author
J. E. (Joseph Ernest) De Becker
1863–1929
A British-born writer and legal scholar who built his life in Japan, he wrote vividly about both Japanese law and the social world of Meiji-era Tokyo. His best-known work, The Nightless City, remains a striking window into the Yoshiwara district and the culture around it.
1 Audiobook
The nightless city; or, The "history of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku"
by J. E. (Joseph Ernest) De Becker
About the author
Born in London in 1863, Joseph Ernest De Becker moved to Japan in the late 1880s and became deeply involved in the country’s legal and intellectual life. Contemporary reference works describe him as a solicitor in Yokohama who turned his attention to judicial reform, while later records note that he became a naturalized Japanese citizen and was also known as Kobayashi Beika.
De Becker wrote on a wide range of subjects, but he is best remembered for The Nightless City, his detailed study of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter. He also published works on Japanese law and jurisprudence, showing the same interest in explaining Japanese institutions and customs to English-language readers.
He died in Kobe in 1929. Today, his writing is still valued for the unusual perspective it offers: part legal observer, part social historian, and always a close watcher of life in Japan during a time of rapid change.