Archive Japan: 1910-1924

Geography & Demography

Japan is an archipelago of 6852 islands stretching over 3000 km (1900 mi) along the Pacific coast of East Asia. It is narrow (no point in Japan is more than 150 km or 91 miles from the sea) and mountainous. Its 126 million people (2019) must make do with the small percentage of habitable land in the valleys and coastal plains. Thus, Japan’s cities are densely populated. Unfortunately, Japan sits on colliding tectonic plates which cause continuous volcanic activity — both volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

This portion of the Origins Far East archive contains all the pictures, documents and letters in my family’s possession, gathered from the period 1910-1923, when my grandfather Sydney Bruce worked in Yokohama. His wife Rose Mary and their five children came for extended stays from England every several years and Sydney as well, took extended stays back in England. It all came to a horrific halt when a massive earthquake hit Tokyo and Yokohama on September 1, 1923. Please see ‘Tales’ for more.

The Ex-Pat’s Life

Being an ex-pat was not for the weak of heart, body or mind. It challenged all three, particularly when children were involved.

A Transient Life

From 1910 until the devastating earthquake of 1923, the Bruce family maintained two households, one in Yokohama, Japan.and one in South London, England where the children took their schooling. Rose Mary spent extended periods both in London and in Yokohama. Sydney largely lived in Yokohama, but he did get holiday breaks of several months each in London with the family. The demands of work and the cost of returning to England made such trips infrequent.

High Pay Was Addictive

British expats typically worked for British Companies. Sydney worked as an accountant for the export firm Sale & Frazar Co. for the entirety of his time in Japan. He was well paid. The Bruces had four servants, lived in a large house, held a membership in the country club and the Freemasons, and generally enjoyed a lifestyle which only the very wealthy could afford back in Britain.

Limited Child Nurturing

There was, however, a price to pay. British ex-pats were insistent that their children be educated back home, for only a good English education ‘counted’ — opened doors and allowed for career advancement. For ex-pats, that meant that families must be split up for extended periods, leaving pseudo-parenting in the hands of kindly boarding school teachers (if they were lucky) and servants. The end result, frequently, was that children grew up with very limited abilities to parent. Such was the case in my family and in countless other higher income families in the Victorian era.

Japanese Life — Images from the Net

In varying degrees, the Bruces engaged with Japanese and Japanese culture, although the vast majority of their socializing was done within the ex-pat community. Nonetheless, Rose Mary, in particular, took great interest in the plants and culture of Japan and engaged with the Japanese through her teachings in English and piano. My father, as well, valued Japanese culture. Decades later, when I was a young boy, Frank could be seen gardening in nothing but a wrap, Japanese style, to the great amusement of our neighbours. With little success, he attempted to teach his children a few expressions of Japanese.

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The Bruces In Japan

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The Bruces were a social family. They engaged with their ex-pat community and they brought friends to the house for social occasions, as seen here.

Peace Exposition

These postcards on the Peace Commemorative Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1922 have a connection to family. Ernest Bruce, Sidney’s brother, worked for Canadian Pacific Railway as its Director of Exhibitions. He and his wife lived in Montreal, but Ernest, by the nature of his work, travelled all over the world creating and setting up displays promoting the merits of coming to Canada. Thus, when the Peace Exposition came to Tokyo, Ernest was there and most certainly visited the Bruces. Ernest (1876-1927) died childless on a train to New York City.

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Voyages

The Bruce family kept two households, one in Yokohama, the other in South London. This awkward arrangement was deemed necessary to allow the children to get an education in England. Every several years, the family travelled to Japan or Sydney travelled to England for an extended stay. There were no airplanes, of course, so it took travellers over 30 days to get from Yokohama to London and was a similar duration to get back to Japan. The expense was considerable.

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Postcards

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Rose Mary Caldwell (1872-1954)

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Rose Mary Caldwell: Portraits

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Rose Mary Caldwell: Letters & Docs

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Irene (Renie) Millicent Bruce (1898-1988)

Irene Bruce: Portraits

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Irene Bruce: Letters & Docs

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Sidney Frank Bruce (1899-1970)

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S Frank Bruce Art: General

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Violet Cicely Bruce (1902-1986)

Violet Bruce: Portraits

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Violet Bruce: Letters & Docs

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Maurice Bruce (1904-1958)

Maurice Bruce: Portraits

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Maurice Bruce: Letters and Docs

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Cecil Geoffrey Bruce (1907-1955)

Cecil Geoffrey Bruce: Portraits

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Cecil Geoffrey Bruce: Letters & Docs

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Sydney Bruce: Letters & Docs

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Archive: Japan

The Bruce Family: 1910-1923

Earthquake!

September 1, 1923 was a typical day for residents of Yokohama. It was a workday. As noon approached hibachis were underway preparing the mid-day meal. The markets were busy with shoppers. My family was engaged with various commitments. Sydney and Frank were on a train returning to Yokohama from Tokyo. Vi had taken the day off work and was driving to the train station to pick up Sydney and Frank. They’d be arriving soon. Maurice and Aunt Eva, Sydney’s sister, were standing on the dock seeing a friend off on the HMS Australia. Renie (Irene) was in England. She was the oldest offspring and had married several years earlier. Rose Mary and young Geoffrey had returned to England a month earlier.

At two minutes to noon it struck. Hibachis went flying, buildings collapsed, a typhoon swept in from the sea bringing with it a tidal wave which swept the coast clean of houses, people and vehicles. The hibachis started fires, everywhere. Soon, the entire city was a blazing inferno. Yokohama, the jewel of western thought and culture, Japan’s major trading port, was no more and 140,000 people had lost their lives. Please see Tales for more.

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Earthquake Art

Art has always been a way for human beings to express their feelings, share moments of happiness, expunge fears, sadness and anger, The Great Kanto Earthquake would have elicited all such emotions. Some expressed them through their art.