---
node: fukuzawa_yukichi
type: person
slug: fukuzawa_yukichi
title: "Fukuzawa Yukichi"
lead: "Fukuzawa Yukichi (1835–1901) was the Meiji era's great educator of civilization and founder of Keio Gijuku, today's Keio University. His portrait was on the 10,000-yen note from 1984 to 2024."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---

## Who they were

Born a low-ranking samurai of Nakatsu, he mastered Dutch learning, then taught himself English. He joined the shogunate's first missions abroad — San Francisco in 1860 aboard the Kanrin-maru, then Europe in 1862.

## What they did

His school, with its origin in 1858, became Keio Gijuku — today's Keio University. His books explained the West and remade minds: "Conditions in the West"; "An Encouragement of Learning" (1872–76), a huge bestseller opening with "Heaven does not create one person above or below another"; and "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization".

He founded the newspaper Jiji Shinpo in 1882.

## Legacy

He championed independence and self-respect (dokuritsu jison), practical learning, and equality of opportunity through education. His portrait was on the 10,000-yen note from 1984 to 2024; he is remembered as the intellectual architect of Japan's modernization.