Dating back to the Meiji era (1868-1912), donated by Mr. Riemon Watanabe
Katsu Kaishu (1823-1899), was a politician and a vassal of the shogunate (military dictatorship) in its closing days. One of the ‘Three Famous Late-Edo Figures’ (literally ‘ships’), he is known for having surrendered Edo Castle to the advancing imperial army with no loss of life. He studied Dutch and learned the ropes of navigation at the Japanese Naval School in Nagasaki. Then, in the first year of what was known as the Man’en Era (1860, the era ran from March 1860-February 1861), he traveled to the United States as captain of the Hamrin Maru. Later on, the naval training center he set up in Kobe influenced a whole host of would-be warriors, including Ryoma Sakamoto. During the Boshin War (January 1868-June 1869), he met with Saigo Takamori and negotiated the bloodless handover of Edo Castle. Then, after the Meiji Restoration, he served as a councilor in the new government and as a naval lord.
【translation】
Selflessness is a supreme virtue. Loving our brethren is king-like.