Yutaro Shimazu

Image: Collection of the Fukuzawa Memorial Center for Modern Japanese Studies

Yukichi Fukuzawa grew up harboring dissatisfaction amidst the rigid disparity between upper-class and lower-class samurai. On the other hand, there was an influential figure in the Nakatsu Domain whom he trusted from an early age. This was Yutaro Shimazu (also known as Matanari after the Meiji Restoration), whom Fukuzawa described in "Fukuon Jiden" (The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa) as "a high-ranking elder of the Okudaira family, a man of great insight and a true gentleman who understood things remarkably well."

A letter written in 1871 to Kendo Ishii, a close physician friend who was then the principal of Osaka Medical School and director of its hospital, clearly shows how much Fukuzawa valued Shimazu. In it, he wrote, "Even among those from my former domain, he is a person of exceptional intimacy; until recently, he served as a councilor, is deeply committed to Western studies, and is an honest character who should serve as a beacon for the entire domain."

The letter continues: "He has been ill for the past three to five years, but in Nakatsu, there are no doctors capable of diagnosing the cause of his illness. He is the kind of person who thinks, 'Rather than spending money to save an old and sick man like myself, I would rather spend it on the Western studies of our youth.' However, myself and Tokujirō Obata, being of the same blood, cannot bear to stand by and watch. If he can be treated, it will not only be his own happiness but will also greatly benefit the boys of the Nakatsu Domain. When he goes to Osaka, I ask that you arrange for him to receive an examination and medication from a Western doctor (foreign physician). Furthermore, although he is said to have a reasonable stipend, as a typical member of the shizoku (former samurai class) today, he does not have surplus assets, so I would like the examination to cost as little as possible. That said, it is not his intention to unseemly beg for the pity of others. Please keep these various points in mind."

Shimazu was born in 1809, making him 25 years older than Fukuzawa. According to "Buzen Jinbutsushi," he was a person who was promoted to play a core role in domain administration. He concurrently held the posts of Motojime-yaku (overseeing all administrative matters related to finance and accounting), Kori-bugyo (supervising local administration within the district and executing tax collection), and Hason-bugyo (supervising public civil engineering projects such as castle towers, roads, and embankments). In 1857, he also served as Metsuke (inspector). The following year, he concurrently served as Gakkankan-gakari (supervising general affairs and accounting for the domain school, Shinshukan), and in 1861, he advanced to the position of Otomoban-uchi-yojinseki (assisting the Karo elders and participating in the core of domain administration). Furthermore, in 1863, when Masayuki was welcomed at a young age from the Uwajima Domain as the adopted heir of the domain lord Masamoto Okudaira, Shimazu was entrusted with his upbringing, showing the trust the domain lord placed in him. The same book describes his character as "naturally upright and simple, well-equipped with the style of a warrior," and notes that while many were greedy for bribes, "Matanari alone stood firm, refusing all solicitations and always maintaining frugality."

In 1862, when Fukuzawa traveled through Europe as a member of the mission to Europe, he sent a letter to Shimazu from London.

In that letter, he first expressed his determination: "This is a rare and great opportunity. Accordingly, during my travels, I intend to not only conduct academic research but also explore the circumstances and customs of various European states." Regarding the systems of each country, he wrote, "While it is difficult to say that everything is clear at a single glance, compared to what I have investigated in books until now, seeing is believing, and there are many things from which I have gained great benefit."

He also wrote, "The urgent task of the present day is to enrich the country and strengthen the military. I believe the foundation of enriching the country and strengthening the military lies primarily in the education of people." After returning to Japan, Fukuzawa would put effort into organizing the Juku he had started at the Nakatsu Domain's middle residence in Tsukiji Teppozu into a modern Western studies school. This is an important passage showing that Fukuzawa himself was strongly conscious of the management of the Western studies school as his lifelong mission. At the same time, it was a passage that strongly urged the transition to Western studies within the Nakatsu Domain.

In the preceding section, he noted that observing the circumstances of foreign countries, Japan would not survive without transformation. This was also inevitable for each domain, and the Lord of Hizen (Naomasa Nabeshima) had the foresight to request and include three people in this mission. He wrote, "I sincerely hope that our house (Nakatsu Domain) will not be outdone by the Lord of Hizen and will take measures for a great transformation."

In the latter section, he pointed out that until now, the domain had prioritized the reading of Chinese classics when selecting people. He sharply criticized, "The three retainers—Okudaira Iki, Kuwana Noboru, and Imaizumi Gunji—have read Chinese books for years, but when put to the test in practice, they are of no use." He then pointed out, "I believe that the foundation of enriching the country and strengthening the military, the education of people, does not necessarily lie in reading Chinese classics." While this text was driven by Fukuzawa's sense of crisis, it was also a letter that could not have been written unless he placed considerable trust in Shimazu.

Shimazu also made a great contribution to establishing the foundation of Keio University.

In 1864, a little over a year after returning to Japan, Fukuzawa returned to Nakatsu and identified six excellent young men who showed promise for the future of the Juku and brought them back to Edo. These six included Tokujirō Obata, who stayed with Fukuzawa throughout his life and was respected by the Keio Gijuku Shachu; Jinzaburo Obata, who contributed to maintaining the spirit of the Keio students amidst the turmoil of the Restoration; and Sadashiro Hamano, who served as President. They are indispensable figures when telling the history of the Juku. Tokujirō, who excelled in Chinese studies, initially disliked the idea and hid, but was finally persuaded. It is believed that Shimazu, who was an uncle in the Obata family, was instrumental in his recommendation and persuasion.

Subsequent letters to Shimazu are also interesting. For example, in a letter from 1866, he pointedly remarked, "There is no teaching of literature in Nakatsu. It is a provincial style that knows nothing of the world," and "Those with talent drift toward cunning and flattery, while those without talent fall into stubbornness and narrow-mindedness." He then stated that those who worry for the country must establish measures to save it, declaring, "The measure is to make literature flourish." This "literature" referred to academic learning in the style of English studies. In this letter, he added, "This is not the Chinese studies of the past; the intent is detailed in 'Wakuun Zuihitsu'." The "Wakuun Zuihitsu" attached to this letter begins each section with the phrase "Someone says" (Wakuun) and describes the existence of international law, the need for people to know the world, and things to keep in mind in childhood education. Furthermore, in a postscript to the letter, he emphasized that the Western studies mentioned in the text "do not refer to practical skills such as gunnery, mechanics, or navigation; learning and technique are naturally distinct things. They must not be confused." It feels as though he was stimulating the pride of the people of Nakatsu to pursue true Western studies, distinct from the stage of imitating Western technology seen in the Hizen Saga Domain mentioned earlier.

After explaining the necessity of Western studies in detail in this way, he encouraged Shimazu to have his children and the children of the domain's Karo elders study at the Juku, saying, "Since you, sir, have earned the respect of the people in Nakatsu and are a beacon for them, I would first like you to send your sons, and also somehow persuade the sons of the other elders to pursue Western studies."

This seems to have had an actual effect; looking at the breakdown of the 68 total new students that year, the Nakatsu Domain accounted for 11, mainly the children of upper-class samurai. Furthermore, Yutaro Shimazu's eldest son Manjiro entered Keio University in 1870, his second son Teisaburo entered in 1876, and Masayuki Okudaira also entered in 1871.

Fukuzawa gradually gained the trust of the upper-class samurai and the high-ranking retainers, such as the Karo elders, of the Nakatsu Domain. Nakatsu also began to seek Fukuzawa's opinions and proceed with modernization, and Shimazu's presence was significant in that process as well.

Horen-in, the wife of Masanobu, the domain lord three generations before Masayuki Okudaira, was the fifth daughter of Nariatsu Tokugawa of the Hitotsubashi family and was cherished by the subsequent heads of the Okudaira family and those around her. In "Fukuon Jiden," Fukuzawa records an anecdote he later heard privately from Shimazu. While Shimazu was telling Horen-in stories about the West he had heard from Fukuzawa, he mentioned that in the West, there is no difference in importance between men and women, and that regardless of status, monogamy is the rule. She was moved by this and began to allow Fukuzawa to approach her. Then, "When the retired lady and other so-called high-ranking people actually met him, they found that the 'heretic' Fukuzawa was just an ordinary human, with neither horns nor a tail, and was a very calm person, so they gradually became close."

In other words, through Shimazu's ingenuity, Fukuzawa came to be accepted and relied upon by the members of the Okudaira family and those around them.

Incidentally, Horen-in moved to Tokyo with the Okudaira family in 1872 and lived in the residence on the site of the former lower villa in Takanawa. However, she took a liking to the environment of Keio University and ultimately spent the rest of her life on the Mita campus until her death.

Furthermore, from around 1872, Fukuzawa was involved in the asset management of the Okudaira family as one of the central figures by creating a system of deliberation. The assets of the former domain lord also had a public aspect, and it is thought that he was conscious of their preservation and appropriate utilization.

After the Meiji Restoration, each domain was forced to reform its administration due to the return of lands and people to the Emperor (Hanseki Hokan) in June 1869. Initially, Fukuzawa was not actively involved. However, through the efforts of Shimazu and others, Nakatsu gradually developed a progressive tendency, and Fukuzawa and his disciples began to devote themselves to the modernization of Nakatsu.

In the midst of this, the Nakatsu City School was established in November 1871. This was a Western studies school where faculty and staff were dispatched from Keio University, primarily those from Nakatsu, and Tokujirō Obata served as the first principal. The operating funds were covered by a portion of the Okudaira family's stipend and contributions from the Tenpo Gisha, a mutual aid organization formed by the savings of former samurai. Around 1875 and 1876, the number of students reached about 600, and it came to be called the "number one English school in the Kansai region."

Furthermore, Hiroe Yamaguchi, who was responsible for the domain's finances, devoted himself to the opening of a road leading from Nakatsu to Hita as a private citizen after finishing the reorganization of the domain following the abolition of domains and establishment of prefectures. The road opened in 1878, and Shimazu cooperated by donating the entire amount of the public bonds he received upon the return of his hereditary stipend. Also, when Yamaguchi and others took the lead in establishing the 78th National Bank in Nakatsu in 1878, Fukuzawa provided repeated advice while exchanging letters with Shimazu.

Yutaro Shimazu passed away in July 1878 at the age of 69.

Keio students from Nakatsu contributed to solidifying the foundation of the early Keio University as a modern academic school. Furthermore, in Nakatsu, through the efforts of disciples from Nakatsu and influential figures of the former domain who agreed with Fukuzawa, a pioneering practice was developed where former samurai who had lost their livelihoods due to the return of lands and people to the Emperor promoted the region independently as individuals in the private sector, based on Western studies. These aspects would likely have been quite different without the presence of Shimazu.

In fact, the section on Shimazu in "Buzen Jinbutsushi" concludes as follows:

"Matanari was short in stature but possessed the greatest decisiveness. He first studied Confucianism under Banri Hoashi and later received guidance from Fukuzawa through close association. As a result, he understood well the reasons for the changing times. Thus, when participating in domain administration, he always took a progressive stance, and toward society, he exclusively advocated for civilization and championed the breaking of old evils. It is said that the fact that many Nakatsu samurai returned their stipends ahead of other domains and quickly returned to the businesses of farming, commerce, and industry was entirely due to Matanari's initiative and personal practice."