At the beginning years of Meiji era the Takamatsu Clan carried out a series of educational innovations. Among them were the establishment of the Institute of Western Studies and sending three students to England. The students were Junkichi Yamada, Shuji Matsuda, and Kozo Takahara. They had been studying English in Osaka when they were selected as the students to be sent to England on scholarships from the clan. They left Yokohama on March 3, 1871. While they were studying engineering in England, the Japanese Government replaced the clan in 1872 to provide them with new scholarships. Thus they worked for Koubu-sho (Ministry of Engineering) after they returned to Japan and made a large contribution to the development of modern Japan.
