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The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America

The Diary of Charles Holme’s 1889 Visit to Japan and North America

Global Oriental, 2008, 240 pages (including 8 plates and 50 photographs by Lasenby Liberty), hardback £65.00
ISBN-13: 978-1905246397

Review by Dr Jill Raggett

This gem of a publication allows the reader access to previously unpublished archival material consisting of a diary made during a journey through Japan and North America by Charles Holme in 1889. It is a book of value to the scholar of Japonisme, to those who have or wish to visit Japan with a better awareness of the history of cultural exchange, and to those who are interested in the lives of the various historical figures involved. The publication features three distinct sections each of which informs and supports the others.

The excellent initial section by the three editors introduces the writer of the diary, Charles Holme, his family origins and his successful trading career with the East. As a result of his business activities other major figures enter the account including the designer Christopher Dresser, the entrepreneur and retailer Arthur Lasenby Liberty, his wife Emma, and the artist Alfred East. This introductory section gives the reader an excellent overview of the meeting of the Eastern and Western cultures, especially with reference to the arts and design, including the work of Dresser, and the Westernisation of Japan. The latter is particularly well summarised by the authors in the sentence “Japan embraced modernity, while the West became entranced by the traditional cultures of Japan.” Though, as can be seen in the diary section, Holme was well aware of the changes occurring in Japan and their implications. This introductory text explains how, in 1891, Holme, Liberty and East were inspired by their journey to become the founder members of the London Japan Society. In addition Holme was to start The Studio, a well respected arts magazine, in which discussions took place about the Japanese arts. The introduction forms a comprehensive background against which the Holme diary becomes all the more meaningful; it also informs the reader that the surviving manuscript is now in the keeping of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The portion of Holme’s diary that survives and has been edited for this publication gives an intriguing insight into the “world tour” undertaken by Holme, Lasenby Liberty and his wife Emma, and Alfred East, covering time spent in both Japan and North America. It commences on Thursday 28 March 1889 with a tour in Kyoto and ends on Wednesday 10 July in Winnipeg at a lacrosse match! Holme’s observations in Japan are fascinating from his reactions to eating local delicacies (he was not impressed by soup made of fresh water snails) to the experience of sailing into Kamakura. He comments on the poor behaviour of tourists, of the curiosity of the Japanese to Westerner visitors and on his joy of clear weather conditions allowing him to see Mount Fuji. For those who have travelled to Japan, and especially to the places visited by Holme, they will easily be able to imagine these Victorian visitors touring the sites and may find that they have had similar reactions. Holme describes how Japanese painted landscapes that had once appeared “somewhat fanciful” to him now appeared intelligible on seeing the natural landscape. On visiting Nikko Holme, was to see the red bridge against the verdant greenery which he described as “very fine and decorative,” and which was to become in the eyes of the Victorian garden builder part of the “Japanese garden” in Britain. As the friends go on independent trips to various locations in Japan there are some amusing and interesting accounts of their meetings with others such as the British architect Josiah Conder who was living and teaching in Japan. At one point the Libertys are able to detect the presence of East and Holme by their boots being placed outside their guest house at Hakone. While in Japan Holme undertook a number of sketches some of which are reproduced in the book, these give an insight into the appearance of the original text of the diary. At the same time East was painting, and the publication of his diary (A British Artist in Japan, [Sir Hugh Cortazzi, 1991]) makes an excellent companion to this book.

The Holme diary also gives an indication of the vast amount of luggage that accompanied these visitors on their sea and railway travel around the world. Holme was able to produce as needed: a butterfly net, plant presses and space for his constantly increasing collection of curios. He shared with Liberty a passion for purchasing items, and for both men buying was in their blood.

The publication has very thorough reference notes which place in context the terms, events, places, individuals or social concerns of the time. These notes do much to enhance the value of the text, as does the last section which is the photographic record made by Emma Lasenby Liberty of their tour. This privately published “pictorial record” is supplemented with text written by her husband, and so gives further insights to what the group found worthy to document. The photographs are a wonderful record of people, architecture, gardens, shrines and scenery in Japan, and considerable effort must have been taken by Emma to achieve them, especially considering how bulky the photographic equipment would have been to transport. There are images of many of the places mentioned by Holme in his diary, and the editors have made the relevant links to these in their reference notes, the only problematic point is in trying to find them as the plates in the last section have no page numbers. This is only a small criticism and there may well be a technical reason why this was not possible.

This is an excellent and comprehensive publication, and the authors and publisher should be congratulated for adding something to our understanding of cultural exchange that is not only informative but a joy to read and experience.
Dr Jill Raggett is Reader in Gardens and Designed Landscapes, Writtle College, Essex. Her specialist area of research for the last 12 years has been the introduction of the Japanese-style garden to the British Isles.