Maejima Hisoka
| Maejima Hisoka | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 24, 1835 Joetsu, Niigata Japan |
| Died | April 27, 1919 (aged 84) Yokosuka, Kanagawa |
| Occupation | government official, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Japanese postal system |
Baron Maejima Hisoka (前島 密?, January 24, 1835 – April 27, 1919), born 上野 房五郎 (Ueno Fusagorō?), was a Japanese statesman, politician, and businessman in Meiji-period Japan. Maejima founded the Japanese postal service, and is known as 郵便制度の父 (Yūbin Seido no Chichi?), or "Father of the Postal System".
Maejima was born as Ueno Fusagorō, in the village of Shimoikebe, Echigo Province (present-day the city of Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture). In 1866 he was adopted into the Maejima family. He was sent to Edo to study rangaku, medical science and English. In the Bakumatsu period he was considered a radical reformer and proponent of westernization. In 1866, he submitted an unsolicited proposal to Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu that Japan abolish the use of kanji (Chinese characters) in its writing system. In 1868, shortly after the Meiji Restoration, he also proposed to Ōkubo Toshimichi that the capital of Japan be moved from Kyoto to Edo.
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