| Description | Shunzo Yoshizaka was the Superintendent of Factories and Trade Commissioner for Japan within the Japanese Department of Agriculture and Industry, Bureau of Commerce and Industry, Tokyo, Japan. Yoshizaka wrote to Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury thanking her for showing him her 'work and the village and also the school' on his visit to Bournville whilst on a business trip to England in 1919.
Yoshizaka writes that before he had visited Bournville he 'had never gained so strong an impression of the world of beauty, the world of holy labour and the world of Happiness and Health.' His letter reflects Bournville's international reputation as an exemplar of reform in industrial working and living conditions during the early twentieth century. During his visit to Bournville Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury had given Shunzo Yoshizaka a tour of the Bournville Village Schools which he describes in his letter, writing 'I could not doubt the happiness of the children in the school'. Yoshizaka also remarks on the quality of the schools' teachers who were 'full of energy and humour.'
Yoshizaka had visited Bournville during a professional trip to England in 1911 when he had stayed in Hampstead in London. He concludes his letter noting how he was soon to meet with other English businessmen and provide them with an account of his visit to Bournville.
A pencil annotation in the top right hand corner of the front page of this document reveals that Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury had not read Yoshizaka's letter until 1950. |
| AdminHistory | Beyond her role in shaping the development of Bournville during the 1890s, Elizabeth Taylor Cadbury was involved with many aspects of life in the village, supporting community welfare and working to encourage healthy recreation amongst female Cadbury employees. One of Taylor Cadbury's most substantial contributions to the village was her leading role in the establishment and management of the Bournville Village Schools which opened between 1904 and 1910. |