Faculty of Social Sciences
Professor Yoshitaka Shima
Okuma Shigenobu was sixteen years old when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived at the town of Uraga in 1853. In Edo period Japan, children of daimyo and their retainers outside of the capital were educated at han schools operated by individual samurai clans. At the han school Okuma attended, students did not learn about the United States nor the giant warships that Perry rode on.
Okuma grew doubtful of Japan’s traditional education system and argued with other students over its pros and cons. In 1855, the eighteen-year old Okuma threw a hibachi (traditional Japanese heating device) at a student from the second floor of his boarding house. What ensued was a fight that lasted throughout the night and resulted in Okuma’s expulsion.
Okuma later met scholar Shinyo Edayoshi who at the time was introducing new styles of education throughout the han school. When they began discussing the future of Japan, Edayoshi told Okuma that revolution was vital not only for the education system, but for the nation as a whole. Following this meeting, Okuma, together with fellow revolutionaries such as Eto Shimpei, embarked on a journey that would result in the collapse of the shogunate regime. Okuma had the option of returning to school at the Kodokan, the largest han school in Edo Japan, but instead decided to enter a dormitory for Dutch studies. Okuma believed it was more important to pursue Western studies than to continue studying neo-Confucianism.
In 1858 after two years of study, Okuma was ordered by his clan to become shogunate administrator for the navy. Although Okuma was not fond of the position, he accepted knowing he would be scolded if he did not. Okuma was the son of an artillery officer and explained to his clan that he too would like to study artillery tactics in order to become an officer. Okuma received permission to continue his Dutch studies and took up a lecturing position shortly after.
If Okuma stayed a shogunate administrator for the navy, the Okuma and Waseda University we know today would have never existed.
