Josiah Conder (28 September 1852 – 21 June 1920) was a British architect who was hired by the

Meiji Japan The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by ...

ese government as a professor of architecture for the

Imperial College of Engineering The Imperial College of Engineering (工部大学校, ''Kōbudaigakkō'') was a Japanese institution of higher education that was founded during the Meiji Era. The college was established under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works for ...

and became architect of Japan's Public Works. He started his own practice after 1888. Conder designed numerous public buildings in Tokyo, including the ''

Rokumeikan The was a large two-story building in Tokyo, completed in 1883, which became a controversial symbol of Westernisation in the Meiji period. Commissioned for the housing of foreign guests by the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru, it was designed by Brit ...

'', which became a controversial symbol of Westernisation in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

. He educated young Japanese architects, notably

Tatsuno Kingo was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. Doctor of Engineering. Conferred Jusanmi (従三位, Junior Third Rank) and Kunsanto (勲三等, Order of Third Class). Former dean of Architecture Department at Tokyo Imperial ...

and

Katayama Tōkuma was a Japanese architect who designed the original buildings for the Imperial Nara Museum as well as the Kyoto Imperial Museum and was significant in introducing Western, particularly French architecture into Japan. Coming from Chōshū, T ...

, earning him the nickname "father of Japanese modern architecture."

Early career

Conder was born in Brixton, Surrey,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, to Josiah Conder, a banker, and his wife, Elizabeth (Willsher). Conder was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in Bedford Charity, The Harpur Trust, born from the financial endowment, endowments le ...

, and then became an architect pupil with

Thomas Roger Smith Thomas Roger Smith (1830–1903) was an English architect and academic. He is now best known for his views and writings on public buildings, in terms of their style and acoustics, and their influence on other architects, particularly in relation ...

. He later studied architecture at the

South Kensington School of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offe ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. His grandfather, Josiah Conder (1789-1855) was a well known religious bookseller and author, mostly known for his book ''The Modern Traveller''. His uncle, Francis Roubiliac Conder (1815-1889), was a successful civil engineer in railway construction. Francis Roubiliac's son,

Claude Reignier Conder Claude Reignier Conder (29 December 1848, Cheltenham – 16 February 1910, Cheltenham) was an English soldier, explorer and antiquarian. He was a great-great-grandson of Louis-François Roubiliac and grandson of editor and author Josiah Conder. ...

, became a

Royal Engineer The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

after graduating from the

and the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

. He made extensive geographical and archaeological surveys over the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

at the end of 19th century. Conder worked for the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

architect

William Burges William Burges (; 2 December 1827 – 20 April 1881) was an English architect and designer. Among the greatest of the Victorian art-architects, he sought in his work to escape from both nineteenth-century industrialisation and the Neoc ...

for two years. In 1876 he was awarded the Soane Medal.

Career in Japan

Statue of Josiah Conder in the University of Tokyo 0101

Conder was surely interested in the Orient through his relatives' works, in particular of

, but it is unknown how he was appointed as professor for the

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. The

started teaching in October 1873 by British instructors led by a principal

Henry Dyer Henry Dyer (23 August 1848 – 25 September 1918) was a Scottish engineer who contributed much to founding Western-style technical education in Japan and Scottish-Japanese relations. Early life Henry Dyer was born on 16 August 1848, ...

, who was looking for an architect-professor in the Department of Architecture.

Charles Alfred Chastel de Boinville Charles Alfred Chastel de Boinville (1849 – April 25, 1897) was an Anglo-French architect, who worked in Japan and Britain. His father was a well known clergyman who completed 30 years of missionary service in France, and left several public ...

had been an architect of Japan's Public Works since 1873 and built the main building of the

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

. Conder arrived in Tokyo in January 1877 and quickly established a reputation as a dedicated and highly skilled teacher. The Calendar of the

was prepared by its principal,

, a 6 year programme, consisting of a basic course, technical course and practice course, 2 years for each. Conder taught both technical subjects and practice including design theory, architectural history, drawing, technical draftsmanship. Most graduates played essential roles in the development of modern Japan's architecture, including

, Sone Tatsuzō and Satachi Shichijirō. Yorinaka Tsumaki and

Shimoda Kikutaro was an architect who created the prototype of the Imperial Crown Style for the Japanese Empire. He was a native of Akita, in northern Honshu, and moved to Tokyo in 1881, when he was fifteen. At Keio University, he enrolled in an architecture ...

, who left the Imperial College of Engineering before graduation, also became successful architects. Conder taught history of oriental architecture using James Fergusson's works which insisted that there was no substantial architecture in the Orient except Mughal architecture, a kind of Saracenic architecture. Conder believed Saracenic based style might be suitable for modern Japan, and utilized it as Pseudo-Saracenic style for his early works including the Tokyo Imperial Museum, the retail shop of the Hokkaido Development Authority and the

. This style was limitedly accepted by

for his design of the Kokugi-Kan (National Sumo Wrestling Hall), and Conder was very disappointed that most of his students did not understand his intention. Conder was charged with transforming the

Marunouchi Marunouchi () is a commercial district of Tokyo located in Chiyoda between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. It is also Tokyo's financial di ...

area into a London-style business district by the Ministry of Industry on a five-year contract. Despite residing in Japan, he kept up a professional affiliation with the Royal Institute of British Architects, becoming an Associate in 1874 and a Fellow in 1884. He became a part-time lecturer until he set up his own practice in 1888. Some of his former students set up the

Architectural Institute of Japan The Architectural Institute of Japan, or AIJ, is a Japanese professional body for architects, building engineers, and researchers in architecture. The institute was founded in 1886 as an institute for architects. It was renamed the Architectural ...

and made Conder its first honorary president. He was awarded the

Order of the Sacred Treasures The is a Japanese order, established on 4 January 1888 by Emperor Meiji as the Order of Meiji. Originally awarded in eight classes (from 8th to 1st, in ascending order of importance), since 2003 it has been awarded in six classes, the lowest t ...

(3rd class) in 1894. Conder developed a keen interest in Japanese arts and after a long period of petitioning, was finally accepted to study painting with the artist

Kawanabe Kyōsai was a Japanese artist, in the words of art historian Timothy Clarke, "an individualist and an independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting". Biography Living through the Edo period to the Meiji period, Kyōsai wi ...

. Kyōsai dubbed Conder , incorporating the character from the Japanese name for Britain. Conder also studied Enshu school ikebana. His studies led to a number of publications, among them "The Flowers of Japan and The Art of Floral Arrangement" (1891), "Landscape Gardening in Japan" (1893) and "Paintings and Studies by Kawanabe Kyosai" (1911). He wrote the first after a lecture at the Asiatic Society of Japan. In 1915, the Tokyo Imperial University awarded Conder an honorary doctorate. He remained in Japan for the rest of his life. His grave is at the temple of

Gokoku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Tokyo's Bunkyō. History This Buddhist temple was established by the fifth shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, who dedicated it to his mother. It is notable for surviving the American air raids during World War II, w ...

in Bunkyo, Tokyo.

Notable buildings

Conder's architectural designs incorporated a wide variety of styles, including European and colonial elements. Although he designed over fifty buildings during his career in Japan, many no longer exist. Notable buildings surviving today are the residence of Iwasaki Yanosuke, founder of the Mitsubishi group in Yushima (1896, now the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden) and the Mitsui Club in Mita, Tokyo (1913). * Kummo-in school for the blind (1879) * Ueno Imperial Museum, Tokyo (1881) *

, Tokyo (1883) *

University of Tokyo , abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project by ...

's faculty of law and literature building, Hongo, Tokyo (1884) * Iwasaki Villa,

Fukagawa, Tokyo is an area in Kōtō, Tokyo. It is one of the representative of Tokyo. Formerly, it was a ward of the historical Tokyo City. In 1947, Fukagawa was incorporated into the ward of Kōtō, together with Suginami. History The Fukagawa neighbourhoo ...

(1889); Burnt down by

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...

Holy Resurrection Cathedral , also known as , in Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the main cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church. History The founder of the Japanese Orthodox Church Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (1836–1912), later St. Nicholas of Japan, was an archbishop who devo ...

(or ''Nikorai-do'', 1891) * Ministry of the Navy Building, Kasumigaseki, Tokyo (1895) * St. Barnabas' Church,

Ushigome, Tokyo is the name of a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and a former ward (牛込区 ''Ushigome-ku'') in the now-defunct Tokyo City. In 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with Yotsuya ward of Tokyo City and Yodobas ...

(1897) (subsequently enlarged by Conder and reopened in 1907) *

Christ Church, Yokohama Christ Church, Yokohama (横浜山手聖公会 Yokohama Yamate Seikokai), is a historic Anglican church located in Yamate, Yokohama, Japan. Providing a center of worship for both Japanese and English-language congregations the church traces its fo ...

(1901), second church building at

Yamate is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as ''The Bluff.'' The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still domi ...

Bluff. (Destroyed in

). * Seisen University Main Hall (1915) * Furukawa Toranosuke Villa, now Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, Tokyo (1917)

Gallery

File:Tokyo Imperial Household Museum.JPG, Tokyo Imperial Household Museum File:Tokyo-Rokumeikan-zenmen-1883-1900.jpg,

(1883) File:Navy Ministry of Japan.jpg, Ministry of the Navy Building, Tokyo File:No1 Mitsubishi Office Building Tokyo 2009.jpg, Mitsubishi Office Building No. 1, Tokyo File:Iwasaki-old-house04s2048.jpg, Iwasaki Billiards House File:Mausoleum of Family of Yanosuke Iwasaki 2009.jpg, Mausoleum of Yanosuke Iwasaki's Family File:Tsunamachi mitsui club 0201.jpg, Tsunamachi Mitsui Club File:Rokkaen ac (7).jpg, Rokkaen (Moroto Seiroku Mansion) File:Kyu-Furukawa Tei (House)2.jpg, Old Furukawa Mansion File:Myouhouji tetsumon.JPG, Myouhouji Tetsumon Gate File:Former Iwasaki Family House and Garden 2010.jpg, Former Iwasaki Mansion (1896) File:Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral 201000.jpg,

Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral , also known as , in Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the main cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church. History The founder of the Japanese Orthodox Church Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (1836–1912), later St. Nicholas of Japan, was an archbishop who dev ...

Notes

References

* Dallas Finn, ''Meiji Revisited: The Sites of Victorian Japan'', Weatherhill, 1995 * Dallas Finn, 'Josiah Conder (1852–1920) and Meiji Architecture', Ch. 5, ''Britain & Japan: Themes and Personalities'', ed.

Hugh Cortazzi Sir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, (2 May 1924 – 14 August 2018) was a British diplomat. He was also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist. He was Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Japan ...

and Gordon Daniels, London: Routledge, 1991. * Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Shuichi Kato (translated and adapted by Junko Abe and

Leza Lowitz Leza Lowitz (born December 29, 1962, San Francisco) is an American expatriate writer residing in Tokyo, Japan and in the American Southwest. She has written, edited and co-translated over twenty books, many about Japan, its relationship with the U ...

), ''Japan: Spirit & Form'', 1987–88 (1994), *

External links

*
The Architecture of Josiah Conder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conder, Josiah 1852 births 1920 deaths 19th-century English architects 20th-century English architects Alumni of the University of London Architects from Surrey Artists' Rifles soldiers English emigrants to Japan Foreign advisors to the government in Meiji-period Japan Foreign educators in Japan Japanese architects People educated at Bedford Modern School History of art in Japan