prize8-7, Exercise 1: A profile of Richard Henry Brunton

Model answer (check the details):

Documented facts: born in Aberdeenshire in 1841; trained as a civil and railway engineer; went to Japan in 1868 at the request of the Meiji government after a recommendation from the Stevenson firm of Edinburgh; designed and supervised some twenty-six lighthouses and related marks in the following eight years; dismissed in 1876 after disputes; returned to Britain and later published a memoir (check each).

Stories to treat with care: the title "father of Japanese lighthouses", which is a later label; the precise number of lighthouses credited to him; dramatic episodes from his memoir, such as threats from local opponents and the hardships of travel; and his account of the disputes that led to his dismissal.

Where to look: records of the Japanese Ministry of Public Works and of the Stevenson firm, his own memoir (an interested account), contemporary Japanese and foreign newspapers, museum material at the surviving lighthouses, and modern studies of foreign advisers in Meiji Japan.

Conclusion: a good profile states the verifiable dates and works first, then separates "he said" from "it is said".

Care: the numbers and labels vary between sources. Check each against a Japanese source as well as an English one.