J. E. (Joseph Ernest) De Becker

author

J. E. (Joseph Ernest) De Becker

1863–1929

A British-born writer, translator, and journalist who made his career in Japan, he is best remembered for vivid English-language books that introduced aspects of Japanese life and culture to foreign readers. His work combines close observation with the curiosity of a longtime resident writing across cultures.

1 Audiobook

The nightless city; or, The "history of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku"

The nightless city; or, The "history of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku"

by J. E. (Joseph Ernest) De Becker

About the author

Born in 1863, Joseph Ernest De Becker built a varied career connected to Japan as a writer, translator, and journalist. He is associated with Yokohama’s English-language publishing world and wrote under the name J. E. De Becker, sometimes also linked with the Japanese name Kobayashi Beika.

He is best known today for The Nightless City; or, The "History of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku", a work that remained notable enough to be preserved by Project Gutenberg and later reprinted. He also worked on legal and cultural subjects, helping explain Japanese society to English-speaking readers at a time when foreign interest in Japan was growing quickly.

De Becker died in 1929. Although he is now a fairly obscure figure, his books still attract readers interested in Meiji- and Taishō-era Japan, especially the way foreign observers tried to describe the country’s institutions, customs, and urban life for an overseas audience.