Thomas Blake Glover.

Statue of Thomas Blake Glover in Glover Garden, Nagasaki

Thomas Blake Glover (June 6, 1838 – December 13, 1911) was a Scottish merchant in Bakumatsu and Meiji Japan, and he is revered in that country for his many contributions to its modernisation. The late Sir Peter Parker once hailed him as an all-round "trader through 360 degrees". Image File history File links Thomas_Blake_Glover. ... Image File history File links Thomas_Blake_Glover. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 452 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1677 × 2223 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 452 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1677 × 2223 pixel, file size: 1. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining // 1508 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year truce and cede several territories to Venice 1513... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... “Scot” redirects here. ... Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... The late Tokugawa shogunate or last shogun (幕末; Bakumatsu) is the period between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy called sakoku and modernized from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... Sir Peter Parker KBE LVO (August 30, 1924 – April 28, 2002) was a British businessman who served as chairman of the British Railways Board from 1976 to 1983 and guided the organisation through difficult times to the beginnings of the resurgence in train travel in the United Kingdom. ...

Early life (1838–1858)

Thomas Glover was born at 15 Commerce Street, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire in north east Scotland on June 6, 1838, moving to Bridge of Don, near Aberdeen six years later. His father worked for the coast guard. Upon leaving school, Glover entered into employment with a trading company and travelled widely. Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the extreme North East corner. ... Aberdeenshire (Siorrachd Obar Dheathain in Gaelic) is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity(English) Wha daur meddle wi me? (Scots)[1] Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots[2] Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I... Bridge of Don is a suburb in the north of Aberdeen, Scotland. ... Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: ) is Scotlands third largest city (48th in Britain,[5] 313th in Europe[6]) with a population of 202,370. ... A coast guard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. ... A joint stock company is a special kind of partnership. ...

Japan (1859–1911)

in 1859, Glover crossed from Shanghai to Nagasaki and worked initially for Jardine Matheson buying Japanese green tea. Two years later, he founded his own firm, Glover Trading Co. (Guraba-Shokai). His first major success was as a merchant for ships, guns and gunpowder sold to the rebellious Satsuma, Chōshū and Tosa clans in Japan during the 1860s. His business is based in Nagasaki, and it was here that he had his home constructed, the first western-style building in Japan. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎市, Nagasaki-shi  , long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... Jardine Matheson, often called Jardines, is a multinational corporation that is legally based in Bermuda and which trades on the London and Singapore stock exchanges. ... Green tea (绿茶) is tea that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. ... Smokeless powder Gunpowder, whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance that burns very rapidly, releasing gases that act as a propellant in firearms. ... Satsuma is the name of a town in Japan, Satsuma, Kagoshima, the surrounding district, Satsuma District, Kagoshima, the former province, Satsuma Province, which is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, a revolt, the Satsuma Rebellion. ... ChōshÅ« may refer to any of the following: Nagato Province ) in Japan ChōshÅ« Domain ) in Japan The wrestler Riki Choshu ) Category: ... Tosa is the name of several places in Japan: In Kochi Prefecture Tosa City. ... Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎市, Nagasaki-shi  , long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ...

In 1863, Glover helped the Chōshū Five get to London on Jardine Matheson ships. He was also responsible in 1865 for bringing the first steam railway locomotive called "Iron Duke" to Japan which he demonstrated on a short track at Oura in Nagasaki. The ChōshÅ« Five ) were members of the ChōshÅ« han of western Japan who studied in England from 1863 at University College London under the guidance of Professor Alexander William Williamson. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Jardine Matheson, often called Jardines, is a multinational corporation that is legally based in Bermuda and which trades on the London and Singapore stock exchanges. ... Great Western Railway No. ... Oura can refer to: Olba in present Anatolia (Asian Turkey) Oura, Gunma in Japan Oura, Kagoshima also in Japan Category: ...

Glover assisted in toppling the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Meiji Restoration and as such, had cordial relations with the new government. These links led to his being responsible for commissioning one of the first warships in the Imperial Japanese Navy (the Jho Sho Maru, later called Ryūjō Maru) which was built by Alexander Hall & Co. in Aberdeen and launched on March 27, 1869. Glover also commissioned the smaller Ho Sho Maru for the navy and the Kagoshima for the Satsuma clan from the same Aberdeen shipyard. The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japans political and social structure. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga class cruiser. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍   or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun), officially Navy of Empire of Greater Japan, also known as the Japanese Navy or Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force... The RyÅ«jō (Jp: 龍驤) was a steam ironclad warship of the Imperial Japanese Navy, designed by Thomas Glover and built in Scotland for the private navy of the fief of Kumamoto, where it was called the Jo Sho Maru. ... Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: ) is Scotlands third largest city (48th in Britain,[5] 313th in Europe[6]) with a population of 202,370. ... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ...

In 1868, Glover made a contract with the Hizen (Saga) clan and began to develop Japan's first coal mine at Takashima. He also brought the first dry dock to Japan. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Takashima is the name of several places in Japan: In Nagasaki Prefecture: Takashima Town in Nishisonogi Takashima Town in Kitamatsūra District. ... U.S. Navy submarine USS Greeneville in dry dock following collision with a fishing boat. ...

Thomas Glover went bankrupt in 1870, but he stayed in Japan to manage the Takashima coal mine after the Restoration for the mine's Dutch owners until it was taken over by the Meiji government. In 1881, the mine was acquired by Iwasaki Yataro. Yataro Iwasaki Yataro Iwasaki (岩崎 弥太郎 Iwasaki Yatarō, January 9, 1835 - February 7, 1885) was a Japanese financier and shipping industrialist. ...

Glover was a key figure in the industrialisation of Japan, founding a shipbuilding company, which was later to become the Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan. He also helped found the Japan Brewery Company, which later became the major Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. It is rumoured that the moustache of the mythical creature featured on Kirin beer labels is in fact a tribute to Glover (who sported a similar moustache) [1]. A factory in Ilmenau (Germany) around 1860 Industrialisation (also spelt Industrialization) or an Industrial Revolution is a process of social and economic change whereby a human society is transformed from a pre-industrial (an economy where the amount of capital accumulated per capita is low) to an industrial state (see... Men from Francisco de Orellanas expedition building a small brigantine, the San Pedro, to be used in the search for food Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. ... Mitsubishi Logo The Mitsubishi Group ), Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies, all refer to a large grouping of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ... Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. ... Edgar Allan Poe had a simple moustache. ...

In recognition of these achievements, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun (second class), the first non-Japanese to receive such an honour. Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun The Order of the Rising Sun or Kyokujitsu sho(旭日章) is a Japanese Order (decoration), established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. ...

Thomas Glover died at his home in Tokyo, but was buried at the Sakamoto International Cemetery in Nagasaki. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Foreigners cemetery in Hakodate The foreign cemeteries (gaijin bochi) in Japan are chiefly located in Tokyo and at the former treaty ports of Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, and Hakodate. ...

Family

Thomas Glover shared a common-law marital relationship with a Japanese woman named Yamamura Tsuru, a native of Bungo (Oita Prefecture) whom he apparently met in Osaka in the early 1870's. The couple had a daughter named Hana, born in Nagasaki in 1876. Hana wed British merchant Walter Bennett in 1897 and later moved with him to Korea, where she died in 1938. She had four children but only one grandchild, Ronald Bennett (1931- ) who is living today in the U.S.A. Thomas Glover also had a British-Japanese son, later named Kuraba Tomisaburo (1870-1945), who was born in Nagasaki and went on to make important contributions to the economy of this city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tomisaburo was married to Nakano Waka, also of mixed British and Japanese descent.

Official household registers preserved at Nagasaki City Hall indicate that Tomisaburo was the son, not of Glover's wife Tsuru, but of a woman named Kaga Maki. Except for these offical registers, however, nothing is known about Kaga Maki, her relationship with Glover, or the circumstances of their separation. Glover and Tsuru remained together until the latter's death in 1899. Kaga Maki, meanwhile, married a Japanese man and died in Nagasaki in 1905.

Despite his Japanese citizenship, Kuraba Tomisaburo was hounded as a potential spy by the Japanese military police during World War II. His wife Waka died in 1943, and Tomisaburo committed suicide on August 26, 1945, soon after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a few weeks before the arrival of American Occupation forces in Nagasaki. Since the couple had no children, this marked the end of the association between Nagasaki and the Glover family. Spy and secret agent redirect here; for alternate use, see Spy (disambiguation) and Secret agent (disambiguation). ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the willful act of killing oneself. ... The Fat Man mushroom cloud resulting from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rises 18 km (11 mi, 60,000 ft) into the air from the hypocenter. ...

Thomas Glover has been linked with Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madama Butterfly," which is set in Nagasaki, but this has no foundation in historical fact. Recent research reveals the origin of the conjecture to be the American Occupation Forces who requisitioned the Glover House in September 1945 and nicknamed it "Madame Butterfly House" simply because the view over Nagasaki Harbor was reminiscent of scenes in the opera. After Nagasaki City acquired the building in 1957, the unfounded "Madame Butterfly Connection" continued to be exploited as a tourist draw. Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. ... Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. ...

Residences

Glover's former residences in Nagasaki and Aberdeen have both since been turned into museums, with the beautifully situated Glover Garden (グラバー園) house in Nagasaki attracting thousands of visitors each year. He also had a residence in the Shiba Park area of Tokyo. Nagasaki (Japanese: 長崎市, Nagasaki-shi  , long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. ... Aberdeen (Scottish Gaelic: ) is Scotlands third largest city (48th in Britain,[5] 313th in Europe[6]) with a population of 202,370. ... uyhv08yv8vy-8yv-8yv-8yvb-8yvb-8yv-8yv-8yv08yv08yv0-8yv-8yiv-8yvb-08vyb-8y9ibv-p9un ... Zojoji in Shiba Park, with Tokyo Tower in the background. ...

Glover's family home in Scotland, Glover House, 79 Balgownie Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen is now open to the public as a restored Victorian house, telling the Glover story. The house is also available as a venue for business meetings, small private functions and group tours. The home where he was born in Fraserburgh was destroyed by World War II bombing although a blue plaque marks the site of his birth. Manchester Town Hall is an example of Victorian architecture found in Manchester, UK. The Carson Mansion is an example of a Victorian home in Eureka, California, USA The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly in the Victorian era. ... Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the extreme North East corner. ...

The following is from * [2]:

quote

The same year as the bankruptcy of Glover & Co., Thomas Glover fathered a baby boy with a Japanese woman named Kaga Maki. The boy attended the Nagasaki mission school Chinzei Gakuin, where he was one of the school's first pupils, and moved on later to Gakushuin in Tokyo. From 1888 to 1892 he studied biology at the Ohio Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania. He returned to Nagasaki in 1892 and took up a position with the British firm Holme Ringer & Co., later acquiring Japanese citizenship and assuming the legal name "Kuraba Tomisaburo." The Gakushuin University (学習院大学 Gakushūin Daigaku) or formerly Peers School (now incorporated as the Gakushuin School Corporation) is an educational institution in Tokyo established in 1877, during the Meiji era, for the education of the children of the Japanese aristocracy, though it eventually also... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... , Ohio Wesleyan University (also Wesleyan or OWU, pronounced oh-WOO) is a private coeducational liberal arts college located in Delaware, Ohio. ... Official language(s) English, Pennsylvania Dutch Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ...

In 1909, Kuraba Tomisaburo moved into the Glover House (it had been rented to other foreign residents until then) with his wife Waka and became its sole owner two years later when his father died in Tokyo. The couple, who were never blessed with children, lived in the house over the following decades and enjoyed an important role in the economic and social life of the city. One of Tomisaburo's important achievements was the establishment of the Nagasaki Steamship Fisheries Co. and the introduction of Japan's first steam trawlers, which brought about a revolution in the Japanese fishing industry. Through his efforts、 Nagasaki Prefecture became and remains the foremost fishing prefecture in Japan. A modern Icelandic trawler A trawler is a fishing vessel designed for the purpose of operating a trawl, a type of fishing net that is dragged along the bottom of the sea (or sometimes above the bottom at a specified depth). ...

With his many connections on both sides of the language barrier, Tomisaburo also made great efforts to enhance international exchange and understanding and to promote Nagasaki both as a business center and tourist destination. He was a key figure in the establishment of the Nagasaki Naigai Club and in efforts to promote the designation of Unzen as one of Japan's first national parks. Mt. ... This article is about national parks. ...

One of Kuraba Tomisaburo's most illustrious and enduring achievements was the compilation of the "Glover Fish Atlas," a collection of 823 precise watercolor illustrations of marine species found in southwestern Japan. This project, which stemmed from Tomisaburo's lifelong interest in biology, took more than 20 years of effort by several local artists. The atlas is preserved today in the Nagasaki University Library and remains one of Japan's three most important fish atlases. Watercolor is a painting technique making use of water-soluble pigments that are either transparent or opaque and are formulated with gum to bond the pigment to the paper. ... Nagasaki University ) is a national university of Japan located in the city of Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. ...

But despite Tomisaburo's efforts at international understanding, the rising tide of militarism and Japan's increasing animosity toward the United States and Britain in the early [[Showa Period]] cast a dark shadow on Nagasaki and particularly on people with foreign connections. Finally in 1939, Tomisaburo and Waka were forced to sell the Glover House to Mitsubishi Co. because it commanded a clear view of the building berth where the battleship Musashi was taking shape. After that the couple lived in the house at No.9 Minamiyamate, enduring harassment from the Kempeitai and cutting off most of their social contacts. Waka died in 1943, leaving Tomisaburo alone. Militarism or militarist ideology is the doctrinal view of a society as being best served (or more efficient) when it is governed or guided by concepts embodied in the culture, doctrine, system, or people of the military. ... The Kempeitai (憲兵隊, Law Soldier Regiment) were the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army. ...

Kuraba Tomisaburo was in his house in Minamiyamate on August 9, 1945 when an atomic bomb exploded over the northern part of Nagasaki. Then on August 26, 1945, less than two weeks after Japan's surrender, Kuraba Tomisaburo committed suicide in the Minamiyamate house, severing the connection between the Glover family and Nagasaki. He was 75 years old at the time. One motivation for Kuraba's suicide may have been fear that the American forces (that would land in Nagasaki on September 23) might accost him for taking Japanese citizenship.

end quote

See also

• Foreign cemeteries in Japan

• Anglo-Japanese relations
• Chōshū Five

• Richard Henry Brunton, another Scotsman who made a major impact in 19th century Japan
• Joseph Henry Longford was a friend of Glover
• Ernest Satow
• Alexander Cameron Sim
• Henry Dyer

Foreigners cemetery in Hakodate The foreign cemeteries (gaijin bochi) in Japan are chiefly located in Tokyo and at the former treaty ports of Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, and Hakodate. ... This page describes the history of the relationship between the United Kingdom and Japan. ... The Chōshū Five ) were members of the Chōshū han of western Japan who studied in England from 1863 at University College London under the guidance of Professor Alexander William Williamson. ... Richard Henry Brunton (December 26, 1841 - April 24, 1901) from Scotland was the so-called Father of Japanese lighthouses. He was born in the Coastguard House (now 11 Marine Terrace) at Muchalls, Fetteresso in Kincardineshire. ... Joseph Henry Longford (born June 25, 1849 in Dublin - died May 12, 1925 in London) was a British consular official in the British Japan Consular Service from February 24, 1869 until August 15, 1902. ... Sir Ernest Mason Satow, G.C.M.G., P.C. (1843-1929), a British scholar-diplomat born to an ethnically German father (Hans David Christoph Satow, born in Swedish-occupied Wismar, naturalised British in 1846) and an English mother (Margaret, nee Mason) in Clapton, North London, and educated at Mill... Alexander Cameron Sim (1840-1900) was born in Aberlour, Scotland on August 28, 1840. ... Henry Dyer (1848 - 1918) studied at Glasgow University from 1868 after serving an apprenticeship in a Glasgow engineering works. ...

References

• Scottish Samurai: The Life of Thomas Blake Glover by Alexander McKay (Canongate Books, 1993) ISBN 0-86241-455-5 (Japanese translation 1997, ISBN 4-12-002652-3)

• Meiji Kenkoku no Youshou: To-masu B Guraba- no Shimatsu, H. Naito 2001 ISBN 4-87152-214-8

• The Pure Land by Alan Spence (Canongate Books, 2006) ISBN 1-84195-855-7 (A historical novel based on the life of Thomas Blake Glover) Canongate

• Starcrossed: A Biography of Madame Butterfly by Brian Burke-Gaffney (EastBridge, 2004) ISBN 1-891936-48-4

External links

• Thomas Blake Glover
• Famous Scots
• Glover Garden (Japanese language). English language page: Glover Garden
• Image of the Jho Sho Maru