Abel Gower
Encyclopedia
Abel Anthony James Gower (1836 Livorno
, Italy
- 1899?) was a British consul
at two posts in Japan during the Bakumatsu
: Nagasaki and Hakodate
. He was also an amateur photographer.
After experience in China, Gower worked in the British legation at Tōzenji temple, Edo
(later Tokyo), within the staff of Rutherford Alcock
. In 1863 he was involved in the bombardment of Kagoshima
. In 1866 he became consul in Hakodate (in Ezo, later Hokkaidō
); he had previously been consul in Nagasaki (in Kyūshū
).
For many years it was believed that either Gower or Walter B. Woodbury
was commissioned by the London firm Negretti and Zambra
to photograph China and Japan between 1857 and 1860. It is now known that Pierre Rossier
was the photographer in question. The Leiden University photograph collection includes a portrait of Gower, signed "P. Rossier", and in 1859 Rossier and Gower shared passage on the HMS Sampson from Nagasaki to Edo.
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 1899?) was a British consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
at two posts in Japan during the Bakumatsu
Late Tokugawa shogunate
, literally "end of the curtain", are the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate...
: Nagasaki and Hakodate
Hakodate, Hokkaido
is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan...
. He was also an amateur photographer.
After experience in China, Gower worked in the British legation at Tōzenji temple, Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(later Tokyo), within the staff of Rutherford Alcock
Rutherford Alcock
Sir Rutherford Alcock KCB was the first British diplomatic representative to live in Japan.-Early life:Alcock was the son of the physician, Dr. Thomas Alcock, who practised at Ealing, near London. As he grew up, Alcock followed his father into the medical profession...
. In 1863 he was involved in the bombardment of Kagoshima
Bombardment of Kagoshima
The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the , took place on 15–17 August 1863 during the Late Tokugawa shogunate. The British Royal Navy was fired on from the coastal batteries near town of Kagoshima and in retaliation bombarded the town...
. In 1866 he became consul in Hakodate (in Ezo, later Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
); he had previously been consul in Nagasaki (in Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
).
For many years it was believed that either Gower or Walter B. Woodbury
Walter B. Woodbury
Walter Bentley Woodbury was an inventor and pioneering English photographer. He was one of the earliest photographers in Australia and the Dutch East Indies...
was commissioned by the London firm Negretti and Zambra
Negretti and Zambra
The firm Negretti and Zambra was a producer of scientific and optical instruments and also operated a photographic studio based in London, England...
to photograph China and Japan between 1857 and 1860. It is now known that Pierre Rossier
Pierre Rossier
Pierre Joseph Rossier was a pioneering Swiss photographer whose albumen photographs, which include stereographs and cartes-de-visite, comprise portraits, cityscapes, and landscapes...
was the photographer in question. The Leiden University photograph collection includes a portrait of Gower, signed "P. Rossier", and in 1859 Rossier and Gower shared passage on the HMS Sampson from Nagasaki to Edo.
See also
- British Japan Consular ServiceBritish Japan Consular ServiceBritain had a functioning consular service in Japan from 1859 after the signing of the 1858 Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce between James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and the Tokugawa Shogunate until 1941 when war was declared by Britain on Japan as the ally of the United States after the...
- Genealogy of Abel Gower by Matteo Giunti