Born into a wealthy farming family in Shimoikebe village, Echigo (Jōetsu, Niigata).
He went to Edo to study medicine, later also learning Dutch, English and navigation.
Adopted into the Maejima family of shogunate retainers, he submitted to the shogun a memorial urging an end to the use of kanji.
He joined the new Meiji government.
He proposed a postal system and went to Britain to study it.
He started postal service between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, reportedly choosing the words yūbin (mail) and kitte (stamp); he is called "father of the Japanese postal service".
He brought Japan into the Universal Postal Union, enabling international mail.
He became principal of Ōkuma Shigenobu's Tokyo Senmon Gakkō (later Waseda University).
As vice-minister of communications he also promoted telegraphs and telephones.
He died.
Ōtori KeisukeEtō ShinpeiFukuzawa YukichiIwasaki YatarōMatsukata MasayoshiEnomoto TakeakiGodai TomoatsuInoue Kaoru
People of the Meiji period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.