Native American in the land of the shogun : Ranald MacDonald and the opening of Japan

Title:

Author:

Schodt, Frederik L., 1950-

ISBN:

9781880656785

9781880656778

Publication Information:

Berkeley, Calif. : Stone Bridge Press, 2003.

Physical Description:

xiv, 418 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Contents:

Fort Colvile and the Custer interview -- The mouth of the Columbia River -- A fateful non-meeting at Fort Vancouver -- Education at Red River -- A "trial in business" at St. Thomas -- Sag Harbor's Japan connection -- A "staging ground" in the Hawaiian Islands -- Rishiri Island : the adventure begins -- On Japan's northern frontier -- Under control of the Matsumae domain -- Arrival in Nagasaki -- Nagasaki days, teaching English and learning Japanese -- Leaving Nagasaki -- Creation of the narrative -- The MacDonald legacy.

Abstract:

"In 1848, against all odds, a half-Chinook, half-Scot man named Ranald MacDonald entered feudal Japan - when it was still closed to the outside world. Here is the true story of how this remarkable twenty-four year old journeyed on his own to a forbidden land and helped open it to the modern world."

"Frederik L. Schodt's fascinating history documents MacDonald's early years in the Pacific Northwest as the oldest son of a Hudson's Bay Company chief factor, his education at the Red River settlement in central Canada, and his employment in St. Thomas, Ontario. It then tracks his going to sea in the New England whaling fleet and his stopover in Hawaii, where he prepared his adventure to Japan."

"Ranald MacDonald marooned himself in northern Japan and was promptly arrested. From original records, Schodt tracks MacDonald's movements through Japan - his encounter with the Indigenous Ainu, his capture by the local authorities, and his seven-month incarceration in Nagasaki. Far from being a passive detainee, MacDonald charmed his guards, intrigued his interrogators, and transcribed the Japanese language he learned."

"MacDonald taught English to the interpreters of a nation under increasing pressure from the outside world. His students used the knowledge he gave them, and later served Japan well when it had to negotiate with English-speaking foreign visitors, including Commodore Perry when he arrived on his "Black Ships" in 1853."

"MacDonald helped "crack the seal" on Japan. He gave American officials hints on how to impress the Japanese, and equipped Japanese officials with tools for understanding the intruders. His life was, and is, a bridge between wildly different cultures, races, and eras."

"Drawing richly on primary source materials in Japan, Canada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest, Schodt reveals a man of rare courage and daring, while laying to rest the romantic myths that have built up around the MacDonald story. With 53 illustrations, 7 maps, a bibliography, notes, and index, this book is a detailed and valuable contribution to our understanding of early globalization."--Jacket.

Subject Term:

Pioneers -- Columbia River Valley -- Biography.

Adventure and adventurers -- Pacific Area -- Biography.

Americans -- Japan -- History -- 19th century.

Adventure and adventurers. (OCoLC)fst00797447

Americans. (OCoLC)fst00807488

Pioneers. (OCoLC)fst01064447

Travel. (OCoLC)fst01155558

Geographic Term:

Japan -- Description and travel.

Japan.

Pacific Area.

United States -- Columbia River Valley.

Personal Subject:

MacDonald, Ranald, 1824-1894.

MacDonald, Ranald, 1824-1894 (OCoLC)fst00056944

Genre:

collective biographies.

Biographies.

History.

Other Format:

Online version: Schodt, Frederik L., 1950- Native American in the land of the shogun : Ranald MacDonald and the opening of Japan. Berkeley, Calif. : Stone Bridge Press, 2003 (OCoLC)607003850

Online version: Schodt, Frederik L., 1950- Native American in the land of the shogun : Ranald MacDonald and the opening of Japan. Berkeley, Calif. : Stone Bridge Press, 2003 (OCoLC)629751084

Available:

Library	Call Number	Material Type	Status
Searching... State Library of Oregon	915.204252 Schod	4-Week Loan	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

How Japan, after 250 years of self--imposed isolation, began the process of modernization is in part the story of Ranald MacDonald. In 1848 this half-Scot, half-Chinook adventurer from the Pacific Northwest landed on an island off Hokkaido. Although promptly arrested and imprisoned for seven months in Nagasaki, the intelligent, well-educated MacDonald fascinated the Japanese and became one of their first teachers of English and Western ways. Based on primary research in Japan and North America, this book chronicles the events leading to MacDonald's journey and his later struggle to obtain recognition at home.

Frederik L. Schodt has written extensively on Japan, including America and the Four Japans and Inside the Robot Kingdom . Fluent in spoken and written Japanese, he lives in San Francisco. In 2009 he was received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture.

"Schodt's account of MacDonald's life and his eventual journey to Japan is depicted with the accuracy of a trained academic and the excitement of a skillful novelist." -- Kyoto Journal

Author Notes

Fluent in spoken and written Japanese, Frederik L. Schodt is an author, interpreter, and translator who has written extensively on Japanese culture and Japan-U.S. relations. His classic Manga! Manga! introduced the English-speaking world to Japanese comics culture.

Summary:

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Schodt is already respected by Japanologists for five previous books, two definitively explaining the Japanese comic-book manga. His newest book is a remarkable tour de force, so rich as to defy easy categorization. MacDonald played an interesting if minor role in opening up Japan. He voluntarily penetrated the closed Shogunate in 1848, and taught English to those who would later interpret between Americans and Japanese during Commodore Perry's 1853 show of force. Schodt takes MacDonald's fairly simple story and delves into every aspect with an authority based on deep research and outstanding language skills. MacDonald is rescued from obscurity, legends, prejudice, and misrepresentations of every imaginable kind. Along the way, readers learn about mixed-blood culture of the Northwest, the Hudson Bay Company, and the many false starts in relations between Japan and the outside world before 1853. Most of all, Schodt reveals the randomness of historical fame and the importance of revisiting the past as successive generations bring new values and insights to bear. Schodt is a graceful writer, and his book has the flavor more of a novel than a scholarly study. It deserves a very wide audience. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All libraries/levels. R. B. Lyman Jr. Brandeis University

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
1 Fort Colvile and the Custer Interview	p. 3
2 The Mouth of the Columbia River	p. 23
3 A Fateful Non-Meeting at Fort Vancouver	p. 51
4 Education at Red River	p. 81
5 A "Trial in Business" at St. Thomas	p. 111
6 Sag Harbor's Japan Connection	p. 140
7 A "Staging Ground" in the Hawaiian Islands	p. 157
8 Rishiri Island: The Adventure Begins	p. 185
9 On Japan's Northern Frontier	p. 210
10 Under Control of the Matsumae Domain	p. 231
11 Arrival in Nagasaki	p. 254
12 Nagasaki Days: Teaching English and Learning Japanese	p. 273
13 Leaving Nagasaki	p. 294
14 Creation of the Narrative	p. 323
15 The MacDonald Legacy	p. 353
Appendix A Deposition of Ranald MacDonald on the U.S.S. Preble	p. 369
Appendix B Ranald MacDonald and the Chinooks	p. 375
Endnotes	p. 379
Bibliography	p. 402
Index	p. 411

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Author Notes

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Choice Review

Table of Contents