Theories regarding the real identity of Tannaker Buhicrosan:
- That he is actually Frederik Blekman. We disprove this here.
ロンドン日本人村を作った男 〔謎の興行師タナカー・ブヒクロサン 1839-9, by Koyama Noboru
2. That he was born in Nagasaki, of a Dutch doctor and a Japanese mother. (Matsuyama – Tokyo Magic website)
3. That he is the son of William Bellingham Neville, a surgeon, born in Liverpool
Paul Budden’s book “Paper Butterflies: Unravelling the Mystery of Tannaker Buhicrosan”
1840 September 10th – William Bellingham Neville baptised at St Peter’s Liverpool. Mother is Hannah, father is William Bellingham Neville, surgeon.
1858 March – William Nevell enlists with the 18th Hussars as a clerk
1859 March 28th – William Nevell marries Elizabeth Carter in York (father is William Nevell, surgeon)
1860 July -William Nevell deserts 18th Hussars
1860 September 28th – Sarah Mary Neville born, baptised in Liverpool, father William Neville, mother Elizabeth Neville, father’s occupation groom.
1861 October 21st – William Nelson marries Ellen McLean in Liverpool. William Nelson’s father given as William Nelson, surgeon. William Nelson’s own occupation also surgeon.
1862 April 7th – Catherine Elizabeth Nevell born in Liverpool of William Nevell, soldier 18th Hussars and Elizabeth Carter
1862 October 22nd – William Neville charged with bigamy
1862 December 3rd – William Neville sentenced to one year’s hard labour
1864-5 William Neville goes to Japan, possibly with the 20th Regiment of Foot
1864-6/7 possibly living as William Nelson, watch maker in Nagasaki. Marries Otake.
1867 November – Royal Tycoon Troupe arrive in Melbourne, Australia on Geelong from Pont de Galle via Adelaide. Buhicrosan, two Japanese men and three Japanese women. Toured India, possibly other Asian countries before arrival.
There are no verified photographs of Tannaker Buhicrosan. This seems the most likely – from the Robert L Sayers collection – on the back is inscribed Okimey, Otackey (which could be Otake, Buhicrosan’s wife) and Oyou.
1868 June – arrive Melbourne from New Zealand on Claude Hamilton – Tannaker and Gibson in cabin class, 5 Japanese in steerage.
1868 December – Royal Tycoon Troupe arrive in Britain
1869 February 7th – Otake gives birth to Tani in Bolton
1870 April – Greenock – Tannaker – gave an oral accompaniment explanatory of the performance in broken but perfectly intelligible English an insight into many of the customs of Japan, poking fun by the way, in a quiet unsophisticated manner that was very pleasing, at several of our insular fashions.
1870 August 11th Was performing butterfly trick and brick balancing in Tenby 11
1871 February – advertisement in The Era that Hasingawa Harosan (Hasegawa Harukichi) and Tannaker Buhicrosan are co-proprietors of the Royal Tycoon and Great Dragon Troupe
1871 September 14th – Ohichan born in Wales
1872 March – Tannaker places a notice in The Era that “F Blekman ceased to have any connection” with the Great Dragon Troupe
1872 December – Frank Tannaker Buhicrosan fined £10 for child cruelty – a boy of 4 and a half, (or seven according to other accounts) entrusted to him to learn gymnastics (or his son according to other accounts), in Exeter. It was proved that on the previous Saturday, Tannaker had locked the boy up in a cupboard, tying his hands above his head to a nail. In this attitude he kept the poor child until midnight, and the boy was only released at the entreaty of the lodging house keeper.
1872 December – Ohana born in Chester
1873 Tannaker registers troupe names, appoints John Hardman as manager
1874 Buys house in Hither Green, London
1875 Tannaker calls himself an importer of Japanese handicrafts and starts to give away Japanese articles to the audience
1876 Tannaker Billingham Buhicrosan born at Hither Green, London
1878 Miles Nevell Buhicrosan born at Hither Green, London
1879 Otake and Tannaker marry in Manchester
1880 Otakesan Maude Buhicrosan born at Hither Green
1881 Winifred Billingham Buhicrosan born at Hither Green
1881 Tannaker lodging at Nottingham – professional “Japanese troupe” aged 40, with Otake, 30, female born in Chester aged 5 (Ohana?), male born in London aged 2 (Miles?), male 12 born in Japan and male Otommyson born in Japan aged 14 or 16.
1881 census Tani, Ohichi, Maude, Tannaker junior in Lewisham with Pollie
1882 “merchant in goods” at Chapel Street, Cripplegate EC2
1883 Lancelot Reynolds Billingham Buhicrosan born in Lewisham
1883 December – sets up The Japanese Native Village Exhibition and Trading Company Ltd, with Cornelius B Pare a Japan and China merchant (associate of Christopher Dresser via his company Londos), Ambrose Austin, concert agent and John Miles, Wardour Street printer.
1884 Moved to Yeddo Grange, is running a property rental business
1884 March – Tani, Ohi, Tannaker, Miles, Maude, Winifred, Lancelot baptised at Lewisham St Mary, Tannaker gives occupation as merchant
1884 July Tannaker visits Japan via Brindisi on the Clyde?Thibet?, to recruit people for the Japanese Village. Name on passenger list Mr F.B.N. Buhigroson, Mr T Bahierasan. Meets with Charles Henry Dallas in Yokohama. Meets with Yubin Hochi Shimbun, dressed in Japanese clothes with a chonmage, but needs an interpreter. Is described as an Englishman. Claims to be director of Tanaka Shokai/Tanaka Trading Company. Has contacts with Rottmann Strohme merchant house in Yokohama.
1884 November – Ure Buhicrosan born in Lewisham
1885 January – Tannaker’s Japanese Village opens
Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News – Saturday 24 January 1885
1885 May – Tannaker’s Japanese Village burns down
1885 summer – Tannaker returns to Japan to purchase further fittings for Village
1885 December – Japanese Village re-opens on the same site but double the size and with most of the old inhabitants.
1886 December – Otake visits Japan
1887 January – Tannaker sells off his interest in the London Japanese Village to the Japanese Village and Oriental Trading Company
1887 May – Tannaker’s Japanese Village in Saltaire, Liverpool
1887 June Chiyo Buhicrosan born in Lewisham
1887 July – Japanese Village in London closes down, company in liquidation
1888 Tannaker Japanese Villages in Cheltenham and Nottingham
1890 January – Osui Buhicrosan born in Lewisham
1890 summer – Edinburgh International Exhibition
1891 Move back to Hither Green
1891 Chiyo dies of morphine poisoning aged 3 in Lewisham
1892 Tannaker bankrupt
1893 Tannaker discharged of bankruptcy
1893 August – Otakesan Maude dies of cholera aged 13 in Cleethorpes
1894 August – Tannaker dies of cirrhosis of the liver and acute jaundice at the age of 54
Ninjin 