Report of Japan400 Steering Committee’s Susan Haydock’s visit to the Committee for International Relations in Ito-city, Japan in November 2013

Susan is Chairman of the Medway Japan Group, Honorary Mayor of Yokosuka and former Mayor of Gillingham.

伊東市の友好都市、英国メドウェイ市の元市長で、派遣高校生の受け入れグループの代表を務めるスーザン・ヘイドックさんと伊東国際交流協会メドウェイ高校生交換プログラム部会（安田昭部会長）のメンバーが４日、松川町の同協会事務所で懇談した。互いが直接会って意見交換するのは初めてで、高校生の友好都市交換プログラムの選考基準、サポート体制などについて率直に語り合った。

メドウェイ市側はヘイドックさんとグループのメンバーでもあるケント州副議長のピーター・ホームウッドさん、伊東側は部会のメンバーのほか、大沼藤弘会長も出席した。伊東に派遣する生徒の選考基準をヘイドックさんは「若く、良き大使役ができ、メドウェイ市をうまく説明できるか。コミュニケーション能力を重視している」と説明。「日本語が話せるかについては重視していない」とも語った。

高校生が日本に来る際にどの程度サポートしているかの質問に、ヘイドックさんは「２０１４年度の補助は５５０ポンド（約８万６千円）。派遣予算は毎年９月、派遣高校生は１０月末までに決めるようにしている」と述べた。

同部会はこれまで、高校生派遣についてはメドウェイ市側とはメールでやりとりしていた。安田部会長は「こうした率直な意見交換を今後も続けていきたい」と話した。

伊東市とメドウェイ市はウィリアム・アダムス（日本名・三浦按針）が縁で交流が始まり、１９８２年、ジリンガム市（当時）と友好都市提携を結んだ。両市による高校生の相互派遣は９０年から行われている。

ヘイドックさんは「日英交流４００周年」のため来日し、１０月２３日〜１１月６日の日程で日本に滞在。伊東には２日に到着、城ケ崎海岸や大室山を見学したほか、歓迎交流会にも出席した。懇談会後は姉妹都市の神奈川県横須賀市に向かった。

【写説】ヘイドックさん（左から２人目）、ピーターさん（同３人目）と意見交換する安田部会長。左は大沼会長＝松川町の伊東国際交流協会事務所

http://izu-np.co.jp/ito/news/20131105iz0000000096000c.html

The Sound of the Earth. Art by Yuri Suzuki

Many thanks to you for your support of Japan400 throughout 2013. We would like to take this opportunity to remind you of some of our achievements, and our forthcoming plans.

Details of all past and future events can be seen on this bilingual website, japan400.com. The site has had over 130,000 hits from all parts of the world, as well as being ‘liked’ on facebook, and being closely followed on twitter.

Japan400 has exceeded 220 events, in both Japan and Britain, with many days, especially towards the end of the year, having multiple events – sometimes as many as ten in one day in Japan and the UK.

A big thank you to the many event organisers that celebrated Japan400. Some Japan400-originated ones, were set to coincide with specific anniversaries. Of course, you will recall the 11 June (when the Clove arrived in Japan) was marked by the Voyage Through Words and Music at Fulham Parish Church, and by a lecture and reception at the British Embassy in Tokyo. It was on 8 September that John Saris was introduced to Tokugawa Ieyasu by William Adams in Sunpu Castle (Shizuoka) and presented the OFFICIAL letter and telescope from King James, and this was marked by viewings of the Japan400 telescope, still under construction, at Hatfield House and the Tower of London. There was also Two Cultures United by Tea at the Banqueting House on 15 September, and then a farewell to the Clove was held on 5 December, the date of its departure from Japan in 1613, as part of the Japan Society’s Christmas Party hosted by the Japanese Embassy. Mr Tokugawa and several dignitaries from Shizuoka were in London that week, and they toured Gillingham and viewed the armour sent by Tokugawa Hidetada to King James at a special reception in the Tower; celebratory events in SOAS were held on 6-7th. Shizuoka used these days to launch IEYASU400, a major series of events leading up to the 400th anniversary of Ieyasu’s death, which will be commemorated in Spring 2015. In Japan, the Tôyô Bunko Library in Tokyo, which houses one of the three extant versions of Saris’s journal, displayed it throughout autumn, and held a special British Night on 5 December.

The shrine of Tokugawa Ieyasu at Nikko Toshogu shrine. Ieyasu died on 17 April 1616 and in 1636, his grandson, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604-51) rebuilt the shrine. Today Nikko Toshogu Shrine is a World Heritage Site.

A number of important events took place in Japan, many coordinated by the Mayor of Hirado at a William Adams Summit held on 26 May, involving the mayors of Ito, Yokosuka and Utsuki, Susan Haydock from Medway Council and the Japan400 Steering Committee. Shizuoka Prefecture and City have also undertaken a major and on-going series of events, and Mt Kunô (the initial mausoleum of Ieyasu) opened its refurbished museum in October with a Britain400 Week. On 26 October in Hirado on the site of the English Trading House a restored monument was unveiled by the Mayor and other local notables and by the British Ambassador and one of the Japan400 Co-Chairs. This was followed by a major Japan400 commemoration, including 63 people from Medway. Through the invitation of Geoff Tudor, the following week a beef dinner was held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Tokyo, to commemorate the first British dinner recorded as having been served to Japanese guests, 400 years before.

None of this would have been possible without literally hundreds of volunteers, as well as generous supporters, to the fore are British Airways, Chugai Pharmaceutical, the East India Company, Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Worshipful Company of Skinners, and SOAS, University of London. The Japanese Embassy in the UK, and the British Embassy in Japan have also been most helpful.  Please see our list of supporters here.

Some events are still to come: the Japan400 telescope, munificently funded by Robin Maynard, long-term resident in Japan, and his wife Midori, will be ready soon. A symposium and dinner will be held in Jesus College, Cambridge, to see the instrument off, and speakers will include the Astronomer Royal, and the foremost historian of early telescopes. The telescope is a replacement for that sent by King James, but since lost, not a replica, and is a stunning presentation piece, entirely British-made. It will be sent to Japan upon completion, as a gift from Japan400 to the Japanese people. After a period on display at No. 1 House at the British Embassy, it will tour relevant Japanese cities, coming to rest in Shizuoka as part of Ieyasu400. It will then be placed on permanent display in a reconstructed tower of Sunpu Castle, which is being built for Ieyasu400 in 2015.

Japan400 is also engaged in on-going, permanent and legacy events. The East India Company minted 400 gold and silver coins to mark the anniversary, generously donating several for Japan400 to offer as gifts. These included an image of Ieyasu – the first time a Japanese ruler’s head has ever been on a coin. On the nearest Sunday to the opening of the English trading station in November 1613, a memorial to Richard Cocks (who died at sea returning home) was dedicated by the Bishop of Stafford at Cocks’s baptismal church (the dedication party also visited Cocks’s old home, which is extant). The splendid memorial to Sir Thomas Smythe (aka Smith), first Governor of the EIC, at Sutton-at-Hone will also be restored under Japan400 auspices, for rededication this spring or summer, and we intend also to commission work on the William Adams Memorial in Gillingham. There is also hope that ‘blue plaques’ (or their successors) can be placed on the sites of importance to Japan400, such as of Smythe’s house in Philpot Lane (where the EIC offices were), of Saris’s house in Fulham, and of the New Exchange in the Strand. We have plans to keep the information on this website active, and there are plans to continue our fascinating stories on the popular My Japan My Britain page and maybe find a new home on one of our supporter’s sites.  More on this in the new year!

Finally, the Clove returned to Plymouth on 28 September 1614. The City and University of Plymouth will hold a major festival that same weekend in 2014, under the label of Japan400Plymouth. The Clove then arrived in London on 2 December, and we hope for a major event in London on that day too. Japanese lacquer from the Clove was auctioned on 20 December, and this was the first ever art auction to be held in British history; both Bonhams and Sothebys have expressed interest in commemorating this.

Gold leaf textile by artist and textile designer Nigel Atkinson

So a lot has been accomplished. We hope this celebration and renewed focus on the 400-year relationship has brought new audiences, reinvigorated contemporary cultural exchanges, and created a new appreciation for a dialogue for the next 400 years!

Many thanks to all and Happy New Year!

Timon Screech and Nicolas Maclean

Co-chairs, Japan400

The East India Company ship, The Clove, had been sent by King James with presents for the ruler of Japan, including the first telescope ever sent outside Europe. The suit of armour was one of the principal gifts sent in response and provoked great interest on its arrival. The Clove was the first British ship to reach Japan, and its Mission succeeded in opening diplomatic, trade, scientific and cultural relations between Britain and Japan, laying a first foundation for the excellent relations in all those fields today. The Clove left Japanese territorial waters on 6th December 1613.

One side of the commemorative coin, minted by the East India Company, shows King James, Tokugawa Ieyasu and The Clove. The obverse shows HM The Queen. A limited edition of 400 gold coins and 400 silver has been minted to mark the 400th Anniversary. The presentation will be made by the Co-Chairmen of Japan400, Professor Timon Screech and Nicolas Maclean CMG, and by Ms Johanna Rowe, General Manager, The East India Company Bullion Division. The Mayor of Shizuoka, the Japanese city to which Tokugawa Ieyasu retired and where he met the British Mission, will also be present, as well as other VIPs.

The ceremony can be filmed and photographed and participants interviewed, but names of media attending must be notified to Cerys Wood at the Royal Armouries, (cerys.wood@armouries.org.uk).

Entry to the Tower of London will be from 17.00 at the Main Gate for those pre-registered in advance.

For further information regarding this historic ceremony please contact Nicolas Maclean, Japan400 on 020 8675 6725 or nmatmwm@hotmail.com.

For more information on the Special EIC Japan400 coins, please see here: Japan400 Press Release for the Tokugawa Presentation and background to the EIC Japan400 Coin

The East India Company London

We are pleased to announce the winners of the fan competition! The winners received cash and will be presented with their design made into an actual Japanese folding fan.  A Prize-Giving Ceremony sponsored by Ishizumi & Co hosted by the Worshipful Company of Fan-makers, at the Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Skinners, in central London, was held on Wednesday 30 October 2013  The winners were presented with their prizes by Patrick King Esq. Master of the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers. He gave the adult prize winners a copy of the Fan Makers Company history book “Fans and Fan Makers” a Japan 400 fan and a gift from Mr Ishizumi. The junior winner received a red cap with the Fan Makers’ Company crest on the front.

Ishizumi  & Co, is one of Kyoto’s longest-established and famous fan-makers,  and have generously funding this competition to design a commemorative folding fan for Japan400.

FIRST PRIZE:        Susanne Bayly

SECOND PRIZE:   John Swarbrick

THIRD PRIZE:       Valeria Nicolucci

JUNIOR PRIZE:    Kyiga Wilberforce (aged 9 )

For more information about the Ishizumi & Co. Fan company: http://www.fan.vg/
For more information about the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers: http://www.fanmakers.com

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A peculiar culinary milestone took place last month: the 400th anniversary of the first English roast beef dinner served in Japan…

You’re forgiven for missing the fanfare; there wasn’t any, save for a commemorative meal at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo.

• As well as celebrating the 400th anniversary of the first encounter between Britain and Japan, this year we celebrate 400 years of another relationship between Japan, and our European partner Spain. (the Netherlands celebrated their 400th anniversary with Japan in 2009). http://www.spainjapanyear.jp/ and http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/10/07/voices/spanish-envoy-celebrates-400-year-relationship/#.UmufhI1lQpA. Did you know that there is still a town in Spain where descendants of that first encounter, carry the name ‘Japón’? No we didn’t either.  There is now a photography exhibition of 400 people with the surname ‘Japón’. Events are taking place in Spain and Japan this year to celebrate this anniversary.
• Japan is known for its longevity not only of its people but also of its business! This year, a building company Takenaka celebrates 400 years. Originally shrine carpenters, today, having continuously adapted to the changing needs of society are now launching ambitious plans for the future.
• 400 is the magic number for Toshiba as in billions of yen profit by 2015 according to Business Week
• Talking of business, the Japanese healthcare company Terumo BCT perhaps epitomising what brings our two countries concerns together, health and care for our citizens are creating over 400 new jobs in Antrim, Northern Ireland. PM Abe announced Northern Ireland to be a ‘’ “treasure trove of challenge, openness and innovation” during a visit to Belfast following the G8 summit. More info. from the Irish Times here.  Belfast celebrates 400 years of history with ‘Belfast 400’.  The royal charter was signed by James I on April 27, 1613 marked the beginning of civic governance in Belfast according to the Belfast Telegraph (James 1 was having a very busy and productive year in 1613!)
• JPX-Nikkei Index 400 Japan’s Nikkei and Japan Exchange Group have merged to form a new stock index unveiled this month of 400 companies. ‘’ The new index will be composed of companies with high appeal for investors, which meet requirements of global investment standards, such as efficient use of capital and investor-focused management perspectives. The new index will promote the appeal of Japanese corporations domestically and abroad, while encouraging continued improvement of corporate value, thereby aiming to revitalize the Japanese stock market. http://www.tse.or.jp/english/news/17/b7gje6000001nr5o-att/b7gje6000001nr8v.pdf
• Maybe not a coincidence – connected with that early enthusiasm for relations with Japan from Spain, Netherlands and Britain, is the 400th anniversary of the gold mines in Sado island. Gold was produced in Japan for many years. Sado kinzan, the most productive mine, produced 400kg during its operations from earliest edo period when the income was used by the Tokugawa Shogunate which directly controlled Sado Island and its mines.
• Daiya Seto wins the 400-meter individual medley swim in the World Championships
• 400 years since the first ‘crying baby contest’ was launched in japan and is still going today. A good example of turning a challenge into an advantage!
• And an early form of recycling is reputed to have a 400 year old history – ‘Bird Poop Facial, 400 Year Old Japanese Art Harnesses Powerful Enzymes’ reported in Science World
• Elsewhere a Japanese culture week opens in the central province of Nghe An, Vietnam to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan, as well as the 2013 Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year, and a 400 year old document is discovered, proving ties between Vietnam and japan from that period
• 400 years ago is the inspiration for the Monogatari 2nd Season’s Onimonogatari anime, telling the story of ‘’Shinobu Oshino, a mysterious little girl who came to Japan 400 years ago….originally a vampire named Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade. Shinobu tells Araragi that the darkness that has appeared is one that she had seen 400 years ago, and at worst, it could destroy Araragi’s entire town….’’

The keynote address was by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  You can read the speech in English here:

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/96_abe/statement/201309/30ukjapan_e.html and as pdf.:RUSI Keynote Address by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the Conference on Rejuvenating U.K

HRH, The Duke of York was the second keynote speaker.

Yōhei Sasakawa wrote an article which originally appeared in the Sankei Shimbun newspaper on 20 September 2013 entitled Ties with Britain Expand Japan’s Diplomatic Options  Read as pdf. here: RUSI Sankei Sasakawa article (English) 20-9-2013

Japanese version here: ” 日本財団会長・笹川陽平　日英協力で外交の選択肢広げよ” – 日本財団会長・笹川陽平氏

More information about the conference, with photographs here: http://www.rusi.org/events/ref:E523986CE3C7C7#.UlMAlI1lQUp

Japan400 Event page with photos is here: http://japan400.com/event/uk-japan-security-conference-in-2013/

are generously funding a competition to design a commemorative folding fan for Japan400.

CLOSING DATE Friday 25 October, 2013

RULES

1. Contestants are welcome to submit as many entries as they wish, but designs must be on the fan-shaped template which can be downloaded from THIS PAGE HERE .
You are welcome to enlarge or reduce this.Misshapen entries will be disqualified.

2. Entries may be created by any means (paint, collage, computer, etc), but must be submitted in hard copy (not electronically) to the postal address below. It is the contestant’s responsibility to ensure their designs arrive before the closing date. Entries will not be returned.

3. The competition is open to anyone ordinarily living in the UK, regardless of nationality.

4. To be considered, all entries much be accompanied by a phone number and email.

5. Winning designs will be linked to the theme the 400th anniversary of Japan-British Relations, in a creative and imaginative way.

PRIZES

Winners will receive cash prizes (as overleaf) and will be presented with their design made into an actual Japanese folding fan. They may purchase additional fans at cost price (approx. £50). A second fan will be made for presentation to an appropriate UK museum. Winners must also agree to let Japan400 create further commemorative fans, as required (the designer will of course be credited).

Winners will be informed on Sunday 27 October by phone and email.

A Prize-Giving Ceremony sponsored by Ishizumi & Co will by hosted by the Worshipful Company of Fan-makers, at the Livery Hall of the Worshipful Company of Skinners, in central London, on Wednesday 30 October, 4-6pm. Those who think they have a chance of winning, please keep the date and time free! All are welcome to attend the ceremony.

For more information about the Ishizumi & Co. Fan company: http://www.fan.vg/

For more information about the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers: http://www.fanmakers.com

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 FIRST PRIZE:  £150 + fan

SECOND PRIZE: £100 + fan

THIRD PRIZE: £50 + fan

JUNIOR PRIZE (12 years and under – proof of age required): £50 book token + fan

 Winners able to attend the Prize Giving will have their transport costs to London covered (in the case of the Junior Winner, with a companion) by second-class return rail (or air if cheaper). Origination must be within the UK.  Receipts much show a purchase date of 27 October or later.

All ENTRIES ARE TO BE SENT TO:

Japan400 Fan Competiton,

The Clerk, Fan Makers’ Company,

Skinners’ Hall,

8 Dowgate Hill,

London EC4R 2SP

and also an interesting blog from the day from Sequins and Cherry Blossom : –

http://sequinsandcherryblossom.com/2013/09/18/two-cultures-united-by-tea/