Background
Arinori Mori was born on 23 August 1848 in Kagoshima, the son of a samurai of the domain of Satsuma. In his youth he went by the name Sukegoro and later Kinnojo.
森 有礼
Arinori Mori was born on 23 August 1848 in Kagoshima, the son of a samurai of the domain of Satsuma. In his youth he went by the name Sukegoro and later Kinnojo.
He studied Chinese in the Zoshikan, the official school of the domain, and also took instruction in English. In 1864 the domain set up a school called the Kaiseisho to train men in military and naval affairs, and Mori attended, specializing in naval surveying. In 1865 he was selected to be one of a group of students sent abroad by the domain for study. At this time, however, Japanese were still forbidden by law to leave the country. As a precaution, therefore, he changed his name to Sawai Tetsuma, and in this disguise managed to make his way to London. In London he studied chemistry, physics, and mathematics. He also became acquainted with an American religious leader named Harris, was converted to Christianity, and in 1867 accompanied Harris to the United States.
In 1868, after the Meiji Restoration, he returned to Japan and became an official in charge of foreign affairs. He was at the same time ordered to carry out a survey of parliamentary and educational systems. In 1869, because he advocated a ban on the wearing of swords, he aroused considerable criticism and was obliged to resign his position.
He returned to his home in Kagoshima and for a time taught English, but in 1870 was recalled to service in the central government, being appointed a diplomatic official and assigned to America. While carrying out his official duties, he wrote an article in English entitled “Religious Freedom in Japan.” After his return to Japan in 1873, he held various high posts in the Foreign Ministry and other branches of the government and served as minister plenipotentiary to China and England.
In 1888, when he was about to set out for a ceremony marking the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution, he was attacked and killed at his residence by a religious fanatic.