Sukitaro Shimazu

2023/12/13

Image: Fukuzawa Memorial Center Collection

Yukichi Fukuzawa grew up feeling dissatisfied amidst the strict hierarchy between upper and lower samurai, but on the other hand, there were influential figures in the Nakatsu Domain whom he trusted from an early age. One such person was Sukitaro Shimazu (also known as Matanari after the Meiji Restoration), who is described in "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa" as "an elder of the Okudaira family, a man of great insight and a gentleman who understood things very well."

A letter Fukuzawa sent in 1871 to his close friend Kendo Ishii, who was then the principal of Osaka Medical School and director of its hospital, clearly shows how much he valued Shimazu. In it, he wrote, "Even among those from my former domain, he is someone with whom I have a special intimacy; until recently he served as a councilor, is deeply committed to Western studies, and is an honest man who should serve as a model for the entire domain."

He continued, noting that Shimazu had been ill for the past three to five years, but there were no doctors in Nakatsu capable of diagnosing the cause. Shimazu himself was the type of person who thought, "Rather than spending money to save an old and sick man, I would rather spend it on the Western studies of the youth," but Fukuzawa, Tokujirō Obata, and others could not bear to stand by as they shared a bond like blood relatives. If treatment were possible, it would not only be a blessing for Shimazu himself but would also greatly benefit the boys of the Nakatsu Domain. Fukuzawa requested that when Shimazu went to Osaka, arrangements be made for him to receive examinations and prescriptions from a Western doctor (foreign physician). Furthermore, he noted that although Shimazu had a respectable stipend, as a typical member of the gentry of the time, he did not have surplus assets, so he hoped the examinations would be as inexpensive as possible. However, it was not Shimazu's intention to unsightly beg for the pity of others. Fukuzawa asked Ishii to keep these various points in mind.

Shimazu was born in 1809, making him 25 years older than Fukuzawa. According to "Buzen Jinbutsu-shi," he was a man who was selected to play a core role in the domain's administration, concurrently holding positions such as Motojime-yaku (overseeing all financial and accounting affairs), Kori-bugyo (supervising local administration and tax collection within the district), and Hason-bugyo (supervising public civil engineering projects such as castle towers, roads, and embankments). In 1857, he also served as a Metsuke (inspector). The following year, he took on the role of Gakkan-gakari (overseeing general affairs and accounting for the domain school, Shinshukan), and in 1861, he advanced to the position of Tomoban-uchiyojin-seki (assisting the elders and participating in the core of domain administration). Furthermore, in 1863, when Masayuki was adopted from the Uwajima Domain as a young child to succeed 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 "upright and simple by nature, possessing the true style of a warrior," and notes that while many were greedy for bribes, "Matanari alone stood firm, refusing all requests for favors and always maintaining frugality."

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

In that letter, he first showed his spirit by stating, "This is a rare and wonderful opportunity. Accordingly, I intend to not only conduct academic research during my travels but also explore the circumstances and customs of the various European states." Regarding the systems of each country, he wrote, "Although it is difficult to say that everything is clear at a single glance, compared to what I have researched in books until now, it is a case of 'seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times,' 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 a shift toward Western studies within the Nakatsu Domain.

In the preceding section, he noted that observing the situation in foreign countries, Japan would not survive without transformation. This was inevitable for every domain, and the Lord of Hizen (Naomasa Nabeshima) had acted on this foresight by requesting three people to join this mission. He wrote, "I hope that our house (Nakatsu Domain) will also take measures for a great transformation so as not to be outstripped by the Lord of Hizen."

In the latter section, he pointed out that until now, the domain had prioritized the reading of Chinese classics when selecting people for promotion. He criticized this sharply, saying, "The three retainers—Iki Okudaira, Noboru Kuwana, and Gunji Imaizumi—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 without a significant amount of 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 visited his hometown of Nakatsu and identified six excellent young men who showed promise for the future of the Juku, taking them back to Edo. These six included Tokujirō Obata, who remained 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 even during the turmoil of the Restoration; and Sadashiro Hamano, who served as President. These are indispensable figures when telling the history of the Juku. Tokujirō, who excelled in Chinese studies, had initially disliked the idea and hidden himself, only to be finally persuaded. It is believed that Shimazu, who was an uncle in the Obata family, was instrumental in that recommendation and persuasion.

Subsequent letters to Shimazu are also interesting. For example, in a letter from 1866, he pointed out harshly that "In Nakatsu, there is no teaching of literature; 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 declared that those who worry for the country must establish measures to save it, stating, "That measure is to make literature flourish." This "literature" referred to English studies, and in this letter, he added the clarification, "This is not the Chinese studies of the past; the intent is detailed in the 'Wakun Zuihitsu'." The "Wakun Zuihitsu" (Some Say Essays) attached to this letter begins each section with the phrase "Some say," and describes the existence of international law, the need for people to know the world, and things to keep in mind regarding education during childhood. 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; science and art are naturally distinct things. They must not be confused." It feels as though he was stimulating the pride of the Nakatsu people 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 elders study at the Gijuku, saying, "Since you, sir, have gained popularity in Nakatsu and are a model for others, I would first like you to send your sons, and also persuade the sons of the other high-ranking officials to pursue Western studies."

This seems to have been effective; looking at the breakdown of the 68 total new students that year, the Nakatsu Domain accounted for 11, mainly the children of upper samurai. Furthermore, Sukitaro 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 samurai class of the Nakatsu Domain and high-ranking officials such as the elders. 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, who was 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 them. In "The Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa," Fukuzawa recorded 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, it is one husband and one wife. She was moved by this and began to allow Fukuzawa to approach her. He wrote, "When the retired lady and other so-called high-ranking people actually met me, they found that the 'heretic' Fukuzawa was just a normal human being, with neither horns nor a tail, and was a very calm person, and so we 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, but she took a liking to the environment of Keio University and ultimately spent the rest of her life within the Mita campus.

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, with the return of the land and people to the Emperor in June 1869, each domain was forced to reform its administration. Initially, Fukuzawa was not actively involved. However, through the efforts of Shimazu and others, Nakatsu gradually developed a more 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 from the savings of former samurai. Around 1875 or 1876, the number of students was about 600, and it came to be called the "number one English school in the Kansai region."

Additionally, 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. Furthermore, when Yamaguchi and others established the 78th National Bank in Nakatsu in 1878, Fukuzawa provided repeated advice while exchanging letters with Shimazu.

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

The Keio students from Nakatsu contributed to solidifying the foundation of the early Keio University as a modern academic institution. 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 land 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 existence of Shimazu.

Indeed, the section on Shimazu in "Buzen Jinbutsu-shi" 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. When participating in domain administration, he always took a progressive stance, and toward society, he exclusively advocated for civilization and the breaking of old habits. 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 leadership and personal example."