Bansho-wage Goyo (Government Office for Translation of Barbarian Books) (蛮書和解御用)

Bansho-wage Goyo (Government Office for Translation of Barbarian Books) was a translation organization established by the Edo Bakufu in 1811. It was set up in the office of Tenmonkata (officer in charge of astronomy).

It was established under the proposal by Kageyasu TAKAHASHI. After the Siebold Incident, it was taken over by Yukitaka YAMAJI and his son Akitsune who were also Tenmonkata. From then on, it continued to exist changing names to Yogakusho (Institute of Foreign Study), Bansho shirabesho (barbarian book checking office) and Yosho shirabesho (foreign book checking office), which became one of the origins of the University of Tokyo.

[Original Japanese]