Bokusen Numajiri (沼尻墨僊 1775–1856)
A geographer and an educator, Bokusen Numajiri is the maker of the umbrella-style folding world globe. He also made education to the masses possible by opening a temple elementary school by Tsuchiura Castle.
Open the umbrella and you'll see the world
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Bokusen Numajiri was a merchant and a scholar from Tsuchiura Castle (now Tsuchiura City). The very light world globe he conceived had the peculiarity of being able to fold, making it very easy to carry anywhere. Because of its opening and shutting characteristics, it was popularized under the name "umbrella globe." Mito Lord Nariaki Tokugawa himself fell in great admiration for the device which was sold in big quantities. He also wrote the "Earth's Universal Diagram," a geographical document which explains how to make globes and armillary spheres.
Bokusen the Educator
It would be a shame to forget about Bokusen's achievements as an educator. He ran the temple elementary school of Tenshō Shrine in Tsuchiura. In spite of its small scale, the school provided education to children of both merchants and farmers. As seen with the umbrella globe, Bokusen had a talent for innovation and he wrote a distinctive textbook called Coming and Going in Famous Tsuchiura Places. The textbook included a focus on Tsuchiura area's living conditions and was written in the form of a modern ballad so that children could easily remember its contents.
Japanese version of this article available here
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