新島襄海外渡航の地碑

函館市観光標識

新島襄は、新知識を海外に求め、吉田松蔭の海外渡航の失敗を考慮し、渡航地を蝦夷地に選びました。　元治元年（１８６４年）江戸から来て、ニコライ司教（ハリストス正教会２代主教）に日本語を教えたりなどして脱出の機会を待っていたが、同年６月１４日（新暦７月１７日）深夜、福士成豊（日本最初の函館測候所解説者）の助力により、この地から国禁を犯して海外渡航に成功しました。　上海経由で渡米した新島襄は、修学１０年の後、明治７年（１８７４年）帰国し、翌８年京都において同志社大学の前身である同志社英学校を創立しました。　この碑にある「男児志を決して千里を馳す自ら辛苦をなめてあに家を思わんや　却って笑う春風雨を吹くの夜　枕頭なお夢む故園の花」の漢詩は、新島襄の自作自筆によるもので元治２年（１８６５年）香港での作です。　渡航前の名前は新島七五三太でしたが航海中に船長から「ジョセフ」名をもらい、略して「襄」の字をあてました。　明治２３年（１８９０年）４８歳で没。　　函館市

MONUMENT OF SAILING ABROAD OF JO NIIJIMA SIMETA (JO) NIIJIMA、 who wanted to go abroad to learn、 regared Hakodate as the best place to leave from. In 1864、 he came to Hakodate from Edo (Tokyo). While teaching Japanese to Nicholai the second bishop of Hakodate's Russian Orthdox Church、 Jo watched for a chance to leave Japan. But at that time、 going abroad was prohibited. On midnight of July 17th 1864、 He finally succeeded with the help of Naritoyo Fukushi who built the first Weather Station of Japan in Hakodate. During the voyage the name of Joseph was given to hima by the captain、 and he became known as J o . Jo went to the United States、 via Shanghai China、 and studied there for 10 years. He came back to Japan in 1874. Doshisha English School which was the antecedent of Doshisha University in Kyoto was founded bu him in 1875. A Chinese poem、 written by Jo in Hong Kong 1865 、 is inscribed on this monument. Man shold run across thousands of miles with one's resolution. I cannot yearn for the sight of my home without suffering from what I had done After the spring wind blowing or during the windy and rainy night. I still dream a dream of flowers in my home town . He passed away at the age of 48 in 1890. 　　HAKODATE CITY