author
F. (Frank) Brinkley
1841–1912
A soldier-turned-journalist who made Meiji-era Japan his life’s work, he wrote widely on Japanese history, art, and culture for English-language readers. His books helped introduce a rapidly changing Japan to the wider world.
1 Audiobook
A history of the Japanese people : from the earliest times to the end of the Meiji era
by F. (Frank) Brinkley, Dairoku Kikuchi
About the author
Born in Ireland in 1841, Francis "Frank" Brinkley trained as a British artillery officer before going to Japan in the late 1860s. He stayed for the rest of his life, becoming deeply involved in the country’s intellectual and public life during the Meiji period.
Brinkley taught in Japan, later became owner and editor of the Japan Mail, and also served as a correspondent for The Times of London. Alongside his journalism, he wrote extensively on Japanese culture, art, architecture, and history, building a reputation as one of the best-known English-language interpreters of Japan in his era.
Readers may know him best for large reference works such as Japan: Its History, Arts, and Literature and A History of the Japanese People. His writing reflects both long personal experience in Japan and a strong desire to explain the country to Western audiences.