Niijima Jō

Niijima Jō

Niijima Jō ( Japanese 新 島 襄 , also English Joseph Hardy Neesima ; born February 12, 1843 in Edo ; died January 23, 1890 ) was a Japanese Christian and educator during the early Meiji period .

life and work

Niijima Jō was born as a samurai from the Annaka domain in Edo. He initially worked as an employee of the Han administration, but made his way to America after secret studies of Western culture. He became a Christian there and was trained to be a pastor. Niijima was very interested in up-to-date education and returned to Japan in 1874 after completing his education.

In Japan Niijima founded a group under the name "Dōshisha" (同志 社), about "Association of Like-Minded People". The association started with an English school under the same name and in 1877 with a similar school for girls. His goal was to develop the school into a Christian university and tried with all his might to collect the funds for it. Although the plan with recognition as a university could only be implemented after Niijima's death , he was the driving force behind this plan.

Niijima was an opponent of intellectualism, the orientation of education to the pure utility and the excessive influence of the state. In contrast, the training at the Dōshisha emphasized the Christian spirit. - Niijima's students include Abe Isoo and Tokutomi Sohō .

literature

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

Web links

Commons : Niijima Jō  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Niijima is the family name, Jō the first name.