Today, I write about “The secret passage of the Edo period “.
The Edo Period, Japanese people were not permitted to leave a country without government permission.
If fails, It became a death penalty.
His name is the Niijima Joe.
He reads the translation book “Robinson Crusoe” at the age of 20, and yearns after overseas.
1864, He stowed away from Hakodate in Japan.
1865, He arrived Boston in United States.
He received assistance from the shipowner of ship that he boarded and has entered Phillips Academy.
He had been lucky.
Usually, nobody offers assistance to a stowaway.
1866, He was baptized at a church affiliated with Andover Seminary.
1867, He graduated from Phillips Academy.
1868 in Japan, The Edo Period was over and Meiji period started.
1870, He graduated from Amherst College.
1874, He graduated from Andover Theological Seminary and became the first Japanese to be ordained as a Protestant minister.
He attended the 65th annual meeting of the Congregational church in Rutland , Vermont in 1874, and made an appeal for funds to start a Christian school in Japan.
He got promise of large donation and went back to Japan.
1875, with the support of Governor of Kyoto Prefecture, and Kakuma Yamamoto, advisor to the prefectural government, Nishijima secured official permission for his school and opened Doshisha English school, becoming its first president.
1876, thanks to his working relationship with Kakuma Yamamoto, Nijima Joe was able to marry Kakuma’s younger sister Yae.
He wrote a letter to his American friend like this.
“Of course she is not handsome at all. But what I know of her that she is a person who does handsome.”
That time, Christianity was seldom understood.
There was an influential person who understands him.
However, there was hardship in establishment of a Christianity university.
1884, He had a heart attack.
However, he was busy for Christianity university establishment.
1889, His illness became more serious.
1890, He died at the age of 46.
1920, The Christianity university was approved at last.
1945, World War II ended.
Doshisha university that he founded became possible to educate freely.
Now, Doshisha University is one of the prestigious universities in Japan.
2013, the teleplay “Yae no sakura” is broadcasting.
Niijima Joe became famous for this drama.
As Niijima Yae’s husband.
Niijima Yae is called Japanese Joan of Arc.
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