Numa Morikazu
Encyclopedia
was a politician and journalist in Meiji period
Japan
.
family in Edo
in 1843, Numa was involved in scholarship at an early age. He learned English
from James Curtis Hepburn
in Yokohama
, and was later sent to study western military science at Nagasaki. He translated a text on English-style infantry
warfare in 1866, and in 1867, he was commissioned as a hohei-gashira nami (歩兵頭並; roughly equivalent to a lieutenant
) in the Shogunate's elite Denshūtai
unit. Numa fought on the Tokugawa
side in the Boshin War
.
Following the Meiji Restoration
, after a brief period in prison, he was released due to a favor he had once done for Itagaki Taisuke
, and was hired by the new Meiji government as an infantry warfare instructor for the Tosa Domain
. He also taught English in Tōkyō. Among his students were Takamine Hideo
and Shiba Shirō, the sons of former Aizu
samurai who would later become famous in academia.
Numa entered the Finance Ministry
in 1872, and later worked for the Justice Ministry
, and elsewhere within the government. In 1873, together with Kono Togama
and Itagaki Taisuke, he founded the Liberal Party
. Following peasant unrest, Numa was sent to investigate the situation in Sakata
Prefecture late in 1875.
Dissatisfied with government policies restricting freedom of speech
, he retired from the Genrōin
in 1879 and decided to devote his energies to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement
. He purchased a newspaper, the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun. Reorganizing it into the Tōkyō-Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun, he used it as a mouthpiece for the liberal ideas he always supported, and used it to call for the establishment of a national assembly
. In 1881, he joined the Rikken Kaishintō
with Ōkuma Shigenobu
. At the same time, from 1882 until his death, he was head of the Tōkyō Prefectural Assembly.
Numa died of pneumonia
in 1890, at the age of 47.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan
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...
.
Biography
Born to a samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
family in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
in 1843, Numa was involved in scholarship at an early age. He learned English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from James Curtis Hepburn
James Curtis Hepburn
James Curtis Hepburn, M.D., LL.D. was a physician who became a Christian missionary. He is known for the Hepburn romanization system for transliteration of the Japanese language into the Latin alphabet, which he popularized in his Japanese–English dictionary.- Biography :Hepburn was born in...
in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, and was later sent to study western military science at Nagasaki. He translated a text on English-style infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
warfare in 1866, and in 1867, he was commissioned as a hohei-gashira nami (歩兵頭並; roughly equivalent to a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
) in the Shogunate's elite Denshūtai
Denshūtai
The was a corps of elite troops of the Tokugawa Bakufu during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. The corps was founded by Ōtori Keisuke with the help of the 1867–68 French Military Mission to Japan.The corps was composed of 800 men...
unit. Numa fought on the Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
side in the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
.
Following the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, after a brief period in prison, he was released due to a favor he had once done for Itagaki Taisuke
Itagaki Taisuke
Count was a Japanese politician and leader of the , which evolved into Japan's first political party.- Early life :Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking samurai family in Tosa Domain, , After studies in Kōchi and in Edo, he was appointed as sobayonin to Tosa daimyo Yamauchi Toyoshige,...
, and was hired by the new Meiji government as an infantry warfare instructor for the Tosa Domain
Tosa Domain
The was a feudal domain in Tosa Province of Japan during the Edo period. Its official name is . Some from the domain played important roles in events in the late Tokugawa shogunate...
. He also taught English in Tōkyō. Among his students were Takamine Hideo
Takamine Hideo
was an administrator and educator in Meiji period Japan.-Early life:Takamine was born to a samurai family in Aizu-Wakamatsu domain in 1854...
and Shiba Shirō, the sons of former Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
samurai who would later become famous in academia.
Numa entered the Finance Ministry
Ministry of Finance (Japan)
The ' is one of cabinet-level ministries of the Japanese government. The ministry was once named Ōkura-shō . The Ministry is headed by the Minister of Finance , who is a member of the Cabinet and is typically chosen from members of the Diet by the Prime Minister.The Ministry's origin was back in...
in 1872, and later worked for the Justice Ministry
Ministry of Justice (Japan)
The is one of Ministries of the Japanese government.-Meiji Constitution:The Ministry of Justice was established under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan in 1871 as the .-Constitution of Japan:...
, and elsewhere within the government. In 1873, together with Kono Togama
Kōno Togama
-Notes:...
and Itagaki Taisuke, he founded the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Japan)
Liberal Party is the name of different political parties in different time periods in Japan.They are:*Liberal Party of Japan , founded by Itagaki Taisuke in October 1881. The party stood for popular rights and espoused the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The main objective of the party in the...
. Following peasant unrest, Numa was sent to investigate the situation in Sakata
Sakata
- People :* Jeanne Sakata, American actress and playwright* Lenn Haruki Sakata , former American professional baseball player* Toshiyuki "Harold" Sakata , American Olympic medalist and professional wrestler...
Prefecture late in 1875.
Dissatisfied with government policies restricting freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, he retired from the Genrōin
Genroin
' was a national assembly in early Meiji Japan, established after the Osaka Conference of 1875. It is also referred to as the Senate of Japan, Genrōin being the word used to describe the Roman Senate, and other western legislatures named after it....
in 1879 and decided to devote his energies to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement
Freedom and People's Rights Movement
The was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy in 1880s....
. He purchased a newspaper, the Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun. Reorganizing it into the Tōkyō-Yokohama Mainichi Shinbun, he used it as a mouthpiece for the liberal ideas he always supported, and used it to call for the establishment of a national assembly
National Assembly
National Assembly is either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known National Assembly, and the first legislature to be known by this title, was that established during the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assemblée nationale...
. In 1881, he joined the Rikken Kaishintō
Rikken Kaishinto
The was a political party in Empire of Japan. It was also known as simply the ‘Kaishintō’.The Kaishintō was founded by Ōkuma Shigenobu on 16 April 1882, with the assistance of Yano Ryūsuke, Inukai Tsuyoshi and Ozaki Yukio. It received financial backing by the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, and had strong...
with Ōkuma Shigenobu
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
. At the same time, from 1882 until his death, he was head of the Tōkyō Prefectural Assembly.
Numa died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in 1890, at the age of 47.