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The fourth edition of the Britain & Japan: Biographical Portraits’ series, compiled and edited by former chairman of the Japan Society Sir Hugh Cortazzi, offers a diverse and fascinating look at some of the figures behind Anglo-Japanese relations from the Bakumatsu period onwards. Like previous editions, this compilation of essays is written by esteemed scholars and writers. Containing 34 different contributions, this edition brings the grand total of published portraits to over one hundred

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In this first edition of Biographical Portraits, editor Ian Nish pays special tribute to some of the key players who made a special contribution to relations during the late Bakumatsu and early Meiji periods of Japanese history. Volume I begins with Sir Harry Parkes, who arrived in Japan in 1865 as one of the first British envoys, and continues with content as diverse as an essay on Japanese engineers in Britain and a biography of admiral Tōgō Heihachirō.

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This collection of essays compiled by Ian Nish and published by the Japan Society provides a comprehensive understanding into the history of diplomatic relations between Japan and Britain from 1862 up to Ambassador Ohno Katsumi’s highly successful six year assignment in 1964. This book succeeds in not only providing a rich historical account of diplomatic relations but highlights the idiosyncrasies and peculiarities of life as an envoy. By way of appendix, the volume concludes with a short history of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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This unique volume, marking the 110th anniversary of The Japan Society and compiled and edited by former chairman Hugh Cortazzi, aims at capturing the impressions and experiences British people have had of Japan. By collecting sketches, vignettes and reminiscences covering the half century since the end of the Pacific War, Cortazzi seeks to offer the reader a fascinating and remarkable collection of personal experiences across a wide and varied spectrum.

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In this book, former ambassador to Japan Sir Hugh Cortazzi documents the journey made by Lord Elgin in commencing negotiations and paving the way to improved Anglo-Japanese relations that the ports of Hakodate, Kanagawa and Nagasaki be open to British commerce. The Treaty of Yedo, signed by Lord Elgin and the representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate, stands as one of the hallmarks of the long relationship between Japan and Britain, occurring at a time of great diplomatic and economic dynamism.

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The many museums and art galleries of the UK are host to a great miscellany of Japanese art. By including detailed maps and an extensive index of towns, subjects and holdings, this guide provides the reader with the necessary information to access some 180 important public collections of art. The author, Gregory Irvine, curator of the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, provides vital information such contact and location details of collections as well as how the collections themselves can be viewed by the public.

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Ready Steady NihonGO! is an interactive primary language project. Working together, The Japan Society and the Japan Foundation London Language Centre (JFLLC) have produced a unique scheme of work for teaching Japanese at KS2 level. The scheme comprises ten 45 minute lessons designed to be delivered by a Japanese native speaker working with the class teacher. Each lesson is clearly structured, with comprehensive teachers’ notes, National Curriculum Links and a set of accompanying Culture Notes.

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This illustrated book accompanies the the exhibition 'A Garden Bequest - Plants from Japan' which celebrates the wealth of plant material introduced to The West from Japan over the last three centuries. The exhibition puts the modern British garden into context through a wonderful array of traditional works of art dating from the 17th century, including porcelain, lacquer, paintings, prints, illustrated books and decorative papers. This handbook contains essays by specialists in the field and a catalogue of the objects of display.

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This volume is concerned with the development of business and economic relations between Britain and Japan from the early seventeenth century up to the year 2000. Following a comprehensive introduction, the volume contains eight more detailed chapters, written by British and Japanese scholars, each of which focus on a particular aspect of economic interaction. Particular emphasis is placed on commodity trade, capital flows, and the transfer of knowledge and the overall balance of economic power between the two nations.

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Sir Hugh Cortazzi, former Ambassador to Japan, explores two fascinating episodes in Anglo-Japanese cultural relations in late Victorian London. The Japanese Native Village in 1885 was a commercial venture that demonstrated Japanese life and crafts to Londoners through the creation of a ‘make believe’ village in Knightsbridge. In the same year, Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta The Mikado was the first attempt to use Japan as a theme for a British theatrical production.

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Sir Hugh Cortazzi, former Ambassador to Japan, introduces fifteen books illustrated by Japanese artists over nearly seventy years. These sketchbooks and albums show the way in which Japanese artists maintained their traditional skills in drawing and colouring during an era in which Japanese society underwent revolutionary changes. They cover a wide range from the depiction of birds and flowers to Japanese customs. The images presented provide an unusual picture of Japanese life and art of the time.

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In this volume, Sir Hugh Cortazzi provides a compelling introduction to the multiple forms of visual material published in Japan for mostly European and American consumption. His carefully researched books is a much-needed addition to this rich and yet surprisingly under explored field. This book is the fruit of many years of researching, collecting and analysing material published in Western languages on Meiji Japan. He set himself an arduous task as the material covers a range of genres from fairy tales to botanical prints.

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