5. People associated with Tekijuku
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OGATA’s wife, Yae
The Okugawa family has donated a great amount of materials concerning Yae to the Tekijuku Memorial Association. This large quantity of materials is now being organized. After things have been organized, materials will be displayed at Tekijuku to honoring her meritorious service. NAKA Tenyu
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Regarding Tekijuku,
we should not forget OGATA Koan’s wife Yae. Born into the
family of a Doctor Okugawa of Najio in the northern part of Nishinomiya
City, Hyogo Prefecture, Yae married Koan when he opened Tekijuku at the
age of 28. She was 16. In addition to raising thirteen children (four
of whom died young), Yae was a key person behind Tekijuku, supporting
Koan, and beloved like a mother to many of his students. She passed
away in 1887.
OGATA Koan first became acquainted with
Western learning from NAKA Tenyu, a doctor and physicist who had opened
Shishisaijuku in Tomoe in Nishi-ku, Osaka. Koan took his first steps in
becoming a doctor there. Tenyu was highly regarded as a physicist,
astronomer, and medical doctor.
