Timeline
1853-4 US Commodore Matthew Perry visits Japan with his Black Ships, resulting in the Treaty of Kanagawa
1854 Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty
1858 Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce – British diplomatic corps dispatched to Japan
1859 January – Kenneth Ross Mackenzie of Jardine Matheson moves to Nagasaki
1859 April – Frederik Blekman arrives in Nagasaki from Batavia
1859 July – Ansei treaties officially in effect
1859 William Keswick (b 1834 Dumfriesshire) opens Jardine Matheson office in Yokohama.
1859 September – Thomas Blake Glover (b 1838 Aberdeenshire) posted to Nagasaki by Jardine Matheson from China.
1860 Foreigners allowed to settle in Yokohama
1861-2 Thomas Glover becomes independent, launches Glover & Co
1862 June – James Marquis Chisholm performing in Australia, on the harmonium, “eminent pianist” with Miss Amelia Bailey, Miss Aitken. Robert Sparrow Smythe, British born theatrical manager, is agent.
1862 Bakufu government send 38 Japanese men including Fukuzawa Yukichi and Terashima Munenori to Europe, including England
1862 Tokugawa shogunate decreed that a child born between a Japanese woman and a non-Japanese man would be allowed to leave Japan with its father, as a non-Japanese, with the permission of its mother.
1862 May – November International Exhibition in London, at which Sir Rutherford Alcock, British Consul-General in Japan, displays Japanese items.
1862 September – British born merchant Charles Richardson killed in the Namamugi Incident
1862 October – Great Original Chinese and Japanese Entertainment from Drury Lane Theatre perform at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton – jugglery, gun trick, swordsmanship, swinging bowls of water, knife throwing (described later at other venues as Chinese only)
1863 Rutherford Alcock’s book The Capital of the Tycoon is published, including descriptions of Japanese top spinners and jugglers.
1863 May – Smythe, Simmons, Bailey and Chisholm travel to Shanghai from Australia.
1863 Smythe arrives in Nagasaki with Dr H.S. Lynn (John Wesley Hugh Simmons Lynn, aka Washington Simmons) a Dublin born magician and Amelia Bailey, an English born soprano.
1863 May – August – Japanese gymnasts – Royal Cremorne Gardens, London
1863 August – Anglo-Satsuma war
1863 August Chisholm performs in Nagasaki in front of some Satsumas.
1863 August – October – Four Japanese acrobats perform in London and Portsmouth.
1863 September – September 1864 James Marquis Chisholm giving concerts with Amelia Bailey in Yokohama.
1863 October Washington D Simmons soiree fantastique in Yokohama
1863 November- Five Chōshu clan students arrive in Britain to study after 130 day journey from Japan.
1863 December William Neville/Tannaker’s 1 year sentence for bigamy in Britain ends
1864 March – American entertainer “Professor” Richard Risley arrives in Yokohama with an equestrian troupe of ten performers and eight horses, introducing Western style circus to Japan. Starts to incorporate Japanese performers in his act by the end of 1864
1864 February – May – Frederick Blekman in France and Britain with the Ikeda mission.
1864 May – June Japanese gymnasts at Cremorne Gardens
1864 John Reddie Black, Scottish singer and later journalist arrives in Yokohama and puts on performances with James Marquis Chisholm, including butterfly trick performer Yanagawa Asakichi and juggler Sumidagawa Namigorō.
1864 Four British banks opened in Yokohama
1864 Japan’s first Masonic Lodge founded – Sphinx Lodge number 263, under the Grand Lodge of Ireland. Becomes Yokohama Lodge in 1866
1864 – Dr HS Lynn/Simmons leaves Japan and returns to Europe
1864 November – Kamakura murders – two young British officers murdered by samurai
1865 Norwich born tea merchant Frederick Ringer arrives in Japan
1865 Satsuma clan send students to Britain to study (including Terashima Munenori)
1865 July Blekman is arrested in Yokohama
1865 September Risley goes to Edo/Tokyo to recruit more Japanese performers, including butterfly trick and show in Yokohama. Not well received “a fiasco” The Japan Times
1865 summer – Japanese bakufu government shuts down many theatres and shows in Edo
1865? Blekman deported to the Netherlands and imprisoned there for a year
1866 ban on overseas travel by Japanese lifted
1866 Shogunate send 14 students to study in Britain
1866 February Blekman arrived in Yokohama from Amsterdam on the Batavia, with Mr and Mrs Van der Polder (The Japan Times, Feb 9th 1866 p 1)
1866 October 20th – Contracts signed with troupes by Burgess/Smith and Tetsuwari, Matsui Gensui/Torikata/Grant and Risley contracts
1866 October 29th – Tetsuwari family troupe, managed by Thomas F Smith and GW Burgess leave Yokohama for San Francisco
1866 November 30th – Tetsuwari family troupe arrive in San Francisco on the British brig Alert with Thomas Smith and Burgess
1866 December 2 – Matsui Gensui troupe depart Yokohama for Shanghai, Hong Kong and Southampton, managed by British man William Grant.
1866 December 5 – Risley’s Imperial Troupe of Japanese depart Yokohama
1866 December – Pio Watkini, Japanese juggler starts performing in London through to February 1867 (D’Alvini?)
1867 January – Imperial Troupe arrive in San Francisco
1867 January – Emperor Komei dies
1867 February- March – British gymnast Thomas Lenton obtains passports for the Great Dragon Troupe
1867 February – Matsui Gensui‘s troupe performs in London, under contract to Glasgow-born ship contractor William Grant.
1867 March – F Blackman, Baldwin, Gilbert, Fischer, Marshall, Burgess, Brower arrive in Yokohama from San Francisco on Hermann – Sacramento Daily Union, 2 March 1867 p2).
1867 March – diary of a Japanese person records seeing a Japanese troupe in Hong Kong (possibly Tannaker’s troupe)
1867 April – Lenton & John Washington Smith part of Great Dragon Troupe (12 people) leave Japan on the Ganges, initially performing in Hong Kong and Philippines
1867 April – Mikado Troupe of 20 depart for America
1867 April – Thomas Glover departs Nagasaki for Aberdeen via Hong Kong. Arrives in Britain in July 1867
1867 May – Baldwin & Gilbert troupe depart Japan for USA
1867 June – July – Elias Jackson “Lucky” Baldwin & Ferdinand Gilbert and Lenton & Smith combined Great Dragon Troupe tour America
Harper’s Weekly June 1867
1867 July – Matsui Gensui Troupe left Liverpool for Exposition Universelle in Paris
1867 July – wondrous Japanese juggler Der Hang – Dundee – Quaglieni’s Italian Cirque – Tycoon top spinning – late of the celebrated Japanese troupe.
1867 July 27 Lenton & Smith troupe arrive in Samarang, Java
1867 July 29 – Colorado leaves Yokohama for San Francisco, arriving August 24th – Baldwin, Brower, De Roza and 31 strong Hayatake Troupe
1867 August – combined Great Dragon Troupe tour Britain
1867 Summer – Exposition Universelle in Paris, performances from Matusi Gensui and Risley’s Imperial Troupe. Thomas Jeckyll‘s Japonism style Vienna Gates exhibited
1867 August – Matsui Gensui troupe moves on to Belgium from Paris
1867 August 28 Lenton & Smith troupe in Singapore
1867 September 19 and 21st – Tannaker Buhicrosan‘s Royal Tycoon troupe perform in Calcutta en route to Britain via Madras
1867 September – Glover departs Britain to return to Japan
1867 October 23 Tannaker’s troupe depart Galle in Ceylon for Melbourne
1867 October – Baldwin & Gilbert Great Dragon Troupe leave Britain – tour Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg
1867 October Lenton & Smith Great Dragon Troupe in Malaysia.
1867 October 19 – opening of Japanese troupe of performers (butterfly trick and top spinning) in Calcutta
1867 November 1 – cyclone in Calcutta – a Japanese performing troupe’s tent is blown away.
1867 November 14th – Tannaker Buhicrosan‘s Royal Tycoon troupe arrived in Australia on Suez Mail from Galle in Ceylon departing 23 October
1867 November 25 – Avoca leaves Galle for Melbourne with Lenton & Smith troupe
1867 November – Matsui Gensui troupe moves on to Germany
1867 November – brother of Hang-son dies in Berlin (troupe not identified – director of company is German)
1867 November – the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigns
1867 December – Matsui Gensui moves on to Italy
1867 December – Great Dragon Troupe in Australia with Chōnosuke from Matsui Gensui troupe
1867 December – Risley’s Imperial Troupe arrive in Britain
1867 December – Matsui Gensui troupe including Asakichi moves on to Italy
1868 January – Great Dragon Troupe in Vienna
1868 January Meiji Restoration, followed by Boshin War in which Satsuma and Chōshu forces defeat ex-shōgun’s army
1868 January – Professor Risley’s Imperial Troupe begins tour of Britain
1868 February – WS Gilbert goes to Paris to review for the Illustrated Times as The Theatrical Lounger
1868 April – member of Matsui Gensui troupe imprisoned in Italy
1868 April – Jem Mace‘s monster Japanese circus and hippodrome – Reading, Warminster, May – Newport and then to Ireland through to October. Was meant to be a troupe of wild men from the island of Yesso, in Northern Japan, but they did not arrive in time.
1868 June – Hamaikari Sadakichi’s wife Tō gives birth in London
1868 July – Omoto of the Great Dragon Troupe gives birth to a son on board the Penola en route to Adelaide
1868 July – Sanger’s Circus (Equestrian and Zoological Establishment) has “extraordinary achievements of the Japanese” – Weymouth
1868 August – unidentified Japanese troupe perform at Whitlingham, Norfolk
1868 September – Ohatsu of the Great Dragon Troupe gives birth while touring Australia
1868 September – Matsui Gensui tries to claim second year of pay from William Grant in France. Grant refuses to pay and flees in the middle of the night.
1868 October – Matsui Gensui signs a contract with a French impresario
1868 autumn, Glover dissolved his partnership, hands over tea export business to Frederick Ringer
1868 Meiji government charter oath, announcing that each daimyo should send officers to Britain
1868 December – Tannaker Buhicrosan brings his Royal Tycoon Troupe of Japanese to Britain from Australia
1868 December - the Japanese troupe that was at the Cirque Napoleon “have returned to France” Le Pave 28 December
1869 January Risley’s Imperial Troupe move from France to New York. Edward Banks tries to flee without paying bills. Seven of troupe return to Japan, remainder return to Europe and tour Britain through the summer of 1869.
1869 February – final part of Great Dragon Troupe tour of Australasia
1869 February – Otake gives birth to Otakesammer Buhicrosan in Bolton, Lancashire.
1869 May – Great Dragon Troupe reappear in Britain at the Crystal Palace
1869 June – Great Dragon Troupe contract with Bert ends.
1869 July 5th – E.T. Smith of Cremorne Gardens advertises in London Evening Standard that he has engaged the Japanese troupe that were at the Cirque Napoleon – from August 4th. (could be Matsui Gensui troupe or Great Dragon Troupe, probably latter)
1869 August – Great Dragon Troupe in Paris
1869 August – daughter and wife of Asakichi of Matsui Gensui troupe die in Belgium
1869 August 23 – Great Dragon Troupe return to Britain. Proprietor is Edward G. Bert again.
1869 September – Professor Risley accused of inducing a girl to leave the care of her father and mother, assault and corrupt her morals. Found not guilty
1869 October – Thomas King arranges passports for 14 Japanese performers headed by Naminosuke “The Royal Tycoon’s Private Troupe”. They tour Hong Kong, India and Germany before arriving in Britain in 1870
1869 November – 2nd Hayatake troupe (13 people) depart Japan for USA
1869 November – the Japan leaves San Francisco for Yokohama with eight Japanese, two women, seven children, from the troupe performing in the United States. Who is this?
1869 November – Suez Canal opens
1869 December – Professor Risley travels to Gibraltar
Ninjin 