Takamine Hideo
Encyclopedia
was an administrator and educator in Meiji period
Japan.
family in Aizu-Wakamatsu domain (present day Fukushima Prefecture
) in 1854. After completing his studies in the feudal domain's school, Nisshinkan, he became a page to the daimyo
Matsudaira Katamori
from April 1868 to the surrender of the domain to imperial forces in the Boshin War
in November that same year.
He was sentenced to confinement for a time in Tokyo
, and was placed in the care of the Matsudaira clan of the Tanba-Kameyama Domain. As part of his studies, he entered the private school of Numa Morikazu
, where he began to learn English
. He soon attended Keiō-gijuku (A private school founded by Fukuzawa Yukichi, which grew into the modern-day Keio University
) and received a scholarship to attend Oswego
Normal School (present day SUNY Oswego), in New York in the United States
from 1875-1878. He was fortunate to attend Oswego during the very height of its fame as a progressive and innovative institution for teacher education. Takamine interacted with Edward Austin Sheldon
(the director of the school) and lived in the house of famed educator Johann Heinrich Hermann Krüsi (1817–1903).
During his time in the United States he also attended Anderson School of Natural History on Penikese Island
during the summer of 1877 and spent one semester studying under Burt Wilder, a famous zoologist at Cornell University
. He was the first Japanese (some believe to be the first Asian) to have a teaching credential.
which were occupied by the Ainu
.
He eventually became the Vice Principal and Principal of the Tokyo Normal School/ Tokyo Higher Normal School (same school but the name was changed), Principal of the Tokyo Art School, and Tokyo Music School. He was also deeply involved in women's education and became the Principal of Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School.
Generally, he is remembered as the man who introduced Pestallozian teaching methods and philosophy to Japan due to his translation of James Johonnot
's Principles and Practice of Teaching into Japanese as Kyoiku Shinron [the new theory of education] 1885. Other projects he focused on included Japan's Exhibit in the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and he was involved in the Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
. His legacy is mixed, as despite his attempts to implement the American model of education in Japan, in the end, the government adopted the more conservative, German model.
Takamine's son, Takamine Toshio (1885–1959), was a famous physicist who worked in the field of spectroscopy
.
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 :...
Japan.
Early life
Takamine was born to 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...
family in Aizu-Wakamatsu domain (present day Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
) in 1854. After completing his studies in the feudal domain's school, Nisshinkan, he became a page to the daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
Matsudaira Katamori
Matsudaira Katamori
was a samurai who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but...
from April 1868 to the surrender of the domain to imperial forces in the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
in November that same year.
He was sentenced to confinement for a time in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, and was placed in the care of the Matsudaira clan of the Tanba-Kameyama Domain. As part of his studies, he entered the private school of Numa Morikazu
Numa Morikazu
was a politician and journalist in Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Born to a samurai family in Edo in 1843, Numa was involved in scholarship at an early age. He learned English from James Curtis Hepburn in Yokohama, and was later sent to study western military science at Nagasaki...
, where he began to learn English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He soon attended Keiō-gijuku (A private school founded by Fukuzawa Yukichi, which grew into the modern-day Keio University
Keio University
,abbreviated as Keio or Keidai , is a Japanese university located in Minato, Tokyo. It is known as the oldest institute of higher education in Japan. Founder Fukuzawa Yukichi originally established it as a school for Western studies in 1858 in Edo . It has eleven campuses in Tokyo and Kanagawa...
) and received a scholarship to attend Oswego
Oswego
Oswego is a word from the Iroquois language, meaning "The Outpouring". The word may refer to:-Place names:In the United States:*Oswego, Illinois, a village in Kendall County*Oswego, Indiana, an unincorporated place in Kosciusko County...
Normal School (present day SUNY Oswego), in New York in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1875-1878. He was fortunate to attend Oswego during the very height of its fame as a progressive and innovative institution for teacher education. Takamine interacted with Edward Austin Sheldon
Edward Austin Sheldon
Edward Austin Sheldon was an American educator, and the founding president of State University of New York at Oswego . He also served as superintendent of schools for the cities of Syracuse, New York and Oswego, New York...
(the director of the school) and lived in the house of famed educator Johann Heinrich Hermann Krüsi (1817–1903).
During his time in the United States he also attended Anderson School of Natural History on Penikese Island
Penikese Island
Penikese Island is a island off the coast of Massachusetts, United States, in Buzzards Bay. It is one of the Elizabeth Islands, which make up the town of Gosnold, Massachusetts...
during the summer of 1877 and spent one semester studying under Burt Wilder, a famous zoologist at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He was the first Japanese (some believe to be the first Asian) to have a teaching credential.
Later career
After returning to Japan, Takamine worked as an assistant to American scientist Edward Sylvester Morse and accompanied him on a trek to the rugged areas of HokkaidōHokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
which were occupied by the Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
.
He eventually became the Vice Principal and Principal of the Tokyo Normal School/ Tokyo Higher Normal School (same school but the name was changed), Principal of the Tokyo Art School, and Tokyo Music School. He was also deeply involved in women's education and became the Principal of Tokyo Women's Higher Normal School.
Generally, he is remembered as the man who introduced Pestallozian teaching methods and philosophy to Japan due to his translation of James Johonnot
James Johonnot
James Johonnot was a historian and scientist, with links to Japan.His Ten Great Events in History starts as follows:The great events in history are those where, upon special occasions, a man or a people have made a stand against tyranny, andhave preserved or advanced freedom for the people...
's Principles and Practice of Teaching into Japanese as Kyoiku Shinron [the new theory of education] 1885. Other projects he focused on included Japan's Exhibit in the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and he was involved in the Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
Japan-British Exhibition (1910)
The took place at White City, London in Great Britain from 14 May 1910 to 29 October 1910. It was the largest international exposition that the Empire of Japan had participated in to date, and was driven by a desire of Japan to develop a more favorable public image in Great Britain following the...
. His legacy is mixed, as despite his attempts to implement the American model of education in Japan, in the end, the government adopted the more conservative, German model.
Takamine's son, Takamine Toshio (1885–1959), was a famous physicist who worked in the field of spectroscopy
Spectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
.
Selected works
- Takamine Hideo, trans Kyoiku Shinron [The New Theory of Education] 1885
- Takamine Hideo and Iwakawa Tomotaro Dobutsu Hikaku Kaibozu [Anatomical Charts of Comparative Zoology 4 vol] Tokyo: Fukyusha 1885
- Ministry of Education Beikoku Gakkoho [the American School Systems] 1878 (In a letter to his mother Takamine mentions that he translated over 200 pages for this manual. His name does not appear in the text).
- Hideo Takamine "Address at Tokyo Normal School, " Tokyo Meikeikai zasshi No. 14 (March 1884) p 9-21 recorded by Torasaburo Wakabayashi faithful student and colleague