42 - Grace James (1882-1965) and Mrs T.H. (Kate) James (1845-1928): Writers of Children’s Stories

Summary

INTRODUCTION

GRACE JAMES (1882–1965) was a writer of children's stories, such as the John and Mary series, Green Willow and Other Japanese Fairy Tales. She was also the author of Joan of Arc (a biography) and Japan: Recollections and Impressions. She was an active member of the Japan Society of London. She contributed to the Transactions and Proceedings of the Japan Society of London ‘ Japanese Fairy Tales and Folklore’ (1933), ‘Early Recollection of Tōkyō’ (1934), ‘Basil Hall Chamberlain [obituary]’ (1935) and ‘Some Japanese Ghost Stories’ (1936). Her mother Kate (Mrs T.H. James) contributed half of the Japanese Fairy Tales series published by the publisher Hasegawa Takejiro,

GRACE AND KATE JAMES: THEIR LIVES AND WRITINGS

Grace James’ writings were greatly influenced by her mother, Kate James (1845–1928) or Mrs T.H. James, but above all by her own childhood in Japan. She was born in Tokyo 11 November 1882, the first child of Thomas Henry James (1850?-1910) and Katherine Margaret James (née Ranken or Rankin). Grace's parents went to Japan in 1876 and stayed there until 1895). Grace James described her children experiences in Early Recollection of Tokyo and her book Japan: Recollections and Impressions.

These early years were especially formative for a writer of children's stories; Japan provided what she described as ‘the happiest possible childhood’. Her first memories were of her Chinese nurse, Ah Kai, and probably go back to 1885 when she was two years old. Both Grace and especially her mother Kate wrote children's stories which were influenced by their reading of Japanese fairy tales.

Hasegawa Takejirõ (1853–1938) began to publish the series Japanese Fairy Tales in 1885, in the form of chirimen-bon (or crepepaper books). By 1903 twenty-eight volumes of chirimen-bon had been published. Contributors to these volumes included Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850–1935), Lafcadio Hearn (1850–1904), David Thomson (1835–1916) and, James Curtis Hepburn (1815–1911), but by far the largest contributor to Japanese Fairy Tales was Mrs T. H. James, or Kate James. She wrote fourteen volumes, constituting half of all the Japanese Fairy Tales series and was the most important contributor to the series and author of chirimen-bon.