Inagaki Manjiro
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
diplomat
and political theorist that was active during the Meiji period
of Japan
.
of the Hirado Domain
. As a young man he was a warder of the Satsuma men imprisoned in Nagasaki after the unsuccessful Satsuma Rebellion
, and gained their respect and affection.
After studying at the clan-established Ishinkan, Kagoshima Shigakko (private school), etc., he entered the Department of Literature of the Tokyo Imperial University in 1882. Sent down from Tokyo University with many others after the “Incident of 1883” when the student body rebelled and boycotted the graduation ceremonies because the time of the ceremony was changed, he never returned as most of the others did.
Instead, Inagaki went to Great Britain
from January 1888 to December 1890 and studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
. He also founded the Japanese Club at Cambridge University
to study the ways of English gentlemen. he also studied classical literature and is the first Japanese known to have learned Greek
. He became a very popular figure at the University, especially with the Master of Pembroke College
and the Vice-Chancellor, the Reverend Dr Charles Edward Searle
.
Higher Commercial School. He entered the Foreign Ministry
and became Japan's first deputy Minister Resident to the Kingdom of Siam
on March 31, 1897. He was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary
on November 19, 1899, and envoy extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in 1903. He continued in that role until July 1907 when he was transferred to Madrid
, Spain
, where he died of illness in 1908..
Inagaki wrote a number of scholarly books in English and Japanese on international affairs, but died relatively young with his potential unfulfilled. His writings urging Japanese expansionism into the South Pacific
were part of the theoretical basis of the Southern Expansion Doctrine
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
and certain factions in the government in the early 20th century.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and political theorist that was active during the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Early life
Inagaki was born in Nagasaki, as the son of a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
of the Hirado Domain
Hirado Domain
was a tozama han of Edo period Japan, with its territory extending from northern Hizen Province to the offshore Iki Province...
. As a young man he was a warder of the Satsuma men imprisoned in Nagasaki after the unsuccessful Satsuma Rebellion
Satsuma Rebellion
The was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...
, and gained their respect and affection.
After studying at the clan-established Ishinkan, Kagoshima Shigakko (private school), etc., he entered the Department of Literature of the Tokyo Imperial University in 1882. Sent down from Tokyo University with many others after the “Incident of 1883” when the student body rebelled and boycotted the graduation ceremonies because the time of the ceremony was changed, he never returned as most of the others did.
Instead, Inagaki went to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from January 1888 to December 1890 and studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
. He also founded the Japanese Club at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
to study the ways of English gentlemen. he also studied classical literature and is the first Japanese known to have learned Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. He became a very popular figure at the University, especially with the Master of Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
and the Vice-Chancellor, the Reverend Dr Charles Edward Searle
Charles Edward Searle
Reverend Dr. Charles Edward Searle was an English clergyman and academic, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge from 1880 until his death in 1902....
.
Later life
After graduating Inagaki returned to Japan, and became a temporary professor at GakushuinGakushuin
The or Peers School is an educational institution founded in Tokyo in 1877, during the Meiji period, for the education of the children of the Japanese aristocracy, though it eventually also opened its doors to the offspring of extremely wealthy commoners...
Higher Commercial School. He entered the Foreign Ministry
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
and became Japan's first deputy Minister Resident to the Kingdom of Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
on March 31, 1897. He was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
on November 19, 1899, and envoy extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in 1903. He continued in that role until July 1907 when he was transferred to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where he died of illness in 1908..
Inagaki wrote a number of scholarly books in English and Japanese on international affairs, but died relatively young with his potential unfulfilled. His writings urging Japanese expansionism into the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
were part of the theoretical basis of the Southern Expansion Doctrine
Nanshin-ron
The was a political doctrine in the pre-WW2 Japan which stated that Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands were Japan's sphere of interest and that the potential value to the Japanese Empire for economic and territorial expansion in those areas was greater than elsewhere.This political doctrine...
of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
and certain factions in the government in the early 20th century.
English
- Japan and the Pacific and the Japanese View of the Eastern Question, 1890 (London: T. Fisher Unwin) - dedicated to John Robert SeeleyJohn Robert SeeleySir John Robert Seeley, KCMG was an English essayist and historian.-Life:He was born in London, the son of R.B. Seeley, a publisher. Seeley developed a taste for religious and historical subjects...
who taught Inagaki at Gonville and Caius College.
Japanese
- Tohosaku (Policy for the East) (1891).
- Shiberia tetsudoron (On the Siberian railways) (1891).
- Kizokuron (On the nobility) (1891, 1893, 1894)
- Kyoiku no Omoto (Great Fount of Education) (1894)
- Nanyo Chosei dan (Expedition to the South seas) (1893)
- Gaiko to Gaisei (Diplomacy and Foreign Campaigns) (1896)
See also
- Kikuchi DairokuKikuchi DairokuBaron was a mathematician, educator, and educational administrator in Meiji period Japan.-Kikuchi's life and career:Kikuchi was born in Edo , as the second son of Mitsukuri Shuhei...
- Suematsu KenchoSuematsu KenchoViscount was a Japanese politician, intellectual and author, who lived in the Meiji and Taishō periods. Apart from his activity in the Japanese government, he also wrote several important works on Japan in English...
- Donald MacAlisterDonald MacAlisterSir Donald MacAlister, 1st Baronet KCB was a physician, and Principal and Vice-Chancellor and, later, Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.- Early life :...
- Anglo-Japanese relationsAnglo-Japanese relationsThe history of the relationship between Britain and Japan began in 1600 with the arrival of William Adams on the shores of Kyūshū at Usuki in Ōita Prefecture...
- Japanese students in Britain
External links
- Japanese Students at Cambridge University in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912: Pioneers for the Modernization of Japan, by Noboru Koyama, translated by Ian Ruxton, (Lulu Press, September 2004, ISBN 1-4116-1256-6)
- Portrait of Inagaki Manjirō on the website of the National Diet Library of Japan