Two German Merchants’ Navigate an Opaque and Sometimes Unwelcoming Environment in the Treaty Port of Kobe, 1860-1923
Dr. Prue Holstein
November 16, 2026 / 18:00-19:30
Room 301 / 3F / Building 10 / Sophia University
In person only / No registration required
In this lecture, I discuss how two German merchants, Carl Nickel and his cousin and godson, Christian Holstein navigated an opaque and sometimes anti-foreign environment as they built their waterfront empire in the treaty port of Kobe, Japan, covering the period 1860-1923. From 1858-1899, foreign merchants lived in Japanese treaty ports under consular jurisdiction as stipulated in the unequal treaties forced upon Japan by the foreign powers. In 1899, the treaties were revised: Japan regained its sovereignty and foreign merchants had to submit to Japanese jurisdiction. In 1914 World War One commenced and German merchants were declared enemy aliens. Through multi-archival research conducted in Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom, I explore the inventive ways and often extraordinary outcomes as two German merchants managed their relationships with both British and Japanese colleagues and authorities in turbulent times.
Dr. Prue Holstein holds an adjunct position in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University. Her career was spent promoting Australian business interests in both private sector and government diplomatic roles in Japan and the USA. She spent a total of 14 years in Japan over three separate assignments commencing in the mid-1970s. She then worked in senior government capacities in Osaka in the 1990s and then back in Tokyo 2009-2012. She has an MBA, University of Melbourne and a PhD in Japanese Studies, Monash University. She is author of, The German Experience of Japan’s Treaty Port System: A Case Study of C. Nickel & Co. Ltd. 1860-1923 published by Routledge, 2026.
This talk is organized by Sven Saaler (Professor, FLA. Sophia University).
