Thomas Blake Glover
From Freepedia
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".
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Early life (1838-1858)
Thomas Glover was born - appropriately for a merchant - 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thomas Glover died at his home in Tokyo but was buried at the Sakamoto International Cemetery in Nagasaki.
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.
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.
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
Reference
- Scottish Samurai: The Life of Thomas Blake Glover by Alexander McKay (Canongate Books, 1993) ISBN 0862414555
External links
Categories: Japan-related stubs | 1838 births | 1911 deaths | British people in Japan | Scottish people
