The Kumamoto Band was a group of Christian men educated at the Kumamoto Yogakko by
Leroy Lansing Janes
Leroy Lansing Janes (1838–1909) was an American educator, hired by Kumamoto Domain in early Meiji period Japan.
A native of Ohio, Janes was a veteran of the Civil War, where he served in the artillery with the rank of captain after graduatio ...
. Alongside the Sapporo Band and the Yokohama Band, the members of the Kumamoto Band became an influential
Protestant Christian
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
group in
Meiji era
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
Japan.
History
The Kumamoto Yogakko, a school of Western studies in
Kumamoto, Japan, was founded by Leroy Lansing Janes in 1871. Janes was recommended for the position by
Guido Verbeck
Guido Herman Fridolin Verbeck (born Verbeek) (23 January 1830 – 10 March 1898) was a Dutch political advisor, educator, and missionary active in ''Bakumatsu'' and Meiji period Japan. He was one of the most important foreign advisors serving th ...
. Many of the students came from former samurai families, and had entered the school in an attempt to regain their former status that was lost with the abolition of the feudal system in 1868.
After the students became proficient in English, Janes began teaching them about Christianity in 1874. He converted 35 students.
In January 1876 the students climbed to the top of Mount Hanaoka and signed the Hanaoka Pledge, a confirmation of their faith. The conversion of these students is attributed to the loss of the system of morality that was a part of the feudal system.
In 1877 the school was closed by the Meiji government, and many of the students moved on to
Doshisha University, where nine more students were added to the band. Many of the students went on to become missionaries and politicians.
Notable members
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Ebina Danjo
Ebina Danjo (海老名 弾正) (September 18, 1856 May 22, 1937) was a Japanese educator and philosopher, as well as a Christian missionary and pastor. He was known for his "Shintoistic Christianity", and served as the president of Doshisha Uni ...
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Harada Tasuku
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Kanamori Michitomo
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Kozaki Hiromichi
was a Japanese Christian minister. Kozaki was called one of the "Three Elders" of the Kumiai Church alongside and Ebina Danjo. He was the second president of Doshisha University.
Early life
Kozaki was born in what is now Kumamoto on May 17, ...
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Kurahara Korehiro
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Shimomura Kotaro
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Tokutomi Sohō
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Yokoi Tokio
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References
{{Reflist
Japanese Protestants