Frederick V. Dickins was an Englishman of many titles who was a doctor and lawyer. While Kumagusu was in London, Dickins held the important position of registrar of the University of London.
He was one of the pioneering scholars of Japanology, and the two met when Dickins wrote a letter to Kumagusu after reading his essays in Nature.
After that, Kumagusu began to visit the University of London, and their friendship also deepened through the exchange of letters.
Kumagusu helped Dickins with his Japan-related research, and Dickins helped support Kumagusu, sometimes financially.
The two were separated in age by 30 years, and at times they argued and were critical of each other. However, any of those troubles or the age gap did not harm their connection which continued for a long time, even after Kumagusu returned to Japan.
The publication of their joint translation of the Hōjōki, a representative work of the Japanese literature of the Middle Ages, is a symbol of their fruitful cooperation.
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