By Robert Neff
On the northern bank of the Han River near Hapjeong lies Yanghwajin Foreign Cemetery -- a quiet oasis that, according to historian Donald Clark, "represents the life of the foreign community in Korea, its purposes, its diverse people, the contributions they made, and the hardships they suffered." He further went on to say that "a walk along the cemetery paths is a tour back through the entire century of the Western impact on Korean life."
Missionaries and their families, such as Appenzeller, Underwood and Hulbert, and even a few non-missionaries such as Ernest T. Bethell -- an English newspaperman -- are well-remembered and honored but for the most part the interred have long been forgotten -- even by their fellow countrymen. Luigi Casati is one of them.
We don't know much about Luigi's early life save that he was an Italian born on September 29, 1850 possibly in Garbagna (Piemonte) near Torre Di Ratti. At some point he joined the Italian diplomatic service and was stationed in Tokyo as an interpreter in 1880 where he served for a number of years. Unfortunately, he appears to have led a quiet life and was rarely mentioned in the contemporary press except for a notification in 1886 that he was being transferred to Shanghai in the near future. Whether it happened or not is unclear but we do know that 36-year-old Casati was in love with a much younger Japanese woman. According to family history, she was Asako Yamada (later known as Asa Maria), the 16-year-old daughter of the Chief of Police for Tokyo, and they were married the following year.
"It must have been quite unusual for a European to marry into Japanese high society at that time" suggested John Wheeler, a grandson of Casati, who then added, perhaps even in the present day it would be viewed as unusual.
Directories indicate that Casati was at his post in Tokyo until 1894 when suddenly his name disappears from the directories -- did he return to Italy on a year-long furlough? Adding to the mystery, the couple's first child, Angelo -- their only son, was born in Garbagna in 1889. Their subsequent daughters, Margherita, Ione and Emila appear to have been born in Japan.
By the end of the 1890s, Casati's name again appeared in the directories as interpreter in Tokyo. As their names do not appear in the social events published in the local press we can merely speculate that the family was happy but generally kept to themselves. But tragedy would soon rip the family apart. In early 1902, Asa became pregnant with their fifth child and while visiting Yokohama in August, tragically fell into a pond and drowned.
Casati and his family remained in Tokyo until late 1905 when he was transferred to Seoul. Life in Korea at this time was one filled with change -- Joseon was in its dying hours -- but Casati appears to have been invisible, even in the foreign community. His daughters, on the other hand, were outgoing. As evidenced by a photograph, they were some of the earliest passengers of the "first" automobile to be introduced to Korea in 1909 -- their youthful faces seemed transfixed with fear and excitement. Their father is conspicuously missing from the picture -- perhaps he was already ill at this time.
In early December 1909, Casati grew deathly sick. He was hospitalized at the Tai Han hospital but there was little that could be done for him. According to the local newspaper, "As Mr. Casati had no staff to whom to entrust the transactions of official business on his behalf" he requested the Japanese authorities to notify the Italian Embassy in Tokyo of his dire situation. On December 11, at 2:30 a.m., Casati passed away.
His funeral was held on the 13th and was well attended. The various consulates and government offices in Seoul kept their flags at half-mast throughout the day in honor of the man that we know so little about save that he died in Seoul and is buried at Yanghwajin.
As for his children, only Emilia continued to have a link to Korea but her story is for another time.
Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com.
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| Luigi Casati Courtesy of John Wheeler/Robert Neff Collection | Asako Yamada Courtesy of John Wheeler/Robert Neff Collection |
Missionaries and their families, such as Appenzeller, Underwood and Hulbert, and even a few non-missionaries such as Ernest T. Bethell -- an English newspaperman -- are well-remembered and honored but for the most part the interred have long been forgotten -- even by their fellow countrymen. Luigi Casati is one of them.
We don't know much about Luigi's early life save that he was an Italian born on September 29, 1850 possibly in Garbagna (Piemonte) near Torre Di Ratti. At some point he joined the Italian diplomatic service and was stationed in Tokyo as an interpreter in 1880 where he served for a number of years. Unfortunately, he appears to have led a quiet life and was rarely mentioned in the contemporary press except for a notification in 1886 that he was being transferred to Shanghai in the near future. Whether it happened or not is unclear but we do know that 36-year-old Casati was in love with a much younger Japanese woman. According to family history, she was Asako Yamada (later known as Asa Maria), the 16-year-old daughter of the Chief of Police for Tokyo, and they were married the following year.
"It must have been quite unusual for a European to marry into Japanese high society at that time" suggested John Wheeler, a grandson of Casati, who then added, perhaps even in the present day it would be viewed as unusual.
Directories indicate that Casati was at his post in Tokyo until 1894 when suddenly his name disappears from the directories -- did he return to Italy on a year-long furlough? Adding to the mystery, the couple's first child, Angelo -- their only son, was born in Garbagna in 1889. Their subsequent daughters, Margherita, Ione and Emila appear to have been born in Japan.
By the end of the 1890s, Casati's name again appeared in the directories as interpreter in Tokyo. As their names do not appear in the social events published in the local press we can merely speculate that the family was happy but generally kept to themselves. But tragedy would soon rip the family apart. In early 1902, Asa became pregnant with their fifth child and while visiting Yokohama in August, tragically fell into a pond and drowned.
Casati and his family remained in Tokyo until late 1905 when he was transferred to Seoul. Life in Korea at this time was one filled with change -- Joseon was in its dying hours -- but Casati appears to have been invisible, even in the foreign community. His daughters, on the other hand, were outgoing. As evidenced by a photograph, they were some of the earliest passengers of the "first" automobile to be introduced to Korea in 1909 -- their youthful faces seemed transfixed with fear and excitement. Their father is conspicuously missing from the picture -- perhaps he was already ill at this time.
In early December 1909, Casati grew deathly sick. He was hospitalized at the Tai Han hospital but there was little that could be done for him. According to the local newspaper, "As Mr. Casati had no staff to whom to entrust the transactions of official business on his behalf" he requested the Japanese authorities to notify the Italian Embassy in Tokyo of his dire situation. On December 11, at 2:30 a.m., Casati passed away.
His funeral was held on the 13th and was well attended. The various consulates and government offices in Seoul kept their flags at half-mast throughout the day in honor of the man that we know so little about save that he died in Seoul and is buried at Yanghwajin.
As for his children, only Emilia continued to have a link to Korea but her story is for another time.
Robert Neff is a historian and columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at robertneff103@gmail.com.
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