Tanaka Fujimaro

In this Japanese name, the surname is Tanaka.
Tanaka Fujimaro
田中 不二麿
Born(1845-10-16)October 16, 1845
Owari Province, Japan
DiedSeptember 8, 1909(1909-09-08) (aged 63–64)
NationalityJapanese
Occupation(s)Politician, Educator

Tanaka Fujimaro (田中 不二麿, 16 October 1845 – 8 September 1909) was a Japanese statesman and educator in Meiji period Japan.[1][2][3]

Biography

Tanaka Suma, his spouse

Tanaka was born in Owari Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture). After the Meiji Restoration, he was selected to accompany the Iwakura Mission on its around-the-world journey to the United States and Europe.[1] He was especially impressed from what he saw of western educational systems. On his return to Japan in March 1873 (six months earlier than the rest of the Mission), he was made Vice Minister for Education in 1874.

He returned to the United States in 1877 for further first-hand research on school systems. He spent considerable time at Amherst College and approached Amherst president Julius H. Seelye for advice. He also visited the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, after which he submitted a report with photographs to the government. On his return to Japan, Tanaka strongly criticized the Education Order of 1875, which he felt made the system too centralized and inflexible. The new Education Order of 1879 was based on his experiences in the United States, but it quickly came under attack as being confusing and inviting moral decay. Tanaka transferred from the Ministry of Education in 1880 to the Ministry of Justice, and subsequently served in various positions in the Meiji government.

See also

History of Education in Japan

References

  1. ^ a b Duke, Benjamin C. (2009). The History of Modern Japanese Education: Constructing the National School System,1872-1890. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4403-8.
  2. ^ Duke, Benjamin (21 June 2019). Dr. David Murray: Superintendent of Education in the Empire of Japan, 1873-1879. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-9499-6.
  3. ^ Keene, Donald (14 June 2005). Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-51811-6.


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