Kanda Sano Bunko Special Exhibition “Nishi Amane and the
Transformation of Western Studies in the Late Edo Period”
Sano Gakuen Press Release: October 17, 2025 Kanda Sano Bunko Special Exhibition “Nishi Amane and the Transformation of Western Studies in the Late Edo Period” Held The Library of Kanda University of International Studies (Mihama-ku, Chiba City / President: Miyauchi Takahisa) will hold a special exhibition at the Kanda Sano Bunko, “Nishi Amane and the Shift in Western Studies at the End of the Edo Period,” from Wednesday, November 5th to Friday, November 14th, 2025. This exhibition will explore the footsteps of Nishi Amane, who was the first to implement the shift from Dutch studies to English studies at the Bansho Shirabesho, a full-scale Western studies institute at the end of the Edo period, along with valuable materials housed in the Kanda Sano Bunko. Through these materials, we will examine the major changes in Western studies that continued from the end of the Edo period through the Meiji period. Additionally, on Wednesday, November 5th, a symposium will be held featuring Akihiro Machida, professor in the School of Foreign Languages and director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at Kanda University of International Studies, Kiyoshi Matsuda, visiting professor at the Institute of Japanese Studies at Kanda University and professor emeritus at Kyoto University, who supervised the exhibition, and Taisuke Ueno, associate professor in the School of Global Liberal Arts. Kanda Sano Bunko Special Exhibition “Nishi Amane and the Transformation of Western Studies in the Late Edo Period” Overview Organizer Kanda University of International Studies Library Period November 5th (Wed) – 14th (Fri), 2025, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM *Closed on November 8th (Sat) and November 9th (Sun) *Entry procedures are required at the General Affairs Office on the 2nd floor of Kanda University of International Studies Building 1. Venue space Kanda University of International Studies Library Exhibition Room (1st floor, Kanda University of International Studies Building 7/Wakaba 1-4-1, Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture) Fees/Admission Fees Free Supervision Kiyoshi Matsuda (Visiting Professor, Japanese Institute, Kanda University of International Studies, Professor Emeritus, Kyoto University) Inquiry Library: TEL 043-273-1192 A symposium hosted by the Institute of Japanese Studies will be held on the first day, Wednesday, November 5th. This symposium will examine the development of Western learning at the end of the Edo period from various angles through the life and thought of Nishi Amane, and presentations will be held in conjunction with the exhibit content. Organizer Kanda University of Foreign Studies Japanese Research Institute Date and time Wednesday, November 5, 2025 12:30-14:40 Venue Kanda University of International Studies Building 4 4-401 Speaker Akihiro Machida (Professor, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Director of the Japanese Institute) Kyoshi Matsuda (Visiting Professor, Institute of Japanese Studies, Professor Emeritus of Kyoto University) Taisuke Ueno (Associate Professor, Faculty of Global Liberal Arts) Program Presentation 1. “The Life of Nishi Amane and Japanese-Style Chinese Words” by Machida Akihiro Presentation 2. “English Studies at the Bansho Shirabesho” by Matsuda Kiyoshi Tripartite Discussion “Nishi Amane and the Transformation of Western Studies in the Late Edo Period” by Machida Akihiro, Matsuda Kiyoshi, and Ueno Taisuke Join Free/No advance application required Inquiry Japanese Research Institute TEL 043-273-1389 Exhibition Supervisor Commentary by Kiyoshi Matsuda Nishi Amane (1829-1897), a renowned Meiji-era Enlightenment thinker and philosopher, departed for the Netherlands to study in 1862. He studied political science, economics, law, and philosophy under Professor Vissering of Leiden University and contributed to the publication of “Daigaku: Japanese Character and Side Readings,” edited by Professor Hoffmann. After returning to Japan in 1865, he became a professor at the Kaisei School and then a close aide to Tokugawa Yoshinobu, translating Visserling’s “Public Law of Nations”
(International Law) (later published in 1868). After the Meiji Restoration, he served as the first principal of Numazu Naval Academy and then joined the General Staff Bureau of the Ministry of the Army under the new government, where he worked on compiling a military dictionary and drafting the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors. During this time, he coined the translation of “hirosohi” (philosophy) as “tetsugaku” (philosophy) in “Hyakuichi Shinron” (Hyakuichi Shinron) (published in March 1874), and published an introductory book on logic, “Chichi Keimo” (Chichi Keimo) (July 1874). He also published a series of enlightening essays, including “A Discussion on Writing Japanese Language Using Western Characters” in the Meiroku Zasshi (Meiji Roku Zasshi). Nishi Shusuke (who changed his name to Nishi Amane in 1869) was born to a doctor in the Tsuwano domain. At the age of four, his father taught him the Book of Filial Piety, and at the age of six, his grandfather taught him the Four Classics (The Great Learning, The Analects, Mencius, and The Doctrine of the Mean). At the age of 20, he became a punctuation instructor (assistant professor of Confucianism) at the domain school, Yorokan. In 1853 (Kaei 6), at the age of 25, when Perry arrived on Japanese soil, he was sent to Edo by his domain, but he left to study Dutch and read military books. In 1855, he entered the school of Dutch scholar Tezuka Ritsuzo and thoroughly read the Dutch book “Hengchi Yangchi” (a science
introductory book with a question-and-answer format). The following year, at Tezuka’s command, he studied English pronunciation with Nakahama Manjiro, who had returned from the United States, and read English books with the help of Holtrop’s English-Dutch Dictionary, which Tezuka owned. In May 1857, he was hired as a lecturer at the Shogunate’s Western studies research institute, the Bansho Shirabesho, and became the first Dutch scholar to begin translating English literature. During the Shogunate’s mission to the United States in 1860, he expressed his desire to study in the United States, but was unable to do so. In 1862, however, he was ordered to study in the Netherlands along with his colleague, Tsuda Shinichiro (later known as Shindo). This exhibition focuses on the significant role Nishi Amane played as a pioneer of English studies, and examines various aspects of Western studies during the transition from Dutch to English studies through 32 rare materials from the Kanda Sano Bunko collection. About the Kanda Sano Library The Kanda Sano Library, located at Kanda University of International Studies, is a distinctive collection of materials on the history of cultural exchange at Kanda University of International Studies. It contains a wide range of educational and research materials on Western languages and culture that were published or transcribed in Japan over a period of approximately 170 years, from the late Edo period through the Meiji Restoration and up until the Allied Occupation (1780s to the 1950s), as well as Western books related to Japan that were published in the Western world during the same period. *Poster attached Panelist Comments [Machida Akihiro] Known as a philosopher and Enlightenment thinker, Nishi Amane studied in the Netherlands as a student of the shogunate during the Meiji Restoration. After returning to Japan, he served as a close aide to the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and dreamed of modernizing Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, including drafting the “Draft Agenda.” Nishi also created many Japanese-style Chinese words to introduce various Western concepts that did not exist in the East, and these words are still used today not only in Japan but also in China. This will be a rare opportunity to get a bird’s-eye view of Nishi’s life, focusing on the end of the Edo period, and to learn about the true nature of Nishi’s Japanese-style Chinese words. [Ueno Taisuke] Nishi Amane has been attracting attention in recent years as one of the earliest thinkers who helped Japan move toward modernization. Previous studies have focused on topics such as the origin of translated words, Mori Ogai’s “The Biography of Nishi Amane” and his actual life, the ideological influence of Song learning and Sorai learning, his devotion to Kumazawa Banzan, his position within the modernization of Confucianism in East Asia, positivism and “philosophy,” and military thought. Against this backdrop, this symposium is a groundbreaking attempt to reexamine Nishi from the perspective of “English learning.” From exhibition materials
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/78115/196/78115-196-ca6e560778d15525d0d3508c8485785e-235×325.png
Pyle/Japanese Print,” is in the handwriting of Masaharu Wakabayashi (1912-1984), owner of Shunwado, a used bookshop in Fushimi, Kyoto, and a former owner of the Wakabayashi Collection, which forms the core of the Kanda Sano Bunko. It was donated to the Kanda Sano Bunko last year.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/78115/196/78115-196-dd02008cfb02caed90f7d5fcb1d4bb07-3248×2470.jpg Simplified English Grammar, original by Vergani, Dutch version, 2nd edition, Amsterdam, 1853 Post-it: Publication Permission from the Shogunate’s Bansho Shirabesho (December 1856) On December 12, 1856 (Ansei 3), Udagawa Kosai (1821-1887), a vassal of Matsudaira Naritami, lord of the Tsuyama domain, a domain physician, and scholar of Western studies, submitted the original copy of Vergani’s “Abridged English Grammar” to the Shogunate’s newly established Western studies research institute, the Bansho Shirabesho (Bansho Shirabesho), for permission to reprint and publish it. Inspection was completed on the 15th, and the original book was returned with a “Bansho Shirabesho Kai” seal stamped on the half-title page and a letter of permission stating, “There is no difficulty in opening the book, and one copy of each completed copy should be submitted to the Shirabesho.”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/78115/196/78115-196-37eac335ef6921dd413db063427c60d5-440×368.png Eikiri Bunten, Volume 1, Japanese engraved version, 1857, Udagawa Ujizo Azusa (1) 57 guns. Title inscription (center): “English Grammar, Vol. 1.” Foreground inscription: “English Grammar, Vol. 1.” Front cover endpaper: “Ansei 4th year, Dingshi new edition (red seal: upper box) / ENGELSCHE SPRAAKKUNST English Grammar / Bizen, Udagawa family collection (collector’s seal: Bosatsuro).” Published in Edo by Udagawa Kosai, fourth head of the Udagawa family, physicians of the Tsuyama domain. This is a fully revised reprint of the second Dutch edition (1853) of Vergani’s “Concise English Grammar,” from the title page to the end of Lesson 17 on English Composition (p. 106). The title page bears the seal “Awarded by Chujun” (white seal) and “Daigo Collection” (red seal). The former owner, Daigo Tadaosa, was a nobleman. He served as an advisor to the new Meiji government, the governor-general of the Osaka Tribunal, and later became the first governor of Osaka Prefecture.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/78115/196/78115-196-bf6766a61313613150596327fe27ec26-234×372.png Ijiri Bunten Edited by Ritsuzo Tezuka and Shusuke Nishi Edited by Sangoro Tsuda and Sukeemon Maki Around 1859 Yushindo Japan’s first fully-printed English grammar book. A reprint of The Elementary Catechisms. English Grammar. London, Groombridge & Sons, 1850. Tezuka Ritsuzo (1822-1878) was a Dutch scholar from Suo. He was employed by the Sakura Domain in 1851, and opened a private school, Matashindo, in Edo in the same year. Nishi Shusuke (later Nishi Amane) became a disciple of Matashindo in November 1855. That winter, at Tezuka’s command, he learned English pronunciation from Nakahama Manjiro. Manjiro apparently brought back the original version of this book from America, where he had been shipwrecked. Nishi then made a copy and studied English with Tezuka.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/78115/196/78115-196-d9fe11af0b7829b1e90147686420cc0c-441×356.png A Shortcut to Anglo-American Conversation, translated by Nakahama Manjiro, Chikido Collection, September 1859 (Ansei 6) Fully reprinted and sewn. 39 pages in total. The heading is taken from the title page on the inside cover: “A Shortcut to Anglo-American Conversation, translated by Nakahama Manjiro, published in the late autumn of the Ansei era by Shitara.” Late autumn in the year Ansei Kino corresponds to September 1859 (Ansei 6). On the back of page 39, there is an inscription by a female former owner: “Man’en 1 / Yokohama 2-chome / Nabeya Ajiro / Daughter Shima.” The translator, Nakahama Manjiro, was a fisherman from Usaura, Tosa. In 1841 (Tenpo 12), he was adrift at age 14. With the support of Captain Whitfield, the American whaling ship he rescued, he received an education in the United States, and ten years later, in 1851, he traveled through the Ryukyu Islands and landed in Kagoshima. He returned to Tosa the following year. His American-trained English skills, knowledge of navigation, and knowledge of overseas countries earned him valuable employment in the Satsuma and Tosa domains, the shogunate, and the Meiji government. Akihiro Machida, Professor, Faculty of Foreign Studies, Kanda University of International Studies, Director of the Japanese Research Institute Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1962. Graduated from Sophia University’s Faculty of Letters and Keio University’s Faculty of Letters, and completed the doctoral program at Bukkyo University’s Graduate School of Letters. His works include Shimazu Hisamitsu: The Focus of Bakumatsu Politics (Kodansha Sensho Metier), The History of the Bakumatsu Period’s Expulsion of Foreigners (Kodansha Academic Library), A Global History of the Bakumatsu Period (Soshisha), The Satsuma-Choshu Alliance (Jinbun Shoin), A New Theory of Sakamoto Ryoma (Shueisha International), and The Frontline of Bakumatsu History from the Perspective of Individuals (Shueisha International). Kiyoshi Matsuda, Visiting Professor, Institute of Japanese Studies, Kanda University of International Studies Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1947. Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University. His fields of research are the history of Western studies in Japan, the history of intellectual exchange between Japan and Europe, bibliography, and early modern Kyoto studies. His major works include Bibliographical Studies of Western Studies (Rinkawa Shoten, 1998), Kundoku Bungo Kokushi (co-editor, Shibunkaku Publishing, 2018), The World of the Yamamoto Reading Room, Kyoto’s Academy (Kyoto Shimbun Publications Center, 2019), and Research on New Cantonese Learning Books in Japan (co-author, Kanda University of International Studies, Japan Institute, 2025). Ueno Taisuke, Associate Professor, School of Global Liberal Arts, Kanda University of International Studies, and Researcher, Japanese Studies Institute Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1983. Completed the doctoral program at the Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Sociology. His research fields are ethics, the history of Japanese ethical thought, and Japanese intellectual history. He received the Watsuji Award (authorship category) from the Japanese Association for Ethics for his book “Flowers that Transmit: The Thought of Zeami’s Writings.” His papers include “What it means to create Noh plays: Aiming to bridge the ideological gap between Noh plays and Noh composition theory using the example of Yumi Hachiman” and “Tsunetomo’s suffering in life: On ‘finding that it is death’.” Reference link Kanda University of International Studies
https://www.kandagaigo.ac.jp/kuis/ Kanda University of International Studies, Institute of Japanese Studies
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