Tateishi Onojirō

Tateishi Onojirō accompanied Japan’s first embassy to the United States in 1860 as a probationer interpreter. Known to Americans as Tommy, he helped with English lessons aboard the Powhatan in historian Ichiryō Imai’s reading of a copied letter by Sano Kanae. He traveled as the adopted son of interpreter Tateishi Tokujurō, his uncle, while the senior envoys conducted the mission to exchange treaty ratifications. ^{1, 5}

Language work remained central to his career after the journey. He interpreted for the American legation in Japan and taught English. On 3 May 1867, Tateishi interpreted for American minister Robert B. Van Valkenburgh at his audience with the shogun in Osaka. ^{1, 3}

After fighting on the Tokugawa side during the Meiji transition, he used the name Nagano Keijirō. He taught English at Kanazawa before joining the Iwakura mission under that name. His later posts included supervising Japanese emigrants in Hawaii and interpreting for the higher court in Osaka. ^{2, 1}