Baba Tatsui

Baba Tatsui

Baba Tatsui, early photo

Baba Tatsui ( Japanese 馬 場 辰 猪 ; born June 24, 1850 in Kōchi ; died November 1, 1888 ) was a Japanese reformer during the Meiji period .

life and work

Baba Tatsui was the son of a for Tosa-Han belonging Samurai born. From 1866 to 1870 he studied at Fukuzawa Yukichi's Keiō University and then continued his education in England until 1878. There he began to deal with legislation. During his stay in England in 1873 he wrote a Japanese grammar entitled "„ 語文 典 初 歩 "(Nihongo Bunten shoho; First Steps to a Japanese Grammar). He founded an association of Japanese students and advocated the revision of the so-called "Unequal Treaties" with the West in the text "The Treaty Between Japan and England and The English in Japan".

Upon his return to Japan, Baba became an activist in the movement that called for a democratic constitution and co-founded the Kokuyū-kai (国 友 会). In 1881 he became vice-president of the newly founded party Jiyūtō (自由 党), where he befriended President Itagaki and Gotō Shōjirō . He soon resigned from anger at Itagaki, who had accepted a government-paid trip abroad. Together with Nakae Chōmin he became one of the leading theorists of the popular movement.

Baba wrote articles for the magazine Kyōson (共存 雑 誌), for the newspaper Jiyū (自由 新聞) and the newspaper Chōya (朝野 新聞). He studied law, founded the Meiji Gijuku (明治 義 塾) evening school and opened a kind of law firm.

In 1885, Baba was arrested on charges of possessing explosive materials, but was released after six months. In 1886 he went into exile in the USA, where in 1888 he wrote a long essay in English: “The Political Condition of Japan, Showing the Depotism and Incompetency of the Cabinet and the Aims of the Popular Parties.” He died in Philadelphia that same year .

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Baba Tatsui . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X , p. 92.
• Hunter, Janet: Baba Tatsui . In: Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History. Kodansha International, 1984. ISBN 4-7700-1193-8 .

Web links

Commons : Baba Tatsui  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Baba is the family name, Tatsui the first name.