 After the war , Col. William S. Clark became a prominent figure in early American / Japanese relations . After establishing the Massachusetts Agricultural College ( now the University of Massachusetts Amherst ) , Clark was invited by the government of Japan to establish a similar institution , the Sapporo Agricultural College ( now the University of Hokkaido ) . Clark 's fame persists in Japan where he is a household name due to the revolutionary western ideas he brought to Hokkaido and the influence he had on the development of the island . His military experience during the Civil War was an important factor in earning the respect of his Japanese superiors . 
