Matsuura Takeshirō

Matsuura Takeshirō
Matsuura Takeshirō
松浦武四郎
	Matsuura Takeshirō in 1885, with a necklace of magatama, cylindrical kudatama (ja), and crystal beads, largely of the Yayoi period, and now at Seikadō Bunko Art Museum
Born	12 March 1818; Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Died	10 February 1888 (aged 69)
Other names	Matsuura Takeshirō (松浦竹四郎); (initial spelling); Matsuura Hiroshi (松浦弘); (imina); Matsuura Shichō (松浦子重); (azana); Bunkei (文桂); (Dharma name); Hokkai Dōjin (北海道人); (art name)

Matsuura Takeshirō (松浦武四郎; 12 March 1818 – 10 February 1888) was a Japanese explorer, cartographer, writer, painter, priest, and antiquarian. During the late Edo period and Bakumatsu he journeyed six times to Ezo, including to Sakhalin and the Kuriles. In the early Meiji period he was an official in the Hokkaidō Development Commission. Instrumental in the naming of the island and many of its places, he is sometimes referred to as the "godparent of Hokkaidō".