William Elliot Griffis (September 17, 1843 — February 5, 1928) was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author.
Griffis was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of a sea captain and later a coal trader. During the Civil War, he served three months in the 44th Pennsylvania Volunteers regiment after Robert E. Lee invaded Pennsylvania in 1863. After the war, he attended Rutgers University at New Brunswick, New Jersey, graduating in 1869. At Rutgers, Griffis was an English and Latin tutor for Taro Kusakabe , a young samurai from the province of Echizen (part of modern Fukui).
After a year of travel in Europe, he studied at the Seminary of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Brunswick (known today as the New Brunswick Theological Seminary).
In September 1870 Griffis was invited to Japan by Matsudaira Shungaku, for the purpose of organizing schools along modern lines. In 1871, he was Superintendent of Education in the province of Echizen. In recompense, he was provided with a salary of $2,400, a house in Fukui and a horse.
In 1872-74, Griffis taught chemistry and physics at Kaisei Gakko (forerunner of Tokyo Imperial University). He prepared the New Japan Series of Reading and Spelling Books, 5 vols. (1872). He also published primers for Japanese students of the English language; and he and contributed to the Japanese press and to newspapers and magazines in the United States numerous papers of importance on Japanese affairs.
Griffis was joined by his sister, Margaret Clark Griffis, who became a teacher at the Tokyo Government Girls' School (later to become the Peeresses' School). By the time they left Japan in 1874, Griffis had befriended many of Japan's future leaders.
He was a member of the Asiatic Society of Japan, the Asiatic Society of Korea, the Historical Society of the Imperial University of Tokyo, and the Society of the Sixth Year of Meiji.
Returning to the United States, Griffis attended Union Theological Seminary; and after finishing his studies in 1877, he was called to the ministry in a series of churches...at the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York (1877—1886); at the Shawmut Congregational Church, Boston, Massachusetts (1886—1893); and at the First Congregational Church, Ithaca, New York (1893—1903). Concurrently, at Union College in 1884, he earned a higher degree, Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). Rutgers awarded him an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) in 1899.
In 1903 he resigned from the active ministry to devote himself exclusively to writing and lectures. authorship and lecturing. His books on Japan and Japanese culture were complemented with extensive college and university lecture circuit itineraries. In addition to his own books and articles during this period, he also joined Inazo Nitobe in crafting what became his most well-known book, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
In 1907, the Japanese government conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, which represents the fourth highest of eight classes associated with the award.
The prolific writer was also a prolific traveller, making eleven trips to Europe...primarily to visit the Netherlands. In 1898, he was at the enthronement of Queen Wilhelmina; and he attended the Congress of Diplomatic History. He was amongst the group of Bostonians who wanted to commemorate the Pilgrim's roots in Holland; and the work was rewarded with the dedication of a memorial at Delfshaven and the placement of five other bronze historical tablets in 1909. He was one of four Americans elected to the Netherlands Society of Letters in Leiden.
In 1926, he was invited to return to Japan; and on this trip, the Japanese government conferred a second decoration. He was presented with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, which represents the third highest of eight classes. A private rail car was provided by the Japanese government, and he visited several cities in the course of this return trip.
Griffis was a founding member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters (later to become the American Academy of Arts and Letters), the American Historical Association, and the U.S. Naval Institute. He died at his winter home in Florida in 1928.
One of Griffis' two sons, Stanton Griffis, would become U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Egypt, Spain and Argentina under President Truman. Stanton Griffis was ambassador while Juan and Eva Peron were in power and wrote of his experiences in a book titled Lying In State. The other son, John, became a composer.
Honors
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, 1926.
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, 1907.
Griffis' life and publications are here organized chronologically.
1843 - Born September 17 in Philadelphia, the fourth child of seven and second son to John Limeburner Griffis and Anna Maria (Hess) Griffis.
1850 - Observes the launching of the USS Susquehanna in Philadelphia. The Susquehanna, the largest steamship yet commissioned by the US Navy, was to be Commodore M C Perry's flagship on the 1853-1854 Naval Expedition to Japan.
1860 - Sees the Shogun's Mission, the first Japanese Embassy to the US, when it visits Philadelphia.
1863 - Serves in Pennsylvania's 44th Regiment in the Civil War.
1866 - Enters Rutgers College.
1869 - Graduates with AB (Bachelor of Arts degree) from Rutgers College. In the summer, tours Europe with his sister, Margaret Clark Griffis, and family friend, Edward Warren Clark.
1870 - Sails for Japan to organize schools in Echizen.
1871 - Named Superintendent of Education in Echizen.
1872 - Awarded AM (Master of Arts degree) from Rutgers College. Publishes, in Yokohama, The New Japan Primer and The New Japan Pictorial Primer.
1872-74 - Serves as Professor of Physics at the Imperial University, Tokyo. In 1872, Griffis's sister Margaret Clark Griffis joins him in Tokyo, and is appointed teacher, and then principal, of the first government school for girls (to become the Tokyo Female Normal School).
1873 - Publishes The Tokio Guide and The Yokohama Guide (Yokohama).
1874 - Griffis and Margaret Clark Griffis return to America.
1876 - Publishes The Mikado's Empire.
1877 - Graduates from Union Theological Seminary.
1877-86 - Serves as Pastor of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, NY.
1879 - Marries Katherine L. Stanton (1859—98).
1880 - Publishes Japanese Fairy World: Thirty-five Stories from the Wonderlore of Japan.
1882 - Publishes Corea: the Hermit Nation.
1883 - Lillian Eyre Griffis (daughter) born in Schenectady.
1884 - Awarded DD (Doctorate of Divinity) from Union College.
1885 - Publishes Corea: Without and Within.
1886-93 - Serves as Pastor of the Shawmut Congregational Church in Boston, MA.
1887 - Stanton Griffis (first son) born in Boston. Publishes A Typical American Naval Officer.
1889 - Publishes The Lily Among Thorns: A Study of the Biblical Drama Entitled "The Song of Songs".
1890 - Publishes A Story of Modern Japan.
1891 - Publishes Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations, and an edition of The Arabian Nights.
1892 - Publishes Japan: In History, Folklore and Art.
1893 - John Elliot Griffis (second son) born in Boston.
1893-1903 - Serves as Pastor of the First Congregational Church, Ithaca, NY.
1894 - Publishes Brave Little Holland and What She Taught Us.
1895 - Publishes The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Meiji: Shinto, Buddhism and Confucianism, and Townsend Harris, First American Envoy in Japan [an edition of Harris's journals].
1897 - Publishes The Romance of Discovery: A Thousand Years of Exploration and the Unveiling of Continents.
1898 - Publishes War Correspondent, Traveller, Author and Statesman;The Romance of American Colonization;The Pilgrims in Their Three Homes. Katherine Stanton Griffis dies in Ithaca on December 9.
1899 - Publishes America in the East: A Glance at Our History, Prospects, Problems and Duties in the Pacific Ocean; The Romance of Conquest: The Story of American Expansion Through Arms and Diplomacy.
1899 - Awarded LHD by Rutgers College.
1900 - Marries Sarah Frances King (1868—1959). Publishes The American in Holland: Sentimental Rambles in the Eleven Provinces of the Netherlands;The Pathfinders of the Revolution: A Story of the Great March into the Wilderness and Lake George Region of New York in 1779; and A Citizen of No Country.
1901 - Publishes In the Mikado's Service: A Story of Two Battle Summers in China.
1902 - Publishes A Maker of the New Orient: Samuel Robbins Brown, Pioneer Educator in China, America, and Japan, the Story of his Life and Work, and Mighty England - Our Old Home.
1903 - Resigns pastorate to write and lecture full time. Publishes John Chambers: Servant of Christ and Master of Hearts, and his Ministry in Philadelphia;Sunny Memories of Three Pastorates; and Young People's History of Holland.
1904 - Publishes Dux Christus: An Outline Study of Japan.
1907 - Decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class, by the Emperor of Japan. Publishes The Japanese Nation in Evolution: Steps in the Progress of a Great People, and Christ, the Creator of the New Japan.
1908 - Publishes The Firefly's Lovers and Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan.
1909 - Publishes The Story of the New Netherland, the Dutch in America.
1911 - Publishes China's Story in Myth, Legend, Art and Annals, and The Unmannerly Tiger and Other Korean Tales.
1912 - Publishes A Modern Pioneer in Korea: The Life Story of Henry G Appenzeller; Might England: the Story of the English People;The Call of Jesus to Joy;Belgium, the Land of Art.
1913 - Publishes A Life Story of Toil for Christ. Margaret Clark Griffis dies in Ithaca, December 15.
1914 - Publishes The House We Live In, Architect and Tenant: Talks About the Body and the Right Use of It.
1915 - Publishes Constructive Statesman, Defender of the Constitution, President of the US; A Study of the Internal Political Forces of Japan; The Story of Belgium.
1916 - Publishes Bonnie Scotland and What We Owe Her.
1918 - Publishes Dutch Fairy Tales.
1919 - Publishes Belgian Fairy Tales.
1920 - Publishes Swiss Fairy Tales; Young People's History of the Pilgrims.
1921 - Publishes Welsh Fairy Tales; The Dutch of the Netherlands in the Making of America.
1922 - Publishes Korean Fairy Tales; Japanese Fairy Tales.
1923 - Publishes The Story of the Walloons, at Home, in the Lands of Exile and in America.
1924 - Publishes Proverbs of Japan: A Little Picture of the Japanese Philosophy of Life as Mirrored in Their Proverbs.
1926 - Publishes The American Flag of Stripes and Stars: Mirror of the Nation's History, Symbol of Brotherhood and World Unity.
1926-27 - With Frances King Griffis, journeys to Japan for the second time, stopping in Korea and Manchuria.
1926 - Decorated with the Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class.
1887 -- Matthew Calbraith Perry A Typical American Naval Officer
1889 -- The Lily among Thorns
1890 -- A Story of Modern Japan.
1891 -- Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations
1892 -- Japan in History, Folk-Lore, and Art
1894 -- Brave Little Holland and What she Taught us
1895 -- The Religions of Japan
1895 -- Townsend Harris , First American Envoy in Japan
1897 -- Romance of Discovery
1898 -- War Correspondent, Traveller, Author and Statesman
1898 -- Romance of American Colonization
1898 -- The Pilgrims in their Three Homes
1898 -- The Student's Motley
1899 -- The Romance of Conquest
1899 -- The American in Holland
1899 -- America in the East
1900 -- Verbeck of Japan
1900 -- The Pathfinders of the Revolution
1901 -- In the Mikado's Service
1902 -- A Maker of the New Orient
1903 -- Young People's History of Holland
1903 -- Sunny Memories of Three Pastorales
1904 -- Dux Christus: An Outline Study of Japan
1907 -- Steps in the Progress of a Great People
1908 -- The Fire-fly's Lovers and Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan
1909 -- The Story of New Netherland
1910 -- China's Study in Myth, Legend, Art, and Annuals
1911 -- The Unmannerly Tiger and Other Korean Tales
1912 -- A Modern Pioneer in Korea: The Life Story Of Henry G. Appenzeller
1913 -- Hepburn of Japan
1914 -- The House We Live In Architect and Tenant
1915 -- The Mikado Institution and Person
1915 -- Millard Fillmore Constructive Statesman, Defender of the Constitution
1916 -- Bonnie Scotland and What We Owe Her
1918 -- Dutch Fairy Tales
1919 -- Belgian Fairy Tales
1920 -- Young People's History of the Pilgrims
1920 -- Swiss Fairy Tales
1921 -- Welsh Fairy Tales
1921 -- The Dutch of the Netherlands in the Making of America [reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish, Montana, 2007. 10-ISBN 0-548-61147-5; 13-ISBN 978-0-548-61147-0 (paper)]
1922 -- Korean Fairy Tales
1922 -- Japanese Fairy Tales
1923 -- The Story of the Walloons, at Home, in the Lands of Exile and in America
1924 -- Proverbs of Japan: A Little Picture of the Japanese Philosophy of Life as Mirrored in Their Proverbs
1926 -- The American Flag of Stripes and Stars: Mirror of the Nation's History, Symbol of Brotherhood and World Unity
Further reading
Griffis, William Elliot. (1898). Charles Carlton Coffin: War Correspondent, Traveller, Author and Statesman. Boston: Estes and Lauriat. ...Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1915). Millard Fillmore: Constructive Statesman, Defender of the Constitution. Ithaca: Aldrus & Church. ... Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1908). The Fire-fly's Lovers and Other Fairy Tales of Old Japan. New York: Crowell & Company. [reprinted by University Press of the Pacific, 2003. ISBN 1-410-20957-1], [reprinted by Kessinger Publishing, Whitefish, Montana, 2006. 10-ISBN 1-428-61402-8], [reprinted by Juniper Grove, 2007. 10-ISBN 1-603-55053-4; 13-ISBN 978-1-603-55053-6 (paper)] ... Click link for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1895) Townsend Harris, First American Envoy in Japan. New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company. ... Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1919). "Townsend Harris, Center of Japanese Drama; Adventures of First American Envoy to Mikado's Empire Furnish the Basis of a Play by a Native Writer, and Tokio Is Applauding the Stars and Stripes," New York Times Magazine. December 28, 1919.
__________. (1913). Hepburn of Japan and His Wife and Helpmates: A Life Story of Toil for Christ. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Publishing. ... Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1890). Honda the Samurai: A Story of Modern Japan. Chicago: Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society. ...Click for digitized, full text copy of this book.
__________. (1907). Japanese Nation in Evolution: Steps in the Progress of a Great People. New York: T. Y. Crowell & Company. ...Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
New York Times. June 27, 1908.
"Book reviewThe Japanese Nation in Evolution. Steps in the Progress of a Great People. Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, Vol. 40, No. 4, 256. 1908.
__________. (1891). Sir William Johnson and the Six Nations. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. ...Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
New York Times. November 15, 1891.
__________. (1876). The Mikado's Empire. Philadelphia: Harper & Brothers. ... Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1915). The Mikado Institution and Person. Princeton: Princeton University Press. [reprinted by Adamant Media Corporation, New York, 2000. 13-ISBN 978-1-402-10824-2 (cloth) -- 13-ISBN 978-1-402-18652-3 (paper). Click for digitized, limited preview copy of this book
_________. (1887). Matthew Calbraith Perry: A Typical American Naval Officer. Boston: Cupples & Hurd. [reprinted by Reprint Services Corp., London, 1992. 10-ISBN 0-781-22960-X; 13-ISBN 978-0-781-22960-9 (cloth)] [reprinted by Kessinger Books, Whitefish, Montana, 2007. 10-ISBN 0-548-30525-0; 13-ISBN 978-0-548-30525-6 (paper)] ...Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
__________. (1900). Verbeck of Japan: A Citizen of No Country; a Life Story of Foundation Work Inaugurated by Guido Fridolin Verbeck. Chicago, Fleming H. Revell Co. [reprinted by Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier, London, 1901. .... Click for digitized, full-text copy of this book.
