Endo Kinsuke (遠藤謹助)
Kinsuke ENDO, Male, (February 15, 1836 - 1893), a bureaucrat, one of 5 great persons from Choshu domain in Meiji Period
Career
In 1866, Endo returned to Japan from England where he had stayed to study.
In 1886, Harry Parks (1828-1885), English envoy to Japan, arranged for English Admiral King to visit Choshu domain. Kaoru INOUE and others greeted the admiral at Mitajiri and the next day meeting between Takachika MORI and his son, and King was realized at the admiral room in an English warship. At that time, ENDO and INOUE acted as interpreters.
After Meiji Restoration, he worked for the Mint Bureau (Japan) from 1870 through 1893.
In 1874, he conflicted with Kindle, the leader of foreigners hired to teach new techniques to the Mint Bureau and Endo lef the Mint Bureau. But when the Mint Bureau canceled the contract with English Oriental Banking Corporation and disemployed nine foreigners including Kindle in January 1875, ENDO returned to the Mint Bureau again.
The custom of making pathways lined with cherry trees in the site of the Osaka Mint Bureau open to the public for one week in the middle of April every year began in 1883 by the order of ENDO who was Bureau Chief then and has been inherited to be still enjoyed as a special spring feature in Osaka.