Niijima Jo and his work continues.....

One thing led to another and I spent a bit of time searching for a few other pieces of the puzzle.

I have already shared about my grandmother's organ which was purchased in 1930 and just made its way to my house here in Ruston about a week ago. (please refer back to the entry "music in the home".)I wrote about my grandfather and his connection to music from his time in Europe in early 20's. (The photo on the top left is my grand parents' wedding photo. And the photo on the three kids, my grandfather is the one standing behind his brother and his sister). I wanted to search about the background of my grandmother and why she knew how to read Music by the time she married my grandfather. I just knew that it was not an everyday thing to find a Japanese woman who could read music back then. Western music had already entered the Japanese culture but music education was not a part of normal or official education in Japan in the 20's. Naturally, I was curious. My mother remembers how my grandmother sang, "Jesus loves me" or other hymns as she played the organ at home. Then I learned that Doshisha Univeristy, where my grandmother attended was the most likely reason and the source of her music training. Learning about Doshisha university led me to an amazingly interesting story of a rare Japanese Christian Man who defied the order of the Tokugawa Shogun who governed Japan at the time.

Niijima Jo was born a samurai servant in Edo period, during the years Japanese government neither allowed foreigners to enter or the Japanese natives to leave Japan without an extremely special permission.....

In 1864, Niijima made an arrangement with the US navy ship and the captain hid him in the captains' quarter. The captain knew that Niijima would be exacuted by the Japanese government if he was found leaving Japan. Niijima worked hard as a sailor for 15 months while traveling. Niijima arrived in Boston one year after he left Japan. He had studied as much about the western culture and Christianity at the age of 21 and he was determined to go to the US to experience the freedom of education and religion. A wealthy US family saw to his education at the Philip Academy, Amherst University and Andover seminary　(the first graduate level seminary in the US) . He attended the 65th Congregational Church Convention held in Rutland, Vermont (was hoping to learn that it maybe the one in Woodstock, but it was not) after his graduation and spoke about his mission in Japan, his desire for an educational institution with Biblical principles as his foundation to change Japan... He raised $1000 toward his work, which I think is amazing. I am ever so grateful for those who were there and gave toward that end hoping that their dollar would be spent to raise young people equipped to lead. Based on what I know a little bit about the Rockefeller family's connection with the Congregational church in Vermont, I wondered if Niijima received any support from that Rockefeller family. With the $1000 and the wealth of education , he returned to Japan to start a college where he would train young people to be men and women of faith. The college was founded in 1875. He believed in a private university founded on Christian principle that was independent of the government system. He apparently wrote articles for at least 20 newspapers nation wide to appeal to the society for their support for such an institution. The school later developed into a university system and became the third university in Japan to open its door to women in the early 1920's. My grandmother was one of the first two who entered the law school at Doshiha. Doshisha incorporated music education such as organ playing, choir etc using primarily hymns. Music was initially not recognized as a worthy specialty by the Japanese ministry of education but Doshisha offered music and many women graduated fully educated in reading music. The women were introduced to the joy of having music in their lives. It appears that hymns were the only available music material and it was probably also preferred because of the words in the hymns that would provide spiritual teaching.

This is why my grandmother could read the music and play the organ.....

I do not know for sure but I am sure that Niijima saw that the music was very much a part of the worship and also a culture in the US. He envisioned a school that not only had full academics but also cultural enrichment. That brave man,,, who entrusted himself to a foreign ship to travel thousands of miles away from home determined to gain what he could not obtain in his country did leave a mark. Doshisha is known as a prestigeous university and it stands near the old imperial palace in Kyoto.

My mother was not certain why my grandmother chose Doshisha but she suspects that her mother's father felt that best education for a woman in 1920's was available at Doshisha. Her father was a physician in town who was quite out there.... he allowed his daughter an opportunity for education when most fathers were only interested in marrying their daughters away. It was just very rare that women were encouraged any education past high school.....

I am not telling this story well at all.... I wrote just quickly wanting to leave Erik some information about his great grandmother and the story behind the organ that traveled from Japan. Erik, when you grow up and when you begin to understand the preciousness of the family heritage, you would appreciate that your great grandparents loved music immensely.

If Niijima did not take that amazing trip to the US in 1864, would my grandmother had an opportunity to learn music the way she did at Doshisha? Did my grandmother ever imagine that her organ, a gift from her husband would still be around in 2010?

The war did change the peace of their home. The sound of organ and her mother singing represent the peaceful time of my mother's childhood before the WWll. She was second grade when the war began and all the children suffered so much. The society took about all of her teen age years to recover from the war. She remembers that it was when she was in high school when she was able to take a music lesson for the first time. Her older brother and sister were able take organ lessons before the war began. My mother says that she has no doubt that her mother would have continued to sing more and played the organ more if the war had not disturbed their peace. Human Life is cruel at times. For my mother's case, I wish so much that she could have lived her childhood again without war, without loss of all her friends and teachers in bombing and with more music in her life. She says, she has all that through us and through her grandchildren. She assures me that she was given exactly what she was meant to have.

And to Niijima Jo, for his courage and his determination, I simply have no words.

Niijima would hopefully feel that the work he began had an effect in Japan beyond his imagination. That is God's grace.

P.S. A few links about Niijima and Doshisha University

http://www.d-theo.jp/en/about.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hardy_Neesima

http://www.perryville.org/?p=800