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Loading... Scottish Samurai: Thomas Blake Glover 1838-1911 (edition 2012)by Alexander McKay
Work InformationScottish Samurai: Thomas Blake Glover, 1838-1911 by Alexander McKay
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. A fascinating biography of a little-known Scot who arrived in Japan in 1859. Thomas Glover then played a crucial role in Japanese history, assisting the overthrow of the Shogunate by supplying the rebels with Scottish-designed warships and modern arms. He went on to become a pivotal figure in the rapidly growing Mitsubishi empire founding shipyards and breweries in Japan. Glover had a string of Japanese mistresses one of whom was the inspiration for Puccini's 'Madame Butterfly'. He is regarded by the Japanese as one of the founding fathers of the Japanese economic miracle, and his house in Nagasaki is now a museum drawing over 2 million visitors each year. ( ) no reviews | add a review
Thomas Glover arrived in Nagasaki in 1859, just as Japan was opening to the West. Within a few years he had played a crucial part in the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate, providing the rebels with war-winning, Scottish-designed warships, and modern arms. Bankruptcy by the age of thirty was barely a setback and he went on to become a pivotal figure in the rapidly expanding Mitsubishi empire, founding shipyards and breweries. As energetic in hislove-life as in business and politics, Glover had a string of Japanese mistresses, one of whom inspired Puccini's Madam Butterfly. This 'Scottish Samurai' was to become an adviser to the Japanese government; he also arranged for many Japanese to visit Britain and see the wonders of the industrial revolution, a lesson they enthusiastically absorbed. Today, Glover is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Japanese economic miracle. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)952.031092History and Geography Asia Japan 1868-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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