The Introduction of Western Military Systems and the Era of Emphasis on ‘Wajamae’ (業前, Ability) — Focusing on the Case Analysis of Individuals Trained in the Nagasaki ‘Naval’ Academy —

Throughout history, societies in which individuals are evaluated based on their abilities rather than their inherited social status have often been regarded as more advanced. However, the concept of “ability” varies greatly depending on the time and region, both in terms of its expression and its actual implications. This paper focuses on the case of Tokugawa Japan, a strictly hierarchical society, where individuals were sometimes able to rise in status—risshin shusse (social advancement)—based on personal ability rather than the inherited kakaku (family rank) of their parents. By examining such cases, this study aims to shed light on the cracks that emerged within the early modern class order and the resulting social changes.<br/> The central subject of this study is the Nagasaki Naval Training Center (Kaigun Denshūjo)—a new institution of learning that evaluated individual “ability”—and an analysis of the backgrounds of its graduates. Unlike the previous 200 years of peace under the Tokugawa shogunate, the 1850s—especially after Commodore Perry’s arrival in 1853—marked a turning point in the types of knowledge expected of samurai. Western artillery became a mandatory subject, and the demand for individuals capable of handling Western-style military technology, including naval operations and Western warships, rapidly increased. This study highlights a significant historical moment in which the notion of “ability” shifted from that of a competent bureaucrat (nōri, 能吏) to that of a practical and capable warrior (senshi, 戦士) who could fight using Western weaponry, thereby reflecting changing societal needs during a time of transformation.