Rigaku Hakushi (Doctor of Philosophy). 407 
castle, a government commissioner was associated with an 
officer of the han (fief), and hundreds of coolies were collected 
to explore the forests of Mt. Kiso, of. which opportunity 
Ito availed himself to study the flora of the district, accom¬ 
panying the party as medical officer. For several months he 
lived in a hut and diligently searched hill and valley for plants, 
finding many rare and interesting specimens. 
Ito, as already mentioned, had previously given much 
attention to western learning, and explained the essentials of 
foreign languages. In 1841 he published his Yojihen for the 
use of beginners, as a result of which very many persons de¬ 
sirous of acquiring foreign languages sought his aid. In 1847 
he was made a Chief Superintendent to the Daimyo (Goyonin 
shihai ), and the year after was much occupied with editing 
and translating important foreign works. About this time he 
revised the Nagara-gawa Kijishi and arranged the Hyochu 
Shisho. He also translated Salmon’s Nihon hen and wrote 
a treatise on foreign saltpetre, founded on a Dutch work. 
In 1853 he was appointed a Vaccination Inspector, and 
began his duties with the establishment of a station at 
Nagoya. 
At this juncture rumours were rife of the coming of a foreign 
squadron, and great was the confusion and consternation they 
caused. Ito ordered three hundred cannon to be cast and 
presented them to the Daimyo, receiving a large sum of money 
by way of reward. 
In 1854, when the foreign ships appeared, he was appointed 
a secretary, and afterwards furnished much information on 
foreign affairs. 
In 1858 he reprinted the Oranda Chiri Shoho (Geographisch 
Zakboekje), upon which he afterwards founded his Yochi 
kiryaku (Short Account of our Globe) for the use of beginners. 
In 1859 he was nominated a medical adviser, and a teacher 
of the art of translation from foreign languages. The next 
year he was made a member of the Banshochosho (office for 
examining barbarian writings), and called to Yedo to take 
part in the duties of the department of Products and Manu- 
