DescriptionTanaka Fujimaro (田中不二麿) was an official appointed from the Ministry of Education to the Iwakura mission. He was a mid-level samurai from the Owari Domain and held the title of mombu daijō (ministry secretariat). He was most directly involved in the search for a Western educational advisor. After appointment of David Murray as the Superintendent of the Imperial Ministry of Education, he worked closely with him and Hatakeyama Yoshinari (畠山義成; also known as Soogiwoora Kozo, 杉浦弘蔵), who served as his interpreter, to receive advice and counsel on the implementation and administration of Japan's first public school system. Tanaka proposed the Ministry of Education prepare an English publication on the history of Japanese education, resulting in An Outline History of Japanese Education. The book is known as the first publication in any language on the history of Japanese education. Towards the end of his career, his vision for education in Japan differed sharply from that of Murray. He ultimately found himself in a steady downfall in the Ministry of Education, and in 1880, he was transferred to the Ministry of Justice as the minister, ending his long term as the top official of the Ministry of Education.
NoteThis project was funded by a grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission.
Name: Rutgers meets Japan: a trans-Pacific network of the late nineteenth century
Detail: This item is associated with Chapter 12 in Rutgers Meets Japan: A Trans-Pacific Network of the Late Nineteenth Century, edited by Haruko Wakabayashi and Fernanda Perrone (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2026).
Additional Detail(s)
Type: Finding aid
Name: Inventory to the William Elliot Griffis Collection (East Asia), 1859-1928
Detail: The items in this record are part of the William Elliot Griffis Collection. A finding aid with information about the contents of the collection is available online.
CollectionRutgers Meets Japan: A Digital Companion
Organization NameRutgers University. Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
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