Henry Willard Denison
Encyclopedia
Henry Willard Denison was an American diplomat and lawyer, active in Meiji period
Japan
.
, and spent his early years at Lancaster, New Hampshire
. He was a graduate of Columbia University
, and went to George Washington University
to obtain his legal degree, while working as a clerk for the Customs Department in Washington D.C.
In 1869, Denison was appointed Vice Consul at the United States Consulate at Yokohama
, Japan, where his duties were primarily to serve as public prosecutor in the consulate court. At the time, the Japanese government's jurisdiction over foreigners in Japan was limited by the extraterritoriality
provisions of the unequal treaties
. His contract expired in 1876, but at the recommendation of American Counsul John A. Bingham, he stayed on in Yokohama to practice law. Denison came to the notice of the Japanese government for his skill as a lawyer, and in 1880, at the recommendation of the American Counsul Charles E. DeLong
, accepted a post as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government. He was immediately tasked the providing an explanation on the meaning of the Elements of International Law
a book on international law
that was widely used in Asia during that time.
Although the position of foreign adviser was normally for a three or five year contract, Denison remained as a legal advisor to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until his death in 1914.
As legal adviser, he worked closely with Ōkuma Shigenobu
and Mutsu Munemitsu
towards the revision of the unequal treaties and elimination of extraterritoriality. He also wrote legal opinions in defense of the Japanese position in the First Sino-Japanese War
(1894–1895) and assisting in the drafting of the Treaty of Shimonoseki
. However, for his failure to predict the Triple Intervention
, which cost Japan much of its territorial gains in that war, he came under strong criticism from hardliners in the military. He was supported by Mutsu Munemitsu and Itō Hirobumi
He also served as a Japanese judge in the Permanent Court of Arbitration
at the Hague along with Ichiro Motono
,. Denison subsequently assisted Komura Jutaro
in negotiating the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
. During the Russo-Japanese War
(1904–1905), he travelled with Kaneko Kentarō
to the United States, and assisted in the drafting of the Treaty of Portsmouth
.
Denison suffered a stroke
in late June 1914 and was hospitalized at St. Luke's International Hospital
and died on July 3. He was given a state funeral
on July 6, attended by the American Ambassador to Japan, George W. Guthrie. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery
in Tokyo.
For his services, he was accorded the Order of the Rising Sun
(2nd class) in 1895, and the Order of the Sacred Treasures
(1st class) in 1896, which came with a 10,000 Yen monetary stipend. In 1902, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, and was the first foreigner to receive that decoration, which came with a 15,000 Yen stipend. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum
.
Future Prime Minister of Japan
Hara Takashi
, commissioned a bronze bust of Denison, displayed in the entry to the Diplomatic Training Center in the city of Sagamihara
, near Yokohama.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Biography
Denison was born in Guildhall, VermontGuildhall, Vermont
-External links:* http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougtone/sets/72157624844998996/with/4943890976/...
, and spent his early years at Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA, on the Connecticut River named after Lancaster, England. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,507, the second largest in the county after Berlin. It is the county seat of Coos County and gateway to the Great North Woods Region...
. He was a graduate of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and went to George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
to obtain his legal degree, while working as a clerk for the Customs Department in Washington D.C.
In 1869, Denison was appointed Vice Consul at the United States Consulate at Yokohama
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...
, Japan, where his duties were primarily to serve as public prosecutor in the consulate court. At the time, the Japanese government's jurisdiction over foreigners in Japan was limited by the extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...
provisions of the unequal treaties
Unequal Treaties
“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty China and late Tokugawa Japan...
. His contract expired in 1876, but at the recommendation of American Counsul John A. Bingham, he stayed on in Yokohama to practice law. Denison came to the notice of the Japanese government for his skill as a lawyer, and in 1880, at the recommendation of the American Counsul Charles E. DeLong
Charles E. DeLong
Charles E. DeLong was an American diplomat who served as the United States Envoy to Japan during the mid-19th century.-Early life:...
, accepted a post as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government. He was immediately tasked the providing an explanation on the meaning of the Elements of International Law
Elements of International Law
Elements of International Law, first published in 1836, is a book on international law by Henry Wheaton which has long been influential.- Textual history :...
a book on international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
that was widely used in Asia during that time.
Although the position of foreign adviser was normally for a three or five year contract, Denison remained as a legal advisor to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, until his death in 1914.
As legal adviser, he worked closely with Ōkuma Shigenobu
Okuma Shigenobu
Marquis ; was a statesman in the Empire of Japan and the 8th and 17th Prime Minister of Japan...
and Mutsu Munemitsu
Mutsu Munemitsu
Count was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.-Early life:Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a samurai retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan...
towards the revision of the unequal treaties and elimination of extraterritoriality. He also wrote legal opinions in defense of the Japanese position in the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
(1894–1895) and assisting in the drafting of the Treaty of Shimonoseki
Treaty of Shimonoseki
The Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895...
. However, for his failure to predict the Triple Intervention
Triple Intervention
The was a diplomatic intervention by Russia, Germany, and France on 23 April 1895 over the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki signed between Japan and Qing dynasty China that ended the First Sino-Japanese War.-Treaty of Shimonoseki:...
, which cost Japan much of its territorial gains in that war, he came under strong criticism from hardliners in the military. He was supported by Mutsu Munemitsu and Itō Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
He also served as a Japanese judge in the Permanent Court of Arbitration
Permanent Court of Arbitration
The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
at the Hague along with Ichiro Motono
Ichiro Motono
was a statesman an diplomat, active in Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Motoo was born in Saga, Hizen Province, . His father, an entrepreneur, was one of the founders of the modern Yomiuri Shimbun. Motono studied law in France, and in 1896 translated the civil code of the Japanese Empire into French...
,. Denison subsequently assisted Komura Jutaro
Komura Jutaro
was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Komura was born to a lower-ranking samurai family in service of the Obi clan at Nichinan, Hyuga province . He attended the Daigaku Nankō...
in negotiating the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
The first was signed in London at what is now the Lansdowne Club, on January 30, 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
. During the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
(1904–1905), he travelled with Kaneko Kentarō
Kaneko Kentaro
was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.- Early life :Kaneko was born into a samurai family of Fukuoka Domain . At the age of 9, he began his studies at Shuyukan...
to the United States, and assisted in the drafting of the Treaty of Portsmouth
Treaty of Portsmouth
The Treaty of Portsmouth formally ended the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905 after negotiations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine in the USA.-Negotiations:...
.
Denison suffered a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in late June 1914 and was hospitalized at St. Luke's International Hospital
St. Luke's International Hospital
is a general hospital located in the Tsukiji district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1902 by Rudolph Bolling Teusler, a missionary doctor sent by the American Episcopal Church. In 1933, R. B...
and died on July 3. He was given a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
on July 6, attended by the American Ambassador to Japan, George W. Guthrie. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery
Aoyama Cemetery
is a cemetery in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, many people visit.-History:...
in Tokyo.
For his services, he was accorded the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(2nd class) in 1895, and the Order of the Sacred Treasures
Order of the Sacred Treasures
The is a Japanese Order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan as the Order of Meiji. It is awarded in eight classes . It is generally awarded for long and/or meritorious service and considered to be the lowest of the Japanese orders of merit...
(1st class) in 1896, which came with a 10,000 Yen monetary stipend. In 1902, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, and was the first foreigner to receive that decoration, which came with a 15,000 Yen stipend. He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Chrysanthemum
Order of the Chrysanthemum
is Japan's highest order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the collar of the Order was added on January 4, 1888. Although technically the order has only one class, it can either be awarded with collar , or with grand cordon...
.
Future Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Hara Takashi
Hara Takashi
was a Japanese politician and the 19th Prime Minister of Japan from 29 September 1918 to 4 November 1921. He was also called Hara Kei informally. He was the first commoner appointed to the office of prime minister of Japan...
, commissioned a bronze bust of Denison, displayed in the entry to the Diplomatic Training Center in the city of Sagamihara
Sagamihara, Kanagawa
is a city located in north central Kanagawa Prefecture, bordering Tokyo, Japan. It is the third most populous city in the prefecture, after Yokohama and Kawasaki, and the fifth most populous suburb of Greater Tokyo. Its northern neighbor is Machida, with which a cross-prefectural merger has been...
, near Yokohama.