Yasukata Murai

2020/10/28

Image: Keio Institute of Fukuzawa Studies

Yukichi Fukuzawa, who traveled abroad three times at the end of the Edo period and learned much, actively supported his students in going overseas. Yasukata Murai, the subject of this article, went to New York through Fukuzawa's introduction. While flourishing there, he earned Fukuzawa's trust and supported numerous students sent by Fukuzawa to New York. He was a figure who supported the expanding circle of the Keio Gijuku Shachu from abroad.

Murai was born in September of the first year of Ansei (1854) in Yoshida, Iyo Province (now Uwajima City, Ehime Prefecture), as the second son of Toraichi Hayashi, a samurai of the Yoshida Domain. His name was Sanji. In 1869, he became the adopted heir of Hikari, the widow of Rindayu Murai of the same domain, and changed his name to Yasukata the following year.

Having lost his lord's house due to the abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures, Murai consulted with his adoptive mother. They decided that if he studied for two years, he could become a school teacher, and as a teacher, he could earn a salary of 5 yen a month and have no trouble making a living. Thus, he decided to become a teacher.

The Jikando School in Yoshida, where Murai enrolled, was a school that primarily taught Chinese studies, and after two years, students would also study physics and geography through translations. A school inspector named Kimishige Saionji from Kamiyama Prefecture (which had jurisdiction over Yoshida) visited while Murai was studying the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo). Saionji told them that Chinese studies were outdated and that they should read translated books instead. Murai tried reading translated books, but he could not understand them at all. Even when he asked his teacher, he could not get a clear explanation. Realizing he had no choice but to study at another school, he knocked on the door of the Uwajima Fuki English School, which had just been established in January 1873.

Hikojiro Nakamigawa had been invited to the Fuki English School as a teacher of English studies. According to the "Biography of Yasukata Murai," Nakamigawa told Murai and the other students, "I do not intend to remain a local school teacher forever. I have come here to earn the tuition for my studies abroad. You all should also go to Tokyo and study under Yukichi Fukuzawa at Keio University." Indeed, after fulfilling his responsibilities of organizing the school system and guiding school management, Nakamigawa returned to Tokyo in July, and unfortunately, the Fuki English School was closed in September of that same year.

Murai then moved to an English school in Hiroshima, but he was dissatisfied with only practicing the pronunciation of simple English words. Hearing that a school (Matsuyama English School, later Matsuyama Middle School) had been established in Matsuyama with Kiyoshi Kusama, a student of Yukichi Fukuzawa, as principal, he transferred there. At this school, not only English studies but also public speaking and debates were emphasized, and Murai reportedly enjoyed participating in debates. Yukichi Fukuzawa dispatched his students to various regions as teachers of English studies in the early Meiji era to make "Keio University a guide to Western civilization" (The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa). Murai can be said to be one of those who grew up amidst such enlightenment activities by Yukichi Fukuzawa.

In February 1877, Murai decided to go to Tokyo to enroll in Keio University. However, once he entered the Keio University he had longed for, it was somewhat different from what he had imagined. The students seemed to lack spirit. Therefore, Murai stood at the podium of a public speaking event and called for a renewal of the Juku spirit. This seems to have resonated with many, serving as an opportunity to deepen his friendships with future great politicians such as Tsuyoshi Inukai and Yukio Ozaki. They established a public speaking and debate group called Yukosha, deepening their discussions day by day.

While it seemed Murai would continue on the path of politics, he chose the path of business. In the autumn of 1878, near graduation, he stood at the podium and appealed, "We young people who have received a new education should boldly enter the world of commerce and strive for the future development of the nation." Yukichi Fukuzawa praised this greatly and decided to help him find employment.

Hearing Murai's wish to "start as an apprentice in a small shop," Yukichi Fukuzawa introduced him to a request from Ichizaemon Morimura. Ichizaemon was a follower of Yukichi Fukuzawa and a businessman who aimed for corporate management without government assistance under the banner of "independence and self-respect." At that time, he had just established Morimura-gumi, a trading company to export Japanese sundries to New York, and his younger brother, Yutaka, had opened a retail store (Morimura Brothers) in New York to handle those goods. Ichizaemon was looking for someone who could help Yutaka and had asked Yukichi Fukuzawa to recommend someone healthy, proficient in English, and capable of bookkeeping.

However, Murai's response was, "I am not very good at languages or bookkeeping." Yukichi Fukuzawa was furious, saying, "It is outrageous for someone aspiring to be a businessman not to be prepared in those areas." Nevertheless, Murai pushed back, saying, "It is strange to hire someone to send to the U.S. based only on English and bookkeeping. Does the other party want a small-time worker with such minor skills, or are they looking for a pillar who will carry Morimura-gumi on their shoulders in the future?" This was a bold retort, but such spirit may have been exactly what Yukichi Fukuzawa liked. Yukichi Fukuzawa said, "Interesting," regained his good humor, and Murai's employment at Morimura-gumi was decided. In September 1879, he left Japan with a passport prepared by Yukichi Fukuzawa and arrived in New York the following month.

Murai and Yutaka were the same age and both were graduates of Keio University. Yutaka must have been looking forward to Murai's arrival. However, Yutaka was initially disappointed in Murai because he could not speak English or do bookkeeping. Yutaka criticized the hiring of Murai to Ichizaemon.

However, Murai was an extremely hard worker. If English didn't work, he used gestures to convey the appeal of the products, and his passion and charm attracted customers. Murai's motto was "never disappoint a customer." If no customers came, he would polish the show windows and fix the decorations to prepare the shop so that customers could shop comfortably. At that time, Japanese people were still rare in New York and lacked credibility. In the early days of Morimura Brothers, which was desperately trying to establish a foothold, Murai's customer service, which prioritized gaining trust, was exactly what was needed. Before long, Murai became an important partner to Yutaka. It was also Murai who encouraged Yutaka when he became discouraged and considered closing the shop.

As the business got on track, Morimura Brothers considered whether to continue with retail or switch to wholesale. While Yutaka, who had finally stabilized the management, disliked major changes, Murai pushed for the latter, arguing it would expand profits. The decision was left to Ichizaemon in Tokyo, and the switch to wholesale was decided. It was an aggressive decision that if wholesale succeeded, they could earn more foreign currency and benefit the country.

However, wholesale naturally carried the risk of generating large amounts of inventory if goods purchased based on sales predictions did not sell. To avoid this risk, Morimura Brothers decided that Murai and Yutaka would take turns returning to Japan. The idea was that if someone who knew the needs of the American market returned to Japan to handle purchasing directly, they would not incur large losses. Murai's record of 90 round trips between Japan and the U.S. during his 82-year life was established under this corporate strategy.

In this way, Murai and Yutaka walked together as a team, sometimes in conflict, but in July 1899, Yutaka passed away at the young age of 46. While the entire Morimura-gumi was in mourning, Murai was appointed as the new manager in place of Yutaka and led Morimura Brothers with active leadership.

For example, when the rival Kansai Trading Company dissolved in 1902, he hired their staff and appointed them to key positions. Although there was opposition from veteran employees to this personnel move, Murai pushed it through, believing that gaining the experience of staff who knew the American market well would lead to more accurate purchasing. Kaiser, an American who had been a bookkeeper at that company, was brought in by Murai and promoted to salesman; he captured the market with an observational eye that Japanese people lacked and was very successful.

Later, while based in New York, Murai participated broadly in the management of the main Morimura-gumi entity. When Morimura-gumi began manufacturing its own export ceramics, he participated in a study tour of Europe to acquire technology, and when Nippon Toki (now Noritake) was established to handle that manufacturing, he invested in it. Furthermore, in 1909, the regulations of Morimura-gumi were established under Murai's direction, and he himself was appointed General Manager (second only to the President, Ichizaemon). When Ichizaemon and Magobei Okura (President of Nippon Toki) came into conflict, Murai intervened to mediate and prevent the disintegration of Morimura-gumi. He truly became the pillar who carried Morimura-gumi on his shoulders, just as he had said.

While busily moving across the Pacific, Murai also played a major role within the Keio Gijuku Shachu. He provided dedicated support to students of Yukichi Fukuzawa who came to America, especially the East Coast. The most famous instance was when Ichitaro and Sutejiro studied abroad. Murai, who was temporarily back in Japan, accompanied them on their trip to the U.S. and also stayed with them when they went to Washington. Additionally, a system was set up where Morimura Brothers advanced the funds for their study abroad, which Yukichi Fukuzawa would later repay. When Yukichi Fukuzawa sent letters to Ichitaro and Sutejiro, he often sent them to Murai as well, expressing his gratitude for the support given to his sons. Even after their studies ended, the interaction between Yukichi Fukuzawa and Murai continued, and Murai's reports on the economic conditions of the American market were sometimes published in the Jiji Shinpo.

In addition, Murai supported other students of Yukichi Fukuzawa such as Koganji Takashima, Yoshio Takahashi, and Momosuke Fukuzawa, as well as Goryo Hamaguchi, who had a close friendship with Yukichi Fukuzawa, in New York. Both those going abroad and Yukichi Fukuzawa, who sent them, must have felt at ease knowing Murai was there. It should be added that Murai seems to have made it his creed to serve others daily, helping many Japanese people in the area, not just Keio University alumni.

In February 1936, Murai passed away at Keio University Hospital. Among the many visitors, a representative of volunteers came all the way from his hometown of Yoshida. Murai then began to speak of his feelings for the youth of his hometown. "Humans need to experience hardship; the hardships a person experiences will always protect them, add light to their character, and guarantee their success." "No matter where you work, you must never forget your hometown."

Having struggled for a long time in a foreign land, Murai loved his hometown deeply. In a lecture given at Uwajima Commercial School in 1928, he encouraged students by saying, "People who graduate from school with lifeless learning will not succeed in anything they do," and asserted, "Life exists in doing things by relying on one's own strength rather than the strength of others." His words were filled with passion, reflecting the influence of Yukichi Fukuzawa and Ichizaemon throughout.

In Yoshida today, there is the Murai Kindergarten, which Murai established in 1926. Murai's love for his hometown still lives on there, watching over the growth of children.