In 1867 Kusakabe Taro, a young samurai from Fukui, Japan, began studying at Rutgers College. Two years later, in 1870, his former tutor, friend, and a Rutgers alumnus, William Elliot Griffis left for Japan to teach English and Science. After a year in Fukui, he moved to Tokyo, where he continued to teach for another two years at Kaisei Gakko, the forerunner of the University of Tokyo.
