- Tokugawa Akitake
[
thumb|Tokugawa_Akitake_(center)_in_Belgium .] Tokugawa Akitake (Jp: 徳川昭武 1853-1910) was a younger brother of the Japanese ShogunTokugawa Yoshinobu . He was born inKomagome ,Tokyo , as the 18th son ofTokugawa Nariaki . Initially lord ofAizu , he became lord ofShimizu before his departure forFrance . ["The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu" Conrad D. Totman (1980), p.279, [http://books.google.ca/books?id=tMFPbDrEPtkC&pg=PA279&dq=Tokugawa+Akitake&client=firefox-a&sig=v3p6qVSeHlRQOb2p2cOXZNvF9rY] ]Career
Tokugawa Akitake led the Japanese delegation to the 1867 World Fair in
Paris , where Japan had its own pavilion. [Omoto, p.36] He was designated as special emissary to France and head of the Japanese delegation to the Paris exhibition on November 28, 1866. The mission leftYokohama on January 11, 1867, and reachedParis two months later. ["The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu" Conrad D. Totman (1980), p.280 [http://books.google.ca/books?id=tMFPbDrEPtkC&pg=PA279&dq=Tokugawa+Akitake&client=firefox-a&sig=v3p6qVSeHlRQOb2p2cOXZNvF9rY] ] The fair aroused considerable interest in Japan, and allowed many visitors to come in contact with Japanese art and techniques. [Polak 2001, p.35]Tokugawa Akitake stayed in France to pursue studies, but had to return to Japan with the
Meiji restoration in 1868. Upon his return, he became Lord of theMito Clan . [ [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/146.html Japan National Diet Library] ]In 1876, Tokugawa Akitake went to the
United States , as the emissary in charge of the Japanese exhibition at the 1876 World Fair inPhiladelphia . He then went to France again for studies. He would return to Japan in 1881, where he servedEmperor Meiji . [ [http://www.ndl.go.jp/portrait/e/datas/146.html Japan National Diet Library] ]Notes
References
* Omoto Keiko, Marcouin Francis (1990) "Quand le Japon s'ouvrit au monde" (French) Gallimard, Paris, ISBN 2070760847
* Polak, Christian (2001) "Soie et Lumières. L'Âge d'or des échanges franco-japonais (des origines aux années 1950), 日仏交流の黄金期（江戸時代～１９５０年代"）, (French and Japanese), Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Française du Japon, Hachette Fujingaho.ee also
*
France-Japan relations (19th century) External links
* [http://www.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/tenjikai/tenjikai95-2/bak3.html The 1867 Japanese mission to Europe] (Japanese)
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