Geoffrey Bownas

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(9 February 1923 – 17 February 2011) was a British academic who specialised in

Japanese studies , sometimes known as Japanology in Europe, is a sub-field of area studies or East Asian studies involved in social sciences and humanities research on Japan. It incorporates fields such as the study of Japanese language, history, culture, litera ...

.'Professor Geoffrey Bownas', ''The Times'' (2 March 2011), p. 48.Mike Barrett,
Geoffrey Bownas obituary
, ''The Guardian'' (13 March 2011).

Early life

He was born in Yeadon,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

parents. He was awarded a state scholarship to

Bradford Grammar School Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational private day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Entrance is by examination. For the sixth form admission is based on GCSE results. The school gives means-tested ...

and later won a Hastings scholarship for

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

. His studies were interrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when he worked at

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

to decipher the Japanese military codes. He was promoted to lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps and sent to India. He was demobilised early so that he could complete his degree and he won a first in Greats.

Academic career

After a brief spell teaching at

Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Aberystwyth, Wales. Aberystwyth was a founding member institution of the former federal University of Wales. The university has over 8,000 stude ...

, in 1948 he returned to Oxford to study under Homer Hasenpflug Dubs and won a second first-class degree in Chinese. He planned to study in China but after the founding of the People's Republic in 1949 he instead studied for two years at

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

, where he studied under Kaizuka Shigeki. In 1954 Bownas founded the Department of Japanese Studies at Oxford and in 1965 he was appointed to the Japanese Department at the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

, where he was the university's first professor of Japanese studies. Bownas acquired a specialised knowledge of Japanese business practices, especially the motor industry. He got to know leading Japanese industrialists and was appointed as a consultant to the companies who built

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport (), commonly known as Kankū (; ), is the primary international airport in the Keihanshin, Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on ...

. Bownas also served as a Japanese interpreter for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

during the Tokyo

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

. In 1970 Bownas worked with Japanese writer

Yukio Mishima Kimitake Hiraoka ( , ''Hiraoka Kimitake''; 14 January 192525 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima ( , ''Mishima Yukio''), was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Ultranationalism (Japan), ultranationalis ...

on an anthology of new writing in Japan. He co-authored ''Business in Japan: A Guide to Japanese Business Practice and Procedure'' with Paul Norbury (1974). In 1973 he was given a Tanaka grant by the Japanese prime minister to further Japanese language studies in Britain. He retired in 1980.

Personal life

In 1999 Bownas was awarded the Japanese

Order of the Sacred Treasure The is a Japanese Order (distinction), 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 c ...

and in 2003 he was made CBE for his contributions to education and the improvement of

Anglo-Japanese relations The Anglo-Japanese style developed in the United Kingdom through the Victorian era and early Edwardian era from approximately 1851 to the 1910s, when a new appreciation for Japanese design and culture influenced how designers and craftspeople ma ...

. In 2009 Bownas married Wiesa Janina Cook and had two daughters from a previous marriage.

Works

*''Japanese Rainmaking and Other Folk Practices'' (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1963). *''From Japanology to Japanese Studies: Inaugural Lecture Delivered 14 December 1966'' (Sheffield: University of Sheffield Press, 1967). *''New Writing in Japan'' (London: Penguin, 1972). *''Business in Japan: A Guide to Japanese Business Practice and Procedure'', co-authored with Paul Norbury (London: Macmillan, 1974). *''Japan's Strategy for the 1980's: In Industrial Electrical & Electronic Equipment'' (British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers' Association, 1981). *''Inside Japan'' (BBC Books, 1981). *''Japan and the New Europe: Industrial Strategies and Options in the 1990s'' (Economist Intelligence Unit, 1991). *''Hi-Tech Venturers: Entrepreneurs of Modern Japan'', co-authored with Maureen Bownas (Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd, 1994). *''Doing Business with the Japanese: A One-stop Guide to Japanese Business Practice'', co-authored with David Powers and Christopher Philip Hood (Direct Image, 2003). *''Japanese Journeys: Writings and Recollections'' (Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental).

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bownas, Geoffrey 1923 births 2011 deaths People from Yeadon, West Yorkshire People educated at Bradford Grammar School Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford Academics of Aberystwyth University Academics of the University of Sheffield Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure Commanders of the Order of the British Empire British Japanologists