Thomas Blake Glover (June 6, 1838 - December 13, 1911) was a Scottish merchant in Bakumatsu and Meiji Japan, and he is justly revered in that country for his many contributions to its modernization. The late Sir Peter Parker once hailed him as an all-round "trader through 360 degrees". June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 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 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 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. ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Meiji period (Japanese: Meiji Jidai 明治時代 ) (1868–1912... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ...

Early life (1838-1858)

Thomas Glover was born - appropriately - at 15 Commerce Street, Fraserburgh in north east Scotland, moving to Bridge of Don, near Aberdeen six years later. His father worked for the coastguard. 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. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Aberdeens location in Scotland Aberdeen (Obar Dheathain in Scottish Gaelic) is Scotlands third largest city, with a population of 212,125. ...

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, Choshu and Tosa clans in Japan during the 1860s. His business was based in Nagasaki and it was here that he had constructed his home, the first western style building in Japan. Shanghai (Chinese: 上海; pinyin: ; Shanghainese IPA: ), situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is Chinas largest city. ... Nagasaki at night, 2003 Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki   listen? (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located on the south-western coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four mainland islands of 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. ... Jump to: navigation, search Gunpowder whether black powder or smokeless powder, is a substance which burns very rapidly and is used 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. ... Nagato (Ja. ... Tosa is the name of several places in Japan: In Kochi Prefecture Tosa City. ... // Events and trends Technology The First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States is built in the six year period between 1863 and 1869. ... Nagasaki at night, 2003 Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki   listen? (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located on the south-western coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four mainland islands of Japan. ...

In 1863 Glover helped the Choshu 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 Choshu five (長州五傑 Chōshū Goketsu) were members of the Choshu han of western Japan who studied in England at University College London under the guidance of Professor Alexander William Williamson. ... 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. ...

Glover assisted in toppling the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Meiji Restoration and as such, had cordial relations with the new government. These links lead to him being responsible for commissioning the first iron-clad warship in the Imperial Japanese Navy (the Jho Sho Maru) which was built in Aberdeen. 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 (Japanese: 明治維新, Meiji-ishin), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to a change in Japans political and social structure. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Aberdeens location in Scotland Aberdeen (Obar Dheathain in Scottish Gaelic) is Scotlands third largest city, with a population of 212,125. ...

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. Takashima is the name of several places in Japan: In Nagasaki Prefecture: Takashima Town in Nishisonogi Takashima Town in Kitamatsūra District. ...

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.

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 major Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd.. 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. The Mitsubishi companies, or the Mitsubishi Group of Companies or the Mitsubishi Group is a large group (keiretsu) of independently operated Japanese companies which share the Mitsubishi brand name. ... Jump to: navigation, search Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd. ... 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. 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

Glover's Japanese wife Tsuru is said to have been the inspiration behind the libretto for Puccini's opera, Madama Butterfly. Their son Kuraba Tomisaburo (倉場富三郎) committed suicide in Nagasaki just after the dropping of the atomic bomb which ended the Second World War. Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) is regarded as one of the great operatic composers of the late 19th and early 20th century. ... Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly) is an opera in three acts (originally two acts) by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on the book by John Luther Long and the drama by David Belasco. ...

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 over one million visitors each year. He also had a residence in the Shiba Park area of Tokyo. Nagasaki at night, 2003 Megane-bashi (Spectacles Bridge) Nagasaki   listen? (長崎市; -shi, literally long peninsula) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located on the south-western coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of the four mainland islands of Japan. ... Aberdeens location in Scotland Aberdeen (Obar Dheathain in Scottish Gaelic) is Scotlands third largest city, with a population of 212,125. ... Zojoji in Shiba Park, with Tokyo Tower in the background. ... Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ...

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.

See also

• Foreign cemeteries in Japan
• Anglo-Japanese relations
• Ernest Satow
• Choshu Five

The foreign cemeteries (gaijin bochi) in Japan are chiefly located in Tokyo and at the former treaty ports of Nagasaki, Kobe, Yokohama, and Hakodate. ... Chronology of Anglo-Japanese relations (Nichi-Ei kankei 日英関係) 1600. ... 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... The Choshu five (長州五傑 ChōshÅ« Goketsu) were members of the Choshu han of western Japan who studied in England at University College London under the guidance of Professor Alexander William Williamson. ...

Reference

• Scottish Samurai: The Life of Thomas Blake Glover by Alexander McKay (Canongate Books, 1993) ISBN 0862414555

External links

• Thomas Blake Glover
• Famous Scots
• Glover Garden