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".

Komine
Born1866 or 1867
Shimabara, Nagasaki, Japan
Died3 October 1934 (aged 66 or 67)
CitizenshipAustralian
Occupation(s)Pearl diver
Businessperson

Early life

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"[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

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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

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Notes

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  1. ^ Another source says 1867. See "Early life" section.

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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]
  3. ^ a b c d e Hiramitsu, Iwamoto. "Remembering the war in New Guinea". Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ The Australians in German New Guinea 1914-21. Melbourne University Press. 1958. ISBN 978-0522837254.
  6. ^ a b Barton, Gerry; Dietrich, Stefan J. (2010). This Ingenious and Singular Apparatus. Books on Demand. p. 142. ISBN 9783839168745.
  7. ^ a b "A Century of Collecting: Colonial Collectors in Southwest New Britain" (PDF). Australian Museum. 2004. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ a b "Death of a pioneer: Captain I. Komine". Rabaul Times. October 5, 1934.
  10. ^ "(Untitled)". The Straits Times. June 3, 1909. p. 6.