Japanese Crepe-paper Books
  • Home
  • Overview
  • Our Collection
    • Annotation: The Matsuyama Mirror
    • Annotation: Kachi-Kachi Mountain
    • Annotation: The Fisherboy Urashima
  • Technical Process
    • Student Story: Momidai Construction
    • Student Story: Japanese Binding
  • Timeline
  • Social Network
  • Maps
    • Essay: On the Value of Mapping
  • Library Exhibition
  • Our Team
  • Bibliography
Select Page

Basil Hall Chamberlain

Return to Full Collection

Basil Hall Chamberlain was one of the first literary collaborators of Hasegawa. Born in England and arriving to Japan in 1873, he lived and worked there for 38 years before spending the rest of his life in Geneva on his doctors orders. Unlike many foreigners, he became fluent in Japanese and wrote the first Japanese grammar textbook, working closely with the Japanese government and academic circles. He held various jobs in Japan, most notably as a Professor of Japanese at Tokyo Imperial University. In 1886 at the beginning of his tenure, he connected with Hasegawa to publish a series of three Ainu fairy-tales and numbers 8, 9, 13, and 15 of the Japanese Fairy Tale series. He translated a total of seven works for Hasegawa and connected him with many English-speaking foreigners in Japan, such as Mrs. T. H. [Kate] James and Lafcadio Hearn. Chamberlain dedicated the bulk of his career to studying and publishing on Japanese literature, culture, and life. He contributed to several guide-books marketed towards Western tourists visiting Japan, and would mention Hasegawa’s series when appropriate, indicating the positive business relationship they maintained during their careers.

8. The Fisherboy Urashima
8. The Fisherboy Urashima

Basil Hall Chamberlain, Hasegawa Takejirō, Kobayashi Eitaku

9. The Serpent with Eight Heads
9. The Serpent with Eight Heads

Basil Hall Chamberlain, Hasegawa Takejirō, Kobayashi Eitaku

13. The Silly Jelly-fish
13. The Silly Jelly-fish

Basil Hall Chamberlain, Kawabata Gyokushō, Nishinomiya Yosaku

15. My Lord Bag-‘O-Rice
15. My Lord Bag-‘O-Rice

Basil Hall Chamberlain, Nishinomiya Yosaku, Suzuki Kason