Sano Tsunetami | |
|---|---|
佐野 常民 | |
 Count Sano Tsunetami | |
| Born | (1822-12-28)December 28, 1822 |
| Died | December 12, 1902(1902-12-12) (aged 79) |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, Cabinet Minister |
| Known for | Founding theJapanese Red Cross Society |
CountSano Tsunetami (佐野 常民, December 28, 1822 – December 12, 1902) was a Japanese statesman and founder of theJapanese Red Cross Society. His son, AdmiralSano Tsuneha, was a leading figure in the establishment of theScout Association of Japan.
Sano was born in Hayatsue,Saga Domain (present-daySaga city,Saga Prefecture) as the fifth son of the low rankingsamurai Shimomura Saburōzaemon. In 1831 he was adopted by the physician Sano Tsuneyoshi and was allowed to study at thedomain academyKōdōkan. He accompanied his step-father toEdo in 1837, where he studied Confucianism, but returned to Saga in 1839 to continue his medical education. In 1846, he was sent by theNabeshima clan, rulers of Saga, to studyrangaku (western learning) in Kyoto underHirose Genkyō, and subsequently in Osaka underOgata Kōan. He then returned to Edo in 1849 to study underItō Gemboku,Totsuka Seikai, and others. In 1851, he returned to Saga to establish his own academy, which received official recognition fromNabeshima Naomasa, thedaimyō of Saga in 1853.
Nabeshima Naomasa had a strong interest in western technology and with the opening of theNagasaki Naval Training Center in 1855. Sano was selected by the domain as one of its first students. The goal of Saga Domain was to build a western-style steam warship, which Sano helped complete in 1865.
Sano accompanied the Japanese delegation to theParis Exposition of 1867, and while inParis learned of theInternational Red Cross. He traveled on to theNetherlands, where he ordered theJapanese warship Nisshin, and stayed on to supervise its construction and to learn of western shipbuilding techniques, but the image of the Red Cross remained in his memory.
After theMeiji Restoration, Sano was called upon to assist in the formation of theImperial Japanese Navy and received a posting at theMinistry of War in 1870. In 1873, he was sent to visit the1873 Vienna World Exposition, withAlexander von Siebold as his interpreter. In 1875, he was appointed to theGenrōin.With the start of theSatsuma Rebellion in 1877, Sano created theHakuaisha ('Philanthropic Society'), a relief organization to provide medical assistance to wounded soldiers from both sides of the conflict. This idea met with tremendous opposition and incomprehension by many members of the government, but Sano was able to enlist the support ofPrince Arisugawa Taruhito, nominal head of theImperial Japanese Army andPrince Komatsu Akihito. Sano’s organization became the Japanese Red Cross Society in 1887, with Sano as its first president.
Sano also created theRyuchikai, the forerunner of the Japan Art Association in 1879, in an attempt to stem the outflow of Japanese important cultural properties to overseas collectors.
From 1880-1881, he served in theMinistry of Finance, and in 1882 as president of theGenrōin. In 1886, he helped establish the first Red Cross Hospital in Japan.
In 1887, Sano was recognized for his accomplishments with elevation to thekazoku peerage with the title ofviscount (shishaku) and was appointed a member of thePrivy Council in 1888. In 1892, during the1st Matsukata administration, he was appointed asMinister of Agriculture and Commerce.
In 1895, Sano was elevated to the title of count (hakushaku). On his death at his home in Tokyo in 1902, he was posthumously awarded with theOrder of the Rising Sun (1st class with Paulownia Blossoms). His grave is atAoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.
In 1939, the Japanese government issued a series of fourcommemorative postage stamps honoring the 75th anniversary of the Red Cross Treaty. A portrait of Sano Tsunetami appears on two of the stamps.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Agriculture & Commerce July–August 1892 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
