細川潤次郎とフルベッキ

抄録

When G. F. Verbeck came over to Nagasaki in 1859, Junjiro Hosokawa had returned home after four years' study at Nagasaki from 1854 through 1857.
But Hosokawa is sometimes reported to have been taught by Verbeck. I don't think that Hosokawa was a regular student of Verbeck at Nagasaki, but according to my investigation they may have got acquainted with each other introduced by Junsetsu Kasado in 1865, when Hosokawa visited Nagasaki for a short time.
Junsetsu Kasado was a herb doctor with whom Hosokawa had been boarding during his study period, and he was in good terms with Verbeck and other missionaries through books written in Chinese and was supposed to have taught Japanese to them.
In 1869 Verbeck went up to Tokyo and was employed by the government. He taught at Kaiseigakko, predecessor of the present Tokyo University, and also worked at various Government offices translating foreign documents and giving advice to Japanese officers.
Hosokawa and Verbeck were often in the same office. They translated and published books such as “Kaiin Hitsudoku” (Procedures of meetings), “The Parliament of Germany”, and “Legal Maxims”.
When Hosokawa was a member of the committee for compiling the manuscript of constitution at Genro-in, Verbeck was also an advisor for the committee. They were co-workers in various important jobs of the government at the early Meiji period. But further investigation is to be expected as they did not make their diary or memoirs public.