Edwin O. Reischauer
Encyclopedia
Edwin Oldfather Reischauer (October 15, 1910 – September 1, 1990) was the leading U.S. educator and noted scholar of the history and culture of Japan
, and of East Asia
. From 1961–1966, he was the U.S.
ambassador to Japan.
. He graduated with a B.A.
from Oberlin
in 1931. On his 75th birthday, he recalled publicly that his life aim in 1931 was to draw attention to Asia.
He earned his Ph.D.
from Harvard University
in 1939. He was a student of Prof. Serge Elisséeff
, who had been the first Western graduate of the University of Tokyo
. His doctoral dissertation was "Nittō guhō junrei gyōki: Ennin
's Diary of His Travels in T'ang China, 838–847". The work demonstrates the level of sinological scholarship a student of Japanese was expected to demonstrate at that time.
Most of his teaching career was spent at Harvard. During 40 years in Cambridge classrooms, he became the director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute
and chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Languages. In a farewell lecture at the Yenching Institute in 1981, students had to compete for seats with faculty colleagues, university officials and a television crew from Japan. In this crowded context, he said, "As I remember, there were only two graduate students interested in East Asian studies when I first came here: myself and my brother."
In 1956, Professor Reischauer was a widower with three children when author James A. Michener
introduced him to Haru Matsukata
, who would become his second wife. As teenagers, it turned out, they had gone to the same Tokyo high school, where she had had a secret crush on him. She and her husband became a formidable team. The home they made together is maintained and used today as the Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial House
.
In 1973, he was the founding Director of the Japan Institute
, which was renamed the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
in his honor when he turned 75 in 1985.
Reischauer was also honored in 1985 by the opening of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies
at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS), which is part of Johns Hopkins University
. Speaking at the dedication ceremonies in Baltimore, Sen. Jay Rockefeller
, one of Reischauer's former students, described Reischauer as being "what a teacher is meant to be, one who can change the life of his students." At the same event, Japan's Ambassador Nabuo Matsunaga read a personal message from Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone
, who observed, "I know of no other man who has so thoroughly understood Japan." Reischauer used his deep knowledge of Japanese history to write a book, Japan: Story of a Nation, to which he added in subsequent editions
With George M. McCune
, Reischauer worked to develop the McCune-Reischauer
romanization of Korean
. Reischauer regarded the hangul
alphabet as "perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any language."
, Reischauer was the Japan expert for the U.S. Army Intelligence Service
, and a myth developed that he prevented the bombing of Kyoto
during the war, as explained by Robert Jungk
in Brighter Than a Thousand Suns: A personal history of the atomic scientists:
In his autobiography, Reischauer specifically refuted that validity of this broadly-accepted myth:
and recovered from the wound, but the transfusion inflicted him with hepatitis
. He never fully recovered, and though he continued to work and lead an active life, he died of the complications of hepatitis 26 years later.
/WorldCat
encompasses roughly 300+ works in 1,000+ publications in 18 languages and 23,000+ library holdings.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and of East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. From 1961–1966, he was the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ambassador to Japan.
Education and academic life
Growing up in Tokyo, Reischauer attended the American School in JapanAmerican School in Japan
The American School in Japan was founded in 1902 and is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The school consists of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located on the Chōfu campus...
. He graduated with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Oberlin
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
in 1931. On his 75th birthday, he recalled publicly that his life aim in 1931 was to draw attention to Asia.
He earned his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1939. He was a student of Prof. Serge Elisséeff
Serge Elisséeff
Sergei Grigorievich Elisséeff was a Franco-American academic, an early Sinologist and Japanologist. He began studying Japanese at the University of Berlin, but he transferred to Tokyo Imperial University in 1912, making him the first Westerner to do so.Elisséeff served in 1916 as Privat-Dozent at...
, who had been the first Western graduate of the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
. His doctoral dissertation was "Nittō guhō junrei gyōki: Ennin
Ennin
Ennin , who is better known in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi , was a priest of the Tendai school.- Birth and origin :...
's Diary of His Travels in T'ang China, 838–847". The work demonstrates the level of sinological scholarship a student of Japanese was expected to demonstrate at that time.
Most of his teaching career was spent at Harvard. During 40 years in Cambridge classrooms, he became the director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute
Harvard-Yenching Institute
Harvard-Yenching Institute is an independent foundation dedicated to advancing higher education in Asia in the humanities and social sciences, with special attention to the study of Asian culture...
and chairman of the Department of Far Eastern Languages. In a farewell lecture at the Yenching Institute in 1981, students had to compete for seats with faculty colleagues, university officials and a television crew from Japan. In this crowded context, he said, "As I remember, there were only two graduate students interested in East Asian studies when I first came here: myself and my brother."
In 1956, Professor Reischauer was a widower with three children when author James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
introduced him to Haru Matsukata
Haru M. Reischauer
was a writer and wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer. She was a granddaughter of Matsukata Masayoshi, a liberal finance minister in the Meiji era....
, who would become his second wife. As teenagers, it turned out, they had gone to the same Tokyo high school, where she had had a secret crush on him. She and her husband became a formidable team. The home they made together is maintained and used today as the Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial House
Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial House
The Edwin O. Reischauer Memorial House is the former home of American diplomat and Japanese scholar Edwin O. Reischauer in Belmont, Massachusetts....
.
In 1973, he was the founding Director of the Japan Institute
Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University is a research center focusing on Japan. It provides a forum for stimulating scholarly and public interest....
, which was renamed the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies
Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University is a research center focusing on Japan. It provides a forum for stimulating scholarly and public interest....
in his honor when he turned 75 in 1985.
Reischauer was also honored in 1985 by the opening of the Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies
Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies
Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University is a research center within the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies . The center supports the research and study of transpacific and intra-Asian relations...
at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
(SAIS), which is part of Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. Speaking at the dedication ceremonies in Baltimore, Sen. Jay Rockefeller
Jay Rockefeller
John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...
, one of Reischauer's former students, described Reischauer as being "what a teacher is meant to be, one who can change the life of his students." At the same event, Japan's Ambassador Nabuo Matsunaga read a personal message from Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone
Yasuhiro Nakasone
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from November 27, 1982 to November 6, 1987. A contemporary of Brian Mulroney, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev, he is best known for pushing through the privatization of...
, who observed, "I know of no other man who has so thoroughly understood Japan." Reischauer used his deep knowledge of Japanese history to write a book, Japan: Story of a Nation, to which he added in subsequent editions
With George M. McCune
George M. McCune
George McAfee "Mac" McCune was co-developer, with Edwin O. Reischauer, of the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean. He was born in P'yŏngyang as the son of an American educational missionary, George Shannon McCune and received his elementary education in Korea...
, Reischauer worked to develop the McCune-Reischauer
McCune-Reischauer
McCune–Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced McCune–Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000...
romanization of Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
. Reischauer regarded the hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
alphabet as "perhaps the most scientific system of writing in general use in any language."
Role during World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Reischauer was the Japan expert for the U.S. Army Intelligence Service
Defence Intelligence Agency
Defence Intelligence Agency, or variations on the name, may refer to agencies in several countries, including:*Defence Intelligence Group, Australia*Defence Intelligence Agency *Defence Intelligence Agency...
, and a myth developed that he prevented the bombing of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
during the war, as explained by Robert Jungk
Robert Jungk
Robert Jungk , also known as Robert Baum and Robert Baum-Jungk, was an Austrian writer and journalist who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons....
in Brighter Than a Thousand Suns: A personal history of the atomic scientists:
- "On the short list of targets for the atom bomb, in addition to HiroshimaHiroshimais the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, KokuraKokurais an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyūshū, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshū and Kyūshū. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR Kyūshū and an important part of the...
and NiigataNiigata, Niigatais the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island....
, was the Japanese city of temples, KyotoKyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. When the expert on Japan, Professor Edwin O. Reischauer, heard this terrible news, he rushed into the office of his chief, Major Alfred MacCormack, in a department of the Army Intelligence Service. The shock caused him to burst into tears. MacCormack, a cultivated and humane New York lawyer, thereupon managed to persuade Secretary of War StimsonHenry L. StimsonHenry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...
to reprieve Kyoto and have it crossed off the black list."
In his autobiography, Reischauer specifically refuted that validity of this broadly-accepted myth:
- "I probably would have done this if I had ever had the opportunity, but there is not a word of truth to it. As has been amply proved by my friend Otis Cary of Doshisha in Kyoto, the only person deserving credit for saving Kyoto from destruction is Henry L. Stimson, the Secretary of War at the time, who had known and admired Kyoto ever since his honeymoon there several decades earlier."
Illness and death
In 1964, while serving as Ambassador to Japan, Reischauer was stabbed by a mentally disturbed youth. He received a blood transfusionBlood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
and recovered from the wound, but the transfusion inflicted him with hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. He never fully recovered, and though he continued to work and lead an active life, he died of the complications of hepatitis 26 years later.
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about Edwin Reischauer, OCLCOCLC
OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. is "a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world’s information and reducing information costs"...
/WorldCat
WorldCat
WorldCat is a union catalog which itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries and territories which participate in the Online Computer Library Center global cooperative...
encompasses roughly 300+ works in 1,000+ publications in 18 languages and 23,000+ library holdings.
- The Romanization of the Korean language, Based Upon Its Phonetic Structure (1939) with G. M. McCuneGeorge M. McCuneGeorge McAfee "Mac" McCune was co-developer, with Edwin O. Reischauer, of the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean. He was born in P'yŏngyang as the son of an American educational missionary, George Shannon McCune and received his elementary education in Korea...
- Elementary Japanese for University Students (1942) with S. ElisséeffSerge ElisséeffSergei Grigorievich Elisséeff was a Franco-American academic, an early Sinologist and Japanologist. He began studying Japanese at the University of Berlin, but he transferred to Tokyo Imperial University in 1912, making him the first Westerner to do so.Elisséeff served in 1916 as Privat-Dozent at...
- Ennin's Diary : The Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the law (1955), translated from Chinese
- Wanted: An Asian Policy (1955)
- Japan, Past and Present (1956)
- The United States and Japan (1957)
- Our Asian Frontiers of Knowledge (1958)
- East Asia: The Great Tradition (1960) with J. K. Fairbank
- East Asia, The Modern Transformation (1965) with J. K. Fairbank, A. M. CraigAlbert M. CraigAlbert Morton Craig is an American academic, historian, author and professor emeritus in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University.-Early life:...
- A History of East Asian Civilization (1965)
- Beyond Vietnam: The United States and Asia (1968)
- A New Look at Modern History (1972)
- Translations from Early Japanese Literature (1972) with Joseph K. Yamagiwa
- Toward the 21st century: Education for a Changing World (1973)
- The Japanese (1977)
- The United States and Japan in 1986: Can the Partnership Work? (1986)
- The Japanese Today: Change and Continuity (1988)
- Japan, Tradition and Transformation (1989)
- Japan: The Story of a Nation (1990)
Honors
- Japan FoundationJapan FoundationThe was established in 1972 by an Act of the Japanese Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an independent administrative institution under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry of Japan on 1 October 2003 under the "Independent...
Award, 1975 - Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese StudiesEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese StudiesEdwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University is a research center focusing on Japan. It provides a forum for stimulating scholarly and public interest....
(RIJS) at Harvard, 1985 - Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian StudiesEdwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian StudiesEdwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University is a research center within the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies . The center supports the research and study of transpacific and intra-Asian relations...
at Johns Hopkins, 1984.
Notable students
- Gail Lee BernsteinGail Lee BernsteinGail Lee Bernstein is a Professor Emerita of History at the University of Arizona. She specializes in the history of Japanese women, and is considered one of the pioneers in this field. Bernstein retired from full-time teaching in 2007....
, (University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
) - Sen. Jay RockefellerJay RockefellerJohn Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...
- John W. DowerJohn W. DowerJohn W. Dower is an American author and historian.Dower earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Amherst College in 1959, and a Ph.D. in History and Far Eastern Languages from Harvard University in 1972, where he studied under Albert M. Craig...
, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...