An elephant playing tennis and a hare wearing a skirt are just two of the characters that appear in some 1,200 illustrated letters that British veteran Sir Henry Thornhill sent to his four grandchildren in the early 1900s, and which are on display for the first time in Japan.

About 100 of his original illustrated cards and letters are currently on display at an exhibition being held at Tamagawa Takashimaya Shopping Center in Tokyo's Setagaya-ku.

The letters were discovered about 30 years ago by one of Thornhill's great-grandsons while he was going through his late mother's effects. These letters, coupled with other letters that were in possession of his relatives, gained great attention in the U.K.

The 12-day exhibition, which will last until May 6, was produced by Aisuke Matsutoya, 52, president of London-based Cross Culture Holdings. The event showcases the original cards and letters penned and crayoned by Sir Henry, as well as replicas of his letters and other photos and memorabilia from his family.

Matsutoya's encounter with the "Grandfather's Letters" collection dates back to the early 1990s.

"I was touched by the warmth that the original illustrations have when I first saw them," Matsutoya recalled during a recent interview with the MDN in Tokyo.

"The fact that these illustrated letters, which were elaborately drawn by an amateur about 100 years ago, have been kept by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the years struck me," he said.

Last year, Matsutoya formed a group of people in Japan who sympathize with the concept of cherishing the family bond exemplified in the Grandfather's Letters collection. The Tokyo-based group, called the Grandfather's Letters (GFL) Project Committee, has published a book titled "Grandfather's Letters - Mago ni Ateta 1,200-tsu no Etegami," which chronicles the history of Sir Henry and his family and descendants, along with an abundance of his illustrated cards and letters.

Matsutoya's passion even led him to visit India in March last year. From Delhi, Matsutoya drove up north for about 13 hours and finally reached Shimla, where Teddy -- the first grandchild of Sir Henry -- and his family used to live in the summer.

"In the evening, I could see the mountains in front of the house turning purple and yellow in the sunset, and there were many birds and monkeys around. The visit helped me deepen my understanding of some of the illustrations in the Grandfather's Letters and of how much Sir Henry remembered India when he was back in Britain," Matsutoya said.

A resident of Britain for nearly two decades himself, Matsutoya finds Japanese people smile less compared to people in other countries in Asia or in Europe, every time he comes back to Japan. "If we had something like a smile index, Japan would be ranked as a developing country," he said.

"Today, we hear many sad stories in Japanese newspapers about parents killing their children or children killing their parents. I think these incidents are now played up in the news all the more because people are getting aware that family ties have been broken nowadays. At such times, I believe it is very significant and necessary to introduce Grandfather's Letters to people here in Japan," said Matsutoya. (By Tetsuko Yoshida, Mainichi Daily News)

Copyright 2005-2006 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. All rights reserved. Mainichi features the best news in Japan, current news in Japan, Japan news in English, Japan business news, Tokyo Japan news, and Japan entertainment news. Mainichi News is syndicated in accordance with editorial regulations: personal and noncommercial purposes.

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