Kanda Takahira (神田孝平)
Takahira KANDA (31 October 1830 - 1898) was a scholar in the end of Edo Period, the governor of Hyogo Prefecture, Councilor of the Senate and Councilor of House of Peers in the Meiji Period. He was a Baron. He was born in Iwate Village, Fuwa District, Mino Province (now known as Iwate, Tarui Village, Fuwa District, Gifu Prefecture). He was usually addressed as Kohei.
Career
He learned the study of the Chinese classics from Zensuke MAKI and Kodo MATSUZAKI, and the study of Western sciences from Seikei SUGITA and Genboku ITO. In 1862, he became a Bakufu's Bansho Shirabesho teacher. In 1868, he was enlisted by the Meiji Government as the first ranked interpreter. On November 20, 1871, he become the governor of Hyogo Prefecture and worked until September 3, 1876. During that time, he made landmark proposals such as the Land Tax Reforms and liberalization of land sales for peasants from 1870, and he chaired the local administrative assembly and contributed to the achievement of his proposals in 1873. He was elected as Councilor of the Senate in 1876 and as Councilor of House of Peers. He was ennobled with the title of Baron at the time of his death.
He was enthusiastic over literatures from Europe and America and also known to be the theoretician of modern democracy. He was a member of Meirokusha (Meiji 6 Society) as well as the Tokyo Academy. His adopted son, Naibu KANDA was the first president of Tokyo School of Foreign Studies (previous name).