Iso Mutsu
Encyclopedia
Countess was a British woman who married a Japanese nobleman and diplomat, came with him to Japan in 1910 and lived in Kamakura
until her death in 1930. In 1918 she wrote the classic guide Kamakura: Fact and Legend.
Count Hirokichi Mutsu
, son of the then Japanese foreign minister Munemitsu Mutsu
, while studying at Cambridge
fell in love with his landlord's daughter, Gertrude Ethel Passingham. His father strongly opposed his wedding a foreigner and a commoner. Her family was contrary to the union too but, as soon as his father died, when Hirokichi was appointed Consul
in San Francisco, he managed to convince her to join him there, and this in spite of the fact they hadn't met in over five years. Because he was a diplomat, marriage still had to wait, and to stay with him she finally had to pretend to be a child's governess. It was with that role that she first arrived in Japan in 1901. Four years later, the imperial authorization to wed arrived and, after 17 years of courtship and subterfuges, the couple finally married in London in 1905. For reasons of protocol, she took the Japanese citizenship and a Japanese name. Her husband suggested , meaning seaside, because she loved the beach so much and because it sounded a little like Ethel. After the wedding she followed him around the world, finally returning to Japan with him, never to leave again. She liked the country and successfully adapted to it, even giving English lessons to members of the Imperial Family, among them Prince Chichibu
, brother of Emperor Hirohito
.
She died in 1930 in Kamakura and her funeral was held in a Christian Methodist church. After the Christian ceremony, the Vice Abbot from the great Engaku-ji
Zen
temple took the pulpit, pronounced a eulogy and recited a sūtra
for her soul.
She is buried in the Mutsu family's yagura
in the Jufuku-ji
temple's graveyard in Kamakura, not far from the cenotaphs of great historical figures Hōjō Masako
and Minamoto no Sanetomo
. Her son Ian Mutsu became a famous newsman and documentary director.
Iso Mutsu was one of the first foreigners in Japan to understand that Kamakura
's attraction lies in its extraordinary past and in its temples. She wrote her work after years of research, during which she interviewed temple abbots, high priests and monks. She also consulted Japanese texts, among them the famous Azuma Kagami
, a medieval book that describes in great detail 80 years in the life of the city, and the Taiheiki
, a medieval war epic.
The book contains a condensed history of the city of Kamakura and an introduction to over 40 historical locations and temples ranging from Enoshima
to Ofuna
. She was swimming in Sagami Bay
when the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 struck, and she described the experience in the 1930 edition of her guide. Mutsu's book was republished first in 1930, then in an updated version in 1995 thanks to a grant from the Tokyo Club, and finally in 2006.
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
until her death in 1930. In 1918 she wrote the classic guide Kamakura: Fact and Legend.
Count Hirokichi Mutsu
Mutsu Hirokichi
Count was a Japanese diplomat and a educator in Meiji and Taishō period Japan.He was the oldest son of Munemitsu Mutsu who was Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ryōko Mutsu. He went to the U.K. to study in 1887. He became a diplomat in 1895 and had resided in London and in Rome etc., and married a...
, son of the then Japanese foreign minister Munemitsu Mutsu
Mutsu Munemitsu
Count was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.-Early life:Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a samurai retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan...
, while studying at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
fell in love with his landlord's daughter, Gertrude Ethel Passingham. His father strongly opposed his wedding a foreigner and a commoner. Her family was contrary to the union too but, as soon as his father died, when Hirokichi was appointed 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...
in San Francisco, he managed to convince her to join him there, and this in spite of the fact they hadn't met in over five years. Because he was a diplomat, marriage still had to wait, and to stay with him she finally had to pretend to be a child's governess. It was with that role that she first arrived in Japan in 1901. Four years later, the imperial authorization to wed arrived and, after 17 years of courtship and subterfuges, the couple finally married in London in 1905. For reasons of protocol, she took the Japanese citizenship and a Japanese name. Her husband suggested , meaning seaside, because she loved the beach so much and because it sounded a little like Ethel. After the wedding she followed him around the world, finally returning to Japan with him, never to leave again. She liked the country and successfully adapted to it, even giving English lessons to members of the Imperial Family, among them Prince Chichibu
Prince Chichibu
, also known as Prince Yasuhito, was the second son of Emperor Taishō and a younger brother of the Emperor Shōwa. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of several sporting, medical, and international exchange organizations...
, brother of Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
.
She died in 1930 in Kamakura and her funeral was held in a Christian Methodist church. After the Christian ceremony, the Vice Abbot from the great Engaku-ji
Engaku-ji
right|thumb|A stone carvingNot to be confused with Enryaku-ji in Kyoto., or Engaku-ji , is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa prefecture to the south of Tokyo...
Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
temple took the pulpit, pronounced a eulogy and recited a sūtra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
for her soul.
She is buried in the Mutsu family's yagura
Yagura (tombs)
are artificial caves used during the Middle Ages in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, as tombs and cenotaphs. It is likely that they were used only as tombs in the beginning, and that later they started being used as cenotaphs too. The dead are usually samurai, but priests and even artisans...
in the Jufuku-ji
Jufuku-ji
, usually known as Jufuku-ji, is a temple of the Kenchō-ji branch of the Rinzai sect and the oldest Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Ranked third among Kamakura's prestigious Five Mountains, it is number 24 among the pilgrimage temples and number 18 of the temples...
temple's graveyard in Kamakura, not far from the cenotaphs of great historical figures Hōjō Masako
Hojo Masako
was the eldest child of Hōjō Tokimasa by his wife Hōjō no Maki, the first shikken, or regent, of the Kamakura shogunate. She was the sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki, and was married to Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura period...
and Minamoto no Sanetomo
Minamoto no Sanetomo
Minamoto no Sanetomo was the third shogun of the Kamakura shogunate Sanetomo was the second son of the founder of the Kamakura shogunate Minamoto no Yoritomo, his mother was Hōjō Masako, and his older brother was the second Kamakura shogun Minamoto no Yoriie.His childhood name was...
. Her son Ian Mutsu became a famous newsman and documentary director.
Kamakura: Fact and Legend
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
's attraction lies in its extraordinary past and in its temples. She wrote her work after years of research, during which she interviewed temple abbots, high priests and monks. She also consulted Japanese texts, among them the famous Azuma Kagami
Azuma Kagami
The , or "mirror of the east", is a Japanese medieval text that chronicles events of the Kamakura Shogunate from Minamoto no Yoritomo's rebellion against the Taira clan in Izokuni of 1180 to Munetaka Shinnō and his return to Kyoto in 1266...
, a medieval book that describes in great detail 80 years in the life of the city, and the Taiheiki
Taiheiki
The is a Japanese historical epic , written in the late 14th century. It deals primarily with the Nanboku-chō, the period of war between the Northern Court of Ashikaga Takauji in Kyoto, and the Southern Court of Emperor Go-Daigo in Yoshino....
, a medieval war epic.
The book contains a condensed history of the city of Kamakura and an introduction to over 40 historical locations and temples ranging from Enoshima
Enoshima
is a small island, about 4 km in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River, which flows into Sagami Bay in Japan. Part of the city of Fujisawa, it is linked to the Katase section of the same city on the mainland by a 600 meter-long bridge...
to Ofuna
Ofuna
Ōfuna can refer to:*Ōfuna Kannon, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan*Ōfuna Station, a railway station in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan...
. She was swimming in Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay
Sagami Bay , also known as the Sagami Gulf or Sagami Sea, lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while the...
when the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 struck, and she described the experience in the 1930 edition of her guide. Mutsu's book was republished first in 1930, then in an updated version in 1995 thanks to a grant from the Tokyo Club, and finally in 2006.