Otsuki Shunsai (大槻俊斎)
Shunsai OTSUKI (1806 - May 7, 1862) was a Ranpoi (a person who studied Western medicine by means of the Dutch language) at the end of the Edo period. He was a doctor working for the shogunate. He was the first chief of the School of Western Medical Science. His name was Hajime.
He was born in Akai Village, Monou County, Mutsu Province (present-day Higashimatsushita City, Miyagi Prefecture) in 1806. In 1858, together with Genboku ITO, Seikai TOTSUKA, and others, he opened the Otama ga Ike Vaccination Institute. He became the chief of the institute. On October 14, 1860, he had an audience with shogun Iemochi TOKUGAWA and became a doctor to the shogun. On December 9 of the same year, he was appointed doctor for the shogunate by a doctor of Sendai Domain in Mutsu Province. He continued to serve as the chief after the vaccination institute became publicly owned by the shogunate. He died in 1862. His gravestone is in the Sozen-ji Temple in Sugamo. His son, Genshun OTSUKI later took over the name of Shunsai.
Because the Otama ga Ike Vaccination Institute is said to have been the predecessor of Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo, which changed its name first to the School of the Western Medical Science, then School of Medical Science, and other names as the institute expanded, Shunsai is regarded as the first president of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tokyo. He was the son-in-law of Ryosen TEZUKA, who was the direct ancestor of Osamu TEZUKA, and their struggle to found the vaccination institute is portrayed in the "Hidamari no ki" (A tree in the sun) written by Osamu TEZUKA.
He was not related to Gentaku OTSUKI of the same domain of Sendai, who was from a family of Rangakusha (a person who studied Western sciences by means of the Dutch language).