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4. The Japan-British Exhibition of 1910
This chapter highlights the Japan-British Exhibition of 1910, particularly the exhibited Taiwanese aborigines in this event. Firstly, I will observe the background and the outset of the Japan-British Exhibition in order to reveal its objectives and characteristics. Secondly, I will analyze representations of the Taiwanese aborigines, namely what the Exhibition organizers wanted to represent through display of the Taiwanese aborigines. Thirdly, I will look at three different reactions toward the exhibited aboriginal people from viewpoints of the Japanese, the Ainus and the Formosans.
4.1. Background of the Japan-British Exhibition: Proposed ‘Grand Exposition in Tokyo’ after Japan’s Victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905)
Around the turn of the twentieth century, Japan’s relations with the Great Powers had started to become more complex due to her emergence as a power. As we have seen in the previous chapter, as of 1903 when the Fifth National Industrial Exposition was held, Japan had experienced three important incidents: Japan’s victory in the Sino-Japanese War, Japan’s participation in the International Expenditure to relieve the Legations in Peking from the Boxer Rising, and the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902, all of which the Japanese government also believed resulted in Japan establishing her equal status to that of the Great Powers’. During the period from 1904 to 1910, Japan experienced another important incident. It was the Russo-Japanese War (February 8, 1904-September 5, 1905)58.
58 Jukes, Geoffrey. The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905. 2002. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p.14-15
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On June 17, 1905, in the midst of the Russo-Japanese War, the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, Kiyoura Keigo laid a proposal of holding an international exhibition before the Cabinet expecting Japan’s victory over the Russo-Japanese War. In November of 1905, after the War, Kiyoura made three proposals regarding organization of an international exhibition to the Prime Minister, Katsura Taro: (i) postponing the Sixth National Industrial Exposition which was to be held in 1907, (ii) setting up the Investigation Committee called ‘Hakurankai Kaisetsu Chosa Iinkai (博覧会開設調査委員会)’ in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce to decide scale of the exhibition, and (iii) incorporating necessary costs for the Investigation Committee into budget for the next fiscal year.59 Although Kiyoura wanted to organize an international exhibition after the Russo-Japanese War, he had not yet determined to hold an entirely international exhibition in order to commemorate Japan’s victory, or a domestic exhibition as a national festival, or a partly international exhibition considering the national finance at that time and how much Japan was impoverished after the Russo-Japanese War. Therefore, Kiyoura believed that it was necessary to postpone the Sixth National Industrial Exposition, establish the Investigation Committee to conduct an investigation concerning exhibitions, and decide the scale of the exhibition which would suit the situation of Japan at that time. In response to Kiyoura’s proposals, the Cabinet approved cancelation of the Sixth National Industrial Exposition and establishment of the Investigation Committee on December 27, 1905,60 and publicly announced indefinite
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postponement of the Sixth National Industrial Exposition in Imperial Ordinance No.
284 dated December 28, 1905. Here it should be noted that it was not only Kiyoura but also about other 100 Japanese politicians submitted a proposal of holding an international exhibition after the Russo-Japanese War to the Cabinet.61
On June 14, 1906, the Investigation Committee was established in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. The Committee consisted of Wada Hikojiro, the Undersecretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce as a chairman, and Morimoto and Takeuchi, who were one of ‘about 100 politicians’ laid a proposal of holding an international exhibition before the Cabinet, some officials of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce and members of Kizokuin (the House of Peers) as committee members. They started to discuss the scale of the exhibition and made three proposals as below:
(i) Holding an entirely international exhibition but Japan providing participating nations with necessary facilities such as exhibition halls
(ii) Holding a partly international exhibition: exhibiting foreign craft works and machinery in Kogeikan (Craft Works Museum) or Kikaikan (Machinery Museum) erected by the Japanese government and exhibiting Asian products in Toyokan (Oriental Museum). Other foreign products except for craft works and machinery should be exhibited in facilities constructed at foreign exhibitors’ costs. In case it is difficult for foreign exhibitors to build exhibition halls at their costs, they are allowed to exhibit their products in Gaikokukan (Foreign Museum).
(iii) Holding a purely national exhibition: exhibiting goods produced in Asia in Toyokan (Oriental Museum) and exhibiting products from other foreign countries in
61 Ito, p.163
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Gaikokukan (Foreign Museum) as referential materials.62
After the discussion in the Investigation Committee, they concluded that they should hold a ‘partly’ international exhibition, namely the second proposal shown above was adopted. The Cabinet, on December 21, 1906, decided to organize an exhibition named Nippon Dai-hakurankai (日本大博覧会), whose scale would be between that of international exhibition and National Industrial Exposition, in Tokyo.63 However, after this Cabinet decision, Morimoto, who had once laid a proposal of holding an international exhibition after the Russo-Japanese War before the Cabinet along with Kiyoura and had been one of the members of the Investigation Committee, submitted a proposal of organizing an international exhibition to the Cabinet again and Morimoto’s proposal was discussed in the Committee of the Lower House on February 7, 1907.64 After some twists and turns, it was officially announced in Imperial Ordinate No. 102 that Nippon Dai-hakurankai would take place in Tokyo from April 1, 1912 to October 31, 1912.
On April 24, 1907, after this official announcement, the Foreign Minister at that time, Hayashi Tadasu informed foreign ambassadors and ministers to Japan and Japanese ambassadors to foreign countries of the official decision of holding Nippon Dai-hakurankai in 1912. At that time, Nippon Dai-hakurankai was translated as Grand Exposition in Tokyo and given the explanation that the Exposition would accept participation of foreign people and foreign governments and it would be virtually an
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international exhibition even in terms of scale although the name did not include
‘international exhibition.’65 On August 2, 1907, the establishment of Grand Exposition Committee, whose original Japanese name was Nippon Dai-hakurankai Jimukyoku (日本大博覧会事務局), in Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce was publicly announced in Notice of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce No. 183.
The Committee had Prince Fushimi Sadanaru as a president, Count Kaneko Kentaro as a chairman and Wada Hikojiro as a secretary general of the Office. Kaneko, in particular, was well experienced in international exhibitions. He had visited some major international exhibitions such as International Exhibition taking place in Philadelphia in 1876, International Exhibition of 1889 in Paris and Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis in 1904.66 Kaneko was one of Honorary Councilors of Columbian World’s Exposition of 1893 and participated in preparations for Exposition Universelle of Paris in 1900.67
Although preparations for Grand Exposition in Tokyo seemed to be going well, on September 2, 1908, it was announced in Imperial Ordinance No. 207 that the Grand Exposition in Tokyo was to be postponed until 1916. They explained the reason of this postponement as it would be difficult to construct necessary facilities for the Exposition such as transportation facilities by 1912. Accordingly, if the Grand Exposition of Tokyo was to be held in 1916, when would be the 50th year of the reign of Emperor, the Japanese government expected that they would complete preparations for all the necessary facilities by that time. Ito analyzes that this postponement of the Grand Exposition in Tokyo was due to the regime change from the first Saionji
65 「外務省記録」「日本大博覧会開設一件」中、１９０７年４月８日付秘雑第２２５号附「日本大博覧会
に関する設計の要領」
66 Hotta-Lister, p.41-42
67 Ito, p.169
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Cabinet to the second Katsura Cabinet on July 14, 1908, accordingly changes of government policies. 68 However, just about one month after the official announcement of the postponement of Grand Exposition in Tokyo in Imperial Ordinance No. 207 dated September 2, 1908, the Cabinet, on October 16, 1908, made a decision to hold the Japan-British Exhibition in London.69
4.2. The Japanese Initiator of the Japan British Exhibition, Komura Jutaro and the British Initiator, Imre Kiralfy
As both the Japanese and British official reports of the Exhibition indicate, it was an entrepreneur, Imre Kiralfy who first proposed holding the Japan-British Exhibition.
Imre Kiralfy (1845-1919), a Hungarian Jewish émigré, had already become one of the most prominent exhibition organizers in Britain by the turn of the century.70 By the time of the Japan-British Exhibition, Kiralfy had already organized a number of exhibitions on a purely commercial basis in America or Britain. The records suggest that he had been involved in organizing exhibitions since the 1880s and started to produce spectacles based upon imperial themes, which was his specialty, from 1890s.71 In 1895, Kiralfy established the London Exhibition Ltd., purchased lots in London and organized successful exhibitions having an imperial feature such as the Empire of India Exhibition at Earls Court in London in 1895 or the Greater Britain Exhibition of 1899.72 ‘Kiralfy’s ideas had outgrown their halls, and he began to erect his own great pleasure ground at Shepherd’s Bush.’73 Kiralfy, in 1903, purchased a
73 MacKenzie, John. 1986. Imperialism and Popular Culture. Manchester and Dover: Manchester University Press. p.104-105
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24-acre land in Shepherd’s Bush, which came to be called the ‘White City,’ and organized the Franco-British Exhibition there in 1908. After the Franco-British Exhibition of 1908, Kiralfy planned to hold another exhibition in the White City. It was the Japan-British Exhibition. What made Kiralfy decide to organize the Japan-British Exhibition was, as Dr. Hotta-Lister analyzes, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902 and the emergence of Japan as a power especially after 1905.
Inspired by these, Kiralfy was struck with an idea of holding an exhibition to commemorate the closer relations between Britain and Japan as the Entente Cordiale had inspired him to promote the Franco-British Exhibition.74
Kiralfy proposed his scheme of organizing a Japanese exhibition to Japan as early as 1902. He informed his plan of Count Hayashi Tadasu, the then minister in London soon after the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was concluded. However, Hayashi turned down Kiralfy’s proposal since he was well aware of Kiralfy’s ambivalent role and uncertain reputation and doubted if Kiralfy was planning to hold mere entertainment under the name of ‘exhibition.’ Dr. Hotta-Lister analyzes Kiralfy as follows:
Although he was prominent in organizing exhibitions, quite often embodying patriotic themes emphasizing imperialism and glorifying the British Empire, he seems to have been always regarded in Edwardian Britain, his adopted country, as a showman whose interest lay solely in money-making, cynically using patriotic themes for this purpose, and so, coupled perhaps with his ambivalent personality, he seems not to have commanded much respect or trust. He did not, therefore, receive any Royal
74 Hotta-Lister, p.38-39
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decoration or honor, which would have been the order of the day and might have been expected for a dignitary of his prominence.75
According to the official report of the Japan-British Exhibition, Kiralfy approached Count Mutsu Hirokichi, the First Secretary of the Imperial Japanese Embassy, in 1906 and laid a proposal of the Japan-British Exhibition before Mutsu.76 Komura Jutaro, who served as ambassador to Great Britain from 1906 to 1908, was greatly interested in Kiralfy’s proposal and asked the Foreign Minister, Hayashi Tadasu in Tokyo to consider his idea explaining that the proposed Japan-British Exhibition would be beneficial not only to the relations between Britain and Japan but also to make the upcoming Grand Exposition in Tokyo known throughout the world.77 Hayashi, who once was approached and proposed the idea by Kiralfy in 1902 when he was the minister in London, was still suspicious if Kiralfy was planning to represent Japan or Japanese culture as spectacles in the Exhibition.78 Komura replied to Hayashi that the exhibition proposed this time would be totally different from those organized by Kiralfy at Earl’s Court. One of the exhibitions organized by Kiralfy at Earl’s Court was, for example, 1907 Earl’s Court Exhibition, which installed the Japan Village represented as entertainment. Therefore, Komura emphasized that the proposed exhibition this time would be free from characteristics as entertainment or a spectacle.
Komura also reported to Hayashi that Kiralfy said that he would make arrangements to hold an Anglo-Japanese exhibition if our government wished although Kiralfy first proposed organizing a Japanese exhibition.79
75 Hotta-Lister, p.40
76 The Official Report of the Japan-British Exhibition, p.5
77 「外務省記録」「明治４１年英京倫敦に於て日英博覧会開設一件」中「日英博覧会の計画に関する件」
78 Op. cit.「日英博覧会計画の内容確認に関し訓令の件」
79 Op. cit.「日英博覧会に関し回答の件」
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Komura’s keen interest in an Anglo-Japanese exhibition was because he wanted to alleviate anti-Japanese sentiment in Britain which arose around 1907, when Japan’s power was expanding in the Far East, particularly into Manchuria. Komura strongly believed that Japan needed British support or cooperation to revise the commercial treaty with Britain, renew the Anglo-Japanese alliance and annex Korea. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, the Second Katsura Cabinet was formed on July 14, 1908. Accordingly, Komura was appointed as the Foreign Minister and returned to Japan in August of 1908. In the Cabinet meeting on October 16, 1908, Komura made a statement that the Imperial Japanese Government regarded the Anglo-Japanese Alliance as the core of their foreign policy. Therefore, Komura also stated that it would be very important to promote friendly relationships between Japanese and British peoples in order to strengthen Japan-British relations and the Japan-British Exhibition would be the best way to achieve this objective.80 On the same day, the Cabinet officially decided to hold the Japan-British Exhibition in response to Komura’s statements.
Taking these facts into consideration, Komura Jutaro, the Foreign Minister of the Imperial Japanese Government, was the main initiator of the Japan-British Exhibition on the Japanese side. On March 6, 1909, the Budget Committee approved a budget of 1.8 million yen for the Japan-British Exhibition saying that the event would be necessary to maintain and develop diplomatic and industrial relations between Japan and Britain.81 Meanwhile, the British government’s attitude toward the Exhibition was cold. The Foreign Minister, Grey rejected a request of British sponsorship to the Exhibition made by ambassador to Britain, Kato, explaining that the British
80 Op. cit.「日英博覧会開設賛同に関し閣議決定書」
81 「帝国議会衆議院委員会議録５０」, p.167
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government had never provided sponsorship with exhibitions before.82 Therefore, in fact, Imre Kiralfy, an exhibition organizer from the private sector, was the main initiator of the Japan-British Exhibition on the British side. Kiralfy was Commissioner-General at all the exhibitions held in the White City before the First World War: the Franco-British Exhibition (1908), the Imperial International Exhibition (1909), the Japan-British Exhibition (1910), the Coronation Exhibition (1911), the Latin-British Exhibition (1912), and the Anglo-American Exposition (1914).83
4.3. Objectives of the Japan-British Exhibition
Oura, the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, announced in the Budget Committee meeting on March 4, 1909 that the Japan-British Exhibition was aiming at promoting commerce and strengthening friendly relations between Japan and Britain.84 As seen in the previous section, Komura’s objective was to alleviate the anti-Japanese feelings in Britain through the Exhibition. However, the project of the Japan-British Exhibition was under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. Therefore, another objective of promoting trade between Japan and Britain was added to Komura’s original goal. In addition, Undersecretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, Oshikawa proposed not only erecting Japanese-style garden and tea houses but also exhibiting traditional and historical objects, art objects and educational objects in the Exhibition in order to make Japan and Japanese culture more known to British people.85
82 Op. cit.「日英博覧会に関し英国外務大臣と会談報告の件」
83 Hotta-Lister, p.40
84 「帝国議会衆議院委員会議録４９」, p.163
85 「帝国議会衆議院委員会議録４９」, p.165
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4.4. Objects Exhibited in the Japan-British Exhibition: Position of the Taiwanese Aborigines in the Exhibition
The Japan-British Exhibition was held in the White City, Shepherd’s Bush, London from May 14 to October 29, 1910.
Before the Exhibition, Nichiei Hakurankai Jimukyoku (the Japan-British Exhibition Committee) made a list of categories of objects which were to be exhibited in the Exhibition: Education, Art, Machinery, Electricity, Construction and Transportation, Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Fishery, Restaurants, Mining, Metallurgy, Decoration and Furniture, Fabrics, Chemical Industry, Miscellaneous Industry, Economics, Colonies, Military etc.86 Actual objects both on the Japanese side and British side and where they were exhibited in the site are shown in Table 4 and Table 5.
Table 4: Objects of the Japanese Side
Location Content
Exhibition Hall No. 2 Japan’s industry Exhibition Hall No. 2A Japan’s horticulture Exhibition Hall No. 3 Japan’s sceneries Exhibition Hall No. 12 Japan’s history Exhibition Hall No. 13 Japan’s fabrics
(A part of ) Exhibition Hall No. 21 Japan’s natural resources Exhibition Hall No. 23 (Oriental Palace/東洋館) Japan’s territories (colonies)
86 「日英大博覧会」太陽臨時増刊第１６巻９号, p.2-5
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Exhibition Hall No. 24 Exhibits of the Japanese government Exhibition Hall No. 36 Formosan tea house
Exhibition Hall No. 47 Japanese art, education, mountains Others outside of Exhibition Halls Japanese garden with Japanese tea house
Table 5: Objects of the British Side
Location Content
Exhibition Hall No. 7 Exhibits of government’s agencies of Britain, Hall of Science Exhibition Hall No. 8 Exhibits of London City Council
Exhibition Hall No. 14 British culture
Exhibition Hall No. 19 Precious metals and jewelries Exhibition Hall No. 28 Music instruments
Exhibition Hall No. 48 Transportation Exhibition Hall No. 49 Machinery
Exhibition Hall No. 51 New Zealand Pavilion
Resource: A Map of the Exhibition Site (Official Report of the Japan-British Exhibition)
In the site, there were three facilities in relation to Taiwan: (i) the Exhibition Hall No.
23, which was also called Toyo-kan (the Oriental Palace) and installed pavilions of Formosa, Korea, Manchuria and Guandong area, (ii) the Formosan Tea House and (iii) the Formosan Hamlet inhabited by the Taiwanese aborigines. According to a map of the Exhibition site attached to the official report of the Japan-British Exhibition, the Exhibition site consisted of six parts: (a) Nihon-gawa Chinretsu-kan (日本側陳列館), which means Japan’s official facilities under the sponsorship of the Japanese government, (b) British facilities called Eikoku-gawa Chinretsu-Kan (英国側陳列館),
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(c) areas for sideshows and other buildings (餘興場其他建築物), (d) areas for sideshows of Japan (日本餘興場), (e) gardens and (f) ponds. As the official map shown in the following page suggests, the Oriental Palace (an area indicated with a black circle in the map) and the Formosa Tea House (an area with a blue circle) were regarded as the Japan’s official facilities (日本側陳列館). However, the Formosan
(c) areas for sideshows and other buildings (餘興場其他建築物), (d) areas for sideshows of Japan (日本餘興場), (e) gardens and (f) ponds. As the official map shown in the following page suggests, the Oriental Palace (an area indicated with a black circle in the map) and the Formosa Tea House (an area with a blue circle) were regarded as the Japan’s official facilities (日本側陳列館). However, the Formosan