Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane (8 January 1878 – 10 December 1937) was a Britishacademic,author, specialist ofShinto andJapanologist.
Richard Arthur Brabazon Ponsonby was born atGravesend on the south bank of the Thames inKent, England toJohn Henry and Florence Ponsonby. His boyhood was spent in the family home in London and at the Somerset country home,Brympton d'Evercy, of his grandfather,Spencer Ponsonby-Fane.[1] Ponsonby was educated atHarrow School.[2]
He added "Fane" to his own name when he inherited Brympton d'Evercy in 1916 after the deaths of both his grandfather and father.[3]
In 1896, Ponsonby traveled toCape Town to serve asPrivate Secretary to theGovernor of the British Cape Colony.[4] For the next two decades, his career in theBritish Empire's colonial governments spanned the globe. He worked closely with a number of colonial leaders as private secretary to theGovernor of Natal (1896),[5] to theGovernor of Trinidad and Tobago (1898),[5] to theGovernor of Ceylon (1900),[5] and to theGovernor of Hong Kong (1903).[5] He was re-posted toNatal in 1907; and in 1910, he was private secretary to theGovernor of Fiji. Also in 1910 he played a singlefirst-class cricket match for theMarylebone Cricket Club.[6] In 1915–1919, he was re-posted as private secretary to the Governor of Hong Kong.[7]
In addition to his government duties in Hong Kong, he began lecturing at theUniversity of Hong Kong in 1916; and his association with the faculty of the university continued until 1926.[8]
After 1919, Ponsonby-Fane became a permanent resident of Japan, traveling four months of the year to Hong Kong for lectures at theCrown colony's university.[9]
In 1921, when the JapaneseCrown Prince visited Hong Kong en route to Europe, Ponsonby-Fane was introduced as his interpreter.[10]
When Emperor Shōwa wasenthroned in 1928, he was the only non-Japanese guest who was invited to witness the ceremonies from in front of the palace'sKenreimon gate.[10]In 1930, whenHIHPrince Takamatsu and his wife traveled to Europe, Ponsonby-Fane sailed on the same ship; and he was invited to attend all the welcoming receptions for them in England.[10]
In 1932, Ponsonby-Fane built a Japanese-style home in one of the northern suburbs of Kyoto. In the last decades of his life, he was always photographed with a long woolen scarf draped around his shoulders. This unique scarf was said to be hand-knit byDowager EmpressTeimei, the widow ofEmperor Taishō; and he highly valued this unique token of personal favour.[11]
Ponsonby-Fane died at home in Kyoto in December 1937.[12]
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.[13]
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