Nakamura Masanao

Deceased Person

1832 – 1891

 Credit ยป
50

Who was Nakamura Masanao?

Nakamura Masanao was a Japanese educator and leader during the Meiji period. He also went by his pen-name of Nakamura Keiu.

Born to a samurai family in Edo, Nakamura was originally a Confucian scholar. He was selected by the Tokugawa bakufu to study in Great Britain, where he mastered the English language.

On his return to Japan, he translated Self-Help, by Samuel Smiles, and On Liberty, by John Stuart Mill into Japanese. Both works proved to be tremendously popular.

He taught at the Tokyo Imperial University, founded a school, Dojinsha, and headed what later became the Ochanomizu University.

Nakamura was one of the first prominent Japanese philosophers to convert to Christianity, which he tempered with Confucian humanism and belief in the innate goodness of humanity. He viewed Christianity as the foundation for the military and economic strength of the western nations, and stated that Japan needed to discard its traditional beliefs as a necessary step in strengthening the nation. In this, he was one of the more radical members of the original circle of philosophers in the Meirokusha.

We need you!

Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!

Born
1832
Edo
Lived in
  • Tokyo
Died
1891

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Nakamura Masanao." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/nakamura_masanao>.

Discuss this Nakamura Masanao biography with the community:

0 Comments

    Browse Biographies.net