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

Meiji Japan The was 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 colonizatio ...

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 Empire of Japan, Japanese institution of higher education that was founded during the Meiji era. The college was established under the auspices of the Ministry of P ...

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 ...

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

Meiji period The was 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 colonizatio ...

. He educated young Japanese architects, notably

Tatsuno Kingo was a Japanese architect born in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. He was a Doctor of Engineering; conferred as Jusanmi (従三位, Junior Third Rank) and Kunsanto (勲三等, Order of Third Class); and served as dean of Architecture Departm ...

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

Early career

Conder was born in Brixton, Surrey, London, to Josiah Conder, a banker, and his wife, Elizabeth (Willsher). Conder was educated at

Bedford Modern School Bedford Modern School (often called BMS or simply Modern) 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 endowme ...

, and then became an architect pupil with Thomas Roger Smith. 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-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. 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 the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

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 Officer (armed forces), commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers o ...

. He made extensive geographical and archaeological surveys over the Middle East at the end of 19th century. Conder worked for the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architect

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

for two years. In 1876 he was awarded the

Soane Medal The Soane Medal, established in 2017, is an international award presented annually by Sir John Soane's Museum. The prestigious Soane Medal honours architects, academics, and critics who have significantly advanced and enhanced public understandi ...

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

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

. 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

, Katayama Tōkuma,

Sone Tatsuzō was a Japanese architect noted for his use of western architectural styles in the later Meiji period. One of the famous disciples of Josiah Conder (architect), Josiah Conder. Early life and career Together with Katayama Tokuma, Tatsuno Kingo an ...

and Satachi Shichijirō. Yorinaka Tsumaki and Shimoda Kikutaro, 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 an area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, located between Tokyo Station and the Kokyo, Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat. Marunouchi is the core ...

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 tw ...

(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 painter and caricaturist. In the words of art historian Timothy Clark, "an individualist and an independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting". Biography Living through the Edo period to the Meiji pe ...

. 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 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 The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

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

Fukagawa, Tokyo is a district in Kōtō, Tokyo. It is traditionally part of the area 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. Fukagawa has a large South ...

(1889); Burnt down by

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

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

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

(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 The , also known as , is the main cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church, located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. History Archbishop Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (1836–1912), later Nicholas of Japan, St. Nicholas of Japan, was the ...

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

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Shuichi Kato (translated and adapted by Junko Abe and Leza Lowitz), ''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-era Japan Foreign educators in Japan Japanese architects People educated at Bedford Modern School History of art in Japan