The Doshisha

(Last updated on 6/25/2002)

The Doshisha (introduction)
Doshisha University Profile
Brief Chronology of the Doshisha
Important Cultural Properties of the Doshisha
Joseph Hardy Neesima
--From birth to flight from Japan (1843-1864)--
Neesima's Writings
Chronology of Joseph Hardy Neesima
Neesima Corpus

The Doshisha
The Doshisha is a group of private educational institutions located in and around Kyoto. It includes Doshisha University, Doshisha Women's College (both with various graduate schools), four senior high schools and another four junior high schools and Doshisha Kindergarten. It has more than 1,200 faculty and staff members and 36,000 full-time students. It is one of the ten major private schools in Japan and one of four in the Kansai area.
Doshisha's educational philosophy is based on liberal arts, Christianity, and internationalism. It emphasizes arts and science as well as educating men and women of conscience, as Joseph Hardy Neesima, the founder, dreamed in 1875 when he started the Doshisha with eight students.
The Doshisha is interesting for a number of reasons. The main campus in Kyoto has a number of important cultural properties that were built in the early days. Founder Joseph Hardy Neesima himself was an extraordinary man who escaped from Japan at a time when leaving Japan was a capital crime. He went to the United States and became the first Japanese to graduate from a Western institution of higher learning. After ten years abroad, he returned to Japan with the plan of founding a school which would teach various subjects but which would be based on Christian principals. The Doshisha has a unique history among educational institutions in Japan.
You can see the programs and other information on each Doshisha institution at the following web sites.
Doshisha University
Doshisha Women's College (in Japanese)
Doshisha High School (in Japanese)
Doshisha International Junior/Senior High School
Doshisha Kori High School (in Japanese)
Doshisha Girls High School (in Japanese)
Doshisha Junior High School (in Japanese)
Doshisha Kindergarten (in Japanese)
In these web pages, we have some information about the Doshisha, its history, and the founder, Joseph Hardy Neesima. We hope information we had provided will be useful in helping you understand what the Doshisha is like.

Joseph Hardy Neesima's Writings
Why Did Joseph Hardy Neesima Go to the United States?
--Statement Presented to Mr. Hardy--
(This was a statement written by Neesima shortly after he arrived in Boston. He had been unable to explain verbally in English what he

wanted to do in the US, and he had been requested to write about his reasons for coming. This statement so impressed the Hardys that they decided to support him while he received an education in the US. They continued to help support his ministry and work in establishing the Doshisha for the rest of his life. )

Wild Rover
The Founding of The Doshisha and Doshisha University
How The Doshisha Was Established. (April 1983)
The Aim in Establishing Doshisha University. (November 19888)
My Younger Days
Autobiography (August 29, 1885)
Joseph Hardy Neesima's Will
St. Gothard, Switzerland (August 6, 1884)
(While traveling in Switzerland, Neesima became ill and felt he might be dying, and he produced this will.)
Appeal on Behalf of a higher Christian education in Japan
Boston, Massachusetts (October, 1884)
(In October 1884, Neesima attended the 75th annual meeting of the American Board, where he spoke briefly. After returning to Boston, he produced this appeal, which was printed for private circulation among the friends of education.)
Neesima's First Composition Assignment at Philips Academy
(9th May, 1866)
Neesima's application for an appointment as a missionary (April, 30th 1874)
(These are letters which Neesima wrote to apply for an appointment as a missionary to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the missionary wing of the Congregational Church.)
Meeting with the Iwakura Mission Letter to the Hardys dated March 8, 1872

In 1872, Neesima was invited to Washington, D.C., to advise representatives of the Japanese government who were visiting the US to study the American educational system. Neesima was willing to do what he could to help them, but he wanted to make certain that it was clearly understood that he was doing so of his own free will, not because he was ordered to do so, since his education was being financed privately and not by the Japanese government. He made this distinction in order to preserve his future freedom to work as a missionary in Japan without obligation to work for the Japanese government.
In this letter to the Hardys, Neesima describes his experiences in the first few days after arriving in Washington.
Letters from Washington, D.C. 5 Letters dated in March 1872
While Neesima was in Washington, DC, he met Mr. Fujimaro Tanaka, Commissioner of Education. Neesima accompanied him on his visits to American schools and acted as his translator. Mr. Tanaka found Neesima's help invaluable, and he asked Neesima to go with him to Europe, where he would be going next to study other educational systems. Neesima felt that he needed to ask permission from the Hardys before making a decision. In the series of letters, Neesima discusses the possibility of going to Europe and describes some of his experiences in Washington. He also reports a discussion with Mr. Tanaka about Christian education. (These letters were addressed to both Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, except for the third on, which was addressed to Mr. Hardy alone.)
The Decision about Returning to Japan Letter to the Hardays dated on December 16, 1872
While they were in Europe, Neesima made himself very useful to Mr. Tanaka. As Mr. Tanaka was preparing to return to Japan, he asked Neesima to return with him and help him set up the educational system in Japan. Neesima was tempted to do so, and wrote to the Hardys asking their opinions, but in the end, he decided to continue his education at Andover Theological Seminary. In this letter to Mrs. Hardy, he explains his reasons.
Neesima's First Public Sermon at Hancock Church, Lexington on May 2, 1874

Mrs. Hardy
Letter to Mrs. Hardy from Annaka (December 22, 1874)
(Neesima wrote this letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy, describing his first visit to his parents' home in more than ten years and the receptiveness of the people of Annaka to Christianity.)
Letter to Mrs. Hardy (November 23, 1875)
(This is a letter that Neesima wrote to Mrs. Hardy, describing his efforts to start a school in Kyoto and also describing his future wife, Yae Yamamoto.)

Mr. Hardy
Letter to Mr. Hardy (September 4, 1879)
(Neesima wrote this letter to Mr. Hardy to explain to him the difficulty that his school was having with the government, and asking him to use his influence with the American Board to establish a permanent fund for the Doshisha. He also emphasized the importance of setting higher academic standards.)
____________________________________
A Letter to Miss Hidden November 22, 1867
After moving to Amherst to attend Amherst College, Neesima kept up a correspondence with Miss Mary Hidden, in whose home he had lived while a student at Phillips Academy. This letter is one of the letters that he wrote to her.
A Letter to Mrs. Hardy April 27, 1868
Neesima wrote this letter to Mrs. Hardy, telling her about a letter he received from his father.
A Letter to Captain Taylor's Family December 21, 1869
While he was living in the US, Neesima maintained a relationship with Captain Horace Taylor, the captain of the Wild Rover, who had brought Neesima to Boston and introduced him to the Hardys. He visited the family and corresponded with them. In December 1869, Captain Taylor died in an accident. Neesima was shocked and deeply grieved by his death, and he visited the family immediately. He also wrote the family a long letter. He copied the letter and sent a copy to Miss Hidden, the woman in whose house he had lived while attending Phillips Academy, along with a cover letter.
Description of Japan Neesima's letter written on February 6, 1870
(Neesima wrote this letter in response to a request for information about the situation in Japan from Mr. Henry Albert Stimson, a graduate of Andover Theological Seminary. The request was communicated through Mr. W. B. Graves, a former teacher of Neesima's. )
A Letter to Mrs. Seelye April 19, 1870
During his time at Amherst College, Neesima sometimes stayed with Prof. Julius Seelye, who was a professor of philosophy and President of Amherst College, and his wife Elizabeth. He wrote this letter to Mrs. Seelye during a vacation.
A Letter to Mrs. Flint March 21, 1871
This letter was written to Mrs. Orilla Flint, a neighbor of Neesima's when he lived in Andover and attended Phillips Academy. In it, Neesima discusses his concerns about his relationship with the Japanese government.
A Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy March 1875
A Letter to Miss Hidden December 25, 1876
Neesima wrote the following letter to Miss Hidden, describing his activities in Kyoto.
A Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy August 16, 1878
In August, 1878, Neesima spent some time alone in a temple on the outskirts of Kyoto. In this letter to the Hardys, he describes his situation.
A Letter to Dr. John C. Berry May 5, 1883
This draft of a letter was written by the members of the Doshisha to Dr. Berry, an American Board missionary in Japan. It's purpose was to justify the founding of a medical school.
A Letter to Mrs. Hardy August 24, 1887
Neesima wrote this letter to Mrs. Hardy after receiving the news of Mr. Hardy's death.
A Letter to Dr. Clark November 10, 1888
In 1888, the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches in Japan were considering a proposal to unite. Neesima was opposed to the move, and he wrote this letter to Dr. N. G. Clark, the corresponding secretary of the American Board, to explain his reasons for opposition and to ask questions.
A Letter to Prof. Seelye September 3, 1889
In 1889, Amherst College proposed granting an honorary L.L.D degree to Neesima, possibly the first honorary degree granted to a Japanese by a Western institution of higher learning. He wrote this letter to Prof. Seelye, president of Amherst, in response.
A Letter to Mrs. Hardy October 5, 1889
In this letter, Neesima wrote to Mrs. Hardy about his health, his plans for the future, and his memories of his time in the US. (West Gouldsbourough refers to the Hardys' summer home in Maine, where Neesima had stayed. The union he refers to is a proposed union between the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches in Japan.)
1865
A Letter to Alpheus Hardy October 14, 1865
1866
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy April 9, 1866
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy September 10, 1866
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy December 25, 1866
1867
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy September 23, 1867
A Letter to Orilla Flint October 30, 1867
1868
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy February 14, 1868
A Letter to the Reverend James Ballagh March 13th/68
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy March 28, 1868
1872
A Letter to Mr. & Mrs. Hardy July 21, 1872
1874
A Letter to Alpheus Hardy October 29, 1874
A Letter to Elizabeth T. Seelye Oct. 29th/74
1880
A Letter to Alpheus Hardy February, 1880
1881
A Letter to Captain William T. Savory Aug. Ist 1881
1883
A Letter to Dewitt Jencks Jan. 22d/83
1885
A Letter to Kyoto Colleagues [January 1885]
A Letter to KOYANO Keizo March 22d/85
A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark May 12th/85
A Letter to [Kyoto Colleagues?] [May 26, 1885]
A Letter to the Reverend Joel Stone Ives July 21st 1885
A Letter to [To Mr. & Mrs. Hardy] [July 28, 1885]
A Letter to Uchimura Kanzo Aug. 7th 1885
A Letter to Kurahara Korehiro Oct. 18th/85
A Letter to Miss Bessie [Elizabeth] Seelye Oct. 27th/85
1886
A Letter to the Reverend John H. DeForest Sept. 17th/86
A Letter to Professor Morar Oct. 29th/86
1887
A Letter to Captain William T. Savory March 4th/87
A Letter to Dr. John C. Berry, Dr. Sara C. Buckley and Miss Linda A. J. Richards April 13th 1887
A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark May 11th 1887
1888
A Letter to [Susan H. Hardy] [March 5, 1888]
A Letter to Susan H. Hardy July 4, 1888
A Letter to MATSUO Otojiro Aug. 23d/88
1889
A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark Feb. 13th/89
A Letter to the Directors of The Pacific Sept. 24th/89
1890
A Letter to January 5, 1890

Neesima Corpus

Early Neesima Corpus (1864-1867)
1864
1a [To Fukushi Unokichi] [August 9, 1864]
1b [To Fukushi Unokichi] [August 10, 1864]
1865
2 A Letter to Alpheus Hardy October 14, 1865
1866
3 To Alpheus Hardy January 1, 1866
4 To Alpheus Hardy January 20, 1866
5 To Fukushi Unokichi February 23, 1866
6 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy April 9, 1866
7 To Mary E. Hidden July 24, 1866
8 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy 1st August [1866?]
9 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy September 10, 1866
10 To Susan H. Hardy October 27, 1866
11 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy December 25, 1866
1867
12 To HAMADA Hikozo [April 11, 1867]
13 To Susan H. Hardy May 18, 1867
14 To Mary E. Hidden July 31st, 1867
15 To Susan H. Hardy August 8, 1867
16 To Mary E. Hidden Aug. 15th 1867
17 To Susan H. Hardy August 26, 1867
17d diary entry while at Chatham Summer 1867
18 To Mary E. Hidden Sept. 8th/67
19 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy September 23, 1867
20 A Letter to Orilla Flint October 30, 1867
21 To Susan H. Hardy November 16, 1867
22 A Letter to Miss Hidden November 22, 1867
23 To Orilla Flint December 1, 1867

Late Neesima Corpus (1864-1867)
1888
265 To Dr. Jerome D. Davis [January 10, 1888]
266 To Dr. N. G. Clark March 3, 1888
267 To Dr. N. G. Clark March 4th/88
268 A Letter to [Susan H. Hardy] [March 5, 1888]
269 To SHIMOMURA Kotaro June 4th (Monday)/88
270 To Dr. N. G. Clark June 23d/88
271 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy July 4, 1888
272 To Susan H. Hardy August 13, 1888
273 A Letter to MATSUO Otojiro Aug. 23d/88
274 To SHIMOMURA Kotaro Oct. 12th/88
275 To Dr. N. G. Clark Oct. 15th/88
276 To KASHIWAGI Gien Nov. 1st/88
277 A Letter to Dr. Clark November 10, 1888
278 To the Reverend John H. DeForest Nov. 28th/88
279 To SHIMOMURA Kotaro Nov. 30th/88
280 To Dr. N. G. Clark Dec. 11th/88
281 To SHIMOMURA Kotaro Dec. 24th 1888
1889
282 A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark Feb. 13th/89
283 To Dr. N. G. Clark Feb. 13th/89
284 To Dr. N. G. Clark March 19th/89
285 To Dr. N. G. Clark April 12th/89
286 To the Reverend Doremus Scudder April 16th/89
287 To Dr. N. G. Clark May 15th/89
288 To Susan H. Hardy [c. mid-May 1889]
289 To Dr. N. G. Clark June 11th/89
290 [To Dr. N. G. Clark] June 17th/89
291 To Dr. N. G. Clark July 5th/89
292 To SHIMOMURA Kotaro July 5th/89
293 To Susan H. Hardy [August 20, 1889]
294 A Letter to Prof. Seelye September 3, 1889
295 A Letter to the Directors of The Pacific Sept. 24th/89
296 To Dr. N. G. Clark Sept. 27th/89
297 To Dr. Jerome D. Davis and Professor Chauncey M. Cady Oct. 3d 1889
298 A Letter to Mrs. Hardy October 5, 1889
1890
299 A Letter to January 5, 1890

Mid Neesima Corpus (1874[return to Japan]--1876)
1874
130 Letter to Mrs. Hardy from Annaka December 22, 1874
132 To Mary E. Hidden Dec. 31st 1874
1875
133 To Professor Julius H. Seelye Jan. 10th 1874 [1875]
134 To Dr. N. G. Clark January 25th/75
135 A Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy March 1875
136 To Professor Julius H. SeelyeApril 27th 1875
137 [To Mr. & Mrs. Hardy] July 7,, 1875
138 [To the Reverend Jerome D. Davis?] August 2, 1875
139 [To the Reverend Jerome D. Davis?] August 24, 1875
140a To the Reverend Jerome D. Davis October 11, 1875
140b To the Reverend Jerome D. Davis October 16, 1875
141 Letter to Mrs. Hardy (November 23, 1875)
1876
142 To Mr. & Mrs. Hardy January 6, 1876
143 To Elizabeth T. Seelye March 27th/76
144 To Mary E. Hidden March 27th/76
145 To Dr. N. G. Clark May 8th/76
146 To Alpheus Hardy June 6, 1876
147 To Mr. & Mrs. Hardy September 6, 1876
148 To President Julius H. Seelye Dec. 24th/76
149 To Elizabeth T. Seelye Dec. 24th/76
150 A Letter to Miss Hidden December 25, 1876
151 To the Reverend John A. Kaly Dec. 26th/76

Other
1868
26 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy February 14, 1868
29 A Letter to the Reverend James Ballagh March 13th/68
30 A Letter to Susan H. Hardy March 28, 1868
33 A Letter to Mrs. Hardy April 27, 1868
1869
56b A Letter to Captain Taylor's Family December 21, 1869
1872
98 A Letter to Mr. & Mrs. Hardy July 21, 1872
1874
125 A Letter to Alpheus Hardy October 29, 1874
126 A Letter to Elizabeth T. Seelye Oct. 29th/74
1878
161 A Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy August 16, 1878

1880
173 A Letter to Alpheus Hardy February, 1880
1881
178 A Letter to Captain William T. Savory Aug. Ist 1881
1883
180 A Letter to Dewitt Jencks Jan. 22d/83
181 A Letter to Dr. John C. Berry May 5, 1883
1885
211 A Letter to Kyoto Colleagues [January 1885]
215 A Letter to KOYANO Keizo March 22d/85
222 A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark May 12th/85
224 A Letter to [Kyoto Colleagues?] [May 26, 1885]
228 A Letter to the Reverend Joel Stone Ives July 21st 1885
229 A Letter to [To Mr. & Mrs. Hardy] [July 28, 1885]
232 A Letter to Uchimura Kanzo Aug. 7th 1885
236 A Letter to Kurahara Korehiro Oct. 18th/85
238 A Letter to Miss Bessie [Elizabeth] Seelye Oct. 27th/85
1886
252 A Letter to the Reverend John H. DeForest Sept. 17th/86
253 A Letter to Professor Morar Oct. 29th/86
1887
255 A Letter to Captain William T. Savory March 4th/87
256 A Letter to Dr. John C. Berry, Dr. Sara C. Buckley and Miss Linda A. J. Richards April 13th 1887
258 A Letter to Dr. N. G. Clark May 11th 1887
261 A Letter to Mrs. Hardy August 24, 1887

Two Chatham Mariners Helped Young Japanese Man Realize His Dream, And Change His Country

copyright (2005) by S. Kathleen Kitao and Kenji Kitao


Wild Rover


Mrs. Hardy


Mr. Hardy

The Doshisha

The Doshisha

Neesima Corpus

Early Neesima Corpus (1864-1867)

Late Neesima Corpus (1864-1867)

Mid Neesima Corpus (1874[return to Japan]--1876)