“This heavy-duty object – not, perhaps, an item you’d expect to see in a nautically themed museum in north-east Scotland – is part of an exhibition that tells the story of a remarkable man.
Thomas Blake Glover was a local lad, born in Fraserburgh and the son of the chief officer at the coastguard station in Aberdeen in 1838.
At the age of 18, while working for a local merchant company, Glover went to Japan and ended up spending the rest of his life there, becoming something of a folk hero in the country because he was instrumental in its industrialisation.
Among his achievements were aiding the introduction of the first steam train, getting the Kirin brewery up and running, and playing an influential role in the founding of the Mitsubishi company, then a shipping business.
Glover also became involved in the reform movement after Japan was encouraged to open its doors to foreign trade and influence in the mid-19th century.
He sold arms to rebel factions and earned himself the nickname of Scottish Samurai. Mitsubishi’s gift of this Samurai suit is therefore particularly apt to remember his legacy by.
Glover remains relatively unheard of in this country as he never returned to these shores, but this exhibition, accompanying biographical booklet and trail around key locations in Glover’s life, aim to change public perceptions of him.
He was passionate about his adopted homeland – he had a Japanese wife with whom he had a daughter, as well as a Japanese mistress – and was genuinely focused on helping the country develop.
It’s not stretching the case to say he was a vital cog in Japan’s development as an industrial nation – Mitsubishi, for example, might never have got hold of the technology it needed without his influence.
In fact, the Mitsubishi shipyard recently became a World Heritage Site and a key element of its presentation was its links with Glover’s former home in Nagasaki.
One of the few places to survive the 1945 nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Glover House attracts some two million Japanese tourists each year – a clear sign of the esteem in which he is held.
Although Glover owned a suit of armour during his lifetime, Mitsubishi donated this replica armour – an expensive and ornate object – to the Grampian-Japan Trust around 20 years ago to thank Aberdeen and to celebrate the continuing links between Aberdeen and Japan.
Glover arranged for Japanese students to visit the UK when it was illegal for people to travel without the emperor’s permission.
His links with Japan also meant that many Japanese firms opened offices in Aberdeen because of its renowned oil and gas industries, so it is fitting for this exhibition in the port city to be devoted to his legacy.
Glover, who died in Tokyo in 1911 aged 73, was a local boy made good.”
Interview by John Holt.
The Thomas Glover exhibition is a permanent display.
Thomas Blake Glover was a local lad, born in Fraserburgh and the son of the chief officer at the coastguard station in Aberdeen in 1838.
At the age of 18, while working for a local merchant company, Glover went to Japan and ended up spending the rest of his life there, becoming something of a folk hero in the country because he was instrumental in its industrialisation.
Among his achievements were aiding the introduction of the first steam train, getting the Kirin brewery up and running, and playing an influential role in the founding of the Mitsubishi company, then a shipping business.
Glover also became involved in the reform movement after Japan was encouraged to open its doors to foreign trade and influence in the mid-19th century.
He sold arms to rebel factions and earned himself the nickname of Scottish Samurai. Mitsubishi’s gift of this Samurai suit is therefore particularly apt to remember his legacy by.
Glover remains relatively unheard of in this country as he never returned to these shores, but this exhibition, accompanying biographical booklet and trail around key locations in Glover’s life, aim to change public perceptions of him.
He was passionate about his adopted homeland – he had a Japanese wife with whom he had a daughter, as well as a Japanese mistress – and was genuinely focused on helping the country develop.
It’s not stretching the case to say he was a vital cog in Japan’s development as an industrial nation – Mitsubishi, for example, might never have got hold of the technology it needed without his influence.
In fact, the Mitsubishi shipyard recently became a World Heritage Site and a key element of its presentation was its links with Glover’s former home in Nagasaki.
One of the few places to survive the 1945 nuclear bombing of Nagasaki, Glover House attracts some two million Japanese tourists each year – a clear sign of the esteem in which he is held.
Although Glover owned a suit of armour during his lifetime, Mitsubishi donated this replica armour – an expensive and ornate object – to the Grampian-Japan Trust around 20 years ago to thank Aberdeen and to celebrate the continuing links between Aberdeen and Japan.
Glover arranged for Japanese students to visit the UK when it was illegal for people to travel without the emperor’s permission.
His links with Japan also meant that many Japanese firms opened offices in Aberdeen because of its renowned oil and gas industries, so it is fitting for this exhibition in the port city to be devoted to his legacy.
Glover, who died in Tokyo in 1911 aged 73, was a local boy made good.”
Interview by John Holt.
The Thomas Glover exhibition is a permanent display.
