was a legal scholar in

Meiji period 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 ...

Japan, and a founder of

Hosei University is a private university based in Tokyo, Japan. The university originated in a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law ...

Life and career

Ume was born the second son of the domain doctor of

Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District. Matsue is located ...

domain, Izumo Province (present-day Shimane Prefecture). He was sent to study French at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and upon graduation was employed by the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

. He also taught at

Tokyo Imperial University , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

. Ume was sent by the government for advanced studies to the

University of Lyon The University of Lyon (french: Université de Lyon), located in Lyon and Saint-Étienne, France, is a center for higher education and research comprising 11 members and 24 associated institutions. The three main universities in this center are: C ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1886, completing his studies in 1889. After an additional year of study at the

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, he returned to Japan in 1890. He was awarded the degree of

doctorate of law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

in 1891. On his return, Ume became embroiled in the Civil Code controversy, and urged the immediate adoption of the code as drawn up by French foreign advisor to the government, Gustave Emile Boissonade. When the adoption of the code was delayed in 1892, he appealed to

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samu ...

to establish a committee to prepare the new draft, and was chosen to be a member of the new committee in 1893. Together with

Hozumi Nobushige Baron was a Japanese statesman and jurist of the Meiji period. Hozumi was born in Uwajima Domain, Iyo Province (present-day Ehime Prefecture) as the second son to a family of ''kokugaku'' scholars. He graduated from the ''Kaisei Gakko'', (the ...

and Tomii Masaaki, he is regarded as the father of Japan's civil law, which was put into effect in 1898. In 1894, Ume was one of a group of lawyers who established the Tokyo Law School, the forerunner of present-day

, of which he served as president in 1899. In 1906, he was asked by Itō to help codify the laws for the Japanese protectorate of

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

. He died in Keijo (

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

) in 1910, of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

at the age of 50. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (1st class) on his deathbed, one day before he died. His grave is at

Gokoku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Tokyo's Bunkyō. History This Buddhist temple was established by the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who dedicated it to his mother. It is notable for surviving the American air raids during World War II, w ...

in Tokyo.

References & further reading

*Hozumi, Nobushige. ''The new Japanese civil code,: As material for the study of comparative jurisprudence''. Maruzen 1912. ASIN: B000870Z46 *Marshall Byron K. "Professors and Politics: The Meiji Academic Elite". ''Journal of Japanese Studies'', Vol. 3, No. 1 (Winter, 1977), pp. 71–97 *Oda, Hiroshi. ''Japanese Law''. Oxford University Press, 2001. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ume, Kenjiro 1860 births 1910 deaths People from Shimane Prefecture Japanese educators 19th-century Japanese lawyers People of Meiji-period Japan Deaths from typhoid fever Infectious disease deaths in Korea Japanese legal scholars 20th-century Japanese lawyers