Japan, Man'en 2 [1861]

1 volume (14 double leaves) ; 25 cm

Japanese

Purchased from Rulon-Miller Books on the Edwin J. Beinecke Book Fund, 2013.

This material is open for research.

Manuscript copy by Itō Eitarō of Echigo of the statement of the Japanese castaway, Kamegorō. He and his crew including Joseph Heco were rescued by an American ship which took them to San Francisco. After working for a tile maker and restaurant for 10 years, he asked Japanese missionaries who arrived at San Francisco to take him back to Japan. Upon arrival, he was put under the custody of the Shogunate magistrate of marine in Edo and stayed at the house of Ashikagaya Genzaemon in Asakusa, Edo. Genzaemon took notes about Kamegorō's life in America, American language, and songs. A villager of Echigo Province, Itō Eitarō visited Genzaemon's house and copied the statement during his stay.

April 15, 2019

Itō Eitarō, Amerika hyōryūnin kikigaki. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Itō Eitarō, Amerika hyōryūnin kikigaki. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.