RP231 From Shipwrecked to Samurai
In 1841, a teenaged boy made history by becoming one of the first Japanese people to enter America. Manjiro Nakahama helped define Japanese-American relations, but first, he was shipwrecked.
Manjiro was a young fisherman. He was only about 14 years old when he left his village of Nakahama with four friends. Their small boat was blown far out to sea by a storm, and the five young men were shipwrecked on Torishima Island. For six months, they barely survived until help arrived in the form of an American whaling ship.
The five men were taken aboard by Captain William Whitfield. Four of them were dropped off in Hawaii, but Manjiro wanted to stay. He stayed with the boat for two years, until it docked in Massachusetts, USA. There Manjiro(then known as John Manjiro or John Mung) went to live under the protection of Captain Whitfield. In Massachusetts, he studied English and navigation and went whaling with the captain. Later, he worked on whaling ships around the globe and made money in the California gold rush.
When he was about 23, Manjiro decided to try to return to Japan. This was dangerous. During that time, Japan was under the policy of Sakoku (locked country). It had been illegal for Japanese citizens to leave Japan. He might have been executed when he returned, but Manjiro decided to try. He picked up two of his old Japanese companions in Hawaii, and in 1851, reached Okinawa. They were questioned for a few months, but released. Manjiro was useful as a source of information about the outside world. In 1853, the government made Manjiro a samurai.
Manjiro interpreted for his country in 1853, when the commander of the U.S. Navy, Matthew Perry, forced the opening of Japan. Manjiro used his outside knowledge to help Japan modernize its navy. In later years, he traveled to Europe and even back to America to study, but he always came home to Japan. This poor fisherman went on to represent his country, and went from being shipwrecked to shaping history.
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