About Jonathan Scobie
Lived 1827 – 1926 (aged 98–99). Jonathan Scobie was a missionary.
The Reverend Jonathan Goble (1827–1897) was an American Free Baptist minister and missionary in Yokohama, Japan. He travelled with Matthew C. Perry to Japan in 1853. While there, he learned the Japanese language. He returned as the first Baptist missionary to Japan in 1860. It is said that around 1869, he built the first rickshaw to transport his invalid wife Eliza Goble around the city. However, there are numerous other theories about the origin of the rickshaw.
Name His name is listed variously as Jonathan Scobie, E. Jonathan Scobie and Jonathan Goble.
In culture Musical Theater: Jonathan Goble appears as a character (played by the narrator) in act two of the musical Pacific Overtures, explaining how he came to invent his rickshaw while a series of local residents working as runners pulling his rickshaw die of exhaustion, each instantly replaced by a new runner.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jonathan Scobie's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jonathan Scobie?
American Christian missionary
When was Jonathan Scobie born?
Jonathan Scobie was born in 1827.
When did Jonathan Scobie die?
Jonathan Scobie died in 1926.
What was Jonathan Scobie's occupation?
Jonathan Scobie was a missionary.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jonathan Scobie. https://biography.guide/jonathan-scobie/
MLA: "Jonathan Scobie." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jonathan-scobie/.
Chicago: "Jonathan Scobie." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jonathan-scobie/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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