The Three Generations of Otsuki (Part 2: Bankei)

Image: Provided by Ichinoseki City Museum

The Kanrin Maru completed its trans-Pacific crossing and returned to Uraga on May 5, 1860 (Man'en 1). During the voyage, the Sakuradamon Incident occurred in Japan, and the storm of the "Sonno Joi" (revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians) movement had begun to rage.

Before traveling to America, Yukichi Fukuzawa had entrusted his student Setsuzo Okamoto (commonly known as Shukichi, later Masao Furukawa) with the translation of a Dutch statistical book. Upon returning to Japan, Fukuzawa immediately reviewed it and began preparations to publish it under the title "Bankoku Seihyo" (International Statistical Tables). Fukuzawa chose Bankei Otsuki, a Confucian scholar from the Sendai Domain, as the most suitable person to contribute a preface to the book.

Otsuki was born in May 1801 (Kyowa 1) as the second son of the famous Rangaku (Western studies) scholar Gentaku Otsuki (pseudonym Bansui). He was born when Gentaku was 45 years old, and was 16 years younger than his elder brother Genkan (pseudonym Banri), who also became a Rangaku scholar. His childhood name was Rokujiro, his given name was Kiyotaka, and his common name was Heijiro (later Heiji). He took the name Bankei from the Iwai River valley (Genbikei) flowing through his ancestral hometown of Ichinoseki. He began reading and writing at age four, entered the school of the Shogunate's Daigaku-no-kami (Head of the University) Hayashi Jutsusai at 15, and entered the Shogunate's Shoheizaka Academy the following year, living in the student dormitory. He studied there until age 26, eventually serving as the head student (Saicho).

In "Bankei Jiryaku," a biography in which Otsuki's sons Joden and Fumihiko recounted their father's life to their children, there is an anecdote about why Otsuki pursued the path of Confucianism despite being born into a family of Rangaku scholars. One day, while Gentaku and the great Rangaku master Hoshu Katsuragawa (Kuniakira) were chatting, they discussed how a writer capable of appropriately translating Western script would be necessary to promote Rangaku in the future. At that time, Gentaku said, "He is a child under ten, so saying this now might make the demons laugh, but our Rokujiro seems like someone who could handle that task" ("Bankei Jiryaku"), and Katsuragawa was greatly pleased.

In 1827 (Bunsei 10), Otsuki aspired to study in Nagasaki. This aligned with his father's vision of "translating Western script." During his journey, he visited Rai Sanyo in Kyoto and presented his Chinese prose drafts; Rai evaluated him as having a "promising future." At this time, he had to return to Edo suddenly due to news of his father's critical condition, but the following year, he fulfilled his study trip to Nagasaki. However, in Nagasaki, where the Siebold Incident had just occurred, contact with the Dutch was difficult, and Otsuki's Rangaku studies ended without significant results.

In 1832 (Tenpo 3), Otsuki was summoned by the Sendai Domain and appointed as a resident scholar in Edo. With this, he became independent from his brother and established his own household. However, since his hopes for Rangaku training were thwarted, he changed course to pursue the path of a Confucian scholar and poet. Meanwhile, in Nagasaki, he had interacted with the Western artillery expert Shuhan Takashima. This led him to later study under Takashima's disciples and receive full mastery, gaining another role as a Western artillery instructor for the domain. Although Otsuki did not become a Rangaku scholar, he established a unique position as a Confucian scholar who understood Western methods and was proficient in both literary and military arts.

When a Russian ship returned castaways from the Sendai territory, his father Gentaku had interviewed the sailors and compiled their observations into a book titled "Kankai Ibun." Having heard those stories, Otsuki favored Russia and disliked Britain. He made these feelings public in a petition to the Shogunate titled "Kenkin Bichu." In it, he argued for establishing diplomatic relations with the northern neighbor Russia to defend against Britain, which had invaded Qing China. This was an argument for opening the country four years before Perry's arrival. When Perry arrived at Uraga, Otsuki went there by domain order to observe the foreign ships and reported the situation to the domain lord. When Perry returned the following year, Otsuki rushed to observe again. He managed to infiltrate the reception area in Yokohama—where Sendai retainers were not allowed—by posing as a sandal-bearer for the Shogunate interpreter Einosuke (Takichiro) Moriyama. Moriyama had studied Confucianism under Otsuki. Once inside, his acquaintance Sakuma Shozan appeared. While the two were exchanging information, a Shogunate official, suspicious of two people of clearly different ranks talking intimately, reportedly shouted, "Who the hell are you?" ("Bankei Jiryaku").

In August 1857 (Ansei 4), Yasunori Wakisaka, whom Otsuki had instructed in Confucianism, became a Roju (Senior Councilor) in charge of foreign affairs. When Otsuki went to congratulate him, he was asked about the current state of the world. The Chinese poem "Tenkaigo" that Otsuki composed and presented included the line, "Do you not see? One step across the ocean, and heaven and earth are different." It encouraged traveling abroad, stating that since the country was opening, one should go out to foreign lands where a completely different world awaited. Otsuki's proposal was realized during the 1860 mission to the United States. Among the entourage were Sadayu Tamamushi, a Sendai retainer and student of the Hayashi school, who served as a recording secretary for the main envoy (authoring "Komei Nichiroku"), and Domin Kawasaki, a Saga retainer and student of Otsuki, who joined as an employed physician (Kampo doctor). Otsuki gave Chinese poems to both for their send-off. Meanwhile, Kimura Settsu-no-kami Yoshitake, the Warship Commissioner leading the accompanying Kanrin Maru, had studied Confucianism under Otsuki because his father was a close friend of Otsuki's. Furthermore, Kimura's older sister was the wife of Hoshu Katsuragawa (Kunio). Yukichi Fukuzawa was able to board the Kanrin Maru as Kimura's attendant after getting a letter of introduction from Katsuragawa, whom he visited frequently. Therefore, "Mr. Fukuzawa also came frequently at this time and consulted with Master Bankei on various matters" ("Bankei Jiryaku"). Otsuki also gave a long Chinese poem to Kimura upon his departure. When Kimura returned safely, he gave Otsuki a copy of "Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan" (Perry's Expedition Record) as a souvenir from America.

Okamoto, who took over the translation from Fukuzawa, was a person who responded when Fukuzawa recruited companions from among the Tekijuku students when moving to Edo; he was one of the first Keio students of the Fukuzawa Juku (later Keio University). Upon returning to Japan, Fukuzawa reviewed Okamoto's translation and published "Bankoku Seihyo" that winter, credited as "Reviewed by Fukuzawa, Translated by Okamoto." This book is considered the first translation of a Western statistical book in Japan (the term "Seihyo" was used for statistics; the term "Tokei" became established later). Otsuki, who was knowledgeable in both Eastern and Western learning, was the ideal person to ask for a preface to "Bankoku Seihyo," and Otsuki surely gave strong support to Fukuzawa, who had begun walking the path he himself had once aimed for. Otsuki developed his argument for opening the country in the preface. He argued that once the country is opened (Hekikoku), those who come with goodwill must be welcomed, and he criticized the advocates of the "Joi" (expel the barbarians) theory. It was likely Otsuki who introduced Shindayu Owarashi, a Sendai official who favored Western ways ("People Around Yukichi Fukuzawa 53"), to Fukuzawa. Owarashi and Fukuzawa became "extremely close" ("Fukuo Jiden") toward the end of the Edo period.

When Otsuki reached the age of 60, he had a portrait photograph taken on his 61st birthday (by traditional counting). It was taken by Kawasaki, who had learned photography techniques while in America (the photo at the beginning). Kawasaki also joined the 1862 mission to Europe as a physician and traveled with Fukuzawa. Before Fukuzawa left for Europe, Otsuki gave him a folding fan with a seven-character quatrain and asked for a "short telescope" (opera glasses) as a souvenir.

In September 1862 (Bunkyu 2), Otsuki received orders to return to Sendai. Although it was called "returning," for the Otsuki family, who had been settled in Edo since Gentaku's time, it was their first time living in their home province. Gakusai Hayashi (grandson of Jutsusai) tried to arrange for him to stay in Edo by recommending him to the Shogunate, but in a time when "fools shouting 'Expel the barbarians!' filled the world," Otsuki's life was in danger due to his advocacy for opening the country. The decision was made that "returning to Sendai is definitely the best plan" ("Bankei Jiryaku").

After Otsuki settled in Sendai, a letter arrived from Fukuzawa, who had returned from his tour of Europe. It was a reply to two letters Otsuki had sent. Fukuzawa apologized for the delay in replying due to his busy schedule and for forgetting to buy the requested "short telescope." As a substitute, he wrote that he was sending a map of London, a photograph of Napoleon I, a piece of tile from the Great Wall of China, and a piece of tile from a pyramid. Furthermore, Fukuzawa wrote about Tang Xuexun, a student from Qing China he met while in Europe. When Tang heard the mission had arrived in London, he visited their hotel, and when the group returned to Paris, the record "Saikoki" notes that "Tang Xuexun came to talk." Fukuzawa, who became close with Tang, showed him the preface to "Bankoku Seihyo," and Tang wrote a letter in classical Chinese (Sekitoku) addressed to Otsuki to show respect to the foreign Confucian scholar. Fukuzawa informed Otsuki that he was sending this letter and also reported that he had given the fan he received from Otsuki to Tang (Letter 17).

Otsuki instructed students at the domain school Yoken-do and was eventually appointed as the head of the school (Gakuto). However, the stress of school administration took a toll on him, and after about six months, he submitted his resignation, passed the family headship to Joden, and retired. However, Otsuki's life did not end there. His pro-opening, pro-Shogunate stance, backed by the deep trust of the domain lord and many disciples within the domain, became the domain's official policy. During the Boshin War, he was involved in many military documents, such as drafting the covenant for the Northern Alliance (Ouetsu Reppan Domei). After the defeat, the domain executive Tosa Tadaki reportedly said, "I have misled the state by following the words of a Confucian scholar."

In April 1869 (Meiji 2), Otsuki was ordered to be imprisoned. Tamamushi, who had worked hard to form the alliance, was ordered to commit seppuku and had his family stipend confiscated. In May, Tadaki and others were beheaded as leaders of the rebellion. Owarashi sensed the danger, escaped Sendai, and went into hiding in Tokyo. Otsuki spent his days in prison prepared for death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment because he was a famous scholar and elderly. Furthermore, in January of the following year, he was granted temporary release due to being in critical condition from illness. Otsuki had actually been quite healthy even in the extreme heat and cold of the prison, but his disciples inside and outside the prison had conspired to make him appear ill. Returning home after nine months, Otsuki surprised his relatives and friends who came to celebrate by drinking from a large cup and talking and singing cheerfully. He was finally pardoned in April 1871, and he immediately moved to Tokyo with his family, spending the rest of his life in peaceful retirement.

The so-called "Kusunoki Ko-Gonsuke Theory" that Fukuzawa developed in the 6th and 7th volumes of "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" provoked intense resentment from various quarters. At this time, Otsuki "wrote a piece of 'Kaicho' (explanation/defense) for Yukichi Fukuzawa and sent it to the Choya Shimbun," and "Yukichi Fukuzawa saw it and immediately came to visit to thank him for his understanding" ("Bankei Jiryaku"). Fukuzawa also expressed his gratitude for Otsuki's defense in a letter, saying, "I do not know how to thank you for your kindness. I saw the Choya Shimbun and it truly captured my intent" (Letter 175).

Around this time, two banquets were held that could be called Otsuki's lifelong wishes. One was the Shingen-kai on New Year's Day 1873 (Meiji 6). Following the precedent of his father Gentaku, who held a celebration on the solar New Year's Day, he invited Western scholars to a banquet on the day the calendar was officially changed to the solar calendar. The other was the 50th anniversary memorial service for Gentaku. Fukuzawa was also invited to the memorial service and presented a memorial address. Otsuki's health declined shortly thereafter, and he passed away in June 1878 (Meiji 11), two years after the memorial service.

When Otsuki's son Fumihiko completed the publication of the dictionary "Genkai," Fukuzawa praised Otsuki in his congratulatory message, saying, "Master Bankei was a great scholar (Sekiju) of his time who secretly delighted in Western civilization, and there was no one in the world who did not know his name."