Japanese Castaway Gives First Description of USA (1852) // Incredible Story of John Manjiro

[@VoicesofthePast]

Big thanks to Spinner Publications for the use of this translation: www.spinnerpub.com/Drifting_Toward_the_Southeast.html

[@jeremymain7303]

They really make America sound like Oz.

[@dw620]

Beautifully produced as ever, thank you. Is Wikipedia incorrect about Whitfield's first wife having died at an earlier date?

[@lamalien2276]

That was amazing!

[@nanajiji765]

There is a statue in Tosashimizu city where he was born. The statue of himself has compass and square in his left hand. COMPASS AND SQUARE.

[@steven95N]

You guys make great videos. you'd think you would be smart enough to just get Cocoa to Translate for you. Spinner Publications seems nice too though.

[@AshizuriArt]

I have lived in the town where Manjiro was from, for the past 25 years. Tosashimizu City, in Kochi Prefecture. I‘ve helped out a couple of authors with research for their books, interpreting etc and I am the Deputy Chair of the local Manjiro Society. His life story is amazing and the more I find out, the more I am in awe of this guy. Remember at this time social mobility was not possible in a feudal society. However, when he returned to Japan he was quickly promoted to the rank of samurai, allowed to take a surname and became a retainer to the local lord. He went on to be an adviser to the Japanese government and a professor in Tokyo. There was even a Kabuki play made about him while he was still alive. Thanks "Voices of the Past" for bringing attention to John Manjiro's incredible, true story of adventure and human perseverance.

[@uno322]

That's awesome

[@AnIdiotsLantern]

John Manjiro should be more famous in the west! What an adventure he had. Can you imagine the sort of stories he must have told as an old man?

[@The_WatchList]

That is amazing! I am truly glad the man became so well respected!

[@sfjessevideo]

Did he ever reunite with his fishing partners?

[@danielguy3581]

Could you shed some light on him being imprisoned for three days? The way it's described, I get the impression it was punishment for some violation of regulations, rather than detainment for questioning. Yet apparently his status was not only restored following release, but elevated. Seems I am missing some relevant context to understand what happened there.

[@mike-0451]

A Japanese man who washed up onto America, traveled to California to take part in the gold rush to earn a wage to return home, who finds himself precariously in the middle of the Wild West. Incredible.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Its an adventure!

[@NoalFarstrider]

But Master, what happened to you? Did you end up in the wild western unknown regions?

[@mike-0451]

@@NoalFarstrider It’s a secret

[@leefithian3704]

Worthy of an accurate film

[@Solitude2500]

@@VoicesofthePast You could say that it's *Bizzare.*

[@namekman01]

eating alot after starving is dangerous, and can cause a whole heap of medical issues. the captain was very smart to give them a small amount of food at first, and slowly give them more to eat.

[@noxscotchxtape]

especially back then he must have been quite intelligent

[@thebigenchilada678]

@@noxscotchxtape that’s something humans have known since we were hunter gatherers.

[@logans6619]

I remember reading about US/USSR liberators of German concentration camps over feeding freed Jews to the point of death

[@noxscotchxtape]

@@thebigenchilada678 Possibly

[@thebigenchilada678]

@@noxscotchxtape people have always been smart man. We often misconstrue knowledge with intelligence, or ver the years we’ve learned about more things but our capacity for learning (intelligence) has remained the same.

[@jazzycat8917]

What type of welcome home is "go to jail, also you're banned from sailing and here is infinite money, have a good day"

[@Exodon2020]

One that's saying "you might be a pioneer and did outstandingly - but by getting cast away you have still broken the law and need to be punished!"

[@jamesgeorge7579]

A bureaucratic welcome

[@kireta21]

@@Exodon2020 well, that does sound very Japanese

[@wulfherecyning1282]

I guess they would argue it as "more than fair"? At that time, if I have my dates correct, Japan was in self-imposed isolation, and would execute foreigners who landed on Japanese shores. With rules like that, the law probably punished Japanese who fraternized with or attempted travel to other countries? Maybe it was a slap on the wrist so as to comply with the word of the law, but was light because everyone could see it wasn't their fault and the information they'd brought home was worth its weight in gold? I dunno. Just speculating.

[@JP-rf8rr]

Honestly, they were quite lucky to get the kind of reception they did or even allowed back in Japan without being under constant watch. Japan's isolation policy and fear if Western ideas was extreme.

[@peace-yv4qd]

I'm struck by the compassion that the Captain and his crew showed these wayward fisherman. Truly inspirational.

[@n3tw0rk_n3k0]

I would assume it's an unwritten sailor's rule. It could have been them stranded in that island.

[@goatface6602]

The law of the sea is taken seriously everywhere, by all seaman.

[@ibnyahud]

It's well known as the "law of the sea" for millenia....all humanity shares it

[@mikeoxmaul5465]

Not always there are pirates about

[@hotlanta35]

Ok Mike... all sailors except pirates👍

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

I love the artistic interpretation of Americans in a Japanese way. It makes it look like an alternate universe.

[@isgodreal1337]

They make westerners look like how we see easterns: exotic, weird, funny outfits..

[@Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper]

The drawing painting of the World Trade Center is good

[@isgodreal1337]

@@Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper which one is that?

[@banegas0411]

@@isgodreal1337 2 piles of rubble on fire

[@extremosaur]

Only because Media wants you to see us as a dark, and hateful people.

[@williammays9408]

"He had made so much money he thought it indecent to continue" class act

[@blupyxi5669]

Dumb af!

[@MajesticSkywhale]

@@blupyxi5669 japanese would be embarrassed about amassing that kind of wealth. He would certainly prefer to return home to retire in a small village as a farmer or woodworker or baker or something, continue working hard, and help others make their own fortunes

[@MajesticSkywhale]

@Florida Man its not hard labor if it's a hobby you love

[@MajesticSkywhale]

@Florida Man well you're florida man, not Edo Period Japanese Man, so let's let him just tell us what he did

[@sunshineskystar]

@@blupyxi5669 japanese are mostly buddist and based on how he describe the captains lodge in the ship, it is clear that he is one. thats why he didnt want to amass more wealth than he already need since it is looked down upon in buddist believe.

[@andrewhall6867]

Thank you for posting about John Majiro, my favorite and most overlooked historical badass. What is omitted is that he goes on to be an important court advisor and is made a samurai. He studied military science in Europe during the Franco-Prussian war and returned to Japan via the United States. He was formally received in DC and meets up with Captain Whitfield again. From there he returns and helped modernized the Japanese navy in the buildup to the Russo-Japanese war. There's also a minor planet named after him.

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

This story needs to be told. Imagine Captain Whitfield's surprise when he finds out that a former fisherman is now a Samurai and serves the Japanese government.

[@stephenferguson9756]

He sounds like a Japanese Joseph.

[@bajiraosingham9495]

What a life he's lived.

[@catguy00]

Ironically the video I just watched before this was one the Franco-Prussian War.

[@randomvintagefilm273]

That is amazing. That young fisherman could never have dreamed that a strong wind would take him on a one in a million experience

[@patrickholt2270]

It's a wise man who knows to get out when he's ahead, and not so loaded he's an easy mark. Modesty makes good protection.

[@morganrobinson8042]

Seriously, I was so proud of him when he folded and went to get his friends. That boy had sense.

[@thatguy-yn8ji]

tired of hearing about gold fever, good riddance!

[@CoercedJab]

that guy you mean the psyop meant to cover up the discovery of the ancient civilizations found when exploring westward

[@randomvintagefilm273]

The boy had the trip of a lifetime and even saw Haley's comet! What an amazing story and how lucky are we to know hear this! Thank you so much for making these videos, I know they are a lot of work.

[@briancastro7758]

I thought it was Haley's too but apparently not! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Comet_of_1843

[@sussurus]

"Rain gathering, Winding into streams, Like the roads to Boston." -Manjiro, July 1853

[@garywebster3044]

Wow. Made me shiver.

[@Dukevares1]

Death poem

[@chucknorris277]

All roads lead to boston out here lol

[@DomisylirAppallith]

“Your turn”

[@keithwallace1688]

Now THATS a haiku 😂

[@SiriProject]

Knew the story overall, but the actual return has a nice, warm "There and Back Again" feeling about it, I love it.

[@kebabkebob7808]

It’s a heroes journey

[@el6700]

Right?!

[@bartolomeestebanmurillo4459]

This deserves a movie or even television adaption. Kid and his friends are stranded at sea, rescued by a captain of a young United States, gets educated in America and becomes part of the crew of an American vessel, witnesses the Wild West at its height, though returned to a hostile gov he and his friends were given pensions eventually, helped modernize Japan and became a well known scholar and diplomat. He and the captain who rescued him remained life long friends!

[@kennethnielsen935]

Absolutely! It’s like the inverse of that show, Shogun!

[@markvoelker6620]

It would be a great mini-series!

[@SavageDragon999]

Yeah but better raceswap it with a black guy lmao.

[@SavageDragon999]

Also this story is even more interesting after his return to Japan. Upon returning to Japan his life ain't over. He became a samurai. Was made hatamoto again. Studied European warfare, worked as interpreter. Travelled the world again. Met with Whitfield again when he visited America. Also was an important interpreter in the opening period when Japan traded back with the US.

[@kennethnielsen935]

@@SavageDragon999 bro, wtf was that first comment?…

[@TheBroly2020]

Gets lost and literally survives in a alien world and gets back home. Government: three days dungeon no trial.

[@Steir12]

They probably were checking their backgrounds and either their story holds water or not. You know, better safe than sorry.

[@kebabkebob7808]

It was a slap on the wrist for losing the boat

[@LeoPlaw]

None were able to return to Japan, for this was during Japan's period of isolation when leaving the country was an offence punishable by death. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakahama_Manjir%C5%8D#Voyage_to_America

[@wordforger]

It was a slap on the wrist. The government realized they couldn't just let the men go because they did technically violate the law. But because they did it by accident and brought back good intelligence, keeping them around was an asset. That's probably why they were given a living stipend while being forbidden to sail anymore. The Japanese government wanted to be able to call them up at will and avoid any more "accidents."

[@lenney872]

@@LeoPlaw yes they were able to return. Read the whole page.

[@noahjuanjuneau9598]

I have a copy of this book (translated from Japanese) The title is ‘Drifting toward the Southeast’ by John Manjiro... it’s from a publisher in New Bedford, Mass. and includes numerous illustrations and hand-drawn maps by Manjiro. Fascinating adventure tale...AND it’s true!

[@luckystranger4312]

Even though it happened more than a century, i feel sorry for the death of the Captains wife, i just can imagine how excited he was to tell her about his trip, just to find out about her death, it must have been heartbreaking, to say the least

[@ChaplainJoshua]

Captain Whitfield is my great great Grandfather. This is amazing to see.

[@ChaplainJoshua]

My grandmother Patricia Whitfield has a copy of the John Howland's ship registry papers

[@roberthimself7813]

@@ChaplainJoshua that's crazy

[@leatheryfoot6354]

Small World.

[@netro4680]

Your grandfather is breathtaking

[@Shinobi33]

Really? That's awesome

[@jonb5310]

I bet when he got back to his family the first words out of his mouth were, "you're not gonna believe this shit"

[@kathryncarter6143]

I'd love to have heard the "sea horse" story out of his own mouth.

[@kakalimukherjee3297]

Black Manjiro be like:

[@hihohe4067]

Poor Captain Whitfield. Lost his wife and only learned of it when he came home to an empty house.

[@gypsyemperor7535]

Yes, hits hard. But seems he lived to 81 and married again, so happy ending.

[@jamesyanchek779]

It was more then typical for a woman to find out her husband had died @ sea months ago not learn it until his shape came in.

[@thishonestgrifter]

@@jamesyanchek779 It sucks either way.

[@jamesyanchek779]

@@thishonestgrifter How 'bout this wrinkle. Since the man was out to sea, his pay was sent to the wife. Now, either the royal navy or the independent private shipping company employing the sailor would also only learn about the death when the ship came in. The navy or the company would send someone out on a condolence call when they heard the news. After informing the woman she was a widow, perhaps for a year or more, they would then demand back all the pay from the day her husband died. She'd be expected to hand back as much as a year or more of pay then on the spot. I suppose the reverse happened as well, the husband would come home to learn his wife had run off w/ all his pay.

[@jlselc]

It was common for this situation to play out this way. Or in reverse(the wife learning of no return of her husband ). Finances changed drastically especially for the "common folk" due to this.

[@freddofrog9892]

“For government, the people elected a man of wisdom and learning for their president” what a time to be alive

[@skillfuldabest]

Now it’s all identity politics because of multiculturalism.

[@hollowkid97]

@@skillfuldabest so ur against the Japanese guy going to America?

[@stephenjenkins7971]

Must have missed the various crappy Presidents across the US' history. Or how "learned" men were essentially college-educated men which even Trump counts as. Wisdom as a trait also barely applies to any US Presidents, let alone many world leaders in all of human history. So that bit is just a general complement. No way this guy would know if the US President was wise or not.

[@goldman6506]

Now we have someone with literal dementia

[@markmogensen5518]

And the "women had exceptional virtue"... what a time indeed

[@MaoMoney]

The craziest part about this entire story was "manjiro made over 700$ in 70 days an enormous amount of money and decided to continue would be INDECENT" amazing.

[@bluesdealer]

It sounds like he quit while he was ahead. As he described, California was almost lawless at the time, with lots of thugs and gangs.

[@rayart88]

$700 is worth about 26k today...not bad for 2 months+ of work lol

[@Tirocoa]

​@@bluesdealer So... Nothing changed?

[@BartimaeusAurelius]

That's $25k ! Respect to him for quitting while he was ahead.

[@vulpes7079]

If only Americans thought like that. There'd be no billionaires manipulating politics

[@skudzer1985]

Can you imagine living in a world in which such an adventure is even possible? To set sail at sea and be lost, to stumble upon a strange new land with totally different people and cultures, have them take you in and eventually find your way back to your homeland? The closest thing we can associate with that today is accidentally getting lost in space and landing on another planet. What was it like to live on the earth and NOT know the name and location of every continent? To have a fresh, untouched mind and see everything as new.

[@dangerdan2592]

Yeah, this could basically never happen today. This is why I find history so interesting. It's hard not to romanticize the past when I hear stories like this. For all the strides advancements we have made, the interconnectedness of our world has take a lot of that mystery out of it. I know we are living in the best time in terms of quality of life (not in all countries, of course, but overall) but I still find myself wanting to see and experience what life was like in the past. This story needs to be made into a movie or something.

[@D4RK4NG3L_]

Surely theres still a couple undiscovered islands out there with some crazy shit on it

[@briancastro7758]

Islands that no one lives on and parts of those islands no one has ever been to/seen, sure. Islands that are truly undiscovered... no. You can bring up high resolution satellite images of every island on Earth on your phone on a whim.

[@D4RK4NG3L_]

@@briancastro7758 aw man haha to the stars then🤣

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Really underrated point.

[@liamflynn1120]

Ah, the olden days. When you could ask a kid's coworkers if you could take them home to the other side of the world. Good times, good times.

[@mombaassa]

It paid off, though. The kid eventually got them all home.

[@rustedcake879]

@@mombaassa And he got rich/famous + made history. Certainly surpassed expectations I bet.

[@ricksflicks-]

Yes, those were the days, and if you got bored you just headed west and made a shit load of money digging gold. Easy peesy.

[@liamflynn1120]

@@ricksflicks- Which honestly has a romantic appeal. Like shit I'd do it if I didn't have debt to worry about.

[@telesphoros]

@Hernando Malinche You can't find bitcoins in the river

[@JAGzilla-ur3lh]

I just got home from work a little while ago, and was exhausted and generally in a bad mood. The wholesomeness of this story cleared that right up.

[@danielkellyuk]

A fascinating story, and one that didn't end there. Manjirō later became a Samurai in the service of the Shogun and returned to the United States and Europe on official missions: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakahama_Manjir%C5%8D

[@athingwhichexists]

Reading that, he actually went back to Massachusetts to Visit Captain Whitfield while he was on his way home from studying military science in Europe as a Japanese Ambassador, that sounds straight out of a movie, and I wonder how that convo went.

[@jlselc]

@@athingwhichexists would love to have been a fly on the wall during that.

[@boyanpenev9822]

The story says that he was made a retainer to the local lord, wouldn't that make him a samurai anyway?

[@hattorihaso2579]

@@boyanpenev9822 yup

[@vitabricksnailslime8273]

I wondered, when they briefly showed his portrait, that he looked more like a noble than a fisherman.

[@areallyrealisticguyd4333]

The Japanese drawings really brings this together

[@airmanjoe]

I love how they drew the captain as a hideous freak lmao

[@MrSomebodyyyy98]

@@airmanjoe It's not the captain

[@themonkeyhand]

Japanese artist interpretations are so amazing and amusing.... How pimp is Manjiro to pull up to Oahu with a boat full of gold and tell his homies to hop on we goin' home!!!!!

[@Rooster_Sailing]

@10:58 "a strange star that filled the western sky." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Comet_of_1843

[@JavierChiappa]

Thats awesome, you know it's true when the astronomy checks out, lol

[@lyra1255]

I like how he felt like he was finding so much gold he was afraid of getting too rich and decided to stop. Guess it worked out coming back home and being rewarded with basically infinite money anyway?

[@FatGouf]

I mean, getting rich wasn't his real goal. Dude has integrity.

[@Harthorn]

@@FatGouf tegrity....

[@augustday9483]

He got out while the going was good. That's true wisdom.

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nice that the Captain of that Whaling ship treated Najiro and friends with such kind consideration. This story was an interesting one. Maybe it can become a movie one day.

[@lisaa.4667]

I'd watch it.

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@lisaa.4667---Awesome. Me too.

[@lkrnpk]

They shouted "Nihonjin, Nihonjin (?)'' Captain: ''Aye, give these men some gin, will you? They sure need it''

[@ReynaSingh]

The storytelling is nothing short of cinematic 🙏 keep up the good content

[@user-lt6er2ud2i]

Agreed

[@amya3980]

Wonderful to hear a story filled with kindness and cooperation. It's amazing how much humans can achieve by working together instead of hate and intolerance.

[@ashleypenn7845]

It really does make you wonder why Hollywood continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel with reboots and remakes when they have fascinating real life stories like this they could be telling instead.

[@ashleypenn7845]

@God Slayer I'd watch it.

[@AceMonkeyIlium]

You’re speaking facts

[@semplybalanced3210]

Capitalism doesn’t support creativity.

[@thylacine1154]

Agree! I'd think this could be an interesting series on Netflix.

[@johnpeteru4844]

I blubbered when he found his mother still alive , what an epic story

[@TheLastSoundNL]

The idea of the mother seeing her lost son again really pulled on my heartstrings. So good.

[@12345678900987659101]

"I was shipwrecked and landed in a fantastical new land inhabited by Nanban and have many adventures."

[@henrymonroe4300]

When you gear a guy say that you shut up and start listening

[@condty3123]

us is not Nanban

[@orev-509]

@@condty3123 Wasn't Nanban the term they used for white people?

[@condty3123]

@@orev-509 It has become a term that mainly refers to cultural objects and people in Southern Europe, Southeast Asia, Spain, and Portugal. By the way, Western Europeans and Dutch were called red-haired people to distinguish them.

[@erika002]

sounds like a light novel title

[@daftnord4957]

i'm so used to hearing about shitty deadly and horrific stories from this time period, this was such a beautiful story, and well told

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

Fun fact: The first American diplomat was consul general Townsend Harris, who was present in Japan from 1856 until 1862 but was denied permission to present his credentials to the Shōgun until 1858. He successfully negotiated the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, or the "Harris Treaty of 1858," securing trade between the two nations and paving the way for greater Western influence in Japan's economy and politics

[@FlamingBasketballClub]

What's your channel about?

[@HistoryOfRevolutions]

@@FlamingBasketballClub it's about revolutions throughout history and how they shaped and changed the world. I also make videos about thinkers and philosophers who contributed towards changing the world and challenging the powers that be

[@StefanScripca]

He did so with a bunch of cannons behind him... makes it a bit easier to do the diplomacy stuff

[@DuelJ007]

What kinda trade deals me made are preety good to know when describing him

[@rsmith02]

@Irish Jester The answer was less trade and more a port to support whaling vessels. The US was incensed by poor treatment of its sailors when they shipwrecked or otherwise landed in Japan needing supplies. Also, Britain and Russia were starting to pressure Japan to trade at that time too, and America saw them as rivals.

[@zenolachance1181]

I live in New Bedford Massachusetts, and in New Bedford whaling museum you can find this story, with artifacts from the journey and I believe the captain's Journal. Fairhaven celebrates this encounter with a Japanese citizen to this day and they have a sister city somewhere in Japan I forget the name. But I do know that it is a coastal fishing Village. I also believe there is a monument to this in Fairhaven. The owner of the whaleship has a street named after him. Howland Street, also they have to this day the Whitfield manjiro friendship society which is still active

[@Abdulhakeembennette]

As part of the celebration Massachusetts should invite one random Japanese fisherman to fly to Logan, check out our state, and then send him to see California.

[@el6700]

Also, the way Old America was described sounds so lovely.

[@mvb565]

Super knowledgeable the captain, not introducing solids to quickly to the men that had been starving. Instead, herb soup and a little bit of meat. This is amazing that he was aware of this, similar to fasting for long periods.

[@KyuuDesperation]

Yeah Science! And yet.... There's still people who believe the Earth is Flat....

[@dwightchaos9449]

@@KyuuDesperation I know huh.. it’s crazy how one can do experiments themselves to see the earth is round, yet they still rather fall right in line and believe some ridiculous KZbin videos. And they call us the “sheep”..😂

[@boxbox0000]

I'd like to think that this was common knowledge back then as starvation was uncommon but not rare like modern times, especially to sailors who are most likely to starve if something wrong had happened to their ship and stranded at sea.

[@ricksflicks-]

Also love that Manjiro had a homie named Terry.

[@prism8278]

XD

[@drewpamon]

That map must have been extremely valuable in Japan. I can hardly imagine.

[@petemartyn]

Right? What presence of mind and courage (or very fortunate curiosity) to have not only found such a route back home but to have snagged a treasure like that along the way!

[@AZTigerMMA]

This was nice to hear of the humanity in this one!

[@brictator]

19:20 indecent!

[@billymartin2220]

Did not expect to see you here. Your videos are very entertaining dude.

[@qetoun]

shameful display!

[@Zampan0]

Both Japanese and Americans were on the whole decent people in those days.

[@sk_lurks]

That stuck out to me too. Seems like a very healthy mindset to think "this is enough money, I don't need more"

[@bryanblack505]

@@sk_lurks There's people who have that mindset today. Just last year at the age of 40 I quit and sold my business along with my house in the suburbs of SoCal. Gonna move to a small town somewhere in the country and live modestly. I'm done wasting my life making money. After I sell the rest of my cars and other junk I should have just enough money to buy a truck, modest cabin, chunk of forest, and have no bills till I die. Already growing a beard! lol

[@kimiokadota8740]

John Manjiro brought back American cultures to Japan, which awakened many Japanese intellectuals who reformed the feudal system and Japan succeeded in modernization in Asia. Thus, I can say John Manjiro was an enlightenment of Western civilization for Japan.

[@diegoflores9237]

Fake

[@Friquido]

Considering how that period of time was it's so heart warming for the captain to treat them nicely. Smart and a nice man

[@mikesuniverse1789]

amazing how historys most minute events can have great impacts... like how a fisherman getting lost at sea and rescued by a whaling ship ends up providing Japan with its first world map.

[@yaleyoon6856]

These accidental shipwreck accounts are always interesting

[@VoicesofthePast]

They are! Any suggestions for more? They are a joy to make

[@yaleyoon6856]

@@VoicesofthePast Yes! Actually in the comments here I posted a story of another (a Korean guy this time) fisherman named Mun Sundeuk who shipwrecked on Okinawa & the Phillipines and finally made it back to Korea via China after 3 yrs. Around 1799~1802. Crazy story, he even learned Luzon Island dialect Filipino while living there

[@jobrimar8291]

@@VoicesofthePast the Siberian voyages are quite the roistering tales, frequently ending in icy doom. The Willem Barents, Semyon Dezhnev or Vitus Berings voyages are worth a look if you are unfamiliar with them (Bering had a zoologist/boffin named Steller in the crew who left a good account of those expeditions

[@John_on_the_mountain]

Id like to hear more accounts of purposeful shipwrecks

[@rztrzt]

@@VoicesofthePast Charles Rawden Maclean aka "John Ross"

[@richiecuzzz1]

It’s crazy how much our relationship with Japan has changed from time to time.

[@nicholasbreazeale3472]

Dude lived a hell of a life and had a happy fucking ending. Why isn’t this an anime. I’d binge it.

[@treebeard8475]

I can’t imagine my wife dying while I’m at sea for months on end what a blast that must have been to the captain. People were and are very resilient.

[@KorKhan89]

A “man of wisdom and learning” being elected as President. Those were the days!

[@Acetyl53]

Blame the central bankers and their multi-century war to end all wars.

[@Lachausis]

bUt rEaL cOmMuNiSm hAsN't bEeN tRiEd yEt. gIvE uS a cHaNcE, rAySiSsss!

[@lordofchromium1534]

@@Lachausis don’t fight a straw man with a straw man

[@serdnae]

We cannot elect people of wisdom and learning until we ourselves value wisdom and learning.

[@KitKat_293]

I think that was very much the idealistic and hope filled perspective of a teenager in a strange and amazing world who received a lot of genuine kindness and welcoming there, and all immediately after an extremely traumatic near death experience. Idk I think we gain a lot by seeing how his perspective on America was very rose tinted, though remarkably artistic and emotional and personal in a way you rarely get from historic first hand accounts. And the idealism, bordering on naivety is understandable after going through something so horrific at such a young age, but encountering some truly kind people in the world and all the things he felt and saw that were so remarkable compared to most peoples lives. To me it misses the point to take that and believe that the government was actually any better or worse back then

[@ThePooper3000]

Imagine spending 3 days in jail and getting banned from fishing because you got lost.

[@darryljones3009]

Well, at least you won't get lost again.

[@digitalnomad9985]

He also failed to return the borrowed boat.

[@juliantotriwijaya9208]

@@chrissi.enbyYT lol XD why does this fit perfectly?

[@redcrown0694]

North Korea: lost at sea, declared a traitor; sentence to be killed by Anti-AirCraft Gun. Family members sent to slave labor camp.

[@heatherv3417]

Japan was isolationist during this era, so that’s why he wasn’t allowed to sail for fear of contacting people he knew outside of Japan or trying to return

[@thescarlethunter2160]

The very first Isekai

[@dorian4646]

To Massachusetts!

[@Rose-yt5hi]

Instead if truck-kun, it was ship-kun.

[@notatallheng]

"That Time When I Got Shipwrecked And Ended Up In A Land Where Everything Runs On Steam." Now in a Kinokuniya near you.

[@namekman01]

@@notatallheng is 'kinokuniya' a 'cinema'? the word looks like japan-glish

[@muhammadnursyahmi9440]

@@notatallheng bookstore actually

[@ryudai1]

Happy Holidays from Oahu! Thrilled to hear my home mentioned in a video.

[@ss-manoa4534]

If you’re interested, Manjiro’s companion Jusuke’s grave is in Kaneohe. It is thought that the other companion who stayed on O’ahu has descendants here. People interested in the story are trying to track them down.

[@Frog_Mob_Boss]

I am happy he and his family got to reunite. It sounds like he was a wonderful fellow.

[@Chungus581]

“Be the America Japan thinks you are” is apparently timeless

[@DejectedCat]

NHK just greenlit a taiga historical drama on this guy's life story.

[@nemoatlantis7148]

can't wait to see low wage bad acting gaijin protray

[@phillipisbell2568]

I love the pause in his voice when he writes about "the city of New York, in the province of...New York." Like even then people were confuaed about why they had the same name.

[@Chuck8541]

Absolutely amazing story! So much was unknown back then. The golden age of travel.

[@bambrose1565]

Really enjoyed watching that. Thank you!

[@JASONAMANO]

That was so beautiful Thank you for sharing this wonderful story to us

[@joesantana180]

This is fucking sick, it would make a great movie

[@geoffreyherrick298]

Orca great anime!

[@ElectricMoonlight]

This is absolutely fascinating.

[@procinctu1]

Thank you for posting that that was a great video. We need more stuff like that in the world.

[@briankaras1767]

A good friend of mine is descended from Manjiro. He had told me this story before. It’s truly amazing.

[@JonnyBgood123]

Recently discovered the channel and your other 1. Have listened to everything on this channel can't get enough!

[@Darklazer230]

As the past speaks to us, we all constantly speak to the future

[@goldenrepublic6848]

I don’t think the future likes what it hears

[@dcraexon]

My dogs have gas

[@seand.g423]

@@dcraexon out of all you could have posted on this of all threads...

[@InnerDness]

rEaLLy mAkEs YoU tHiNk

[@Acetyl53]

The record of our shame will be more vivid than ever before.

[@lenardregencia]

John Manjiro needs his own Anime Series.

[@nulnoh219]

Search up Appare Ranman. A Samurai and a young Japanese inventor shipwrecks in California and participates in a cross country motor race.

[@wordforger]

No kidding.

[@PenumbranWolf]

I WOULD WATCH SIX SEASONS, 3 OVAs, AND BUY THE WAIFU PILLOW. I DEMAND A BEACH EPISODE.

[@robbypodobinski824]

Make him a samurai and let's go!!!

[@thelastdrive-inscreen2393]

Johnny Manj

[@ll.fleischer1736]

This was such a good story! Currently crying happy tears. I’m so glad manjiro got what he wanted in the end and got to return to his family. That rarely happens in life what an extraordinary man

[@HoneyMike]

I was so happy to hear his mother was still alive

[@christaylor6654]

I love these episodes, thank you for the time capsule back in time.

[@knutkarstensen3114]

When people told real stories.. Hundreds of years later they still have such an impact. What is first is what is human. Universal. Unchanging. True. This storie is a treasure

[@jakej2680]

I really like the image at 11:36 that is an American harbor in the Japanese imagination. I have definitely seen a bunch of images in the modern era from western artists that show "fantasy" Japanese architecture. That type of artwork seems to always make things more grand than in real life and although it captures the essence of what makes Japanese buildings exotic, it tends to have some noticeable differences from actual Japanese buildings. So seeing the flip-side version of this phenomena is really cool. It definitely doesn't look exactly like the colonial wharf buildings I visited as a kid in New England, but it captures an essence that tells me something about how a Japanese perspective would look at the differences in architectural aesthetics. I do love though that like a lot of Japanese art of western subjects from this era, they always seem to insert random things that are absolutely Japanese, like the hats on the figures in the foreground, or the pagoda tower in the background, or the huge mountains right on the coast 🤣

[@billbillson3129]

I felt genuinely happy to hear that his old mom was still alive XD What an adventure!

[@metacob]

Imagine coming home after an multi-year adventure like this. I think back then people generally had good memories and storytelling ability, so listening to him must have been like watching several seasons of a drama series today.

[@ollipuumalainen8932]

The so called sea horse couldn't have been a walrus (pictured in the video) as they live only in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It was most likely a southern elephant seal. A great video once again! Your channel is among my absolute favourites.

[@wasp586]

same goes for that narwal ...

[@_AvgWellInformedCitizen]

He was eventually officially recognized with a “favor of the country” and granted a coveted job working for the Lord, probably as a trade advisor. This is up and above a lifelong stipend, their version of a pension. The map he brought back with him, a national treasure of modern cartography.

[@Rvoid]

He was made a Hatamoto nonetheless. A personal retainer to the Shogun himself. Truly, his adventure has done him well.

[@_AvgWellInformedCitizen]

@@Rvoid thank you for being specific. A retainer for the Shogun himself!

[@28-r8b]

what a wonderful story. that reunion with his mother must have been quite moving.

[@DocFlamingo]

What a fantastic story. So glad I stumbled across this.

[@pepperspray7386]

"Incredible Story" is an understatement.

[@大屁股-i1q]

He must've been quite tenacious to actually profit from the Gold Rush without falling into the wrong crowd and spending his earnings on vice under the lawless sun. Manjiro definitely loved his home.

[@The_Gallowglass]

When a man is homesick there's not much that can stop him.

[@zerofourfiveone]

Truly he was a man with character, with a pure sense of adventure.

[@miguelrodrigues2705]

@@jannguerrero i mean all the money he would make extra would be useless back home unless he brougth the gold which was impossible. duo to japand isolation there was no such thing as a usd to japan money exchange

[@alswann2702]

@@miguelrodrigues2705 Gold spends anywhere by weight, not dollars, yen, pounds, etc.

[@miguelrodrigues2705]

@@alswann2702 I didnt mean being American gold, I meant there's no way he'd be able to carry pure gold througth the sea all the way to Japan without trading license, something that Japan just isn't have.... also as soon as he'd arrive the gold would be confiscated as to not incentive other Japanese to try their luck in America or any other exterior country

[@rsmith02]

What I was most impressed by was the hanga prints illustrating life in the US. While the Library of Congress has a good collection of Japanese prints, they don't seem to include these ones. The museum in Philly you cited also doesn't include many on their page about Manjiro so I have to say you've done a great job digging to find these. It really brought the Japanese view of pre-civil war America to life.

[@VoicesofthePast]

Here is the amazing exhibition from the Rosenbach, a lot of it is online: rosenbach.org/visit/exhibitions/manjiro-drifting-1841-2020/

[@curiositeconstante404]

Thanks for your wonderful work, and the image you use with delicate attention

[@Hail_Full_of_Grace]

Adventure like this is impossible in todays world and that makes me a little sad.

[@Gilgamoth]

Yeah the rise in over-imposed nationalism(I said over-imposed because, nationalism has multiple narratives nowadays) is kinda disheartening. Sure the old world was filled with war, but the one who doesn't want war was truly kind.

[@garyoakham9723]

@@Gilgamoth what’s the point of country or taxes if you have no heritage

[@Gilgamoth]

@@garyoakham9723 "mutiple marratives" also, if you show the modern world to a soldiers, maybe 50 years ago what's like in this world today. They may realize it might be not worth fighting for. It's all just a fallacy coming from insecurities and the powerful ones likes to take advantages of us. On the other hand, there's an island in southeast Asia where all of the people are fully colorblind because of inbreeding. So who knows, maybe war may serve as the human way of "the strongest one gets to continue their heritage" (because I don't think full colorblind perdon makes even at least useful soldiers) and it does proven that if you decided to scramble your DNA, there's a higher chance of surviving multiple diseases, viruses, and god knows whatever thing that could mess up our human dna real good. So yeah, in no ways I am attacking traditionalism and etc. But it is pretty stupid if that's the reason of you are being unkind to others.

[@wordforger]

Well, there's still one or two isolated tribes in the world.

[@CantusTropus]

This is why we need to find aliens, so we can do this again.

[@Voots7]

Excellent yarn. Enjoyed very much.

[@kewlboi5420]

Just amazing and to think that I would have never of heard this story if it wasn't for this amazing KZbin channel ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@esinohio]

This was very produced and voiced extremely well. I'm so glad I found this channel.

[@AJWRAJWR]

Back in the olden days when seahorses were still just a kind of walrus... I get nostalgic.

[@vincemeszaros9010]

Its a really wholesome, miraculous story. Manjiro sounds like he truly lived a charmed life. The video and how it was presented gave me a very Ken Burns documentary style feel for the people from the past. It makes me believe that average everyday people were not so different from those of us today in terms of compassion and kindness but history books tend to only focus on the mostly negative, racism, war, etc. (like the news nowadays) Good stuff.

[@Chronomatrix]

Amazing story! What a great adventure. Eventho' life expectancy was much lower people lived and experienced so much more back then. It must have been amazing from Manjiro's point of view.

[@RepublicOfUs]

@Eastern fence Lizard "I was born in the wrong era" is one hell of a drug, man.

[@mathiso01]

@Eastern fence Lizard lol,I started trucking in 2000. Realized how much cable television and Walmart brought people shared experiences.

[@adreamingwolf]

What an amazing piece of history. Thank you so much for this.. I was enthralled the whole time.

[@johnbbolton]

I took advantage of your sponsor's free month, thanks for the tip!

[@derfliv206]

You do a fantastical presentation of these age old stories and perspectives of the world. Keep it up man !

[@oilman7718]

I had never heard of this before. Seems like something that a talented screenwriter/producer/director could make into an interesting film.

[@jonathanorillo8721]

Thank you for this Christmas gift!

[@ninny65]

"Technically we're meant to punish you for this but you've advanced our country by 200 years so 3 days in jail and everything you want forever?"