From Japan to Andover and back: Joseph Neesima (pt2)
A man of many firsts
Thank you to History Buzz Guest Writer Barbara Bunn for this two-part series on Joseph Hardy Neesima!
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Amherst College and Andover Theological Seminary
In 1866, while at Phillips Academy, Neesima became a Christian and was baptized at Bartlett Chapel, now Pearson Hall. Later, after Neesima returned to Japan he wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy,
I am trying to make my home like the Christian home I found in America.”
After graduating from Phillips Academy in 1867, with the help of Mr. Hardy, Neesima went to Amherst College where he graduated in 1870. While at Amherst he decided to enter the ministry, and the best place to prepare for that was at the Andover Theological Seminary, so he returned to Andover.
Neesima wrote about his time as a student at Amherst,
“I was kind of a novelty to them because they had never seen any Japanese. I was invited to dinners and tea and was asked by them so many questions.”
Ordination, another first
When he returned he completed his studies at the Andover Theological Seminary in 1874 and was ordained at the Mount Vernon Church in Boston, another first for Neesima.
Doshisha University, Kyoto
When the Japanese Embassy visited the US in 1871 as part of a world expedition Nessima assisted as an interpreter. While doing this job, he was able to tour schools and became influenced by the western education system.
In 1875, with support and funding from people he had met along his journey of learning, he returned to Japan with a strong desire to establish a Christian university. He accomplished that goal by creating the Doshisha School in Kyoto which became the Doshisha University in 1920. The school is one of Japan’s the most respected institutions.
Sadly, Joseph Hardy Neesima died in 1890 at the age of 47 but he left a legacy of great accomplishments both in Japan and in the United States.
Neesima’s legacy
Joseph Hardy Neesima continued to be an important figure to the people of Japan and Andover even after his death.
In Andover, Mary Hidden took great interest in Japan and its people after having Neesima as a boarder. They exchanged over 50 letters during their lifetime. When visitors came to her home to ask about Neesima, Mary showed guests the large scarf in which Neesima bundled up his few belongings when he left Japan. She also continued to correspond with Neesima’s widow, Yamamoto Yaeko, after his death.
In 1915, fifty years after Joseph Hardy Neesima landed in Boston, Mr. Uraguchi, a former student of Neesima and a professor at Doshisha University, came to Andover for a visit to see what associations and memories he could trace of his beloved teacher. He went to 17 Hidden Road, he spent time at Philips Academy, and he met with Alpheus Hardy’s son as well as some former classmates of Neesima.
In September of 1992, alumni of Doshisha University toured New England in honor of the 150th anniversary of Nessima’s birth. They visited schools and churches that had supported Nessima’s education and spiritual growth while he lived in the United.
Five busloads of Japanese visitors came to Phillips Academy to visit the campus. A celebration was held at the campus and a replica of a beautiful granite obelisk which stands on the Doshisha University campus in Kyoto, Japan was given to the academy. This obelisk can be seen in a garden near the admissions building on Salem Street.
The Japanese visitors were presented with a replica of a gold-leafed weather vane atop Pearson Hall where Nessima was baptized. In presenting the gift, the presentors expressed as a wish that the wind would often blow from the West, reminding the Doshisha community of their friends in Andover.
In 1999 five professors from Doshisha University came to visit the Andover Historical Society, now known as the Andover Center for History and Culture.
The professors were interested in researching Neesima’s life when he lived and studied in Andover. They spent time studying the family file on Neesima, viewed maps, and purchased Andover memorabilia. They great took interest in the history of the Amos Blanchard home as well. After their research time they went for lunch at the Lantern Brunch and then went to visit the home at 17 Hidden Road where Neesima had lived. They also took a tour of Phillips Academy where they were able to view the beautiful statue that honors Neesima on the campus grounds.
These visits of scholars illustrate the significance of the life that Joseph Hardy Neesima had here in Andover and in Japan. Juliet Haines Mofford said it best in her chapter about Neesima in her book, Andover Massachusetts Historical Selections from Four Centuries:
Neesima is revered by the Japanese as the initiator of modern education who first brought the freedom of thought to their country. He is the hero who risked his life to learn about democracy in order to teach its principles to his own people. Neesima's memorial at Phillips Academy quotes his favorite motto, which is also at Doshisha University.
Come, all exuberant youth who cherish living by your conscience.
A remarkable story about a remarkable man.
Resources
The Andover Center for History and Culture has three books of interest about Joseph Hardy Neesima.
Life and Letters of Joseph Hardy Neesima by Arthur Sherburne Hardy
My Younger Days by Joseph Hardy Neesima
The Story of Neesima by Phoebe McKeen
Great article, thanks for sharing! The visit by Doshisha alumni in 1992 must have been a proud moment for Andover. I enjoy reading Neesima's letters published in Arthur Sherburne Hardy's book, especially the ones written in town.
Marty Klein and I both love Japan and have visited there three times. On one of our visits we met a kind gentleman at a temple while we were admiring some beautiful wisteria in full bloom. As we talked, he was excited to learn we were from Andover. He was a graduate of Doshisha University and was grateful for the education Joseph Neesima had received here. We corresponded a few times afterward. When he visited Boston, we picked him up and showed him around the Phillips Academy campus, including the obelisk and Pearson Hall. He kept asking, "But where is the SCHOOL?" I don't think I succeeded in conveying to him that the whole large campus & all its buildings comprised the school. BTW, I worked at PA for 15 years until I retired, so was familiar with the PA campus and the story of Joseph Neesima.