Shimeta Niijima was born the son of a samurai on Feb. 15, 1843 in Edo, Japan. Growing up, he studied a variety of subjects including Chinese, Dutch and English. In 1859, he secretly read his first book on Christianity in Chinese. At the time, the Japanese people knew very little about Christianity due to strict isolationist policies. Niijima was deeply impressed by the Judeo-Christian story of creation and became curious to learn more about Christianity in the Western world.
In 1864, Niijima went to Hakodate, a port city in northern Japan that was open to foreigners. There, at the tender age of 21, he snuck onto the Berlin, an American ship captained by William Savory. The captain hid Niijima below decks until Japanese port inspectors left and the ship departed for Shanghai, China. At the time, Japans government held a policy that closed its borders to the outside world, and those who were caught disobeying the law paid with their lives. As the ship sailed to China, Niijima described his interest in Christianity, his longing to "bring light into darkness" in Japan and his hopes of being one of the first people from Japan to visit the U.S. When the ship stopped in Hong Kong, he sold his samurai sword to buy a copy of the "New Testament" in Chinese.
Once in China, the stow-away was introduced to Captain Horace Taylor of Chatham, Mass., commander of the Wild Rover. Taylor agreed to take Niijima onboard as a cabin boy and servant. During the eight-month journey back to Boston, Niijima practiced his English. Once in the U.S., Taylor brought him to the ship's owner, Alpheus Hardy, who was intrigued by the young boy, his story of escape and, particularly, his desire to return to Japan as a Christian missionary.
Niijima officially converted to Christianity and changed his name to Joseph Hardy Neesima. Hardy made arrangements for Neesima to live at his house in Boston and to receive schooling at Phillips Andover Academy and then at Amherst College, where Hardy was a trustee. Neesima graduated from Amherst with the class of 1870, becoming the first Japanese man to earn a college degree from a Western institution.
At this point in history, Japan was beginning to loosen its strict policies, including laws against teaching Christianity. After graduating from the College, Neesima attended Andover Theological School, where he resolved to carry the message of Christianity to Japan through education of the elite Japanese samauri class in Western schools.
While at the Theological School, Neesima served as an interpreter for a Japanese delegation that came to visit Massachusetts to study the educational system. His assistance to the Japanese imperial government guaranteed that he could return to Japan as a missionary without penalty. Realizing his chance to make his dreams come true, Neesima was determined to raise enough money to found a Western college before returning. Later that year, the newborn Japanese samurai stepped foot on his homeland once again, bearing $5,000 to carry out his dream.
One hundred thirty years ago, Neesima purchased 5.5 acres of land in Kyoto and founded Doshisha University, which means "one purpose." Young samurai who entered the school adopted the "Neesima Spirit," converted to Christianity and later became influential leaders in the Japanese government. By the early 1880s, enrollment at Doshisha University reached 1,000 students. Today, Doshisha University occupies three campuses that are home to over 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and remains one of the most prestigious universities in Japan.
Even as he aged and his health deteriorated, Neesima continued to be active, working for a Christian newspaper in Tokyo, founding a medical school at Doshisha and arranging for Japanese teachers to study in America. A year before his death, Amherst College awarded Neesima an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. In 1890, two weeks before he turned 47, Neesima died; his last words were "peace, joy, heaven."
Neesima's spirit and legacy, however, live on. Doshisha University continues to fulfill the dream of its founder by facilitating international understanding and interaction through scholarship and exchange study programs. Doshisha stands as the living, breathing vision of a young samurai who risked his life to travel thousands of miles away from home in pursuit of a new world and a better Japan.
Data used in this article was provided by Amherst College Archives & Special Collections.