Samuel Cocking
Encyclopedia
Samuel Cocking was a British trader in Yokohama
arriving in 1869, shortly after the “Opening of Japan”. He is most famous for the large greenhouse (660 m²) and gardens that he developed in Enoshima
. He married Miyata in 1872.
His company, “The Cocking Trading Company” specialized in art, antiques and specialty plants, but it was his importation of carbolic acid
in 1877 that made his initial fortune. Carbolic acid was used as a disinfectant, particularly against cholera
.
In 1880, he purchased (in his wife’s name) the highlands, including derelict Buddhist shrines, on the island of Enoshima and began building the botanical gardens and a villa. The 'Abolish the Buddha. Destroy Sakyamuni' policy of the new Meiji government
had made the land available. In 1887, he added a power plant (which later became origin of the Yokohama Cooperative Electric Light Company). His garden is now operated by the city as the Samuel Cocking Garden
.
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
arriving in 1869, shortly after the “Opening of Japan”. He is most famous for the large greenhouse (660 m²) and gardens that he developed in 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...
. He married Miyata in 1872.
His company, “The Cocking Trading Company” specialized in art, antiques and specialty plants, but it was his importation of carbolic acid
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
in 1877 that made his initial fortune. Carbolic acid was used as a disinfectant, particularly against cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
.
In 1880, he purchased (in his wife’s name) the highlands, including derelict Buddhist shrines, on the island of Enoshima and began building the botanical gardens and a villa. The 'Abolish the Buddha. Destroy Sakyamuni' policy of the new Meiji government
Government of Meiji Japan
The Government of Meiji Japan was the government which was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain, Chōshū Domain and Tenno. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan....
had made the land available. In 1887, he added a power plant (which later became origin of the Yokohama Cooperative Electric Light Company). His garden is now operated by the city as the Samuel Cocking Garden
Samuel Cocking Garden
The , also known as the Enoshima Tropical Plants Garden, is a small botanical garden on the small island of Enoshima in Japan. The address is 2-3-28 Enoshima, Fujisawa, Kanagawa...
.