Venue – University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square – Room G.06
Also on Zoom – 7pm prompt start
Guest Speaker – Jackie Reid
Join us for an evening with Jackie Reid who will kindly share her experience of travelling from Taiwan through the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa), Kyushu and Shikoku by bicycle during winter 2024 including: Taking time out to WWOOF on route. Island hopping north from Okinawa to Kyushu by ferry. Meeting Henro’s in Shikoku. Experiencing the Nakasendo trail in Gifu.
My first experience of Japan was on the JET Programme 1991-1994. I worked for the local board of education in rural Nagano prefecture team teaching with Japanese junior high school teachers. At the same time, I raced MTB all over Japan winning many national titles. Following a career in IT and Operations Management in the fashion industry I found myself back in Japan in 2022 working for a UK brand in Harajuku, Tokyo.
Date – Saturday 1st of February 2025 at approx. 11.30am
Venue – University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square, Room G.04
Also on Zoom (Approx. 11:30am start)
Guest Speaker – Daniel Goldie-Furlong
Neil Gordon Munro was a Scottish anthropologist and doctor who lived among Hokkaido’s indigenous Ainu people in the village of Nibutani for many years, recording and writing about their culture while providing free medical treatment. His work regarding Ainu culture remains of vital importance today, and he is still honoured in an annual memorial ceremony in the village. Join Daniel as he introduces the life and work of Munro, the Ainu people he lived alongside, as well as his own visits to Hokkaido to strengthen the ties between Scots and Ainu.
About the speaker
Daniel Goldie-Furlong is a type designer, videomaker, and independent scholar based in Osaka. With a keen interest in Ainu culture and affairs, he hopes to increase awareness and interest in the Ainu outside of Japan, and promote links between the Ainu and Scotland.
lan, standing in for the scheduled speaker, gave an engaging talk on Admiral Sir James Stirling, from Drumpellier, Coatbridge, 10 miles from Glasgow. This is part of his ongoing research project “Scots in Tokugawa Japan (1600-1868)”.
Stirling, as C-in-C of the China and East Indies Fleet, was in pursuit of the Russian Pacific Fleet (Crimean War). He sailed into Nagasaki in 1854 seeking an understanding of the Japanese authorities on how they would deal with the two fleets during the war if they entered Japanese harbours. Much to his surprise he was offered a full Treaty of Friendship. This unexpected voluntary concession by the Japanese meant that this Scot had almost single handedly reopened diplomatic relations between Britian with Japan after more than two centuries when the East India Company factory in Hirado closed in 1623.
lan gave a fascinating overview of the gradual breakdown on Japan’s self-imposed Isolation policy towards western powers (except the Dutch) in the first half of the 19th century. He then explained why it was the Americans under Commodore Perry who were first to obtain a treaty and not the more powerful British. He then showed the sophisticated way in which Stirling dealt with the Japanese authorities and the difficulties of negotiation, especially translations. He then addressed the reasons why Stirling’s achievements have been overshadowed by Commodore Perry in 1853 and Lord Elgin in 1858 arguing that this outstanding Scottish naval officer and colonial official (Governor of Western Australia) has not received the recognition he deserves by contemporaries and scholars to this day.
We would like to say a massive thank you to The Japan Society of Scotland for the funding which enabled us to purchase objects that will help to tell the story of Japan to our school visitors. With these objects our young visitors will be able to not only explore the beautiful environment within ‘Sha Raku En’ but also relate their visit to their general knowledge about Japan.
If you would like to know more about school visits or other opportunities run as part of our Education and Outreach Programme please get in touch with Nicola on outreach@cowdengarden.com
Speaker – Dr Helen Parker (University of Edinburgh)
JSOS council member Dr Helen Parker will be giving a talk as part of the Asian Studies seminar series at the University of Edinburgh. This event is free to attend and open to all. No registration is required, simply turn up on the day.
Where: The Old Glasgow Room at the Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN
Led by: Susan Taylor, Special Collections
Joined by: Dr. Saeko Yazaki, The University of Glasgow
A private viewing of The Henry Dyer Collection.
Scottish Engineer Henry Dyer was appointed Principal of the Tokyo Imperial College of Engineering in 1873, just over 150 years ago. On returning from Japan he brought back many artefacts.
Sign up via email: contactjsos@yahoo.com (must be a JSOS member)
Deadline to sign up: Monday the 17th of March.
Admission is on a first-come, first-serve basis, as we have limited available numbers
Date – Monday 3rd of March 2025 at 7pm prompt start
(doors open 6.30pm)
Venue – University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square – Room G1.06
Also on Zoom (7pm prompt start)
Join us for an evening with Professor Ian Gow on the Scottish admiral who, without prompt, reopened Anglo-Japanese relations.
In 1854 Commodore Perry’s gunboats (The Black Ships) sailed into Uraga Bay Edo and forced the Japanese to sign a treaty opening Japanese ports to American ships. This marked the first major breach in Japan’s seclusion policy against affecting western powers, other than the Dutch in Nagasaki for over 200 years.
Within a year Admiral Sir James Stirling, the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief China East Indies and China station, a Scot from Drumpellier near Coatbridge, sailed into Nagasaki with a smaller squadron and emerged with a treaty, The Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty, thus reopening formal Anglo-Japanese diplomatic relations with Japan in abeyance since the English East India Company left Hirado in 1623.
Two other Scottish naval officers, Commodore Charles Elliot and Commander Frederick Stirling also played important roles in the ratification of the treaty. He was ordered to seek out and destroy the Russian Fleet. He had no orders or authority to go to Japan let alone obtain a treaty. Seeking out the Russian fleet in the vastness of the waters in the Pacific region was like chasing ghosts, so on hearing that the Russians had recently been at Nagasaki he made a strategic decision to sail into and enter Nagasaki harbour and seek an understanding from the Japanese on benevolent neutrality for belligerents nets who might seek entry to Japanese ports whilst at the same time catching the Russians if they were still in the area.
This talk will explain why the Americans and not the more powerful British got there first, why this Scottish Admiral acted without orders and authorisation caused such controversy in Hong Kong and London. It will challenge accusations of amateur diplomacy and show how, without threatening the Japanese as Perry did. He carried out complex negotiations in terms of the subject and the languages involved. It will evaluate his Japan visit in terms of strategy in the war with Russia and politically in the reopening of Anglo-Japanese relations, to show why he has not achieved sufficient recognition in Scotland and in the history books.
lan graduated from Edinburgh in 1975 after a career in the Royal Navy. He obtained his PhD from the Centre for Japanese Studies University of Sheffield. He became Scotland’s first Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Stirling in 1987 and established the Scottish Centre for Japanese Studies and served as Chairman of the Japan Society of Scotland. He then became Chairman of the School of East Asian Studies at Sheffield. He has published in English and Japanese on Japanese Defence and Business studies. On his retirement he returned to Scotland and Edinburgh where he is Chairman of JSOS and Honorary Professor at Edinburgh University. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon, for his contribution to Japanese Studies and Japan-Scotland relations.
Society members and guests gathered on Saturday 1st Feb., for our 38th AGM and we were delighted to welcome the Deputy Consul General of Japan in Edinburgh, Ms Minori Ishii. Attendance was encouraging with 30 attending In-person, including some of our 2024 grant awardees and 26 joining us via Zoom. It was a super opportunity to meet with new and longstanding friends as well as hearing the reports of the past year’s activities: a busy year resulting in increased events and membership.
Slides shown at the AGM detailing some of our achievements in 2024
A brisk run through the essential business culminating in the election of JSoS Council, who were all re-elected for a further year. Ian Gow thanked everyone for coming and gave a heartfelt vote of thanks to all Council members and those who had helped to provide support to the Society throughout the year. It was especially rewarding that our membership had risen substantially, and he further requested members to think about how they might be able to offer assistance and for ideas to develop for the future.
Professor Ian Gow OBE, chairman, addresses the audience (screenshot taken from Zoom)
In a special Closing Address, the Deputy Consul General, spoke about the events she had attended which JSoS had helped to support and thanked the Chair and Council members for their work in helping to promote Japan-Scotland relations. The Foreign Minister’s Commendation which had been awarded to JSoS in November 2024, was a well-deserved tribute for all their efforts.
Deputy Consul General Minori Ishii addresses the audience
Neil Gordon Munro: Connecting Scotland and the Ainu
Following the AGM our Guest Speaker and JSoS member, Daniel Goldie-Furlong joined us from Japan via Zoom, to deliver his talk about his interest in Ainu culture and language. This was a most fascinating and stimulating account of his research trips to Hokkaido meeting with Ainu people and outlining the life of fellow Scot, Neil Gordon Munro (Physician and Anthropologist) who went to Japan in the late 19th Century visiting Biratori and Nibutani and finally living there. Many of the 2000 artefacts he sent back to Scotland are now in the National Museum of Scotland. Thank you so much to Daniel for his most engaging presentation. Daniel was selected to be our 2020 Thomas Glover Scholarship student and should have travelled to Japan that summer, but the pandemic delayed his trip. Now living and working in Japan, he has managed to travel within Japan to undertake this project thanks to the generous sponsorship of Aberdeen Asset Management.
Sushi and refreshments were then served, and members and guests had a chance to meet and chat. It was especially good to have our four Hon Life Members join us. Mrs Christine Roy, whose late husband Jim Roy, was one of the founders of the Society in 1985. Mrs Irene Harkness, whose late husband Ian Harkness, was Chair for many years, and Charles & Annie Edmond, having served as Secretary and hosted many events during that time.
Council Chair – Professor Ian Gow, Vice Chair – Dr Helen Parker, Treasurer – Callum Farquhar, Secretary – Katy Gow, Website – Alex Donald, Member – Caroline Marshall.
JSoS Membership is open to all who have an interest in Japan/Scotland relations.
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme will be showing various films across the UK on the theme of “Am I right?: Justice, Justification and Judgement in Japanese Cinema”.
The films will be shown at four locations in Scotland: Dundee, Edinburgh Inverness, & Kirkwall. Check out their website for more information using the links below:
Venue – University of Edinburgh, 50 George Square, Room G.04
Join us at our AGM to hear what we have been up to for the last year, vote on the election of council members, and network with like-minded individuals interested in Japan-Scotland cultural connections. Formal business includes a summary of our accomplishments in 2024, approval of our minutes from the previous AGM, approval of the annual report, an update on our online presense, and more. A full agenda is coming soon.
After the close of formal business, this year our guest speaker will be Daniel Goldie-Furlong, a recipient of the society’s Thomas Blake Glover scholarship. Daniel will be giving us a talk on Scotsman Neil Gordon Munro’s work with the Ainu people and his enduring legacy.
There is no formal requirement to be a member of the society to join us, only an interest in Japan or the connections between Japan and Scotland. We would appreciate it greatly if you could sign-up through one of the eventbrite links below or by informing us via email of your attendance if possible, as this will give us an indication of numbers to expect.
Alternatively, you can let us know of your attendance by contacting us…
If you would prefer to only attend the talk by Daniel Goldie-Furlong, then please click here.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is an AGM?
An AGM, or Annual General Meeting, is a yearly event where members of the society meet with the trustees and other council members. It is a chance for the membership to review society finances, society activities, vote on matters relating to the society, and more.
Do I need to be a member to attend the AGM?
No, membership is not required to attend the JSOS AGM. We welcome anyone with an interest in Japan or the connections between Japan and Scotland. However, if you are not a member you will not be able to participate in votes.
Do I need a ticket to attend?
No, you do not need a ticket to attend. However, it is very helpful for us to have an idea of the number of people who will join us. So please do get a ticket if you can. There is no need to bring along the ticket, as we welcome anyone with an interest in the society.
Do I need to attend in-person?
No, you can also attend online via Zoom. If you wish to attend online, please sign up through the online version of the event on Eventbrite or contact us directly.
How long will the AGM last?
The length of the AGM has been omitted from publications as it varies from year to year. However, we aim to finish formal business well before the start of the talk.
