was a Japanese educator and Protestant Christian missionary in China. He established the Chongzhen School for the poor in Beijing, and the Obirin University in Tokyo.

General

Yasuzo Shimizu was born in Shiga Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, and became a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

under the influence of

William Merrell Vories Merrell Vories Hitotsuyanagi (; born William Merrell Vories; October 28, 1880 – May 7, 1964) was an educator, architect, entrepreneur, Christian lay missionary, and founder of the Omi Mission. Born in the United States, he later became a natur ...

, who was in Shiga as an architect and a lay missionary. He graduated from the Theological School of Doshisha University, Kyoto, in 1916, and went to China as a missionary in the following year, first to

Dalian Dalian () is a major sub-provincial port city in Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, and is Liaoning's second largest city (after the provincial capital Shenyang) and the third-most populous city of Northeast China. Located on the ...

, then to Tianjin, and finally to Beijing where he and his wife, Miho (), founded a girls' school for the poor. In 1924, Shimizu was ordained as a minister in Osaka, and went to U.S. to study at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, Ohio, with the financial help of

Magosaburō Ōhara was a Japanese businessman and philanthropist. He was born in Kurashiki, Okayama. He studied at Waseda University but left Waseda before graduation.　Later he became the most influential person in Kansai business community. Founded He founde ...

, who went on to found the company that would become Kuraray. Upon his return to China, as Miho died of disease, he married Ikuko Koizumi (), and they together expanded the school for the poor, which was later in 1936 renamed as the Chongzhen Middle School (). They also founded the Ailin Hall (), an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

. When World War II ended and as the communists took over China, he was ousted from China, and his school and almshouse were confiscated by the Chinese government. He returned to Japan and founded the Obirin High School in the western suburbs of Tokyo, which would later get expanded to include the Oberlin University.Yasuzo Shimizu and Beijing Chongzhen School:『清水安三と北京崇貞学園』（不二出版、2003年）
(in Japanese)

References

External links

The History of Obirin University
{{Authority control Oberlin College alumni Doshisha University alumni Japanese educators Protestant missionaries in China Japanese Protestant missionaries Missionary educators Japanese expatriates in China University and college founders 1891 births 1988 deaths

General

See also

References

External links