Libraries

Edward Sylvester Morse (1838-1925) was one of the first Americans to live in Japan. He went there on a scientific expedition in 1877 and was eventually made Chair of Zoology at the new Imperial University of Tokyo. In addition to preserving the household records of a samurai family and many accounts of the tea ceremony, Morse made notes on subjects as diverse as shop signs, fireworks, hairpins, agricultural tools, artists’ studios, music, games, printing, carpentry, the Ainu, gardens, household construction, art and architecture.