Komine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1866 or 1867 Shimabara, Nagasaki, Japan |
| Died | 3 October 1934 (aged 66 or 67) |
| Citizenship | Australian |
| Occupation(s) | Pearl diver Businessperson |
Isokichi Komine (1866 [a] – 3 October 1934) was an Australian pearl diver, merchant, and trader. One of German New Guinea's earliest emigrants, he is known as "one of Rabaul's oldest pioneers".
Early life
"[O]ne of Rabaul's oldest pioneers", [1] Komine was born in 1866 [2] or 1867, [1] in Shimabara, Nagasaki, Japan. [2] First working as a factory worker in Korea, [2] he had already begun voyaging New Guinea's seas in the 1890s and first settled at Thursday Island, Queensland. [3] An emigrant of Japan, Komine was the first recorded Japanese presence in German New Guinea; he arrived there in 1901 [3] or 1902, [1] after being denied permanent residency in British New Guinea (now Papua). [3]
Career and death
Komine is said to be "the most famous Japanese resident in the region [German New Guinea] of that time". [1] A Japanese community leader in German New Guinea, [4] Komine set up Nanyō Sangyō Kaisha, [5] an independent business, there, [4] and employed up over a hundred Japanese workers. [3] An extensive collection of Komine's rare finds in his voyages comprised more than 3,000 "valuables", although it was noted that a few gold-lip ouster shells in his collection were only worth up to $5. [1] The collection was sold in October 1910 [6] to A. B. Lewis, [7] and is considered to be the largest single purchase of items from the Bismarck Archipelago, [6] which was where Komine resided in from 1902. [7] When Japan declared war against Germany in 1914, Komine aligned with the Australians but also maintained close ties with German businesspeople to safeguard his business interests. [8] Komine died on 3 October [9] 1934 [3] of food poisoning, [9] although one report claims that Komine "outlived his obituary notice" and was still alive after 1934. [10]
See also
Notes
- ^ Another source says 1867. See "Early life" section.
References
- ^
a
b
c
d
e Gosden, Chris; Knowles, Chantal (2001).
Collecting Colonialism: Material Culture and Colonial Change. Berg. pp.
92–93.
ISBN
9781859734087.
Isokichi Komine.
- ^ a b c "Nanshin and Japanese migrants in Papua and New Guinea : myth and reality of Japanese expansion in the South Seas" (PDF). South Pacific Study. Retrieved March 16, 2013.[ permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e Hiramitsu, Iwamoto. "Remembering the war in New Guinea". Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Japanese Southward Expansion in the South Seas and its Relations with Japanese Settlers in Papua and New Guinea, 1919-1940" (PDF). South Pacific Study. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ The Australians in German New Guinea 1914-21. Melbourne University Press. 1958. ISBN 978-0522837254.
- ^ a b Barton, Gerry; Dietrich, Stefan J. (2010). This Ingenious and Singular Apparatus. Books on Demand. p. 142. ISBN 9783839168745.
- ^ a b "A Century of Collecting: Colonial Collectors in Southwest New Britain" (PDF). Australian Museum. 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ "The impact of World War I on Japanese settlers in Papua and New Guinea, 1914-1918" (PDF). South Pacific Study. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "Death of a pioneer: Captain I. Komine". Rabaul Times. October 5, 1934.
- ^ "(Untitled)". The Straits Times. June 3, 1909. p. 6.
