Richard Ponsonby-Fane, shortly before his death in 1937

Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane (8 January 1878 – 10 December 1937) was a British public servant, colonial administrator, academic, author, specialist of Shinto and Japanologist.

Early years |

Brympton d'Evercy is the Ponsonby-Fane family home in Somerset

Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born at Gravesend on the south bank of the Thames in Kent. As a youth, he lived in London and at his grandfather's country home, Brympton d'Evercy in Somerset.^[1]

He added "Fane" to his name in 1916.^[2]

Ponsonby was educated at Harrow School.^[3]

Career |

In 1896, Ponsonby became the private secretary to the Governor of the British Cape Colony.^[4] Over the next twenty years, he was private secretary to the Governor of Natal (1896),^[5] to the Governor of Trinidad and Tobago (1898),^[5] to the Governor of Ceylon (1900),^[5] and to the Governor of Hong Kong (1903).^[5] He was re-posted to assist the Governor of Natal in 1907 and the Governor of Fiji in 1910.

In 1915-1919, he was re-posted as private secretary to the Governor of Hong Kong.^[6]

Ponsonby-Fane began lecturing at the University of Hong Kong in 1916. He continued to be a university lecturer until 1926.^[7]

In 1921, when the Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito visited Hong Kong, Ponsonby-Fane was his interpreter.^[8]

When Emperor Shōwa became Emperor of Japan, Ponsonby was the only non-Japanese guest who was invited to witness the ceremonies from a special place in front of the palace's Kenreimon gate.^[8]

In 1930, when Prince Takamatsu and his wife travelled to Europe, Ponsonby-Fane sailed on the same ship; and he was invited to attend all the welcoming receptions for them in England.^[8]

After 1919, Ponsonby-Fane became a permanent resident of Japan.^[9] In later life, he was always photographed with a long woolen scarf. It was hand-knit by Dowager Empress Teimei, the widow of Emperor Taishō.^[10]

Ponsonby-Fane died in Kyoto, Japan in December 1937.^[11]

Selected works |

In an overview of writings by and about Richard Ponsonby-Fane, OCLC/WorldCat lists roughly 74 works in 136 publications in 2 languages and 1,443 library holdings.^[12]

This list is not finished; you can help Wikipedia by adding to it.

• 
  The Imperial Family of Japan, 1915


• 
  The Viciissitudes of Shinto, 1931


• 
  The Nomenclature of the N. Y. K. Fleet, 1931


• 
  Kamo Mioya Shrine, 1934


• 
  Kyoto: the Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869, 1956


• 
  The Imperial House of Japan, 1959


• 
  Sovereiegn and Subject, 1962


• 
  Studies in Shinto and Shrines, 1962


• 
  The Vicissitudes of Shinto, 1963


• 
  Visiting Famous Shrines in Japan, 1964

Honours |

• 
  Order of the Rising Sun^[9]


• 
  Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1921^[10]


• University of Hong Kong, Honorary Doctor of Laws, 1926^[6]

Notes |

Other websites |

Media related to Ponsonby famly at Wikimedia Commons

• Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon, 1878-1937 at Virtual International Authority File