Edward and Henry Schnell
Encyclopedia
Edward and Henry Schnell were two brothers of Dutch extraction and German arms-dealers active in Japan. After the enforced opening of Yokohama
to foreign trade, Edward, who in the 1850s had served in the Prussian Army and spoke Malay, must have arrived in Japan not later than 1862, as he had a 7 year old boy from his Japanese wife Kawai Tsugonusuke in 1869. he is also listed as owner of plot "No. 44" in Yokohama. He teamed up with the Swiss watch dealer Perregeux presumably until 1867.
Henry served as secretary and translator to the Prussian consul Max von Brandt
. While travelling in an open coach through Edō
in September 1867 the brothers were attacked by anti-foreign samurai from Numata, who, by drawing his sword, in a private vendetta was trying to enforce the Sonnō jōi
policy. The attacker was shot in the chest but managed to escape. While wildly shooting around the Schnells injured an innocent passer-by. The Japanese bodyguards provided by the Bakufu remained inactive. Von Brandt demanded that the attacker be executed, something the gaikoku-bugyō would not consent to. After much diplomatic wrangling the Prussian consul, realising that he had not the necessary military means, backed up and left it to the appropriate authorities of the samurai's Han to decide an appropriate punishment.
Boshin War
During the Boshin war
, in 1868-1869. Henry is known to have counselled the Daimyo
of Nagaoka
, in Niigata
, to whom he especially sold two Gatling gun
s (only another one existed in Japan at the time), 2,000 French rifles, and various other armaments. Troops seized Edwards' storehouse in Niigata in 1869, in a compromise brokered by the Dutch consul he received $ 40000 compensation in 1873. Apparently he lost most of his invested money in Germany during the economic crises of the late 1870s.
Aizu-Han
Edward and Henry Schnell also served the Aizu
domain as a military instructor and procurer of weapons. Edward was granted the Japanese name , which inverted the characters of the daimyo's name . Hiramatsu (Schnell) was given the right to wear swords, as well as a residence in the castle town of Wakamatsu, a Japanese wife (the daughter of a Shōnai-han retainer), and retainers. In many contemporary references, he is portrayed as wearing a Japanese kimono, overcoat, and swords, with Western riding trousers and boots.
California
After Aizu's defeat Henry, his Japanese wife and about two dozens disgruntled samurai established a 600 acre settlement in California
. The Wakamatsu Silk and Tea Farm in what is nowadays El Dorado County
was not economically viable, mainly because the samurai lacked the necessary skills (also social) to work the land. After two years Henry Schnell with his wife and daughter disappeared without further trace. Since 1969 this first Japanese settlement in the US has been marked by a commemorative plaque. In November 2010 the site was purchased by a land preservation society who plan to construct a museum. Kawashima Chūnosuke reported having met Edward in Geneva
in 1885.
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
to foreign trade, Edward, who in the 1850s had served in the Prussian Army and spoke Malay, must have arrived in Japan not later than 1862, as he had a 7 year old boy from his Japanese wife Kawai Tsugonusuke in 1869. he is also listed as owner of plot "No. 44" in Yokohama. He teamed up with the Swiss watch dealer Perregeux presumably until 1867.
Henry served as secretary and translator to the Prussian consul Max von Brandt
Max von Brandt
Maximilian August Scipio von Brandt was a German diplomat, East Asia expert and publicist.- Biography :...
. While travelling in an open coach through Edō
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in September 1867 the brothers were attacked by anti-foreign samurai from Numata, who, by drawing his sword, in a private vendetta was trying to enforce the Sonnō jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
policy. The attacker was shot in the chest but managed to escape. While wildly shooting around the Schnells injured an innocent passer-by. The Japanese bodyguards provided by the Bakufu remained inactive. Von Brandt demanded that the attacker be executed, something the gaikoku-bugyō would not consent to. After much diplomatic wrangling the Prussian consul, realising that he had not the necessary military means, backed up and left it to the appropriate authorities of the samurai's Han to decide an appropriate punishment.
Boshin War
During the Boshin war
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
, in 1868-1869. Henry is known to have counselled the Daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Nagaoka
Nagaoka, Niigata
is a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture, behind the capital city of Niigata...
, in Niigata
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, to whom he especially sold two Gatling gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
s (only another one existed in Japan at the time), 2,000 French rifles, and various other armaments. Troops seized Edwards' storehouse in Niigata in 1869, in a compromise brokered by the Dutch consul he received $ 40000 compensation in 1873. Apparently he lost most of his invested money in Germany during the economic crises of the late 1870s.
Aizu-Han
Edward and Henry Schnell also served the Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
domain as a military instructor and procurer of weapons. Edward was granted the Japanese name , which inverted the characters of the daimyo's name . Hiramatsu (Schnell) was given the right to wear swords, as well as a residence in the castle town of Wakamatsu, a Japanese wife (the daughter of a Shōnai-han retainer), and retainers. In many contemporary references, he is portrayed as wearing a Japanese kimono, overcoat, and swords, with Western riding trousers and boots.
California
After Aizu's defeat Henry, his Japanese wife and about two dozens disgruntled samurai established a 600 acre settlement in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Wakamatsu Silk and Tea Farm in what is nowadays El Dorado County
El Dorado County, California
El Dorado County is a county located in the historic Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and foothills of the U.S. state of California. The 2010 population was 181,058. The El Dorado county seat is in Placerville....
was not economically viable, mainly because the samurai lacked the necessary skills (also social) to work the land. After two years Henry Schnell with his wife and daughter disappeared without further trace. Since 1969 this first Japanese settlement in the US has been marked by a commemorative plaque. In November 2010 the site was purchased by a land preservation society who plan to construct a museum. Kawashima Chūnosuke reported having met Edward in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1885.
Further reading
- Adachi Yoshio . Kaishō Suneru to Boshin Niigata kōbōsen . Niigata: Toyano Shuppan , 1985. (jap.)
- Weber, A.; Kontorrock und Konsulatsmütze; Hamburg 1886, Tokyo 1939 (novel, Edward as "General Schnurr")
- Meissner, Kurt; „Genera“ Eduard Schnell; Monumenta NipponicaMonumenta NipponicaMonumenta Nipponica is a biannual academic journals of Japanese studies. It is affiliated with Sophia University .- Contents :Each issue contains three to four main research articles, and ten to fifteen reviews of recent books in Japanese studies, dealing with Japanese society, culture, history,...
, Vol. 4 (1941), No. 2 (ger.) - Saotome, Mitsugu; Hekigan no Aizu-Bushi; in: Rekishi e no Shōtai, Nr. 2 (1979), p. 125-64 (jap.)
- Stahncke, Holmer; Die Brüder Schnell und der Bürgerkrieg in Nordjapan; Tokyo, Dt. Ges. für Natur- und Völkerkunde Ostasiens, 1986, 48 p. (ger.)
- Takashi, Yoshio; Kaishō Schnell; Tokyo 1983 (jap.)