Japan-Nantucket (Rashomon): BONUS - Lafcadio Hearn: The more you learn, the more mysterious he becomes.

10/08/24 • 20 min

Jim and Janet are back with a bonus episode about Lafcadio Hearn, a curious character that was among the Americans who became enamored with Japanese culture. He is a man of many worlds and many cultures, who found his true identity in Japan.
This is a production of the Nantucket Atheneum. It is hosted and edited by Janet Forest. It was researched, fact checked and co-hosted by Reference Library Associate Jim Borzilleri. Thank you to Reference Library Associate James Grieder for joining us for this discussion. Special thanks to Shire Video for production support.
SHOW NOTES: If something piqued your interest and it isn’t in the Show Notes, please email [email protected]. and include “Podcast Question” in the subject header.

As we can see in this picture taken with his wife, Setsuko Koizumi, (1868-1932) , Lafcadio Hearn was almost always photographed in profile.
The reference to one of Hearn’s translators as “Kakuzo’s brother” is to Yoshisaburo Kakuzo, sibling of Okakura Kakuzo, who we met in our discussion of William Bigelow. (While it’s unlikely they met in person, Bigelow and Hearn moved in the same circles.)
In November 1906, the same year he published “The Way of Tea”, and had joined the Boston Museum of Fine Arts at Bigelow’s request, Okakura Kakuzo wrote a letter to the New York Times defending Hearn and his writings, saying “....We may differ with his philosophy or quarrel with his deductions, but of all foreign authors he has reached nearest the heart of our people...”
Setsuko Koizumi published a loving memoir of her life with Lafcadio Hearn in 1918, filled with insights into his personality, their working process, and family life.
Hearn’s essay on Jiujutsu, was published as Chapter VII of “Out of the East: Reveries and Studies in New Japan” (1895). · TBH some of the variations bring the count down a bit, but a Keyword search in CLAMS on Oct 8, 2024, with “Lafcadio Hearn” yielded 100 items.
Watchers of Shogun would benefit from reading his essay, “A Conservative”, included in Hearn’s “Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life”
Former Atheneum Staff Member Liz Kelly talked about Lafcadio Hearn in our virtual program "Treasures from the Vault" which can be found on our YouTube channel.

As we can see in this picture taken with his wife, Setsuko Koizumi, (1868-1932) , Lafcadio Hearn was almost always photographed in profile.
The reference to one of Hearn’s translators as “Kakuzo’s brother” is to Yoshisaburo Kakuzo, sibling of Okakura Kakuzo, who we met in our discussion of William Bigelow. (While it’s unlikely they met in person, Bigelow and Hearn moved in the same circles.)
In November 1906, the same year he published “The Way of Tea”, and had joined the Boston Museum of Fine Arts at Bigelow’s request, Okakura Kakuzo wrote a letter to the New York Times defending Hearn and his writings, saying “....We may differ with his philosophy or quarrel with his deductions, but of all foreign authors he has reached nearest the heart of our people...”
Setsuko Koizumi published a loving memoir of her life with Lafcadio Hearn in 1918, filled with insights into his personality, their working process, and family life.
Hearn’s essay on Jiujutsu, was published as Chapter VII of “Out of the East: Reveries and Studies in New Japan” (1895). · TBH some of the variations bring the count down a bit, but a Keyword search in CLAMS on Oct 8, 2024, with “Lafcadio Hearn” yielded 100 items.
Watchers of Shogun would benefit from reading his essay, “A Conservative”, included in Hearn’s “Kokoro: Hints and Echoes of Japanese Inner Life”
Former Atheneum Staff Member Liz Kelly talked about Lafcadio Hearn in our virtual program "Treasures from the Vault" which can be found on our YouTube channel.

Previous Episode

Japan-Nantucket (Rashomon): Episode 9 - [UNCUT] The Great Wave: The Asthetes

In this final episode of season 6, Jim and I invite our colleague James Grieder to join us to discuss The Great Wave by Christopher Banfey. James has personal connection to one of the characters featured in Banfey's book.
This is the last episode in this season, but be sure to click that subscribe button, os you don't miss any bonus episodes and future seasons!
This is a production of the Nantucket Atheneum. It is hosted and edited by Janet Forest. It was researched, fact checked and co-hosted by Reference Library Associate Jim Borzilleri. Thank you to Reference Library Associate James Grieder for joining us for this discussion. Special thanks to the Berkshire Athenaeum for use of their space and Shire Video for production support.

SHOW NOTES: If something piqued your interest and it isn’t in the Show Notes, please email [email protected]. and include “Podcast Question” in the subject header.

Google Books has online versions of Edward Morse’s Japan Diaries: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
Independent Researcher Hina Hirayama recently transcribed the original diaries for her paper The Self-Fashioning of E. S. Morse: A Comparison of Japan Day by Day and Its Primary Source . She demonstrates that Morse’s “...authorial voice sought to accommodate the historical, social, and personal changes that had occurred since his travels...”, and, like many travel documentaries today, marginalized his support network and travelling companions to create an aura of a lone adventurer in a strange land.
The Lowell Institute where Dr. Morse gave his lecture on Japan is still active.
While Dr. Morse may have encountered our three Nantucket Captain’s during his travels in Japan, he certainly would have met Capt. Peter Hussey when the latter returned to America in 1888 and settled in Salem Mass.
Besides traveling with Capt. Richard Swain on their voyage from Japan to China, Isabella Stewart and Jack Gardner then stayed with two grown daughters of Warren F. Delano Jr., one in Shanghai and the other in Hong Kong. Both had married partners in Delano’s old firm, Russell & Co. As he resided part of the year in Shanghai, it’s likely Capt. Swain knew them as well.
Woman were also swept into the “Muscular Christianity” movement. Seven years after Sutematsu Yamakawa graduated, Vassar College opened a new Gymnasium Building, which included a swimming pool. While its students were always required to take some form of daily exercise, the College gradually implemented programs that examined the health and physical abilities of incoming Freshwomen, created a personalized regimen and tracked their progress. It also expanded its sports and recreation offerings, and later added a “swimming requirement” to graduate. (Miss Yamakawa would have aced it). · Here is the link to the MFA BOSTON Japanese Collection. · James Grieder also wrote this article about William Sturgis Bigelow on Tuckernuck.
William Sturgis Bigelow also actively promoted Japanese scholars to positions in American institutions (particularly the MFA) and was a tireless advocate for the nation through his political connections. Christopher Benfey covers his efforts in detail.

Next Episode

COLD TURKEY PLUNGE 2024: How it all started and what it takes to keep it going

The 23rd Annual Cold Turkey Plunge to benefit the Weezie Library for Children is just around the corner. In this three-part special special edition of the podcast, Janet talks with the development team to find what it takes to pull off this event year after year.
If you want to get involved in this year's Plunge, visit our website at https://nantucketatheneum.org/turkey-plunge-2024/
If you have done the plunge in the past and want to share your story, you can record a voice memo on your phone and email it to [email protected]. Please put "Turkey Plunge 2024 in the subject line."
This is a production of the Nantucket Atheneum. It is written, hosted and edited by Janet Forest. Special thanks for Director of Development Maggie O'Reilly, Marketing and Design specialist Anastasia Tumash, and Head of Outreach Lisa Lothian.