The Japanese Discovery of America: A Brief History with Documents (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

This Book Focuses On The Japanese Encounter With The Americans In The Mid-nineteenth Century, An Episode That Took Place Rather Late In The Age Of Discovery, As The Last Unknown Lands Of Africa And Asia Were Being Probed By Western Merchants, Explorers, And Travelers. Most Of The Documents Assembled Here -- Poems And Political Pamphlets, Official Memorials And Private Journals, Newspaper Reports And Eyewitness Accounts -- Were Written (or Drawn) By The Japanese, For Whom The Encounter Raised The Question Of National Survival. Their Contents Reveal The Ignorance And Curiosity, The Anxiety And Confusion, The Admiration And Disillusion That Attended The Meeting Of These Two Rather Different Cultures. - Preface. Focuses On The Japanese Encounter With The Americans In The Mid-nineteenth Century. Includes Poems, Political Pamphlets, Official Memorials, Private Journals, Newspaper Reports And Eyewitness Accounts. Part One. The Japanese Discovery Of America -- Japan's Isolation Policy -- America's Approach To Japan -- The Americans As Barbarians -- Observing The Americans -- Interpreting The Americans -- Rejecting The American Model -- The American Discovery Of Japan -- Part Two. The Documents -- From Kirishitan Monogatari (tales Of The Christians) -- From Keisei Hisaku (a Secret Strategy For Ruling The Country) / Honda Toshiaki -- Dutch Ship (poem) / Rai San'yo -- From Shinfron (new Theses) / Aizawa Seishisai -- A Bakufu Expulsion Edict -- Kaibosaku (a Plan For Coastal Defense) / Sakuma Shozan -- From Narrative Of A Voyage Of The Ship Morrison / Samuel Wells Williams -- An American Businessman's View Of Japan / Aaron Haight Palmer -- Report Of Japanese Cruelty To American Sailors -- From Konyo Zushiki (a World Atlas) / Mitsukuri Shogo -- The Interrogation Of A Castaway -- From Hyoryuki (the Record Of A Castaway) / Hamada Hikozo -- From The Personal Journal Of Commodore Matthew C. Perry --^ Official Report Of The Perry Expedition / Francis L. Hawks -- Memorial On The American Demand For A Treaty / Ii Naosuke -- Memorial On The American Demand For A Treaty / Tokugawa Nariaki -- Broadsheet Of Sumo Wrestlers Delivering Rice -- Broadsheet On The Capture Of The Americans -- A Comic Dialogue -- A Black Ship Scroll With Dialogue -- Report Of A Rape -- From The Complete Journal Of Townsend Harris -- Memorial On The Harris Proposal / Hotta Masayoshi -- From Kyofu No Gen (testimony Of A Madman) / Yoshida Shoin -- Two American Views On The Opening Of The Treaty Ports -- From The Journal Of Francis Hall -- A Yokohama Print Of An American Man And Wife -- From Yokohama Kaiko Kenbunshi (a Record Of Observations In The Open Port Of Yokohama) / Hashimoto Sadahide -- Proposal For Reforming Japan / Yokoi Shonan -- Evaluation Of Foregn Religion / Yokoi Shonan -- From The Autobiography Of Yukichi Fukuzawa / Fukusawa Yukichi --^ From Kokai Nikki (diary Of A Voyage Abroad) / Muragaki Norimasa -- Two American Reports On The 1860 Mission -- A Broadway Pageant (poem) / Walt Whitman -- Report Of The Iwakura Mission / Kume Kunitake -- From Kume Hakase Kyujunen Kaikoroku (the Memoirs Of Professor Kume Kunitake) / Kume Kunitake --an American Report On The Iwakura Mission -- From Seiyo Jijo (conditions In The West) / Fukuzawa Yukichi -- From Bunmei No Gairyaku (an Outline Of A Theory Of Civilization) / Fukuzawa Yukichi -- An Explanation Of Twelve Western Words (part I) / Nishimura Shigeki -- The Federated States Of North And South America / Sugi Koji -- A Japanese Student's Views Of The United States / Knoue Ryokichi -- From The Mikado's Empire / William Elliot Griffis. Edited With An Introduction By Peter Duus. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 210-214) And Index. Part One : The Japanese discovery of America. Japan's isolation policy America's approach to Japan The Americans as barbarians Observing the Americans Interpreting the Americans Rejecting the American model The American discovery of Japan Part Two : The documents. From Kirishitan Monogatari (Tales of the Christians) From Keisei Hisaku (A secret strategy for ruling the country) / Honda Toshiaki Dutch ship (Poem) / Rai San'yo From Shinfron (New theses) / Aizawa Seishisai A Bakufu expulsion edict Kaibosaku (A plan for coastal defense) / Sakuma Shozan From Narrative of a voyage of the ship Morrison / Samuel Wells Williams An American businessman's view of Japan / Aaron Haight Palmer Report of Japanese cruelty to American sailors From Konyo zushiki (A world atlas) / Mitsukuri Shogo The interrogation of a castaway From Hyoryuki (The record of a castaway) / Hamada Hikozo From The personal journal of Commodore Matthew C. Perry Official report of the Perry expedition / Francis L. Hawks Memorial on the American demand for a treaty / Ii Naosuke Memorial on the American demand for a treaty / Tokugawa Nariaki Broadsheet of sumo wrestlers delivering rice Broadsheet on the "capture" of the Americans A comic dialogue A black ship scroll with dialogue Report of a rape From The complete journal of Townsend Harris Memorial on the Harris proposal / Hotta Masayoshi From kyofu no gen (Testimony of a madman) / Yoshida Shoin Two American views on the opening of the treaty ports From The journal of Francis Hall A Yokohama print of an American man and wife From Yokohama kaiko kenbunshi (A record of observations in the open port of yokohama) / Hashimoto Sadahide Proposal for reforming Japan / Yokoi Shonan Evaluation of foregn religion / Yokoi Shonan From The autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa / Fukusawa Yukichi From Kokai Nikki (Diary of a voyage abroad) / Muragaki Norimasa Two American reports on the 1860 mission A Broadway pageant (poem) / Walt Whitman Report of the Iwakura mission / Kume Kunitake From Kume hakase kyujunen kaikoroku (The memoirs of Professor Kume Kunitake) / Kume Kunitake --An American report on the Iwakura mission From Seiyo jijo (Conditions in the West) / Fukuzawa Yukichi From Bunmei no gairyaku (An outline of a theory of civilization) / Fukuzawa Yukichi An explanation of twelve Western words (Part I) / Nishimura Shigeki The federated states of North and South America / Sugi Koji A Japanese student's views of the United States / Knoue Ryokichi From The mikado's empire / William Elliot Griffis Appendices. Glossary Chronology of Japan's relations with the West Selected bibliography