Heinrich Weipert

Heinrich Weipert (* 12. June 1856 in Hanau , † 4. April 1905 in Bordeaux ) was a German jurist , lecturer at the University in Tokyo , Japan . He published on topics of Japanese law and culture, was employed as a consultant and consul in Tokyo, Seoul and Bordeaux.

Life and professional training

Heinrich Weipert was born the son of a pastor, grew up in Kassel and also attended school here. After graduating from school in 1874, he began studying law at the University of Leipzig and in 1876 moved to the University of Marburg . A year later he passed the first state examination in law and then worked as a trainee lawyer and assessor at the Higher Regional Court in Kassel. Subsequently, in 1883, he passed his second state examination in law. In the same year he resigned from civil service. His doctorate took place on April 18, 1884 at the University of Jena . Shortly afterwards he received an invitation to Japan .

Working in Japan

Weipert traveled to Tokyo in 1886 and began teaching law at the Imperial University on November 11th. His contract was for a period of three years. His subjects included German and Roman law. He gave lectures on Roman law in English, lectures on Roman Panteken in German, as well as lectures on Prussian private and commercial law. He also taught at the German Association School in Tokyo. Here he held special courses in law. But from the beginning he dealt intensively with the Japanese language, Japanese law and culture. His great interest in it came from understanding the Japanese legal conception, reading the specialist books and sources for law in Japanese. In addition, he had a great drive to come into contact with Japanese people, to be able to communicate with them. During the first few weeks of his stay, he met the historian Ludwig Riess (1861–1928), who was also a German scientist at the University of Tokyo . He soon became close friends with him and the chargé d'affaires at the German embassy in Tokyo, Theodor von Holleben (1838–1913). He characterized Weipart with the words: "He immediately threw himself on the language study of his own accord, although he could hardly assume that its effectiveness would last longer than three years". In the same year he met the Japanese Kojima Sato. Together with her he had the daughter Hanna.

From the very beginning, the Tokyo-based German Society for Natural History and Ethnology of East Asia (OAG) was an important meeting place for Weipert , of which he became a full member. In 1887 his book “Contribution to the Doctrine of the Tacit Servitude Order”, which had already been prepared in Germany, was published. Further publications followed, but now on Japanese topics such as “Japanese Family and Inheritance Law” in 1889, on “Literature. German Works on Japanese Language ”1890. In 1889 Weipert's contract with the university was extended to three more years. But just one year later, on August 7, 1890, he terminated this contract of his own accord because he had the feeling that his position was uncertain and that he was too dependent on the whims of the Japanese authorities. Presumably with the support of Theodor von Holleben, he then entered the diplomatic service. Thanks to his good language skills in Japanese, his familiarity with the culture and history of Japan, he became consul at the German embassy in Tokyo. In this position he was able to use his experience of the last few years and his legal expertise both from the perspective of the German. as well as the Japanese side support the work on the embassy. In December 1892 von Holleben took over new duties and charge of the legation was Felix Freiherr von Gutschmidt (1843–1905). Weipert received the order from him in 1895 to provide support in a difficult situation. This involved important diplomatic and political steps to revise the Shimoneseki peace treaty between China and Japan. On April 23, 1895, the ambassadors of Russia and France presented the Japanese Foreign Minister with a joint declaration from their respective governments. In this declaration, which was delivered in French, Japan was "kindly" asked to return the Liadon peninsula it had occupied. Gutschmidt then had Weipert draft his own, a German declaration. This was made by him in the Latin Romaj romanization.

In 1900 Weipert changed the place of his consular activity. On April 1, 1900, he took over the German consulate in Seoul , which at that time was under Japanese rule. Here the German composer and music director of the Japanese imperial family Franz Eckert (1852-1916) was one of his close circle of friends. After three years in Seoul, he handed the business over to his successor on April 25, 1903. From Seoul he moved to the German consulate in Bordeaux .

On April 4, 1905, Weipert put an end to his own life in Bordeaux. His friend and former colleague from the joint work at the University of Tokyo, Ludwig Riess, published an obituary in the magazine "Japanese Post" on June 10, 1905 for the occasion.

See also

• German-Japanese relations

Publications

• Contribution to the doctrine of the tacit order of servitude . 1887, reprinted by Kessinger legacy Reprints 2010
• J apanisches family and inheritance law . In: OAG Mitteilungen, Volume V, Issue 43, pp. 83 ff; 1889/1892
• Literature. German works on Japanese language . In: OAG-Mitteilungen, Volume v. Issue 46, pp. 277ff., Published in 1890
• The Shinto Prayer of the Great Purification. A contribution to the history of the oldest Japanese criminal law . In: OAG-Mitteilungen, Volume VI, Issue 58, p. 365ff .; 1893/1897
• The bon festival . In: OAG-Mitteilungen, Volume VIII, Part 2; P. 145ff .; 1899/1902

literature

• Biographical sketch and documents about Heinrich Weipert, Meiji project; in: meiji-portraits.de/meiji_portraits_r.html#20090527093225140_1_2_2_71_1
• Documentation about the work and publications of Heinrich Weipert, archive of the OAG; in: oag.jp./peoble/ and oag.jp./books/

Individual evidence

1. ^ Biographical sketch and documents on Heinrich Weipert, Meiji project; in: meiji-portraits.de/meiji_portraits_r.html#20090527093225140_1_2_2_71_1
2. ^ Documentation about the work and publications of Heinrich Weipert during his time in Tokyo, archive of the OAG; in: oag.jp./peoble/ and oag.jp./books/
3. ↑ Treatise in the OAG-Mitteilungen, Volume V, Issue 43, and a lecture on May 29, 1889 in the "Club Germania"
4. ↑ Article in Volume V of OAG Mitteilungen, Issue 46
5. ^ Biographical sketch and documents on Heinrich Weipert, Meiji project; in: meiji-portraits.de/meiji_portraits_r.html#20090527093225140_1_2_2_71_1