Joseph Hardy Neesima | |
|---|---|
Niijima Jō (新島 襄) | |
 Joseph Hardy Neesima | |
| Born | Niijima Shimeta (1843-02-12)February 12, 1843 |
| Died | January 23, 1890(1890-01-23) (aged 46) |
| Other names | Niijima Jō |
| Occupation | educator |
| Known for | first Japanese person to receive abachelor's degree, founder ofDoshisha University |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Niijima Tamiji (father) Niijima Tomi (mother) |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Phillips Academy Amherst College Andover Theological Seminary |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Meiji era |
| Institutions | Doshisha English School (founder) |
Niijima Jō (新島 襄) (bornNiijima Shimeta (新島 七五三太); 12 February 1843 – 23 January 1890), better known by his English nameJoseph Hardy Neesima, was aJapaneseProtestantmissionary andeducator of theMeiji era who foundedDoshisha English School (later Doshisha University).
He was the husband ofYamamoto Yaeko, a former soldier and nurse who served during theBoshin War,Russo-Japanese andSino-Japanese War, who later foundedDoshisha Girls' School.
He was born inEdo (present-dayTokyo), the son of a retainer of theItakura clan ofAnnaka. His childhood name was Niijima Shimeta (新島 七五三太). He attended Tokugawa Naval School from 1861.[1]
In 1864, laws onnational isolation were still in effect in Japan, and Japanese people were not permitted to travel overseas without government permission. However, Niijima had read extensively on variousrangaku topics, and was determined to go to America. At the age of 21, he entreated Captain William T. Savory, ofSalem, Massachusetts, commander of the brigBerlin, for safe passage to theUnited States, in order to further study Western science andChristianity. Captain Savory agreed to help him, so long as Niijima came on board at night, without assistance from the ship's crew. Knowing Niijima could beexecuted if apprehended, Savory hid him from customs officials in his stateroom. He then secured Niijima's passage from China to the United States on theWild Rover, commanded by Captain Horace Taylor of Chatham, Massachusetts. TheWild Rover was owned by Alpheus Hardy.
When he arrived inAndover,Massachusetts, he was sponsored by Alpheus and Susan Hardy, members of theOld South Church in Boston, who also saw to his education. He attendedPhillips Academy under the name of Joseph Hardy Neesima from 1865 to 1867 and thenAmherst College, where he was greatly influenced by professorJulius Seelye, from 1867 to 1870. Upon graduating from Amherst, Neesima became the first Japanese person to receive abachelor's degree.
He wasbaptized in 1866 and went on to study atAndover Theological Seminary in 1870.
When theIwakura Mission visited the United States in 1871 on its around-the-world expedition, Neesima assisted as an interpreter. He traveled with the Mission for more than a year, in Europe and the United States. Those who accompanied Neesima on the mission included vice-president of the voyage,Takayoshi Kido and Commissioner of the Educational Bureau,Fujimaro Tanaka, two individuals whom Neesima claimed supported him during the process of creating his school. While in Europe and the United States, Neesima toured the schools there and became influenced by the western education system.[2]
On his return, he completed his studies at Andover Theological Seminary, and in 1874, he became the first Japanese to be ordained by Rev. A.C. Thompson on Thursday, September 24 atMount Vernon Church, Boston as a Protestant Minister. In the same year, Neesima attended the 65th annual meeting of theAmerican Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions at theGrace Congregational United Church of Christ on Friday, October 9 held inRutland, Vermont, and made an appeal for funds to start a Christian college in Japan.
Before returning to Japan, Neesima gave a speech at the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions meeting in which he asked the attendees for donations for his school he planned to build, leaving with an estimated $5,000.[3] With the support and funding he received, he returned to Japan, and in 1875 founded a schoolDoshisha Eigakko (Doshisha English School) inKyoto, which later grew rapidly and becameDoshisha University in 1920. Originally a school for boys, a Doshisha School for girls was soon established in 1877.[4] He was assisted by his wifeYamamoto Yaeko and brother-in-lawYamamoto Kakuma, who were also active with the local Christian community in Kyoto. With the Christian faith at the basis of Doshisha's teachings, Neesima claimed as translated, "We placed Christianity at the core of the fundamentals of moral education, believing our ideal education can be achieved only by Christian moral teachings, which include devout faith, pursuit of truth and compassion for others."[5] Doshisha University is regarded as the first ever Christian school of higher education in Japan.[6]He died in 1890, at age 46, inOiso,Kanagawa Prefecture, and was buried inDoshisha Cemetery, Kyoto.
In 1889, Amherst College honored him with an honorary doctorate, the first ever awarded to a Japanese person.
In 1907, he was honored as one of six great educators of theMeiji period, before the assembly of educators of the entire nation held by the Imperial education conference, the education conference of Tokyo prefecture and the Tokyo city board of education.
He was honored on a Japanesepostage stamp in 1950.
In his honour, Niijima Gakuen Junior College (新島学園短期大学,Niijima gakuen tanki daigaku) was founded. It is aprivatejunior college inTakasaki, Gunma,Japan. Similarly, there is Niijima Gakuen Junior and Senior High School, which has close links to Doshisha University
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