Monument to Mineda Fūkō

Mineda Fuko was born in Edo in 1818 in the late Edo period, the son of a Tanabe clan member from the Tango region, which is now Kyoto Prefecture. He studied Confucianism and Dutch learnings and travelled around Japan. In 1843, he explored Hokkaido and wrote Kaigai Shinwa (New Stories from Overseas) to appeal to the Edo Shogunate about the need for a colonial system and northern security. However, he was arrested for disturbing public order and banished from Edo.

He later moved to the then Jōzai village, where he devoted himself to educating local youths, and a monument was erected in 1881 to honor his longevity and achievements.

The monument is a rare collaboration of three nations: the text was chosen by Jūjō Tamotsu, the first chairman of the Chiba Prefectural Assembly, the title was chosen by a British diplomat (probably John Harrington Gubbins later British Consul-General in Seoul) and the calligraphy by Liu Shian of China.