Raphael von Koeber
Encyclopedia
Raphael von Koeber was a notable German
-Russia
n teacher of philosophy
at the Tokyo Imperial University in Japan
.
, Russia
, but his father (a doctor) was ethnic German
. His mother died when he was one year old, and he was raised by his grandmother, a daughter of a priest and tutor to Tsar Alexander II’s wife. She taught young Raphael the piano
at the age of 6, and greatly influenced him in his habits and studies. As an ethnic German, he was uncomfortable at school, which he therefore attended only irregularly. At the age of 19, he entered a music school in Moscow
over the opposition of his father, where he was befriended by Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein. He graduated at age 24, but decided not to pursue a career as a musician due to his shyness, and instead went to Jena
in Germany
, where he studied natural history
, and later philosophy
at the University of Jena with Rudolf Christoph Eucken
. After receiving his doctorate at the age of 30, he held teaching posts in University of Berlin, University of Heidelberg and University of Munich, mostly teaching music history and music aesthetics.
, who overcame his worries about the long sea voyage, earthquakes and having enough English language
ability to lecture. He was 45 years old.
He studied at and worked for 21 years at the Tokyo Imperial University from 1893 to 1914 teaching philosophy, in particular, Greek philosophy
, Medieval philosophy
and Aesthetics
.
Koeber was known to be somewhat eccentric, and had fixed habits of reading, lecturing and playing the piano per a fixed schedule. He never visited anywhere in Japan outside of Tokyo, except for nearby Kamakura
and Enoshima
(once). He was indifferent about money and clothes, and he used to wear the same winter clothes for 17 years.
He had many students, among them were the famous writer Natsume Sōseki
and the philosophers Nishida Kitaro
and Watsuji Tetsuro. Koeber also taught piano at the Tokyo National Music School, which has now become a part of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
. In 1901, he wrote the music for the opening of Japan Women's University
. In 1903, Raphael also provided piano accompaniment for the first opera
performed in Japan.
When the Russo-Japanese War
broke out in 1904, Koeber refused to return to his country and the Japanese government did not make a political issue about his desire to remain in Japan.
In 1912, Koeber's domestic servant from Munich committed suicide and Koeber was shocked by the incident. In the summer of that year, Natsume Sōseki called on Koeber, and later wrote about Koeber "a professor of noblest character" in his book Teacher Koeber (In Japanese: Koeber Sensei).
He retired from his teaching position in 1914 and decided to return to Munich. However, immediately before getting aboard the ship at Yokohama
, World War I
began. Unable to travel and with no place to stay, he lived out of a room at the Russian Consulate in Yokohama for nine years until his death in 1923. His grave is at the Zōshigaya cemetery
in Tokyo.
His collection of books, numbering 1999 volumes and mainly consisting of Greek and Latin classics, and works on philosophy and literature is now at the Tohoku University
Library.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n teacher of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the Tokyo Imperial University in 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...
.
Early life
Raphael von Koeber was born in Nizhny NovgorodNizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, but his father (a doctor) was ethnic German
History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union
The German minority in Russia and the Soviet Union was created from several sources and in several waves. The 1914 census puts the number of Germans living in Russian Empire at 2,416,290. In 1989, the German population of the Soviet Union was roughly 2 million. In the 2002 Russian census, 597,212...
. His mother died when he was one year old, and he was raised by his grandmother, a daughter of a priest and tutor to Tsar Alexander II’s wife. She taught young Raphael the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
at the age of 6, and greatly influenced him in his habits and studies. As an ethnic German, he was uncomfortable at school, which he therefore attended only irregularly. At the age of 19, he entered a music school in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
over the opposition of his father, where he was befriended by Tchaikovsky and Rubinstein. He graduated at age 24, but decided not to pursue a career as a musician due to his shyness, and instead went to Jena
Jena
Jena is a university city in central Germany on the river Saale. It has a population of approx. 103,000 and is the second largest city in the federal state of Thuringia, after Erfurt.-History:Jena was first mentioned in an 1182 document...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he studied natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, and later philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Jena with Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Rudolf Christoph Eucken
Rudolf Christoph Eucken was a German philosopher, and the winner of the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature.-Early life:...
. After receiving his doctorate at the age of 30, he held teaching posts in University of Berlin, University of Heidelberg and University of Munich, mostly teaching music history and music aesthetics.
Life in Japan
Koeber came to teach in Japan in June 1893, based on the recommendations of his friend Karl Robert Eduard von HartmannKarl Robert Eduard von Hartmann
Karl Robert Eduard von Hartmann , was a German philosopher.- Biography :He was born in Berlin, and educated with the intention of a military career. He entered the artillery of the Guards as an officer in 1860, but was forced to leave in 1865 because of a knee problem...
, who overcame his worries about the long sea voyage, earthquakes and having enough English language
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...
ability to lecture. He was 45 years old.
He studied at and worked for 21 years at the Tokyo Imperial University from 1893 to 1914 teaching philosophy, in particular, Greek philosophy
Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
, Medieval philosophy
Medieval philosophy
Medieval philosophy is the philosophy in the era now known as medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century AD to the Renaissance in the sixteenth century...
and Aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
.
Koeber was known to be somewhat eccentric, and had fixed habits of reading, lecturing and playing the piano per a fixed schedule. He never visited anywhere in Japan outside of Tokyo, except for nearby Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
and Enoshima
Enoshima
is a small island, about 4 km in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River, which flows into Sagami Bay in Japan. Part of the city of Fujisawa, it is linked to the Katase section of the same city on the mainland by a 600 meter-long bridge...
(once). He was indifferent about money and clothes, and he used to wear the same winter clothes for 17 years.
He had many students, among them were the famous writer Natsume Sōseki
Natsume Soseki
, born ', is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji period . He is best known for his novels Kokoro, Botchan, I Am a Cat and his unfinished work Light and Darkness. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales...
and the philosophers Nishida Kitaro
Nishida Kitaro
was a prominent Japanese philosopher, founder of what has been called the Kyoto School of philosophy. He graduated from The University of Tokyo during the Meiji period in 1894 with a degree in philosophy. He was named professor of the Fourth High School in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1899 and later...
and Watsuji Tetsuro. Koeber also taught piano at the Tokyo National Music School, which has now become a part of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
or is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo...
. In 1901, he wrote the music for the opening of Japan Women's University
Japan Women's University
is the oldest and largest of private Japanese women's universities. The university was established in 20 April 1901 by education reformist .The university has around 6000 students and 200 faculty...
. In 1903, Raphael also provided piano accompaniment for the first opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
performed in Japan.
When the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
broke out in 1904, Koeber refused to return to his country and the Japanese government did not make a political issue about his desire to remain in Japan.
In 1912, Koeber's domestic servant from Munich committed suicide and Koeber was shocked by the incident. In the summer of that year, Natsume Sōseki called on Koeber, and later wrote about Koeber "a professor of noblest character" in his book Teacher Koeber (In Japanese: Koeber Sensei).
He retired from his teaching position in 1914 and decided to return to Munich. However, immediately before getting aboard the ship at 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...
, World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began. Unable to travel and with no place to stay, he lived out of a room at the Russian Consulate in Yokohama for nine years until his death in 1923. His grave is at the Zōshigaya cemetery
Zoshigaya cemetery
is a public cemetery in Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan government.The cemetery welcomes people from any religion and contains the graves of many famous people in its 10 ha area...
in Tokyo.
His collection of books, numbering 1999 volumes and mainly consisting of Greek and Latin classics, and works on philosophy and literature is now at the Tohoku University
Tohoku University
, abbreviated to , located in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region, Japan, is a Japanese national university. It is the third oldest Imperial University in Japan and is a member of the National Seven Universities...
Library.