Kimura Kaishu

2021/12/27

Image: Kimura Yoshitake (Kaishu)

Yukichi Fukuzawa was a person who showed lifelong gratitude to his benefactors. Among them were Yamamoto Monjiro of Nagasaki and Ogata Koan of Osaka, who opened the door to his scholarship, and Kimura Yoshitake (Kaishu), the Commissioner of Warships (Gunkan Bugyo), who paved the way for his overseas experience, which was difficult at the time. His relationship with Kimura, who shared the same position as a shogunal retainer, was particularly deep.

Kimura Yoshitake was born in Edo on February 5, Bunsei 13 (1830). His father was Kimura Yoshihiko, the Commissioner of Hamagoten, and his mother was Fune. His childhood name was Kansuke. Kaishu was his pen name, and he was also called Kimura Settsu-no-kami because he was granted the title of Settsu-no-kami upon his appointment as Commissioner of Warships.

As he grew older, he served as an apprentice to the Commissioner of Hamagoten from Tenpo 13 (1842) and caught the eye of the Shogun. Around that time, he studied at Shoheiko, passed his examinations in Kaei 1 (1848), and married Hasegawa Yajue the following year. After serving as a Nishimaru Metsuke and Honmaru Metsuke, he was appointed as the Nagasaki Magistrate (Nagasaki Bugyo) in Ansei 4 (1857). At that time, he changed his name to Zusho. In Nagasaki, he served as the Superintendent of the Naval Training Center and the Administrator of the Medical School. The following year, he conducted a training voyage on the Kanrin Maru. In Ansei 6 (1859), following the suspension of naval training, he returned to Edo and served as a liaison for foreign affairs and the opening of the port of Kanagawa.

When he was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Warships, he was ordered in November to arrange for the dispatch of the Kanrin Maru to the United States. The purpose was to escort the USS Powhatan, which was carrying the main envoys to Washington, D.C. to conclude the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan, and to provide sailing practice for the crew. At the time, it had not been long since the navy was established, and it lacked organizational discipline, with many things to be decided, such as rank, salary, and uniforms. Kimura proposed that these matters be settled before departure, but his suggestion was not accepted.

At that time, Yukichi Fukuzawa was teaching at the Juku he had opened at the Nakatsu Domain residence in Edo. Having just switched from Dutch studies to English studies, he learned of the shogunate mission's dispatch to the United States and harbored an ambition to go there. Learning that Katsuragawa Hoshu, a famous court physician he had met since coming to Edo, was the brother-in-law of Kimura, the Commissioner of Warships (husband of Kimura's older sister, Kuni), Fukuzawa pleaded for a letter of introduction and visited Kimura. To Fukuzawa, who earnestly desired to accompany him as an attendant to the commissioner, Kimura, who was four years older, accepted his enthusiasm and readily agreed. Although he was called an attendant, he accompanied the mission at his own expense.

When the Kanrin Maru departed from Shinagawa in January of the following year, Kimura boarded as the commander, while Katsu Kaishu held a position equivalent to captain. However, Katsu remained in his cabin due to seasickness, and when he did emerge, he perplexed Kimura with selfish demands. Consequently, Fukuzawa did not have a good impression of Katsu. From their first meeting, the compatibility between Fukuzawa and Katsu was poor. Although the gentle Kimura stood fairly between the two thereafter, the rift between them never closed.

Since Fukuzawa did not suffer from seasickness, he worked as usual and assisted Kimura while the other attendants were incapacitated. Even situations that the Japanese crew could not handle alone were overcome thanks to the presence of US Navy Lieutenant Brooke, who was an experienced sailor. Kimura had brought 3,000 ryo of his private funds and 500 ryo from the shogunate onto the ship. The day after a great storm struck, an incident occurred where the bags containing the gold and silver were scattered around the room. Fukuzawa reportedly gathered them up with his companions. This later became an anecdote in "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa," where he lamented the samurai class's ignorance of exchange and commerce.

Before landing in the United States, Kimura issued an order to the crew warning against arbitrary actions such as private lodging. While Kimura valued discipline, he was also a man who understood the subtleties of things, distributing allowances to the crew from the money he had brought himself to reward their hard work. Due to various other expenses, it is said that he was penniless when he returned home. In San Francisco, Fukuzawa, along with the interpreter Nakahama Manjiro, bought Webster's dictionaries and a collection of short phrases titled "Hua-Ying Tong-Yu" as souvenirs. Furthermore, because Fukuzawa bought souvenirs for Kimura, who could not go out, Kimura was able to give souvenirs to his family and save face. In the United States, Kimura's sociability and understanding of Western customs were notable. Local newspapers described Kimura's appearance as having a "gentle and benevolent air" and the "features of a nobleman."

Initially, Kimura, who was the vice-envoy, was scheduled to disembark from the Kanrin Maru to accompany the mission to Washington, D.C. on the Powhatan. However, order within the Kanrin Maru could not be maintained without Kimura, and there was opposition from the crew. Consequently, Kimura had no choice but to forgo Washington and command the Kanrin Maru on its return voyage. He stopped in Hawaii, had an audience with King Kamehameha IV, finished resupplying, and returned to Japan in May of Man'en 1 (June 1860). Kimura seemed to deeply regret being unable to experience Western civilization due to abandoning the planned visit to Washington, lamenting even in his later years that it was a "lifelong regret" and that he "could not gain even a few benefits from a thorough observation of the state of civilization in that country." On the other hand, Fukuzawa was satisfied that setting foot in the foreign lands of San Francisco and Hawaii aboard the Kanrin Maru and broadening his horizons was an experience that "made classroom learning real" and allowed him to gain a "lifelong benefit." In that respect, he felt a lifelong debt of gratitude to Kimura.

Afterward, based on his years of experience and knowledge, Kimura proposed naval reforms to open the country and concentrate naval power in the shogunate. However, because the opinion of Katsu Kaishu, who envisioned a joint navy between the shogunate and the various daimyo, was adopted, Kimura resigned as Commissioner of Warships in Bunkyu 3 (1863). In Keio 2 (1866), he returned as Assistant Commissioner of Warships and later became Commissioner of Warships and Commissioner of Finance (Kanjo Bugyo). During that time, Fukuzawa, who had returned from Europe, entrusted Kimura with a "Petition regarding the second Choshu expedition" accompanied by "Things Western (Seiyō Jijō)," which was submitted to the Senior Councilor (Roju) Ogasawara Nagamichi.

Even after returning from the United States, their relationship remained close, partly because their houses were near each other, and Fukuzawa visited Kimura's home almost every day. Around November of Man'en 1 (December 1860), when Fukuzawa served as a translator for the shogunate's foreign affairs office, he would visit Kimura's house on his way home from work, carrying his salary of 50 ryo wrapped in a hand towel, and laugh loudly to Kimura's wife, Yajue, saying, "I received this today. My courage lies here." On another occasion, Fukuzawa visited Kimura's home with his close friend, the physician Takahashi Jun'eki. The two were always saying funny things and making everyone laugh. When Yajue served baked waffles, Fukuzawa said, "This is very interesting. I want to borrow the equipment and try making one myself," so Kimura had an old servant bring it. Fukuzawa tried mixing eggs into the flour and baking it himself, but he didn't get the egg ratio right, and it started splattering, hitting both Fukuzawa's clothes and Takahashi, who had come to watch. When Takahashi spoke harshly, Fukuzawa replied, "Just watch quietly; I'll treat you to eel instead," and he actually treated him to an eel dinner.

It is thought that Kimura was not present at the time, but he likely heard it later as a funny story. This episode conveys the close friendship among the three.

After the Meiji Restoration, Kimura did not serve in the new government even when asked, and spent the rest of his life in retirement. During that life, in September of Meiji 14 (1881), he decided to publish a collection of essays he had written under the title "Kikusou Guhitsu." When he consulted Fukuzawa, he took on all the printing and publishing, bore the costs, and presented Kimura with several hundred completed booklets. Also, in October of Meiji 24 (1891), when publishing "Sanjunen-shi" (A Thirty-Year History), which summarized the history of foreign relations at the end of the Edo period, his third son Shunkichi told him, "It would be the greatest honor if Yukichi Fukuzawa could write the preface." However, Kimura dismissed the idea, saying there was no need to trouble Fukuzawa, as he was known for not writing prefaces for other people's books. Nevertheless, Shunkichi visited Fukuzawa with the book and pleaded with him. Fukuzawa immediately agreed and reportedly finished the preface in a single day. The preface contains a passage stating, "Master Kaishu has been rich in literary thought since his youth and possesses the insight of statesmanship. Always making a friend of the brush and inkstone, he knows not the arrival of old age," which concisely describes Kimura's character.

Fukuzawa continued to support his benefactor Kimura with gifts at the end of the year and mid-summer, and by covering expenses during a bout of typhoid fever. Furthermore, he promised Kaishu's second son Kokichi (the eldest son died young), who had become a naval officer, that he would look after the Kimura couple in case of emergency. On one occasion, when Kokichi, who had gained a firm position as a military officer, expressed his gratitude for the kindness shown thus far but said, "With all due respect, I would like to decline future gifts," Fukuzawa's expression changed, and he said with a sharp tone, "I am not giving anything to you; I am merely fulfilling my heart's devotion to your father," and became displeased. This shows that he was repaying his debt of gratitude with a strong will. While Fukuzawa is known for having deep affection for his family, it can be said that his affection for his benefactor was just as deep as that for his family. Kimura also called Fukuzawa a saint and continued their long association as individuals.

On January 25, Meiji 34 (1901), Kimura visited Fukuzawa, who had recovered from an illness. The two talked about the crew of the Kanrin Maru and the "Commentary on the Theory of Fighting to the Bitter End" by Miki Ishikawa published in the Jiji Shinpo. Relieved to see Fukuzawa looking well, Kimura asked about his recent diet, to which Fukuzawa clearly replied, "I don't eat any fish or meat, and I've stopped eating soba. I try to drink about two go of milk and eat a little porridge and vegetables." When Kimura left, Fukuzawa coming to the entrance to see him off was their final farewell.

Shortly thereafter, Fukuzawa suffered a recurrence of cerebral hemorrhage and passed away on February 3. Kimura wrote in his diary about his inability to express his gratitude while Fukuzawa was alive, saying, "My chest is torn and my heart is broken; I truly cannot stop regretting it." Later, Kimura also fell ill and passed away on December 9 of the same year at the age of 71, as if following after him.