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Basil Hall Chamberlain

December 15, 2023

Basil Hall Chamberlain (18 October 1850 – 15 February 1935) was a British academic and Japanologist. He was a professor of the Japanese language at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during the late 19th century. (Others included Ernest Satow and W. G. Aston.) He also wrote some of the earliest translations of haiku into English. He is perhaps best remembered for his informal and popular one-volume encyclopedia Things Japanese, which first appeared in 1890 and which he revised several times thereafter. His interests were diverse, and his works include an anthology of poetry in French.[1]

Basil Hall Chamberlain
Basil Hall Chamberlain
Born(1850-10-18)18 October 1850
Southsea, England
Died15 February 1935(1935-02-15) (aged 84)
Geneva, Switzerland
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Author, Japanologist
Parent(s)William Charles Chamberlain
Eliza Jane Hall

Early life edit

Chamberlain was born in Southsea (a part of Portsmouth) on the south coast of England, the son of an Admiral William Charles Chamberlain and his wife Eliza Hall, the daughter of the travel writer Basil Hall. His younger brother was Houston Stewart Chamberlain. He was brought up speaking French as well as English, even before moving to Versailles to live with his maternal grandmother in 1856 upon his mother's death. Once in France, he acquired German as well. Chamberlain had hoped to study at Oxford, but instead started work at Barings Bank in London. He was unsuited to the work and soon had a nervous breakdown. It was in the hope of a full recovery that he sailed out of Britain, with no clear destination in mind.

Japan edit

Chamberlain landed in Japan on 29 May 1873, employed by the Japanese government as an o-yatoi gaikokujin. He taught at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in Tokyo from 1874 to 1882. His most important position, however, was as professor of Japanese at Tokyo Imperial University beginning in 1886. It was here that he gained his reputation as a student of Japanese language and literature. (He was also a pioneering scholar of the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages.) His many works include the first translation of the Kojiki into English (1882), A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese (1888), Things Japanese (1890), and A Practical Guide to the Study of Japanese Writing (1905).[2] A keen traveller despite chronic weak health, he cowrote (with W. B. Mason) the 1891 edition of A Handbook for Travellers in Japan, of which revised editions followed.

Chamberlain was a friend of the writer Lafcadio Hearn, once a colleague at the university, but the two became estranged over the years.[3] Percival Lowell dedicated his travelogue Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan (1891) to Chamberlain.[4]

Chamberlain sent many Japanese artefacts to the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford.

He left Japan in 1911 and moved to Geneva, where he lived until his death in 1935.

Selected works by Chamberlain edit

  • The Classical Poetry of the Japanese, 1880
  • "A Translation of the 'Ko-ji-ki', or Records of Ancient Matters" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. 10, Supplement, 1882
    • Rechaptered with notes by Charles Francis Horne in Horne, ed., The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East: With an Historical Survey and Descriptions, Vol. 1, 1917, pages 8–61.
    • Wikisource:   Kojiki (Horne's edition).
  • The Language, Mythology, and Geographical Nomenclature of Japan Viewed in the Light of Aino Studies, 1887
  • A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese, 1887
  • Aino Folk-Tales, 1888
  • Things Japanese, six editions 1890–1936
    • A paperback version of the fifth edition, from 1905, with the short bibliographies appended to many of its articles replaced by lists of other books put out by the new publisher, was issued by the Charles E. Tuttle Company as Japanese Things in 1971 and has since been reprinted several times.
  • A Handbook for Travellers in Japan, co-written with W. B. Mason, seven editions 1891–1913 (numbered as third to ninth editions, the first and second editions being of its predecessor, A Handbook for Travellers in Central and Northern Japan by Ernest Satow and A G S Hawes).
  • Essay in Aid of a Grammar and Dictionary of the Luchuan Language, 1895 (a pioneering study of the Ryukyuan languages)
  • "Bashō and the Japanese Poetical Epigram" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vol. 2, no. 30, 1902 (some of Chamberlain's translations from this article are included in Faubion Bowers' The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology, Dover Publications, 1996 ISBN 0-486-29274-6.)
  • Japanese Poetry, 1910
  • The Invention of a New Religion, 1912 At Project Gutenberg (incorporated into Things Japanese in 1927)
  • Huit Siècles de poésie française, 1927
  • . . . encore est vive la Souris, 1933

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Yuzo Ota, Basil Hall Chamberlain: Portrait of a Japanologist (Routledge, 2012).
  2. ^ "CHAMBERLAIN, Basil Hall". Who's Who. Vol. 59. 1907. p. 313.
  3. ^ Hearn, Lafcadio; Bisland, Elizabeth (1906). The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn, including the Japanese Letters. Vol. 1. Houghton, Mifflin and company. pp. 57–8. The second point was his attitude toward his friends — his quondam friends — all of whom he gradually dropped, with but few exceptions... (quoted from Chamberlain's letters). Chamberlain wrote to Hearn's biographer to explain that Hearn never lost his esteem, and he wrote a few times to Hearn, who had moved away to Matsue, Shimane, but the letters went unanswered.
  4. ^  From the dedication. Lowell, Percival (1891). Noto: An Unexplored Corner of Japan. Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press; printed by H. O. Houghton & Co. Retrieved 8 November 2011.

Further reading edit

  • Hirakawa, Sukehiro. "Changing Appreciations of Japanese Literature: Basil Hall Chamberlain versus Arthur Waley: Keynote speech given at the First SSAAPS Asia-Pacific Annual Conference, Goteborg, September 26, 2002." Otemae journal of humanities 3: 229-246. online
  • Ōta, Yūzō. Basil Hall Chamberlain: Portrait of a Japanologist. Richmond, Surrey: Japan Library, 1998. ISBN 1873410735.
  • Chamberlain, Basil Hall and Joseph Cronin. The Mouse is Still Alive: Thoughts and Reflections, translated from the French with an introduction by Joseph Cronin. Kyoto, Japan: 2015. ISBN 9781312880467. A translation into English of Hall's 1933 work ...encore est vive la Souris: Pensées et Réflexions, together with a detailed biographical study by Cronin (pp. 9-63: "For Truth Has Always Two Sides Nearly Balanced"). Illustrated.

External links edit

 
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Basil Hall Chamberlain
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basil Hall Chamberlain.
  • Works by Basil Hall Chamberlain at Project Gutenberg
  • Works by or about Basil Hall Chamberlain at Internet Archive
  • Works by Basil Hall Chamberlain at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)  
  • Chamberlain's translation of the Kojiki
  • Chamberlain's collection of Ainu folk tales

December 15, 2023
basil, hall, chamberlain, october, 1850, february, 1935, british, academic, japanologist, professor, japanese, language, tokyo, imperial, university, foremost, british, japanologists, active, japan, during, late, 19th, century, others, included, ernest, satow,. Basil Hall Chamberlain 18 October 1850 15 February 1935 was a British academic and Japanologist He was a professor of the Japanese language at Tokyo Imperial University and one of the foremost British Japanologists active in Japan during the late 19th century Others included Ernest Satow and W G Aston He also wrote some of the earliest translations of haiku into English He is perhaps best remembered for his informal and popular one volume encyclopedia Things Japanese which first appeared in 1890 and which he revised several times thereafter His interests were diverse and his works include an anthology of poetry in French 1 Basil Hall ChamberlainBasil Hall ChamberlainBorn 1850 10 18 18 October 1850Southsea EnglandDied15 February 1935 1935 02 15 aged 84 Geneva SwitzerlandNationalityEnglishOccupation s Author JapanologistParent s William Charles ChamberlainEliza Jane Hall Contents 1 Early life 2 Japan 3 Selected works by Chamberlain 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksEarly life editChamberlain was born in Southsea a part of Portsmouth on the south coast of England the son of an Admiral William Charles Chamberlain and his wife Eliza Hall the daughter of the travel writer Basil Hall His younger brother was Houston Stewart Chamberlain He was brought up speaking French as well as English even before moving to Versailles to live with his maternal grandmother in 1856 upon his mother s death Once in France he acquired German as well Chamberlain had hoped to study at Oxford but instead started work at Barings Bank in London He was unsuited to the work and soon had a nervous breakdown It was in the hope of a full recovery that he sailed out of Britain with no clear destination in mind Japan editChamberlain landed in Japan on 29 May 1873 employed by the Japanese government as an o yatoi gaikokujin He taught at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in Tokyo from 1874 to 1882 His most important position however was as professor of Japanese at Tokyo Imperial University beginning in 1886 It was here that he gained his reputation as a student of Japanese language and literature He was also a pioneering scholar of the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages His many works include the first translation of the Kojiki into English 1882 A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese 1888 Things Japanese 1890 and A Practical Guide to the Study of Japanese Writing 1905 2 A keen traveller despite chronic weak health he cowrote with W B Mason the 1891 edition of A Handbook for Travellers in Japan of which revised editions followed Chamberlain was a friend of the writer Lafcadio Hearn once a colleague at the university but the two became estranged over the years 3 Percival Lowell dedicated his travelogue Noto An Unexplored Corner of Japan 1891 to Chamberlain 4 Chamberlain sent many Japanese artefacts to the Pitt Rivers Museum at Oxford He left Japan in 1911 and moved to Geneva where he lived until his death in 1935 Selected works by Chamberlain editThe Classical Poetry of the Japanese 1880 A Translation of the Ko ji ki or Records of Ancient Matters in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan Vol 10 Supplement 1882 Rechaptered with notes by Charles Francis Horne in Horne ed The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East With an Historical Survey and Descriptions Vol 1 1917 pages 8 61 Wikisource nbsp Kojiki Horne s edition The Language Mythology and Geographical Nomenclature of Japan Viewed in the Light of Aino Studies 1887 A Handbook of Colloquial Japanese 1887 Aino Folk Tales 1888 Things Japanese six editions 1890 1936 A paperback version of the fifth edition from 1905 with the short bibliographies appended to many of its articles replaced by lists of other books put out by the new publisher was issued by the Charles E Tuttle Company as Japanese Things in 1971 and has since been reprinted several times A Handbook for Travellers in Japan co written with W B Mason seven editions 1891 1913 numbered as third to ninth editions the first and second editions being of its predecessor A Handbook for Travellers in Central and Northern Japan by Ernest Satow and A G S Hawes Essay in Aid of a Grammar and Dictionary of the Luchuan Language 1895 a pioneering study of the Ryukyuan languages Bashō and the Japanese Poetical Epigram in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan Vol 2 no 30 1902 some of Chamberlain s translations from this article are included in Faubion Bowers The Classic Tradition of Haiku An Anthology Dover Publications 1996 ISBN 0 486 29274 6 Japanese Poetry 1910 The Invention of a New Religion 1912 At Project Gutenberg incorporated into Things Japanese in 1927 Huit Siecles de poesie francaise 1927 encore est vive la Souris 1933See also editAnglo Japanese relations O yatoi gaikokujinReferences edit Yuzo Ota Basil Hall Chamberlain Portrait of a Japanologist Routledge 2012 CHAMBERLAIN Basil Hall Who s Who Vol 59 1907 p 313 Hearn Lafcadio Bisland Elizabeth 1906 The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn including the Japanese Letters Vol 1 Houghton Mifflin and company pp 57 8 The second point was his attitude toward his friends his quondam friends all of whom he gradually dropped with but few exceptions quoted from Chamberlain s letters Chamberlain wrote to Hearn s biographer to explain that Hearn never lost his esteem and he wrote a few times to Hearn who had moved away to Matsue Shimane but the letters went unanswered From the dedication Lowell Percival 1891 Noto An Unexplored Corner of Japan Cambridge MA The Riverside Press printed by H O Houghton amp Co Retrieved 8 November 2011 Further reading editHirakawa Sukehiro Changing Appreciations of Japanese Literature Basil Hall Chamberlain versus Arthur Waley Keynote speech given at the First SSAAPS Asia Pacific Annual Conference Goteborg September 26 2002 Otemae journal of humanities 3 229 246 onlineŌta Yuzō Basil Hall Chamberlain Portrait of a Japanologist Richmond Surrey Japan Library 1998 ISBN 1873410735 Chamberlain Basil Hall and Joseph Cronin The Mouse is Still Alive Thoughts and Reflections translated from the French with an introduction by Joseph Cronin Kyoto Japan 2015 ISBN 9781312880467 A translation into English of Hall s 1933 work encore est vive la Souris Pensees et Reflexions together with a detailed biographical study by Cronin pp 9 63 For Truth Has Always Two Sides Nearly Balanced Illustrated External links edit nbsp Wikisource has original works by or about Basil Hall Chamberlain nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basil Hall Chamberlain Works by Basil Hall Chamberlain at Project Gutenberg Works by or about Basil Hall Chamberlain at Internet Archive Works by Basil Hall Chamberlain at LibriVox public domain audiobooks nbsp Chamberlain s translation of the Kojiki Chamberlain s collection of Ainu folk tales Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Basil Hall Chamberlain amp oldid 1176598952, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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