Kimura Kaishū
木村芥舟
Kimura, aged 36
Born(1830-02-27)27 February 1830
Died9 December 1901(1901-12-09) (aged 71)
Other namesKimura Yoshitake (木村喜毅)

Kimura Kaishū (木村芥舟, 27 February 1830 – 9 December 1901), also known as Kimura Yoshitake (木村喜毅), was a Japanese admiral known for being the commander of the Japanese Embassy to the United States in 1860, Japan's first foreign embassy mission after the end of sakoku, sailing aboard the Kanrin Maru. He was also the governor of Settsu Province (Japanese: 摂津守, romanized: Settsu-no-kami), which covered parts of modern-day Osaka prefecture and Hyogo prefecture.[1]

Biography

Early career

Kimura was born in 1830 with the name Kansuke (Japanese: 勘助) as the seventh generation of a Hatamoto family, part of the samurai class. In 1842, he was appointed as an apprentice to the Hama palace magistrate by Mizuno Tadakuni. Due to being favoured by the twelfth Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, he rose through the ranks quickly, and in 1856 he was appointed to the kōbusho as inspector of the western wing (Japanese: 西の丸目付, romanized: nishi-no-maru metsuke), a position at Edo castle.

In 1857 he was appointed as director of the Nagasaki Naval Training Center after the previous director, Nagai Naoyuki, moved to the new Tsukiji Naval Training Center in Edo. During this time, Kimura learned about the latest naval technology from Dutch instructors Pels Rijcken and Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke. With the closure of the Nagasaki training center in 1859, Kimura returned to Edo and was promoted to magistrate of warships (Japanese: 軍艦奉行, romanized: Gunkan-bugyō), often translated as "Admiral".[2]

The Embassy of 1860

After the Harris Treaty of 1858, Japan was required to send ambassadors to the United States to ratify the treaty. These ambassadors travelled on the USS Powhatan, and this vessel was accompanied by the Japanese ship Kanrin Maru, purchased from the Dutch a few years previously, intended as a showcase of Japanese mastery of Western technology. Due to his experience with modern naval technology, Kimura was made commander of the mission, putting him in charge of organising the transport, and, if the ambassadors had been unable to make it to Washington, Kimura would have been deputised to complete the mission in their place.[3]

As commander, Kimura was able to select some members of the mission, including Katsu Kaishū, former head instructor at the Nagasaki training centre, who he appointed as captain of the Kanrin Maru; Nakahama "John" Manjiro, one of the few Japanese people to speak good English at the time, as translator and interpreter; and a young Fukuzawa Yukichi as an attendant. In addition, he persuaded the bakufu to allow American sailors on the ship as guides and technological advisors, lead by Lieutenant John Mercer Brooke.

The Kanrin Maru set sail from Uraga on 9 February 1860, and arrived in San Francisco 37 days later, well ahead of the Powhatan, as the other ship had made a stop in the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. This meant that they were the first Japanese government representatives to set foot in the US, and as such were given a warm and elaborate welcome by the Americans, despite not being the official ambassadors. As the highest-ranking Japanese on the ship, Kimura represented the embassy at the functions, via Nakahama's English–Japanese interpretation.[4] Kimura's insistence on proper etiquette regarding issues such as disembarkation and the order of toasts given at a reception were remarked on by the American press.[5]

The official embassy arrived in San Francisco aboard the Powhatan on 29 March, and were received with similar acclaim, but left for Washington D.C. on 7 April.[6] The Kanrin Maru was still undergoing repairs. Kimura had intended to remain in San Francisco until they heard news from Washington about the embassy, but the rudimentary transcontinental communication meant this was not forthcoming, so the Kanrin Maru set off back to Japan from San Francisco on 8 May, and arrived in Uraga on 24 June, having stopped in Hawaiʻi.[7]

Later life

After returning to Japan, Kimura returned to his duties as magistrate of warships for the bakufu, pushing for modernising reforms to the structure of the Navy. Leading up to and during the Boshin War, Kimura held several different roles on the side of the bakufu, including Magistrate of Accounts (Japanese: 勘定奉行, romanized: Kanjō bugyō).

Despite having fought for the now-deposed bakufu, after the Meiji restoration Kimura was offered positions in the new government, but he refused them, retiring to a life of seclusion, writing essays and Classical Chinese poetry. He remained close with Fukuzawa Yukichi for the rest of his life, due to the latter's gratitude for Kimura giving him the opportunity of going to the US.

Kimura died on 9 December 1901, at the age of 71.}

References

  1. ↑ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  2. ↑ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  3. ↑ (Young 1983, p. 264)
  4. ↑ (Young 1983, pp. 264–269)
  5. ↑ (Young 1983, p. 266)
  6. ↑ (Cole 1941, p. 143)
  7. ↑ (Young 1983, pp. 273–274)

Bibliography

  • Cole, Allan B (1941). "Japan's First Embassy to the United States, 1860". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 32 (2): 131–66. Retrieved 26 Feb 2023.
  • Doi, Ryōzō (1994). Gunkan Bugyō Kimura Settsunokami : Kindai Kaigun Tanjō No Kage No Tateyakusha. Chūkō Shinsho (in Japanese). Chūōkōron-Shinsha. ISBN 9784121011749.
  • Kimura Kaishu (1892). "Sanjūnen-shi. Thirty years' history of the Meiji period". Hathi Trust. Japan: Kojunsha. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  • Wert, Michael (2013). Meiji Restoration Losers: Memory and Tokugawa Supporters in Modern Japan. Vol. 358 (1st ed.). Harvard University Asia Center. doi:10.2307/j.ctt1x07z05. ISBN 9781684175338.
  • Young, Dana B (1983). "The Voyage of the Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, 1860". California History. 61 (4): 264–75. doi:10.2307/25158123. Retrieved 26 Feb 2023.
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