2013 |isbn=9781684175338 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1x07z05 |ref=CITEREFWert 2013}}
* {{cite book |author-last=Wert |author-first=Michael |title=Meiji Restoration Losers: Memory and Tokugawa Supporters in Modern Japan |edition=1st | volume=358 |publisher=Harvard University Asia Center |year=2013 |isbn=9781684175338 |doi=10.2307/j.ctt1x07z05 |ref=CITEREFWert 2013}}
* {{cite journal|author-last=Young |author-first=Dana B |title=The Voyage of the Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, 1860 |journal=California History |volume=61 |number=4 |year=1983 |pages=264–75 |doi=10.2307/25158123 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25158123 |access-date= 26 Feb 2023 |ref=CITEREFYoung 1983}}
* {{cite journal|author-last=Young |author-first=Dana B |title=The Voyage of the Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, 1860 |journal=California History |volume=61 |number=4 |year=1983 |pages=264–75 |doi=10.2307/25158123 |jstor=25158123 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25158123 |access-date= 26 Feb 2023 |ref=CITEREFYoung 1983}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimura, Kaishu}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimura, Kaishu}}

Latest revision as of 09:53, 12 December 2024

In this Japanese name, the surname is Kimura.
Kimura Kaishū
木村芥舟
Kimura, aged 36
Born(1830-02-27)27 February 1830
Died9 December 1901(1901-12-09) (aged 71)
Other namesKimura Yoshitake (木村喜毅)

Kimura Kaishū (木村芥舟, 27 February 1830 – 9 December 1901), also known as Kimura Yoshitake (木村喜毅), was a Japanese admiral known for being the commander of the Japanese Embassy to the United States in 1860, Japan's first foreign embassy mission after the end of sakoku, sailing aboard the Kanrin Maru. He was also the governor of Settsu Province (Japanese: 摂津守, romanized: Settsu-no-kami), which covered parts of modern-day Osaka prefecture and Hyogo prefecture.[1]

Biography

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Kimura was born in 1830 into a Hatamoto family, part of the samurai class in direct service to the Tokugawa shogunate. As a teenager and young man, he held several minor posts within the shogunal bureaucracy.[2] In 1856 he was appointed as director of the Nagasaki Naval Training Center after the previous director, Nagai Naoyuki, moved to the new Tsukiji Naval Training Center in Edo. During this time, Kimura learned about the latest naval technology from Dutch instructors Pels Rijcken and Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke. With the closure of the Nagasaki training center in 1859, Kimura returned to Edo and was promoted to a newly created position, magistrate of warships (Japanese: 軍艦奉行, romanized: Gunkan-bugyō), often translated as "Admiral".[3] At this time, he had a home in the Shinsenza district of Edo (modern-day Hamamatsucho).[4]

The Embassy of 1860

[edit]
Main article: Japanese Embassy to the United States

After the Harris Treaty of 1858, Japan was required to send ambassadors to the United States to ratify the treaty. These ambassadors travelled on the USS Powhatan, and this vessel was accompanied by the Japanese ship Kanrin Maru, purchased from the Dutch a few years previously, intended as a showcase of Japanese mastery of Western technology. Due to his experience with modern naval technology, Kimura was made commander of the mission, putting him in charge of organising the transport, and, if the ambassadors had been unable to make it to Washington, Kimura would have been deputised to complete the mission in their place.[5]

As commander, Kimura was able to personally select some members of the mission, including Katsu Kaishū, former head instructor at the Nagasaki training centre, who he appointed as captain of the Kanrin Maru; Nakahama "John" Manjiro, one of the few Japanese people to speak good English at the time, as translator and interpreter; and a young Fukuzawa Yukichi as an attendant.[6]

The Kanrin Maru set sail from Uraga on 9 February 1860, and arrived in San Francisco 37 days later, well ahead of the Powhatan, as the other ship had made a stop in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. This meant that they were the first Japanese government representatives to set foot in the US, and as such were given a warm and elaborate welcome by the Americans, despite not being the official ambassadors. As the highest-ranking Japanese on the ship, Kimura represented the embassy at the functions, via Nakahama's English–Japanese interpretation.[7] Kimura's insistence on proper etiquette regarding issues such as disembarkation and the order of toasts given at a reception were remarked on by the American press.[8] While he was there, Kimura bought a black Western-style umbrella, different from those made in Japan.[9]

The official embassy arrived in San Francisco aboard the Powhatan on 29 March, and were received with similar acclaim, but left for Washington D.C. on 7 April, while the Kanrin Maru was still undergoing repairs.[10] Kimura had intended to remain in San Francisco until they heard news from Washington about the embassy, but the rudimentary transcontinental communication meant this was not forthcoming, so the Kanrin Maru set off back to Japan from San Francisco on 8 May, and arrived in Uraga on 24 June, having stopped in Hawaiʻi.[11]

Later life

[edit]

After returning to Japan, Kimura returned to his duties as magistrate of warships for the bakufu, pushing for modernising reforms to the structure of the Navy.[12] Leading up to and during the Boshin War, Kimura held several different roles on the side of the bakufu.[13] He remained close with Fukuzawa Yukichi in the years after the voyage, the latter spending so much time at Kimura's Shinzenza residence that he was "almost like a member of the household".[14]

Despite having fought for the now-deposed bakufu, after the Meiji restoration Kimura was offered positions in the new government, but he turned them down. During his retirement, he wrote books such as the "Thirty Year History" (Japanese: 三十年史, romanized: Sanjūnen-shi).[15][16] Kimura died in 1901.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  2. ^ (Kodansha, p. 211)
  3. ^ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  4. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 122)
  5. ^ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  6. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 106)
  7. ^ (Young 1983, pp. 264–269)
  8. ^ (Young 1983, p. 266)
  9. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 122)
  10. ^ (Cole 1941, p. 143)
  11. ^ (Young 1983, pp. 273–274)
  12. ^ (Kodansha, p. 211)
  13. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 349)
  14. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 266)
  15. ^ (Fukuzawa, p. 349)
  16. ^ (Kimura 1892)

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Cole, Allan B (1941). "Japan's First Embassy to the United States, 1860". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 32 (2): 131–66. JSTOR 40486450. Retrieved 26 Feb 2023.
  • Doi, Ryōzō (1994). Gunkan Bugyō Kimura Settsunokami : Kindai Kaigun Tanjō No Kage No Tateyakusha. Chūkō Shinsho (in Japanese). Chūōkōron-Shinsha. ISBN 9784121011749.
  • Fukuzawa Yukichi (1960). The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi, with a foreword by Shinzou Koizumi. Translated by Eiichi Kiyooka. Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press.
  • Kimura Kaishū (1892). "Sanjūnen-shi. Thirty years' history of the Meiji period". Hathi Trust. Japan: Kojunsha. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  • "Kimura Yoshitake". Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan. Vol. 4. Tokyo: Kōdansha. 1983.
  • Wert, Michael (2013). Meiji Restoration Losers: Memory and Tokugawa Supporters in Modern Japan. Vol. 358 (1st ed.). Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1x07z05. ISBN 9781684175338.
  • Young, Dana B (1983). "The Voyage of the Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, 1860". California History. 61 (4): 264–75. doi:10.2307/25158123. JSTOR 25158123. Retrieved 26 Feb 2023.
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