HECO, hay'co, Joseph, the first or second naturalized American citizen of Japanese birth, founder of the first newspaper in Japan: b. Kamiya, on the Inland Sea, 1837; d. 1892. In April 1850 with his cousin and nine pilgrims he embarked on a junk, with passenger accom modation for 70 persons, to visit the temple of Kompira in Shikoku. Thence from Marugame they sailed to Miyajima. On a later voyage, in the same year, from Yedo homeward, a storm arose and they were blown out to sea in the Kuro Shiwo. After drifting 50 days, they were picked up by the captain of the American bark Auckland, and saw foreigners for the first time. In San. Fran cisco, in 1851, he learned the language and some business. Coming to Baltimore, he received education and friendship from Mr. B. C. Sanders, former collector of the Port of San Francisco. In Washington, he saw President Lincoln and was amazed at republican sim plicity. In 1859 he left for Japan and being
the only native who could speak English there, was made interpreter for the American con sulate at Yokohama, and in 1867 for the United States steamship Wyoming in the fight at Shimonoseki, in 1868. He established a news paper, the first in Japan, and again visited the United States. For many years he gave invaluable assistance in smoothing the in tercourse between natives and foreigners and was often in danger of his life from hot headed and ignorant patriots. His 'Narrative of a Japanese> (edited by James Murdoch, 2 vols., 1892) throws strong lights upon the in terior history of Japan from 1850 to 1865, while giving pen portraits and impressions of Lincoln, Seward, Sumner, Brooks of Merrimac and McDougal of the Wyoming fame.