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was a Japanese politician and samurai. He is best known as the father of philosopher

Kuki Shūzō Kuki can refer to: Locations * Kuki, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Kuki, Saitama, a city in Japan Peoples and culture * Kuki, or Thadou people, an ethnic tribe native to northeastern India (also Burma, where they are called '' ...

Life

Kuki was born Hoshizaki Sadajirō in Sanda Domain (present-day Sanda,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

), the second son of Hoshizaki Sadamoto, a retainer of the Sanda Domain. After his mother died in 1860, he was adopted by Kuki Takahiro, the '' karō'' of

Ayabe Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Tanba Province in what is now the central portion of modern-day Kyoto Prefecture. It was centered around Ayabe '' jin'ya'', which were located in what is now th ...

, through the mediation of

Kuki Takayoshi Kuki can refer to: Locations * Kuki, Isfahan, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Kuki, Saitama, a city in Japan Peoples and culture * Kuki, or Thadou people, an ethnic tribe native to northeastern India (also Burma, where they are called ''Ch ...

, the

daimyo were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominally ...

of Sanda. In 1866, he succeeded as the head of the Kuki family. In the early years of the Meiji period, after studying under Fukuzawa Yukichi, he took a post in the Japanese Ministry of Education, specializing in cultural policy. In 1884, he was appointed Japanese ambassador to the United States. Complications in his career arose when his wife Hatsu had an affair with Okakura Kakuzō. He eventually returned to Japan where he continued to work in the Ministry of Education, and play a role as a patron of the arts.Leslie Pincus, ''Authenticating Culture in Imperial Japan'', 1996

Honours

''From the Japanese Wikipedia article''

Japanese titles and decorations

*Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest ...

(4 September 1895) *

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

(5 June 1896) *Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

(27 December 1902; Second Class: 29 May 1888; Third Class: 1 November 1882; Fourth Class: 27 December 1879) *Grand Cordon of the Order of the Paulownia Flowers (18 August 1931; posthumous)

Japanese medals

*Imperial Constitution Promulgation Commemorative Medal (25 November 1889) *Annexation of Korea Commemorative Medal (1 August 1912) *Coronation commemorative medal (10 November 1915 and 10 November 1928)

Japanese court ranks

*Senior sixth rank (17 June 1874) *Fifth rank (24 February 1875) *Senior fifth rank (24 May 1880) *Fourth rank (20 December 1880) *Third rank (20 December 1886) *Senior third rank (16 December 1890) *Second rank (20 March 1900) *Senior second rank (11 February 1924)

Other honours

*Knight of the Legion of Honour and Officer of the Order of Public Instruction of France (9 July 1879) *Officer of the

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...

(19 August 1879) *Medal (1st Class) of the Order of the Crown of Hawa'ii (8 March 1890)

References

Samurai 1931 deaths Recipients of the Legion of Honour 1852 births {{Japan-bio-stub