100年の時を経て寄贈された食器

創立者サラ・C・スミスが母国アメリカに持ち帰った日本製の食器セットがおよそ100年の時を経て再び日本へ

―それは、サラ・C・スミスの親族によって宝物として受け継がれていました―

それは、2008年2月のこと、北星学園の事務スタッフに大学Webサイトを通してアメリカ合衆国ニューヨーク州バテービア市在住のリンダ･トンポロスキーさんという女性から連絡があったことから始まりました。

リンダ･トンポロスキーさんは、北星学園の創立者スミスの姪の曾孫娘にあたる方で、最近亡くなった祖母ジェネビーブ・ホエーレンさんの手許に、一族で代々受け継がれてきた日本製の食器セット（カップとソーサー）があったことから、家族を代表し、その歴史や価値等の情報とその背景を調べようとして北星学園にメールで問い合わせてきたのでした。

このトンポロスキーさんからの連絡が、その後の数年間にわたる北星学園とのやり取りの始まりとなりました。

その食器セットは、創立者サラ･C･スミスの名前を継いだ姪のサラ・スミスさん（創立者スミスの兄ダニエル・スミスさんの娘）に託され、さらにその娘のジェネビーブ･（スミス）ホエーレンさんに受け継がれていたのです。

トンポロスキーさんは、そのカップとソーサーには忠臣蔵の物語が1客ごとに手書きで描かれていて、祖母のホエーレンさんが「一番の宝物」として大切に飾っていたことを覚えていました。この大切な食器セットを今後どのように扱っていけばよいのか、家族でよく話し合ったところ、これがきちんと保管され、大勢の人々に喜ばれるところに置きたいという願いから、北星学園へ寄贈することを申し出てくださったのです。
こうして、2014年4月、食器セットは、大いなる関心と喜びと共に、トンポロスキーさんから北星学園へ無事に送り届けられ、現在は北星学園創立百周年記念館で展示しています。

北星学園は、トンポロスキーさんに、そのお礼として、1967年の北星学園創立80周年を記念して製作した「創立者スミスの肖像が描かれている絵皿」と1987年の創立100周年記念に製作した「ライラックが描かれたタイルの壁かけ」を贈りました。

A cup and saucer set made in Japan and given by our founder, Sarah C. Smith, to a niece in her home country of the U.S., have returned to Japan after approximately 100 years. It had been passed down from generation to generation and treasured by her extended family.

In February 2008 our University’s office staff received a contact through the Hokusei Gakuen University Website. It was from Linda Tomporowski, an American woman from Batavia, New York, in the US. She is the great-granddaughter of the niece of Sarah Smith, Hokusei Gakuen’s founder. She said that her grandmother had recently died and left to her family various dishes made in Japan which Sarah Smith had once given her niece (also named Sarah Smith, after her aunt). This niece of Hokusei Gakuen’s founder was Mrs. Jesse E. Smith, the daughter of Sarah Smith’s older brother, Daniel Smith. From that niece, the dishes had been passed down to her daughter, the recently-deceased Mrs. Genevieve Whalen (Mrs. Tomporowski’s grandmother, Mrs. Clarence Whalen). Mrs. Tomporowski wanted to know more about the dishes, including their background and value, and she asked if anyone at Hokusei could help find that information, as the dishes had been a treasure of her family for many years.

That contact began a series of interactions which covered several years. Some of the dishes, a cup and saucer set, were decorated with hand-painted images of characters from a traditional Samurai story ,The Forty-seven Ronin. Mrs. Tomporowski noted that it is these which the family remembered as always on display in Mrs. Whalen’s home and treasured most. In discussing what to do with this set, the family felt that they wanted it to be placed where they would be cared for properly and appreciated by many people. With those hopes in mind, they decided to donate them to Hokusei Gakuen.

The cup and saucer set arrived safely at Hokusei in April 2014 and were received with great interest and joy. They are now on display in the Centennial Memorial Hall on the campus of Hokusei Gakuen Girls’ Junior and Senior High School. Hokusei Gakuen was pleased to send as a return gift a plate with a picture of Sarah Smith painted on it, which was produced as a commemorative gift at the celebration of Hokusei Gakuen’s 80th anniversary in 1967. Hokusei gave another gift, as well, a trivet with an inscription commemorating Hokusei Gakuen’s 100th anniversary in 1987.

Upon receiving these gifts, the Tomporowski family expressed to the Hokusei community their many heartfelt thanks for these signs of the friendship which has formed between us. We at Hokusei Gakuen likewise would like to express our gratitude for the gift of the cup and saucer set, which we will always treasure as a representation of our ties with these friends in Sarah Smith’s family line. We also greatly appreciate the interest which they have shown in further research into the life of Hokusei Gakuen’s founder and hope that we will be able to cooperate in discovering more in this area in the future.


August 1, 2014
Hokusei Gakuen Christian Center