15. Kondo Chojiro

Today, I write about “The samurai who tried to go to Europe.”
1838 , he was born in Tosa Domain (Kochi-ken) as the eldest son of Japanese cake shop.
Because he is not a samurai, there is not a surname.
He was called “Chojiro of Japanese cake shop”.
He studied while selling Japanese cake in a childhood.
Thereafter, he enters the private school of Iwasaki Yataro.
(Iwasaki Yataro is the founder of the Mitsubishi group.)
1859, he goes to Edo to study.
He was very excellent.
1863, he was recognized by a feudal lord and he becomes the samurai.
“Chojiro of Japanese cake shop” becomes ” Kondo Chojiro”.
He marries and becomes father.
He meets “Sakamoto Ryoma ” of the same town.
1865, Sakamoto Ryoma organize a corporation first in Japan.
Kondo Chojiro works as an interpreter there.
The Choshu Domain (Yamaguchi-ken) asks him for negotiations for the steamship purchase.
Kondo Chojiro negotiates the steamship purchase with Glover (British merchant) and succeeds.
The Choshu feudal lord says to him.
“Good job, you deserve a reward.”
He said. “I want to study in the United Kingdom.”
Japan at that time, foreign voyage is prohibition.
He gets into a boat for United Kingdom.
However, the ship did not depart because of a storm.
He was arrested.
He is a samurai.
1866, he was orderd to perform seppuku.
He was 29 years old.

1968, the times of the samurai were over.
If he had lived a little longer, he would have did important work for Japan

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Kazuyoshi Kawahara
kaw8456@salsa.ocn.ne.jp