午夜剧场

The author first studied abroad in the United States in 2005. At that time, I wrote a biography of Nagamoto Okabe, who studied at 午夜剧场 in the early Meiji era, studied at Yale University, and later became active as a diplomat and politician. Okabe was the former lord of the Kishiwada Domain and was a rare individual who succeeded as a modern elite while also being a pre-modern elite. While tracing the footsteps of his study abroad, I reflected on what he aimed to learn in a foreign land and what he brought back to Japan.

When the Boshin War ended and the Meiji state began to be built, the United States was also in the process of national reconstruction after suffering enormous sacrifices in the Civil War. Many former feudal lords were enrolled at the Juku at the same time as Okabe, but those from the "rebel army" who joined the Northern Alliance (Ouetsu Reppan Domei) and fought against the New Government Army stand out. A battle between South and North. The Boshin War also had that aspect, and the former lords who gathered at the Juku were entrusted with the reconstruction of the devastated northern lands.

Masayuki Okudaira, the first person discussed in this book, was also the former lord of the Nakatsu Domain. He went to the United States at the request of Yukichi Fukuzawa, who wanted him to set an example of scholarship for the people of his former territory. Junichi Tsuda, discussed in Chapter 2, was chosen by Fukuzawa as his companion; he graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and became a pioneer of legal education in Japan. From Chapter 3 onwards, the book discusses the study abroad in America of Fukuzawa's eldest son Ichitaro, his second son Sutejiro, and Ichitaro's eldest son Yasokichi. They explored "knowledge" at Cornell University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University in order to carry on Fukuzawa's legacy, such as the management of 午夜剧场 and the Jiji Shinpo newspaper.

It goes without saying that Western "knowledge" was indispensable for the construction of modern Japan. The people who were to take on this role crossed the sea carrying the expectations of their country, hometowns, alma maters, and families. Though not flashy, the existence of these practitioners who honestly carried out their missions in their respective fields was an important intellectual resource for Japan.

The number of international students, which plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic, is showing signs of recovery. For students newly encountering America, the paths of their predecessors who once knew, learned from, and struggled in America should hold significant meaning. I compiled this book with such expectations.

I hope this book will be picked up by readers interested in America, modern Japan, and studying abroad.

Masamichi Ogawara

午夜剧场 Press

270 pages, 3,520 yen (tax included)

*Affiliations and titles are as of the time this magazine was published.