Sakatani Roro (阪谷朗廬)
Roro SAKATANI (November 17, 1822 - January 15, 1881) was a scholar of the Chinese classics and Confucianism from Okayama Prefecture. He was an active educator at the end of the Edo period and was also a government official after the Meiji Restoration. He was a councilor at the Tokyo Academy.
His real name was Shiroshi and he also wrote books with the name Shiroshi SAKATANI. Roro was his alias. His childhood name was Motosaburo and he was also known by his nickname Kihachiro.
Yoshio SAKATANI, who was a Minister of Finance and a mayor of Tokyo City, was his son.
Biography
In 1822, Roro SAKATANI was born as the third son of Ryoya SAKATANI, who worked for a magistrate's office in Kumyo-mura Village (present-day Ihara City, Okayama Prefecture) of Kawakami County in Bicchu Province (Okayama Prefecture).
When he was 6 years old, he moved to Osaka where his father worked at that time and studied under Shozan OKUNO at first and then under Heiachiro OSHIO, where his talent was recognized. When he was 11 years old, he moved to Edo where his father was transferred and he became a disciple of Seki SAKAYA (Seikei) who was a Neo-Confucian scholar from Tsuyama City in Okayama Prefecture, a fellow countryman. Later he studied under Doan Koga at the age of 17. When he was 26 years old, he returned home in order to look after his sick mother.
In 1851, he founded Sakuradani-juku School in Yanase-mura Village near Kumyo-mura Village where his native home was (both villages are now a part of Ihara City) with the help of his uncle Hozo YAMANARI (Dainen YAMANARI). In 1853, when the magistrate's office established Kojokan School (latter-day Kojokan High-school) as a Confucian school, he was appointed as the first head of the school and taught young people in his hometown. During the upheaval at the end of the Edo period at that time, Roro was said to have been sympathetic to the Kaikoku group who promoted Japan's opening to the world.
Although he was invited as a Hanju (a Confucian scholar who work for a domain) by Hiroshima Domain in 1868, he declined the post as a result of Haihan-chiken (abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures). In 1871, he moved back to Tokyo again and entered the Department of War of the Meiji Government. Later, he held various governmental posts such as the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Home Affairs. At the same time, he joined Meirokusha (Japan's first academic society) alongside with Yukichi FUKUZAWA and was active as the only confucian member of the society. In 1879, he was elected to be a member of the Tokyo Academy.
In 1880, he founded Shungai-gakusha School in order to devote himself to education again, but in 1881, he died of illness at his home in Koishikawa.
Genealogy
Sakatani Family
During the time of the second head of the family, Shirobei, the family owned the fields measuring 2 cho 6 tan 7 se and 2 bu according to the cadastral register of 1680, and during the time of the third head Jihei, the family owned the fields measuring 4 cho 9 tan and 8 se. Jinbei (Jinpachi), the fifth head of the family, was adopted as a husband from the Date family of Tomonari DOMURA, and became the restorer of the family. The family owned the rice fields measuring 2 cho 7 tan 6 se and 7 bu and the fields measuring 1 cho 1 tan 9 se and 7 bu, which amounted to 24 koku in total. In 1745, the family started the sake-brewing business and produced sake worth 250 koku in 1785. However as a result of the Tenmei Famine, the amount was down by half in 1786, and it was reduced to its one third by 1787. The family was given the status of Buddhist priesthood by the feudal lord Togawa clan, and they changed the family name from "Sakatani" to "Sakata". In 1749, the family became 御札座役 and was called Fudaya.