| At first sight Fraserburgh in the Northeast of Scotland and
Nagasaki in Japan might appear as if they have little in common, in reality they have a
very strong connection through one man - Thomas Blake Glover. In his native Northeast of
Scotland Thomas Blake Glover is virtually unknown, however in his adopted country of Japan
he is revered as a national hero - one of the founding fathers of modern Japan. Thomas Blake Glover was born at 15 Commerce Street, Fraserburgh on June 6,
1838 and lived at the same address for the next six years. His father, an Englishman, had
served as an officer in the Royal Navy, later becoming the Chief Coastguard in
Fraserburgh, the Coastguard house stood just around the corner from the cottage in
Commerce Street. Glover's mother was a Scot through-and-through, she was from Fordyce in
Banffshire.
In 1851 the family moved to Bridge of Don, Aberdeen but
Glover would soon move again. After leaving school he began working for a trading company
and travelled the world. He was successful as a merchant trading in ships and weapons in
Japan during the 1860's, at that time a politically unstable and violent corner of the
world. He settled in Nagasaki, his house was built in 1863 and remains the oldest western
style building in Japan.
Glover became a prominent individual and helped the samurai
to topple their military leader, the Shogun, restoring the Emperor to his throne. At this
time he helped in the industrialisation of Japan.
He was responsible for commissioning three warships for the
Japanese navy from Aberdeen shipyards, subsequently he established his own shipbuilding
company which later grew into the industrial giant Mitsubishi. He was responsible for
introducing the first railway locomotive into Japan as well as establishing the country's
first mechanised coal mine. He also organised the education of many young Japanese abroad,
mostly in Britain.
Glover married a woman called Tsura, the daughter of a
samurai, who many believe was the inspiration for Puccini's opera - Madame Butterfly,
since she habitually wore the emblem of a butterfly on her clothes.
Glover was not only the first to introduce much western
technology to Japan but was also the first non-Japanese to be presented with the Order of
the Rising Sun - one of the country's top honours. He died in 1911, aged 73.
Glover's house in Nagasaki is now the centrepiece of
"Glover Garden", Western Japan's top tourist attraction with almost 2 million
visitors each year. The site of Glover's birth has not fared so well. During the Second
World War the Luftwaffe scored a direct hit on 15 Commerce Street - the site to this day
remains empty, although plans have been put forward to rebuilt the cottage at a cost of
£375,000 and turning it into a tourist attraction.
Note: Glover's family home, 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 a few pictures in our
Historic Scotland Grampian Page. |
