Numata Unpei

2024/08/26

Image: From "Shinshu and Fukuzawa Yukichi" [Shin Maruyama]

When Fukuzawa was studying Rangaku (Dutch studies) at Ogata Koan's Tekijuku in Osaka, there were fellow students so close that others called them the "Three Brothers." One was Nagayo Sensai. The other was Numata Unpei.

Numata was born on May 29, 1829, in Togari Village, Shimominochi District, Nagano Prefecture, as the second son of Numata Genjuro; his childhood name was Keisuke. Although his family were farmers, they were wealthy, also engaging in sake brewing and operating a pharmacy. His father, Genjuro, opened a private school and was a cultured man who enjoyed composing kyoka (satirical poems). From a young age, Unpei studied the basics of Chinese literature at home and further studied the way of medicine under Ishida Jun'ei, an Iiyama Domain physician from the same village. In 1834, at the age of 15, at the recommendation of Ishida Jun'ei, Numata became a disciple of Shima Kunite, a Kampo doctor in Shimotsuke Province who was Jun'ei's teacher. There he studied Kampo and Confucianism. He caught the eye of the Edo poet Ono Kozan, who was visiting the Shima family, which led to his journey to Edo for further study.

In Edo, while studying history and classics under Yasui Sokken, he joined the Gyokuchi Ginsha, a Chinese poetry society. He recited poetry alongside Ono Kozan and Hagiwara Shugan, and developed a very close friendship with Furukawa Setsuzo of the Shogunate.

The turning point for Numata's awakening to Rangaku was his meeting with Sakuma Shozan. Following the chaos of the Opium War in 1840, Sakuma Shozan had been ordered by Sanada Yukitsura, the lord of the Shinano Matsushiro Domain, to study overseas affairs. From 1844, he strove to master Dutch natural science, medical, and military books, gaining fame as a Western artillery expert. However, in 1854, his disciple Yoshida Shoin attempted to stow away on Perry's fleet and failed. Shozan, who had been consulted by Shoin, was imprisoned in the Tenmacho jailhouse and subsequently lived in seclusion in Shinano Matsushiro.

Numata visited Shozan during his confinement in Matsushiro. Shozan advised him to study not only Rangaku but also medicine from advanced European nations and introduced him to Ogata Koan's Tekijuku.

On October 14, 1856, Numata became a disciple at the Tekijuku opened by Ogata Koan. Numata's name appears in "The Autobiography of Fukuzawa Yukichi." First, in a story about Tekijuku students pretending to fight, Fukuzawa describes Numata by saying, "Numata Unpei of Shinshu was quite skilled at fighting."

Another instance is in the section on the "Dissection of a Bear," where he writes as follows:

"An announcement came that a bear had arrived from Tanba or Tango at a pharmacy in Doshomachi. Through an introduction from a certain doctor, they asked the Juku if someone could come and dissect the bear, as they wished to observe for future study. 'That sounds interesting,' we thought. At the time, Ogata's students were very enthusiastic about dissection, so they decided to go immediately. I did not go as I am not a doctor, but seven or eight Keio students went. After the dissection, they explained, 'This is the heart, this is the lung, and this is the liver.' The pharmacist and the doctor said, 'Thank you very much,' and suddenly left. In truth, they knew that if Ogata's students did the dissection, they could obtain the bear gall (yutan) without damaging it. Once it was clear they had left as soon as the bear gall was produced under the pretext of dissection, the students were not about to let it go. The whole Juku unanimously decided to give them a hard time, and immediately divided up the tasks. (...) I was the drafter of the negotiation letter, and Numata Unpei, a student from Iiyama in Shinshu who wrote well in the Ryoko style, produced the fair copy of the draft. Then, who would go as the messenger, who would do the threatening, (...) and if they came from their side, there were people waiting to give them a hard time."

Regarding this story of the bear dissection, the perceptions of Fukuzawa and Numata seem to differ slightly. According to Numata, the students, upon realizing they had been used by the pharmacist, raided the pharmacy and left after committing all sorts of violence. This reached the ears of Ogata Koan, who was furious and told them to go and apologize. Since no one volunteered, Fukuzawa, who was the head student at the time, took responsibility and consulted with Nagayo Sensai and Numata.

At that time, Numata was told by Fukuzawa, "You have good handwriting, so write the letter of apology," and he reportedly went to apologize with the letter he wrote. Regarding this memory, Numata remarked, "It was ridiculous to be made to do such a task just because I had good handwriting."

Numata entered Tekijuku at the age of 27. Fukuzawa, who entered the year before Numata, was 21, and Nagayo, who entered two years prior, was 17. Despite the differences in their time of entry and age, they must have gotten along exceptionally well. Since Fukuzawa was good at Rangaku and Numata was good at Chinese studies, Fukuzawa taught Rangaku to Numata, and Numata taught Chinese studies to Fukuzawa, deepening their friendship. Nagayo, the youngest of the three, reportedly sat between them and studied both Rangaku and Chinese studies.

Furthermore, it is said that Fukuzawa's pseudonym was Sekki, Nagayo's was Shoko, and Numata's was Seyo, which they decided upon together. Other Keio students called them the "Three Brothers" because they were so close, suggesting they were often seen together.

On one occasion, Ogata Koan invited the three and reportedly said, "Fukuzawa should be a scholar. Numata lacks knowledge of mathematics, so he should become a doctor. Nagayo has a poor memory and has no prospect of becoming a doctor."

However, Nagayo pleaded, "My family has been doctors for generations, and I cannot face my ancestors otherwise, so please let me become a doctor." Fukuzawa and Numata felt sorry for him and asked their teacher, eventually obtaining permission for Nagayo to pursue the path of medical sciences.

After this, the three left Tekijuku and went their separate ways.

After becoming the head student in 1857, Fukuzawa handed the position over to Nagayo. In 1858, he left Tekijuku to open a Rangaku school (Fukuzawa Juku) at the Okudaira family estate in Teppozu, Tsukiji.

In 1861, Nagayo also left Tekijuku and went to Nagasaki to study Western medical sciences under the Dutch doctor Pompe van Meerdervoort at the Medical Training Institute.

In the same year, Numata's talent was recognized and he was encouraged to become a naval surgeon, but he decided to return to his hometown in Shinshu to become a doctor. Many graduates of Tekijuku contributed to medical care in their home regions. Numata may have also felt pride as a physician under Koan's tutelage.

The three brothers went their separate ways, but their relationship continued, with Nagayo and Numata visiting Fukuzawa in Teppozu, Tsukiji, Edo. In 1875, when Nagayo became the Officer of the Sanitary Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Numata celebrated Nagayo's success, while Nagayo reportedly lamented that Numata had retired to the countryside. Hearing this, Fukuzawa laughed and said, "If Numata had stayed in the center, he would have done work exceeding Nagayo's, but his failures would surely have been great as well."

Returning to Shinshu, Numata opened Numata Hospital and dedicated himself to providing medical care to local residents. In 1878, he became a member of the Nagano Prefectural Assembly. Along with Hirai Sampu, he provided leadership and established youth associations in the villages of Kotobuki and Terisato in Iiyama, contributing to the development of local culture.

In 1880, the "Kotobuki Liberal Party," the first political organization in Nagano Prefecture, was established by young people gathering at the Kaiseijo in Gondo Village, Iiyama. Numata served as a lecturer, teaching the young people of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement about the new civilization and culture of the Meiji era.

Adachi Kotaro, who studied under Numata, left behind recollections of Numata and Fukuzawa, and wrote the "History of the Hokushin Liberal Party," spoke of Numata's aspect as an educator as follows:

"The teacher had many disciples. They were diverse, including those studying Chinese classics, poetry, calligraphy, and those aspiring to medicine. The teacher had a keen insight into the individuality of his students and guided and supported them according to their capacities."

Adachi also observed Numata's role as a father.

"Once, while he was examining a patient, his second son Ryosuke was reading 'Nihon Gaishi' aloud in the next room. I was surprised that after the examination, the teacher turned toward the next room and corrected every single error in that reading. The teacher's vast knowledge and powerful memory were truly amazing; he seemed to have memorized most Chinese classics."

Numata likely intended to pass on the foundation in Chinese literature he received from his father Genjuro to his own children. A poem introduced in Shin Maruyama's "Shinshu and Fukuzawa Yukichi" offers a glimpse into Numata's feelings during his time back in Shinshu.

If I were to fail

those who rely on me,

how then could my name flow under the heavens?

Written respectfully by Numata Seyo

This means: "If there were no people who relied on me, I might have become a person whose name is known throughout the world..." Numata may have felt some regret about not staying in Edo to achieve fame like Fukuzawa or Nagayo, but he likely entrusted the dreams he could not fulfill to his son and his many disciples.

On August 2, 1890, Numata ended his life at the age of 62. After his death, in 1911, a monument in his honor was erected in the precincts of Nagamine Shrine in Iiyama, initiated by his eldest son Hidenosuke and disciples such as Kitazawa Ryohei and Adachi Kotaro. The inscription records the life of Numata Unpei.

On November 6, 1896, Fukuzawa, who was on a family trip to Shinshu, gave a public speaking engagement at the Shioyamakan before about 120 interested individuals, stating the following:

"Although this is my first time coming to Shinshu, I have had many contacts with the people of Shinshu in my daily life and know something of their spirit. From what I see, the people of Shinshu have backbone. They carry a samurai-like air and their dignity is not low. If I were to seek an analogy, they do not resemble the people of Osaka, but rather seem to be of the same kind as the people of Edo. For this reason, they often enjoy arguments and do not dispute profit and loss, but rather dispute victory and defeat, sometimes forgetting their own interests. The height of their character is very good, and while disputing victory and defeat is also acceptable, one must not forget profit and loss to build wealth."

It is not certain whether Fukuzawa had Numata in mind as a person of Shinshu, but if Numata had been a person who cared about profit and loss as Fukuzawa pointed out, he might have become a figure who left his name to the world.