From October 2025 to March next, a new series of TV drama is being broadcast on NHK (Nihon Hoso Kyokai or Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in the morning for 15 minutes Monday through Friday. This drama centers on the life of Koizumi Setsu, the wife of Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) AKA Koisumi Yakumo, who happenes to be a household name in Japan. Hearn was “a Greek and Irish writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the Western world.”

From here, let’s take a look at his background, what intrigued him to come to Japan, and what were his accomplishments. Hearn was born in Greece but raised in Ireland, reflecting an unhappy family life; his British father and Greek mother had divorced, then his wealthy aunt decided to take care of Hearn in Ireland. When his aunt became bankrupt, Hearn was actually “expelled” to the US in 1869. He lived in Cincinnati and then New Orleans for about two decades altogether, working mostly as a seasoned journalist for local newspapers. While in Cincinnati, Hearn married an African-American for a few years that was quite controversial at that time. 

A caveat for these photos. Hearn lost eyesight in his left eye during his adolescence, so he refrained from showing his left eye whenever he was photographed.

It seems that there were two occasions that triggered Hearn’s interest in Japan. First was his visit to a Japanese pavilion at the New Orleans Expo in 1885, where Hearn met some Japanese officials who explained about the Japanese exhibits. Second was a wonderful travel experience as explained by his colleague journalist. So, Hearn managed to visit Japan in 1890 first as a correspondent for a US newspaper. How did he fare in Japan? Actually, one of the officials whom he met at the New Orleans Expo was now a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Education. So, Hearn became an English teacher at a junior high school (now a high school) and teachers training college (now University of Shimane) in Matsue, Shimane prefecture.   

In Matsue, Hearn happened to meet Koizumi Setsu (1868-1932). Setsu hailed from a Samurai family. However, her father couldn’t cope with his new life after the Meiji Restoration, so in order to support her family Setsu worked as a resident maid where Hearn chose to live. In this way, they became intimate and married. They lived about a year in Matsue, then they moved to Kumamoto city, Kumamoto prefecture in Kyushu. Hearn taught English at a junior high school. After three years, they then moved to Kobe in 1894. Hearn became a journalist for an English newspaper. Finally, they moved to Tokyo in 1896. Hearn again taught English at the University of Tokyo. He became a naturalized Japanese citizen as Koizumi Yakumo. Hearn died in 1904 at the age of 54. 

Some of Hearn’s books on Japan are as follows:

l  Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, 1894

l  Out of the East, 1895

l  A living God, 1896

l  Gleanings in Buddha-Fields, 1897

l  Exotics and Retrospectives, 1898

l  In Ghostly Japan, 1899

l  Shadowings, 1900

l  A Japanese Miscellany, 1901

l  Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, 1904

l  Japan: An Attempt at Interpretation, 1904

l  The Romance of the Milky Way and other studies and stories, 1905

How did Hearn become so interested in ghosts as shown in Japan? It is first said that Hearn showed an interest in the supernatural from his childhood. While in Ireland, Hearn became interested in the Celtic folklore and local beliefs. Then, Hearn took an interest in Creole culture and Voodoo religion when living in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, Hatsu was also interested in ghosts, so from time to time she informed Hearn about local supernatural stories. One more, Matsue happens to be located near Izumo shrine (about 30 km east), which is one of the holiest Shinto shrines in Japan.  

They had three sons and a daughter. Hearn left all his assets including the copyright and royalty of his books to Setsu.

          A park dedicated to Hearn in Shinjuku ward, Tokyo,

          very close to where he lived last. His bust is visible on the right. 

Home.....