Discover the story of a pioneering group of students from the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), who travelled to the United Kingdom in the 19th century to learn about British law, literature, science and mathematics. Their experiences abroad played a vital role in the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan.

About the SatsumaStudents

The deaths of British nationals at the hands of samurai retainers from Satsuma in 1863 led to the Bombardment of Kagoshima, known in Japanese as the ‘Satsuma-British War’ (Satsu-Ei sensō). The aftermath marked a turning point in relations between Satsuma and the United Kingdom, and a partnership began to form. One outcome was the establishment of a school for ‘Western studies’ in Kagoshima where students could study subjects such as English language and naval history.

In 1865, some of the most outstanding students from this school were secretly sent to the United Kingdom, defying the Tokugawa shogunate’s ban on overseas travel. Arriving by ship, many of them enrolled at University College London (UCL) where they attended lectures on subjects including European civilization, economics and politics.

When they returned to Japan, many of the students became important figures in the Meiji Restoration and the administration of the new Japanese state, playing active roles in the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate and Japan’s subsequent modernization. Among them were Mori Akinori, who later became the first Minister of Education in Japan; Machida Hisanari, the first director of the Imperial Museum in Tokyo (now the Tokyo National Museum); Murahashi Hisanari, one of the founders of Japan’s first brewery in Sapporo; and Godai Tomoatsu, who was a key figure in the industrial development of Osaka and a founder of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

About this event

This talk is delivered by Yoshimitsu Shōji, an expert on the foreign relations of the Satsuma domain at the time of the late Edo period and Meiji Restoration of 1868. It explores the historical background of the students, their contributions to fostering cultural and technological exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom, and the legacy of their journey.

High school students Fuchiwaki Uta and Shimada Hikaru, visiting the United Kingdom as part of the Satsuma Student Dispatch Programme organized by Kagoshima Prefecture, will also participate in the event to present some of the region’s distinctive natural landscape and local industries.

This event is part of the Spotlight on Local Japan programme supported by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), which accepts applications from potential collaborators based in Japan to co-create cultural events presenting Japan’s regional diversity at Japan House London.

About the speaker

Yoshimitsu Shōji was born in Kagoshima City in 1965. He holds a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Humanities, Kagoshima University. He has served in various professional roles, such as a teacher at Prefectural schools, Curator at Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture Reimeikan and as a Specialist in the Kagoshima Prefectural Government working on the 150th Anniversary of the Meiji Restoration. He is currently the principal of Kagoshima Prefectural Ōkuchi High School.

His academic specialization is the foreign relations of the Satsuma Domain during the final years of the Edo period. He concurrently works as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Humanities’ Center for Modern Kagoshima Studies at Kagoshima University, and as a Specialist Committee Member of the Saigo Nanshu Memorial Museum.

He is also the author of several publications, including The Turbulent Meiji Restoration, Local People and the Meiji Restoration, and Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution, as well as numerous articles on topics such as the Satsuma students in Britain, Godai Tomoatsu’s upbringing, and the Satsuma Domain’s international relations in the late Edo period.

Please note that filming and photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please contact us online or contact a member of the team on site

Booking Essential | Admission Free