Ebara Soroku

In this Japanese name, the surname is Ebara.

Ebara Soroku 江原素六
Ebara Soroku circa 1913
Born	(1842-03-10)March 10, 1842 Edo, Japan
Died	May 19, 1922(1922-05-19) (aged 80) Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Occupation(s)	educator, politician

Ebara Soroku (江原 素六, March 10, 1842 – May 19, 1922) was a samurai of the late Edo period who went on to become an educator and politician in the Meiji era.

Biography

Ebara Soroku

A death mask of Ebara Soroku

Ebara was born in Edo as the son of a lesser retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate, but was an exceptionally talented scholar and selected for the Shogunal military academy based on his performance at the terakoya temple schools.

Following his combat service at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi during the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, he visited the United States. On his return to Japan, he moved to Shizuoka prefecture to be near the former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu and assisted in establishing the Numazu Military Academy and Numazu Junior High School. Converting to Christianity in 1877, he was responsible for starting the Numazu Church. Later, Ebara served as chairman of the Tokyo YMCA.

In 1890, Ebara was elected in the 1890 Japanese general election to the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan and served as a member of the Liberal Party, the Kenseikai, and the Rikken Seiyūkai. In 1912, he was appointed to the House of Peers. He was sent to the United States to try to ease tension over California's Alien Land Law of 1913.

Ebara is also remembered as the founder of Azabu High School (then a middle school).

Ebara died of a cerebral hemorrhage.

External links

• Biographical sketch and data on the Azabu High School (in Japanese)
• Biographical information (in Japanese)
• Biographical Data (in Japanese)
• http://www.lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp/yukari/e/man-detail.cgi?
• NY Times Obit