Lafcadio Hearn
Lafcadio Hearn (Patrick Lafcadio Hearn), born to a Greek mother and Irish father, became one of the first Westerners to deeply interpret Japanese culture for international audiences.
After working as a journalist in America, he traveled to Japan in 1890, initially as a magazine correspondent.
He settled in Matsué as an English teacher, married Koizumi Setsu, and later obtained Japanese citizenship in 1896, taking the name Koizumi Yakumo.
He taught at Tokyo Imperial University, where students greatly respected him, and published numerous works introducing Japanese folklore and culture to Western readers.
He died in 1904 after teaching briefly at Waseda University.
