Study of the Dyer Collection, a Heritage of Japanese-UK Exchange

Abstract

The Dyer Collection is a collection of artifacts collected by Henry Dyer (1848 -1918), an oyatoi (employed teacher) from Scotland. He stayed in Japan from 1873 to 1882 (Meiji 6 to 15) as the Principal as well as a professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics of the Impereial college of Engineering in Tokyo. Even after he went back to his homeland, his interest in Japan did not fade, and he formed the collection during his continued exchange with the people of Japan. The collection includes not only a large amount of Japanese articles that he brought back with him, but also various goods he obtained after his return.In this study, the author attempted to uncover as much detail as possible about the Dyer Collection, and to examine it from three different aspects-in stitutions in possesion of articles, main articles possessed and historical significance. The following important findings were attained.First, the Dyer Collection is not stored at one single location, but is divided up into several parts at different locations. The British Archives (2002) refers only to the materials stored at the Edinburgh Central Library, but in reality a large part of the collection is also stored at the Mitchell Library, as well as the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. Although Dyer graduated from Glasgow University and Strathclyde University, these universities mainly store related materials such as research literature.Secondly, the main articles of the collection consist of books, brochures, works of art and craftsmanship, musical instruments, pictures, picture postcards and others. With its large volume and wide array of articles, this collection attracts attention as it shows Dyer's interest in Japan and the exchange between the Japanese and English cultures which lasted for many years.Since Dyer was a researcher of Japanese culture, we may tend to think that he collected the articles carefully according to plan for use in his research, but this may not be the case. Dyer did not start full-scale research on Japanese culture until after he went back to Scotland, in fact not until it became apparent that his wish of becoming a professor at the University of Glasgow, his alma mater, would not be fulfilled. Moreover, it seems like he received and kept all the articles sent to him, and bought goods at every opportunity, indicating that his true ambition was to collect anything possible. Other than the fact that the majority of the collection is related to Japan, there are no particular themes in his collection.Thirdly, this collection consists of a large quantity and wide variety of articles, and is significant because it emphasizes Dyer's strong interest in Japan. It is natural to conclude that this interest was the motivation for his earnest study of Japan, which was very fruitful. How the collection influenced his main literary works, Dai Nippon (1904) and Japan in World Politics (1919), is an interesting issue to investigate, and it is considered highly unlikely that he would have been able to devote himself to literal works of this magnitude without a strong sense of affinity toward Japan.The Dyer Collection is a product of Dyer's intense interest in Japan as well as the heritage of exchange between Japan and UK.