MARY CRAWFORD FRASER

Mary Crawford Fraser was born in Italy in 1851 of American parents. Her father was the famous sculptor Thomas Crawford who created the Washington Monument.

Mary was brought up in a highly artistic and intellectual environment and knew intimately Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Hans Christian Andersen, Edward Lear and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow among others.

Mary was also sent to England for a number of years where she was educated with her sister Jennie.

In 1874 Mary met and married Hugh Fraser a British diplomat. After living in Peking, Santiago and Vienna they moved to Tokyo in 1889 and here Mary found her second spiritual home "In my two real homes, Japan and South Italy, beauty lives". She was inspired to write extensively throughout her stay in Japan. With her sense of internationalise and her acute perception she presented a delicate, fresh and unprejudiced view of Japan and the Japanese in Meiji times.

Elizabeth and Keiko as Mary and Omatsu in rehearsal at the real life grave of Mary's husband HUGH FRASER in Tokyo's AOYAMA CEMETERY

REAL LIFE HISTORY ! Elizabeth and Keiko, still dressed as their real life counterparts Mary Fraser and Omatsu, find themselves unexpectedly meeting Yukika Sohma, the daughter and Fujiko Hara, the granddaughter of Mary Fraser's real life secretary Theodora Yei Ozaki

Sign our Guest Book