- 著者
-
今井 一良
- 出版者
- 日本英学史学会
- 雑誌
- 英学史研究 (ISSN:03869490)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.1984, no.16, pp.51-62, 1983
At the end of the second year of Meiji (1869 A. D.) an English <I>oyatoi</I> came to Nanao, a port town in Kaga, in order to teach English and French at a school there. <BR>The name of the school was Nanao Gogakusho i. e. Nanao Foreign Language School that was established by Kanazawa Clan as the branch school of Chienkan, English language school founded by the clan in Kanazawa.<BR>This Englishman's name has been known as Osborn, but it was not until seven years ago that his first name became known. His full name was Percival Osborn, and at the same time his Japanese wife's name and his career in Japan etc. were proved as the fruit of the late Mr. Tsukahara's and my many years' study.<BR>Percival was born in London on the 16th of September in 1842. His father John Jenks Osborn was an American army officer stationed at Aachen in Germany and he was given an education in Germany and Switzerland besides England. So he learned German and French in addition to English.<BR>In 1867 he landed in Japan via China. When he came to Nanao, his Japanese wife named Seto was pregnant and on the 15th of June in 1870 his son George was born there.<BR>The number of his pupils was about thirty and many among them grew up to make their names immortal. They contributed greatly to the modernization of Japan, and especially following six men are famous : Joji Sakurai ; a doctor of science, Jokichi Takamine; a doctor of pharmacy and science, Isoji Ishiguro; a doctor of engineering, Jintaro Takayama; ditto, Seijiro Hirai; ditto, and Sotokichi Uriu; an admiral.<BR>For about two years from 1871 he had been employed as a teacher of English and French at the school of Okayama Clan.<BR>In Novenber 1872 he was employed in the Kanagawa prefectural government and had filled the post of foreign secretary for nearly seventeen years. Japanese government decorated him with the third order for his sincere service to the local government.<BR>In 1890 he went back to England with his wife and two children. His daughter Agnes was born in Yokohama in 1876.<BR>After he returned to his native country, he lived in comfort and died at Vevey in Switzerland in 1905. Now his granddaughter Margaret is in good health and lives at Uckfield in East Sussex, England.