Richard Gordon Smith
Encyclopedia
Richard Gordon Smith was a British
traveler, sportsman and naturalist who traveled through many countries in the late nineteenth century and lived in Japan for a number of years.
After being married for eighteen years he could no longer tolerate living with his wife so he left home and took up world travel. He must have been a man of means as he traveled first class, keeping a series of eight large leather-bound diaries in which he recorded his experiences. He called these his "Ill-Spelled Diaries" and they are full of idiosyncratic and chauvinistic observations of the things he encountered, his impressions of Japan at the turn of the century, the Russo-Japanese War and the daily life of the people. They included illustrations and mementoes from around the world. He journeyed to the Far East
, visiting Ceylon
and Burma before arrived in Japan on Christmas Eve 1897. He stayed there till February 1900 when he set off to return to England via New Guinea
and Fiji
. However he became ill and abandoned the journey, returning to Japan instead. In 1903 and again in 1905 he did travel to England, visiting China
, Singapore
and Ceylon on his way. He returned to Kyoto
by the end of 1905 where he continued transcribing folktales and myths and filling his diaries with his observations. He also collected animals and plants which he sent to the British Museum
. Many of these were new to science and were named in his honour.
In 1908 he published Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan but it was not greeted with much interest in Britain. In the preface he states:
By 2010 his financial circumstances were deteriorating and his wife was asking for a legal separation. He suffered from beriberi
and malaria
and his health continued to get worse and the last entry in his diary was made in September 1915. He died on the 6th November, 1918 and an obituary was published in the Japanese "Weekly Chronicle".
He was awarded the Fourth Order of the Rising Sun in Japan.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
traveler, sportsman and naturalist who traveled through many countries in the late nineteenth century and lived in Japan for a number of years.
Life
Richard Gordon Smith was an English gentleman, naturalist and sportsman who enjoyed traveling abroad, visiting France, Norway and Canada in his earlier years. Richard's father was John Bridson Smith, the youngest of a family of nine children and his mother was Annie Lawrence of Cheltenham. It was from her family that he acquired his interests in sporting pursuits.After being married for eighteen years he could no longer tolerate living with his wife so he left home and took up world travel. He must have been a man of means as he traveled first class, keeping a series of eight large leather-bound diaries in which he recorded his experiences. He called these his "Ill-Spelled Diaries" and they are full of idiosyncratic and chauvinistic observations of the things he encountered, his impressions of Japan at the turn of the century, the Russo-Japanese War and the daily life of the people. They included illustrations and mementoes from around the world. He journeyed to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, visiting Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Burma before arrived in Japan on Christmas Eve 1897. He stayed there till February 1900 when he set off to return to England via New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. However he became ill and abandoned the journey, returning to Japan instead. In 1903 and again in 1905 he did travel to England, visiting China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Ceylon on his way. He returned to Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
by the end of 1905 where he continued transcribing folktales and myths and filling his diaries with his observations. He also collected animals and plants which he sent to the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Many of these were new to science and were named in his honour.
In 1908 he published Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan but it was not greeted with much interest in Britain. In the preface he states:
By 2010 his financial circumstances were deteriorating and his wife was asking for a legal separation. He suffered from beriberi
Beriberi
Beriberi is a nervous system ailment caused by a thiamine deficiency in the diet. Thiamine is involved in the breakdown of energy molecules such as glucose and is also found on the membranes of neurons...
and malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and his health continued to get worse and the last entry in his diary was made in September 1915. He died on the 6th November, 1918 and an obituary was published in the Japanese "Weekly Chronicle".
He was awarded the Fourth Order of the Rising Sun in Japan.
Works
- Ancient Tales and Folklore of Japan
- Travels in the Land of the Gods: The Japan Diaries of Richard Gordon Smith
Species linked to Smith
- Aglaia smithiiAglaia smithiiAglaia smithii is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is found in Indonesia and the Philippines.-References:* Pannell, C.M. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007....
- Ahnfeltiopsis smithii
- Anas smithii (Cape shoveler)
- Bathyraja smithii (African softnose skate)
- Chodsigoa smithii (Smith's shrew)
- Crocidura smithii (Desert musk shrew)
- Spirobranchus smithiiCtenopoma multispineCtenopoma multispine, known as the many-spined Ctenopoma or climbing perch, is an African freshwater fish. It is up to long and occurs in the Lufira River, Lualaba River, Upemba River, Luapula-Moero in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Upper Zambezi in Zambia and Okavango River-Lake Ngami in...
(Many spined climbing perch) - Cypripedium smithii
- Dendropanax alberti-smithii
- Durio wyatt-smithiiDurio wyatt-smithiiDurio wyatt-smithii is a species of flowering plant in the Bombacaceae family.It is found only in Malaysia.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
- Eospalax smithii (Smith's zokor)
- Euphorbia smithiiEuphorbia smithiiEuphorbia smithii is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is found in Oman and Yemen. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Ghazanfar, S.A. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
- Ficus albert-smithiiFicus albert-smithiiFicus albert-smithii is a species of plant in the Moraceae family. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
(Figueira-do-alberto) - Gekko smithiiGekko smithiiSmith's Green-eyed Gecko or Large Forest Gecko is a species of gecko found in Asia.-Description:One of the biggest geckos...
(Smith's green-eyed gecko) - Geophaps smithii (Partridge pigeon)
- Herpestes smithii (Ruddy mongoose)
- Hirundo smithii (Wire-tailed swallow)
- Hopea wyatt-smithiiHopea wyatt-smithiiHopea wyatt-smithii is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
- Kerivoula smithii (Smith's woolly bat)
- Leptocharias smithii (Barbeled houndshark)
- Lissonycteris smithii (Angolan fruit bat}
- Megalogomphus smithii
- Myodes smithii (Smith's red-backed vole)
- Nectandra smithiiNectandra smithiiNectandra smithii is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
- Pangshura smithii (Brown roofed turtle)
- Pisonia donnell-smithiiPisonia donnell-smithiiPisonia donnell-smithii is a species of plant in the Nyctaginaceae family. It is found in El Salvador and Guatemala. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
(Cagalero) - Podocarpus smithiiPodocarpus smithiiPodocarpus smithii is a species of conifer in the Podocarpaceae family.It is found only in Queensland, Australia.-Source:* Conifer Specialist Group 1998. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
- Pouteria austin-smithiiPouteria austin-smithiiPouteria austin-smithii is a species of plant in the Sapotaceae family. It is endemic to Costa Rica.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
- Procordulia smithii
- Rotala smithii
- Stygobromus smithii (Alabama well amphipod)
- Syagrus smithiiSyagrus smithiiSyagrus smithii is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.-References:* Henderson, A. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Synodontis smithiiSynodontis schallSynodontis schall is a species of catfish of the family Mochokidae....
(Shield-head catfish) - Tlalocohyla smithiiTlalocohyla smithiiTlalocohyla smithii is a species of frog in the Hylidae family.It is endemic to Mexico.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, intermittent rivers, and intermittent freshwater marshes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
- Trachypithecus smithii (Dusky leaf-monkey)