Tokugawa Iesato Archives

During Ulysses S. Grant’s visit to Japan, he and his wife were honored guests of Shibusawa Eiichi and his wife. This rare, late 1800s, colorful Japanese woodblock print presents them watching festivities commemorating the U.S. Centennial Anniversary, highlighted by hot-air balloons displaying American flags.

January 10, 2020 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Grant’s world tour journey began after completing his two terms as U.S. president. Ulysses S. Grant with his wife Julia, and one of his sons, 29-year-old son Frederick, had planned a vacation to England to visit their daughter, Nellie, but this voyage mushroomed into an unprecedented journey, embarking on a two year world adventure on May 17, 1877 touring Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and being welcomed everywhere they visited.

The Grant family’s last stop was Japan in June 1879, before returning to the U.S. – According to the Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Foundation and Museum, Shibusawa Eiichi (then 39 years old) served as chairman of the Tokyo Committee to Welcome General Grant (18th President of the United States). Continue Reading...

As President of the Japanese Red Cross, Prince Tokugawa took a leading role in the creation of Safe Zones that helped save the lives of tens of thousands of Jewish European refugees fleeing the Holocaust and over one-half million Chinese civilians during the years leading up to, and during, World War Two.

October 30, 2019 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Prince Iyesato Tokugawa (1863-1940 – aka Prince Tokugawa Iesato) devoted his life to promoting international goodwill. Regrettably, he saw the clouds of war growing in Europe, as well as the militants in his own country pushing Japan towards conflict with China. He resisted these aggressions, but in the meanwhile, he wished to protect as many innocent lives as he could. As president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, Prince Tokugawa presided over the 1934 International Red Cross Conference in Tokyo (aka XVth International Conference of the Red Cross), where he urged the delegates to “Serve for Humanity.” It was at this gathering, where there was the first known example in history for the international creation of demilitarized Safe Zones, where civilians could find shelter, as outside warring armies fought one another. Continue Reading...

Dec. 23, 1929 – J. Edgar Hoover oversees the protection detail for the visiting Japanese Naval Delegation in Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of State Stimson and the Japanese Ambassador Debuchi greet the visitors and escort them to the White House to meet with President Hoover

July 8, 2019 by Stan S. Katz Leave a Comment

Dec. 23, 1929 – A rare photo of J. Edgar Hoover as he oversees the protection detail for the visiting Japanese Naval Delegation in Washington, D.C. The Japanese delegation were were on their way to attend negotiations in Europe for the ratification of the 1930 London Naval Treaty (officially the Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament). The delegation was greeted at the Washington Union (Train) Station by U.S. Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson and the Japanese Ambassador Katsuji Debuchi; the delegation then visited the White House to meet with President Herbert Hoover.