British naval officer, a victim of the infamous "Kamakura Incident. Bird came to Japan and was stationed in Yokohama. For foreigners living in Yokohama, Kamakura was a favorite day-trip site. On November 21, 1864, he visited the Great Buddha together with his senior officer and friend George Walter Baldwin on horseback. On their way from the Great Buddha to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, they were attacked and killed by two local samurai with swords, probably because the officers did not understand appropriate etiquette when encountering a samurai. One of the assailants was caught and executed. The other escaped, but reported to the police a year later. He too was executed.
British naval officer, a victim of the infamous "Kamakura Incident. Bird came to Japan and was stationed in Yokohama. For foreigners living in Yokohama, Kamakura was a favorite day-trip site. On November 21, 1864, he visited the Great Buddha together with his senior officer and friend George Walter Baldwin on horseback. On their way from the Great Buddha to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, they were attacked and killed by two local samurai with swords, probably because the officers did not understand appropriate etiquette when encountering a samurai. One of the assailants was caught and executed. The other escaped, but reported to the police a year later. He too was executed.
Bio by: Warrick L. Barrett
Advertisement
See more Bird memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
