Frederick William Strange (rower)

Frederick William Strange (October 29, 1853 – July 5, 1889) was an English-born rower, sportsman and university educator credited with the introduction of competitive rowing and popularising both athletics and outdoor team sports in Meiji era Japan.

Born in London, the fifth of eight children of city wine merchant James Thompson Strange and his wife Martha.

The school instructor qualification was administered externally by the University of Oxford Delegacy for Local Examinations.

Strange arrived in Japan on the O&O steamship RMS Oceanic at the treaty port of Yokohama on March 23, 1875.

Strange's grave is located in Aoyama Cemetery, central Tokyo The Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society carries on its website a short biography outlining Strange's life in Chiswick and Hammersmith and rowing on the Thames.

Memorial to Frederick William Strange, located at the athletic track at the University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus . The Japanese dedication erroneously states that Strange was born in Devonshire and was a graduate of both Eton and the University of Oxford