Scientists
The two scientists represented are respectively the bacteriologist Hideo Noguchi, and the astronomer Kimura Shisashi. While the majority of the people commemorated in this series had elite samurai backgrounds, Hideo Noguchi overcame poverty and a disability to achieve his success. He features on the Y1,000 bank note (2004-24).
- Hideo Noguchi 1876-1928
- Kimura Shisashi 1870-1943
Educators
All four persons represented were instrumental in the modernization of Japan during the Meiji Era. Each of them was also associated with the founding or development of educational institutions that remain to this day. Fukuzawa founded what is now Keio University to promote the serious study and investigation of the world in the service of Japan's development. The missionary Neijima promoted the study of English through his Doshisha English school. Ume was primarily a legal scholar and is considered the father of Japan's Civil Code. As principal of the Tokyo Law School (now Hosei University) he implemented far-reaching educational reforms that bore a lasting stamp on the institution. Nitobe was at the forefront of Japan's agricultural development. He was affiliated with Sapporo University which in recent years opened a college bearing his name. He was shown on the Y5,000 banknote from 1984-2004. Fukuzawa has been featured on the Y10,000 note since 1984.
Philosophers
Philosophers is a broad brush classification for this group of people whose activities varied widely. Umamura is primarily known as a pacifist. Nishi bridged Western and Japanese philosphy to help people cope and understand the rapid change Japan was undergoing in the Meiji Era. The art critic and cultural philosopher Okakura defended traditional Japanese art in the face of the wave of modernization sweeping the country. As author and curator of the Boston Museum of Art he did much to introduce Japanese art to the Western audiences.
- Uramura Kanzou 1861-1930
- Nishi Amane 1829-1897
- Okakura Tenshin 1863-1913