Early Japanese Visitor Describes "Competitive and Unhealthy" European World (1872, Iwakura Embassy)

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Extracts taken from "The Iwakura Embassy, 1871-1873: A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation through the United States of America and Europe by Kume Kunitake, Graham Healey, Chushichi Tsuzuki, Martin Collcutt, Andrew Cobbing, P. F. Kornicki, Eugene Soviak."
www.amazon.com/Iwakura-Embass...
- Music courtesy of:-
Epidemic Sound
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Image Credits:
Japanese Armor in Tower of London By Tristan Surtel - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Assyrian Carving By Jase Curtis from London, England - British Museum, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Vase By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Cup By Paul Hudson from United Kingdom - British Museum - 30 minute photo challenge, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Chocolate Factory By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Dutch East India Company By Stephencdickson - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Images of Venice By Leo Wehrli - These images are from the collection of the ETH-Bibliothek and have been published on Wikimedia Commons as part of a cooperation with Wikimedia CH. Corrections and additional information are welcome., CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
We try to use copyright free images at all times. However if we have used any of your artwork or maps then please don't hesitate to contact me and we’ll be more than happy to give the appropriate credit.

[@VoicesofthePast]

The official report of the Mission compiled by Kume was published in 1878, entitled Tokumei Zenken Taishi Bei-O Kairan Jikki (特命全権大使米歐回覧実記). It is available in English as: Healey, Graham and Tsuzuki Chushichi, eds, A True Account of the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary's Journey of Observation Through the United States of America and Europe. You can also follow up the publishers of the full translation at this site: www.mhmlimited.co.jp/japan_documents_publishing.html

[@kaushiksheshnagraj7176]

I liked your videos so much your channel is my favourite in KZbin your videos are so much knowledgeful and educative your channel is a inspiration for other history KZbin channels I get various Knowledge from your videos I am your old supporter and subscriber from 5k so I have a humble request for you can you make a video on Skanderbeg please please

[@dashingmay]

Could you do account of Burma? About the old kingdoms. Thank you💖

[@0therun1t21]

Wonderful channel! You have a new subscriber, thank you!

[@morty_falch8049]

seriously unedited?

[@cyborgchicken3502]

Kinda ironic though since they attempted to do the same thing twice in Asia, first under Toyotomi Hideyoshi where he attempted to invade Thailand, Korea and China and then again under the Meiji Restoration in the late 1800s which would eventually lead up to WW2

[@johnr797]

"You ok with drawing the map?" "100%" "You know what the UK looks like right?" "Totally"

[@chey6073]

Tbf they didn’t get their own country’s shape right either 2:31

[@TsarOfRuss]

What about you?? do you?? apart from seeing it on the internet, do you know what the map of the UK looks like?????? does your father? does your grandfather?? this is not even an insult

[@johnr797]

@@TsarOfRuss I knew what it looked like when the internet barely existed, actually.

[@ennui9745]

@@johnr797 So you can draw it right now without looking at a reference, correct?

[@johnr797]

@@ennui9745 yeah. Cornwall and Devon got a little bump going on, then Wales be doing the same thing. Scotland breaks into pieces up top.

[@nborr258]

"We heard it said the Spaniard makes an occupation of sleeping all day..." Absolutely brilliant

[@hmartinspliff]

Ouch! The Spanish reputation took a bit of nosedive in the hundred or so years since that Indian guy visited Europe _(First Indian Visitor Describes England and European Life // 1785 'Wonders of Vilayet')._ He was told that Spain is a rich country with hard working people.

[@iskog.831]

@@hmartinspliff And within Spain that stereotype applies only to the southernmost people of Spain; the Andalusians. Nevertheless it could be explained by the extreme heat of their region, which reaches it's exhausting peak during mid day, leaving no other options but to take a 'siesta'.

[@taio1388]

As a Spaniard….that’s pretty spot on lol

[@miguelmaestas839]

And that’s why I’m proud of my Spanish ancestry 😂.

[@Kolvarg]

@@iskog.831 Very similar in Portugal with the people from Alentejo, which are stereotyped as being lazy, taking everything with a very slow pace and taking naps under trees in the field. Similarly it's the region in the country that gets the most heat and can be very dry. I can't imagine how hard it would be to work the fields in such heat even in the shadow, let alone under the mid day sun.

[@gunnarherzog5538]

Odd to hear about Japanese attitudes to an unhealthy work ethic back then, when contrasted to the Japanese work ethic of today

[@orangutanenthusiast5631]

I think it’s more that he is upper class and so ignorant of how the common Japanese lived.

[@dominicm255]

I think the Japanese sort of copied the Western capitalist model in order to be competitive. Once Anglo-Saxon/protestant races were considered the hardest working. Now, everywhere, people will point to east Asians as such. "Chinese are so hard working" is a common refrain.

[@Quast]

Yeah weird how this office culture came to be in Japan. Just stay very long hours and you are a team player, no matter what you do after you've actually done all the work there was for the day...

[@gianmarcorusso1713]

@@dominicm255 In Anglosaxon culture, attitude to work is as toxic as in East Asian countries. The problem is that while the Chinese, South Koreans and Japanese will sincerely admit they overwork, an American will pretend everything is fine.

[@andreweden9405]

@@gianmarcorusso1713 , Protestantism.

[@nowhereman6019]

"Seeing but once is better than hearing a hundred times."

[@Dayvit78]

That's a common idiom in many Asian countries (in Vietnam: Trăm nghe không bằng một thấy = 100 listenings are not equal to 1 seeing). You could say it's English equivalent is "seeing is believing" because the point they're trying to get across is you will believe something more if you see it with your own eyes (as opposed to hearing rumors).

[@Alex-fv2qs]

And A picture is worth a thousand words

[@Dayvit78]

@@Alex-fv2qs Ooops that's the correct one :)

[@ritz5102]

百聞は一見に如かず

[@blazednlovinit]

If this was true, "what am I looking at?" Would not be a legitimate question

[@Fenristhegreat]

Bismarck there trying to secure that German-Japanese alliance 60 years early! Now that's a forward thinking politician!

[@marmer4541]

Man was ahead of the game 😂

[@longtermcareexperiences-bi5685]

@@marmer4541 Bismarck was an extraordinary diplomat.

[@Edge_Boye]

Bismarck has literally been right until today

[@clmk28]

Bismarck sparks imperial japanese road to conquest

[@axelpatrickb.pingol3228]

I mean, it makes sense; two latecomers to the imperial game and fresh great powers with much to prove to the established powers...

[@matthewboyle2641]

I love how edgy Bismarck comes across, everyone else is wining and dining them and Bismarck is just like "you know all those bastards are full of it! International law is a joke and it's kill or be killed. You better watch your back to make sure you don't find an English or a French knife in it. Yeah, so Germany invades a few places, what of it? Everyone else is doing it. We just want our piece of the pie."

[@Bialy_1]

Yea, he was clearly aware that they do not know much about Prussia so during that diner he fed them not only with food but also with thick lies... Prussian language was already dead and real Prussians decimated, minority that survived was forcefully Germanised. And that whole country was created on similar bold lie, German Teutonic Order lied to Polish king that they will be living there for protection of Polish christian citizens from non-christian Prussian tribes that was constantly attacking this part of Poland and the first thing after "liberation" of Danzig was massacre of local Polish-christian citizens of that city... And Prussia in the end of XIX century was identical. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrze%C5%9Bnia_children_strike Only two years after Bismark death. Young children treated as criminals for wanting to pray in their mother tongue... But Japanese were not naive, after German deal with Soviets and invasion of Poland, Japanese opened eyes to German complete lack of honor and that is why Japan Embassy in Prussia during WW2 was very important and active harbor for Polish inteligence officers and when Poland was forced to declare war to Japan after Pearl Harbor Japanese Prime minister said that he know that Poland was forced to do that by grim situation and that is why he is not accepting this declaration of war and during WW2 plenty of Polish most active agents were working in Germany with real Japanese diplomatic passports...

[@kaiserkhosrow3724]

blunt

[@517342]

Well, he's honest about it at least.

[@appleslover]

And he wasn't wrong, just too honest for his own good

[@billyc9707]

O how right he was. He just didn’t realize the French and especially British would never allow Germany a top place on the world stage. Ask Kaiser Wilhelm. His letters in exile are on this channel and explain perfectly. The British and frenchs declaration of war on Germany after the invasion of Poland yet not on the USSR also explain.

[@missourimongoose7643]

The best part about this channel is the historical shit talking that went down that doesn't make it on normal docs

[@Narokkurai]

I love how the English showed off their collection of Japanese swords and the ambassadors were like, "These are some shitty antiques, don't bother."

[@adamsinger123]

Yes😂absolutely

[@laptv2144]

@@Narokkurai kinda to be expected though, England wasn’t exactly sending the Crown Jewels to be displayed in Japan…

[@blitzwaffe]

Japan: I would never act like this...*22 years later* I want the entire ocean.

[@bryanmartinez6600]

East Asia Exist: Japan: Mine!

[@toxicalyss]

Well they tried... If they did not do it by force but by anime erm... I mean culture they would have won without firing a single shot.

[@Sordatos]

Not to mention the hypocrecy of critiquing the crony capitalism of enriching the already rich, when you come form a country that basically zero socialk movility by law

[@E1N101]

@@toxicalyss So right. Imagine Disney slowly fading into propaganda ridden obscurity, while Pocket Monsters became the single greatest existing IP on this planet.. ;-)

[@Anonymous-cm8jy]

@@toxicalyss they were influenced by Europeans conquest and culture too.

[@newrisingdamned7604]

British show her japan sword collection A Japanese: Ah, thats a cute made in china toy of you

[@umusuuk]

"lmao what kind of mall ninja shit is this"

[@Wanderer628]

Considering it was gifted to King Chalres by the Emperor he was actually insulting his own countries royalty.

[@justin_5631]

they were old swords; he said they were like antiques, and im sure the art of swordmaking had progressed in japan since then.

[@dannyboywhaa3146]

Yes, he was rather blunt (excuse the pun) when addressing the ‘prized’ Japanese swords, certainly less than impressed 😳

[@soffa93]

@@Wanderer628 emperor was thrifty :)

[@TheReaper569]

"Thus have the wild and thorny bushes become the civilization of today and the prosperity of yester year become the degeneration of today." Most beautiful of phrases. This quote will stay with me untill the end of my days. True respect to these Japanese gentlemen.

[@oliversmith9200]

Yeah, I'm remembering it for the next time Chicago comes up.

[@m.w.6526]

"No country has sprung into existence fully formed. The pattern in the nation's fabric is always woven in a certain order. The knowledge acquired by those who precede is past on by those who succeed. The understanding achieved by earlier generations is handed down to later generations. And so, we move forward by degrees. This is what is called progress. Progess does not mean discarding what is old and contriving something which is entirely new. In the forming of a nation, therfore customs and practices arise who's value is rested by constant use. So that when new knowledge appears it naturally does so by existing forces". I love this quote, my favorite from this video. I think it is very applicable today as well! We must remember to not throw away "old" values or knowledge, we might just throw away our very selves.

[@Gamerlike69]

Herodotus says similar in 500bc as a reason for including as much as possible in his inquiries "For some nations that are now great were once small, and many that now languish were once mighty"

[@RockHardRiffs]

Some seem they can’t throw things away fast enough

[@theghostofspookwagen4715]

Japan in 1933: imperial expansion, invades China and most of East Asia Japan in 2021: virtual reality hentai

[@taddawesome]

As a German I was not disappointed that he started at beer

[@Nick-Lab]

This guy talking about Germany possibly becoming a wolf themselves is strangely spot on

[@chrisbirch6513]

Since as soon as Bismark was removed and the moron Kaiser Wilhelm decided foreign policy.

[@CBielski87]

Ya, they were clearly aware that he does not know much about Prussia so during that dinner he fed them not only with food but also thick, juicy lies... Prussian language was already dead and real Prussians decimated, a minority that survived was forcefully Germanized. And that whole country was created on a similar bold lie--German Teutonic Order lied to the Polish King that they will be living there for protection of Polish christians from non-christian Prussian tribes that were constantly attacking this part of Poland and the first thing after the "liberation" of Danzig was the massacre of local Polish-christians. And Prussia in the end of XIX century was identical. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrze%C5%9Bnia_children_strike Only two years after Bismark death. Young children treated as criminals for wanting to pray in their mother tongue... But Japanese were not naive, after German deal with Soviets and invasion of Poland, the Japanese opened their eyes German complete lack of honor and that is why the Japanese Embassy in Prussia during WW2 was very important and an active harbor for Polish intelligence officers. When Poland was forced to declare war on Japan after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Prime minister said that he knows that Poland was forced to do that via 'grim circumstances' and that is why he is not accepting this declaration of war and during WW2 plenty of Polish agents were working in Germany with real Japanese diplomatic passports.

[@Bialy_1]

"Hit the Poles so hard that they despair of their life; I have full sympathy with their condition, but if we want to survive, we can only exterminate them; the wolf, too, cannot help having been created by God as he is, but people shoot him for it if they can." - Letter to his sister Malwine (26/14 March 1861), published in Bismarck-Briefe (Second edition Göttingen 1955), edited by Hans Rothfels, p. 276; as quoted in Hajo Holborn: A History of Modern Germany 1840-1945 (1969), p. 165

[@CptTexas1]

@@CBielski87 Take your copypasta somewhere else schlomo

[@inurmomsbedroom123]

@@CBielski87 Poland isn't a real country either so...

[@MaycroftCholmsky]

A Japanese man from 19th century proclaiming european clothing and ear piercings to be unhealthy is golden

[@johnedrian6172]

How do you say that huh!!!!????🤔🙄

[@freckleheckler6311]

That’s makes no actual sense. He must have been referring to superstitions or delusional interpretations of foreign things. Like they couldn’t also apply to any point in world history?

[@gursiratsingh3012]

@Gaming Authority dude there is difference between tight lacing and corset. Don't be an ignorant and study history correctly.

[@gursiratsingh3012]

@Gaming Authority tight lacing was worn by a minority of people. Working class woman didn't wear it.

[@a.s.3267]

Had he heard about foot binding in China?

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

"There were also some Japanese swords, but they were inferior to any found at any antiques store in Japan." I can just picture a Japanese store owner unloading a bunch of useless swords on some western trader who has no idea about swords, getting totally ripped off but coming back to England all proud that he has these cool swords to show off.

[@Wanderer628]

Except that isn't what happened. Those swords were an official state gift by the Shogun and along with the armour was forged by his personal armourers and weaponsmith's. You can literally look it up on the royal armoury web page. This guy by insulting them was literally insulting the work of one of his countries finest weapon makers.

[@theghostofspookwagen4715]

Tfw mall ninjas existed even in the 1800s

[@MogofWar]

@@Wanderer628 Masamune and Muramasa were like the Coke and Pepsi of sword brands in Japan, so it makes sense that a man in the political faction that overthrew the Shogunate would be casting shade on the swords the Shogunate preferred.

[@randymagnum143]

By this time, *all* swords were useless.

[@kn2549]

Reminds me of how Ukiyo-e paintings were considered to be some kind of expensive exotic art by Europeans during the Edo period while Japan at the time printed them in mass numbers with woodblock, using them for wrapping cheap products at the store and such.

[@guillaumeroudiere5749]

The part about Rome and the wide plains and forest was thrilling He was clearly refering to the potential of Japan

[@rong.2494]

it was about Germany

[@jamesgordley5000]

I wonder if this visit with Bismarck was somehow instrumental in why Japan decided to modernize it's code of laws after Germany.

[@daemonzap1481]

It explains why so much anime sidetopics is always about how Germany is so great

[@deadby15]

@@daemonzap1481 German people are usually considered logical, disciplined, and technologically advanced in Japan.

[@tfdbudtz]

I don't know about especially Bismarck, but the visit to the US and Europe was sent explicetly by the Tenno with the mission to gather the best things of every country so that Japan could copy them in modernizing. It was the reason why Japan copied German code of laws, French city planning, US military structure etc. The reports they brought back very heavily influenced the view of the japanese popluation on the west and have quite the impact them to this day (excluding the US, the view on them was completly rewritten during WWII, the occpuation and the cold war).

[@morty_falch8049]

that is what I got out of this report

[@jollojakar8995]

They considered copying America, but they needed room for an emperor.

[@HundreadD]

It's a shame that more people have not written down what Bismarck said when he was alive. Biographies of him in English are scarce and mostly outdated, and his letters and speeches are well-trodden territory. People I guess were much too busy for the most part to write down everything he said in ordinary conversation, which would of course be lost to us forever. I'm sure if there was a "Conversations With Bismarck" like Eckermann's famous "Conversations With Goethe" then that would be considered a classic today

[@DrSleazoid]

Bismarck was the last good German politician.

[@Bialy_1]

"Hit the Poles so hard that they despair of their life; I have full sympathy with their condition, but if we want to survive, we can only exterminate them; the wolf, too, cannot help having been created by God as he is, but people shoot him for it if they can." - Letter to his sister Malwine (26/14 March 1861), published in Bismarck-Briefe (Second edition Göttingen 1955), edited by Hans Rothfels, p. 276; as quoted in Hajo Holborn: A History of Modern Germany 1840-1945 (1969), p. 165 I can't imagine why more people have not written down what Bismarck said to them in private conversation... *sarcasm*

[@fifthcolumn388]

I’ve got a book called “Talks with TR” written in the last year of Teddy Roosevelt’s life which consist of his recorded thoughts gathered during a series of conversations with the author during a train journey.

[@user-ld7ch1er6j]

@@Bialy_1 the germs never really liked the slavs.

[@sirsteam6455]

@@Bialy_1 "I can't imagine why more people have not written down what Bismarck said to them in private conversation... sarcasm" the words and speeches of a man in which one disagrees on any level is not something to ignore or to not scribe as any information that could or can further ones understanding of the motives or thinking of a people or place is important and even more so when the intellect of them is without question even if they disagree intellect is not something to ignore.

[@scotttaylor7146]

21:46 "Rome wasn't built in a day" - some Japanese guy in 1872

[@agalvan91]

I just find amazing how visionary is their point of view about the British Museum and its value for the nation: "Seeing but once is better than hearing a hundred times".

[@atom5k563]

"Just walking at an ordinary pace gives the impression that one is an idler. As a result many people simply run out of energy and the numbers of the poor are probably greater then any other country..."

[@lolmao500]

The guy hasnt visited west taiwan.

[@TVwriter23]

Sounds like corporate America

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

The ordinary people of England at the time certainly were running out of energy, not because of slow walking though, but rather because most of them were actively starving.

[@Wanderer628]

@@TheGreatMoonFrog Except then weren't. Do you actually have evidence to back that up or just waiting what the popular imagination thinks that time was like?

[@KingDomIV]

@@Wanderer628 dude, the working classes in Britain were savagely exploited at this time as any student of history knows. They were literally worked to death in poor houses.

[@buonaparte11]

I am Japanese. Thank you for the wonderful video. 14:25 This Bismarck speech is not famous to all Japanese people in general, but it is famous to Japanese people who like history. It was in 1943 that Japan ended all of the unequal treaties enforced by the Western powers. 75 years after the Meiji Restoration.

[@theodorekaczynski8147]

Why 1943 and not the two years prior?

[@coreylevine8095]

1941

[@Conn30Mtenor]

...and then Japan embarked upon an insane war against the west when they couldn't get away with abusing China. Funny how things worked out.

[@meep3035]

Charles Burnham and western double standards “only we are allowed to colonize, oppress people especially if they are brown” “in fact we put germany in check for doing to us what we did to the rest of the world.”

[@coolconnor5260]

​@@meep3035 Germany was put into check because it repeatedly broke international treaties and agreement... Also the absolute destruction wrought by Japan in the second Sino-Japanese war is only really comparable to the worst of european colonialism under Leopold II. Either way fuck colonialism whether it's Japanese, American or European.

[@jtgd]

10:12 These sweets provide nourishment to the blood. *Sweats in Diabetes*

[@TVwriter23]

Have to be careful of comparing chocolate candy from back them. Modern folks used to a chocolate candy today would probably ask WTH is this. More so if they drunk Mayan or Aztec hot chocolate . I'm weird though I love my chocolate more on the bitter side. The fact that it was spicy all the more bitter. I mean who doesn't like chocolate that burns your mouth?

[@Sordatos]

Is not like they will even know about that for at least 100 yrs

[@Garl_Vinland]

Sugar technically is nourishment to the blood. The brain needs it to live.

[@AYVYN]

The French diplomats probably stole Belgian Chocolate and said it was French

[@UltimateTruthChannel]

@@AYVYN I concur.

[@charjl96]

"Progress does not mean discarding what is old and contriving something which is entirely new." I feel like some people in the modern era would benefit from this wisdom.

[@gregdaweson4657]

*most

[@Sceptonic]

That is what I thought as well

[@gregdaweson4657]

@wargames CiTaTiOn PlEaSe! Example: Personal experience. ThAt'S nOt PrOoF, iT's aNeCdOtAl!!!1!!1!

[@antiglobalist8229]

Especially for radical left/liberal university and college students.

[@jim-bob87]

You know this is a trusted primary source because of the absolutely perfect description of british weather. "not proper rain - just continously overcast + drizzle". Summed up perfectly.

[@ikarly2898]

Please do works by the Filipino José Rizal. He travelled the world a lot and has some really valuable insights coming from a colonised country visiting the colonising ones.

[@adrianaslund8605]

Anyone else struck by how much of a cool guy this japanese fella is! He is very sensible, intelligent and analytical. He tries to give us a birdseye view of cultures he visits and their context, he's a good observant writer and seems quite compassionate and open minded.

[@visage123456]

What an amazing piece of history. This is one of my favorite channels on KZbin.

[@jona.scholt4362]

This channel is such a gem. And the videos of Kume's travels are probably my favorites. That man lived quite a life!

[@tacitus6384]

I dunno, that's kinda rich given Japan's history of civil conflict prior to unification :P.

[@wolfgangkranek376]

Exactly... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_invasions_of_Korea_(1592%E2%80%931598)

[@inspiringer6418]

Yeah it was quite funny

[@azn3000]

I'd argue that Sengoku Jidai (or any feudal conflict in Japan) was nowhere near as destructive as European colonialism was. It was still a bloody era of conflict but it was mostly contained with Japan. European colonialism exploited multiple peoples around the globe for centuries, killing thousands of them, irreparably changing cultures, and its led to bullshit we still see today. Haiti for example is an incredibly poor country because after they revolted against the French, the latter would impose crippling financial debt through the threat of force and economic isolation. The initial indemnity wasn't paid off until 122 years after independence. And I'd say even contemporary China is a product of European colonialism. European interference into Chinese affairs greatly destabilized the Qing empire leading to its downfall by revolution. When the Chinese set up a western style Nationalist government, Europeans still insisted on retaining their spheres of influence and right after WW1 they even had the audacity to cede land to Japan who had conquered German controlled spheres in China which led to the creation of the Communist party.

[@pukingpanda1803]

@@azn3000 I'm not sure why you'd even begin to compare the Sengoku Jidai with European colonialism. The Sengoku Jidai was a civil war between different clans and regions within a single culture. Japan had is own colonies and treated the peoples they subjugated pretty badly. And in World War 2 they showed they were very much willing to treat their fellow Asians far worse than Europeans did. Haiti was essentially a pariah country because they genocided their White population in their war for independence. This didn't exactly make all the countries around them (British/Spanish colonies and the USA) keen to do business with them as most of them had large Black populations with a White ruling class. The only reason the French were able to impose a fine on them was because all the other powers agreed that they Haitians had to be punished. The fact that Haitians destroyed much of their plantation-based economy during the revolution, the fact they split in two nations that continued fighting each other for 16 years and the subsequent invasion of Santo Domingo(basically turning it into a Haitian colony) didn't help neither their economy nor foreign relations very much. Anyway pretty much all nations in the world either had colonies, are the product of colonists and/or would have them if they could have had them. Haiti colonized Santo Domingo. Han Chinese conquered and colonized what is Southern China and Taiwan and is currently colonizing Tibet, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. To suggest that Europeans are uniquely evil is idiotic and narrow-minded.

[@wolfgangkranek376]

@@azn3000 Mostly Bs. Go and learn some history!

[@Cristian-gj7fg]

I enjoy this channel so much. Thank you for your work and time.

[@fifthofascalante7311]

Second

[@brianmessemer2973]

Agree 👏

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

"It's so strange, that although separated by just a small channel of water the two countries have such different cultures." Korea: Am I a joke to you?

[@Great_Olaf5]

That gap is more than twice as wide as the English channel.

[@MogofWar]

Japan: Yes! On a more serious note, Japan and Korea probably did not seem as mutually divergent to Iwakura as France and Britain seemed to be. He was a learned man who knew of the histories of the peoples of Europe and of Asia, so he chocked their differences to being different peoples of different origins whereas Korea and Japan had culturally diverged over 1600 years further back than England and France had, their divergence was from common ancestors whereas England and France had been separate people's from the get go, and their intertwined aristocracies were the only part that were really a single people in the middle ages.

[@VVayVVard]

The distance between England and France is 20 miles, only twice that between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Meanwhile the distance between South Korea and Japan (ignoring the smaller islands in-between) is more than a 100 miles.

[@collinpace6522]

So it was Bismarck who made the first move of friendship with Japan.

[@abadyr_]

Nah, he just told the Japanese that the UK and France were asshole, so they should be friend with Prussia and, above all, not be friend with these two. So he did not so much made the first move for friendship so much as for wariness. (except with Prussia because of course IT was peaceful like Japan)

[@drewpamon]

Usa was the first

[@Bialy_1]

@@abadyr_ When someone is trying so hard to convince you that everyone else is an asshole then if you are smart then you gonna suspect that he is the extraordinary asshole in that group. British and French just wanted to make a good impression and Germans main goal was to smear excrement on everyone else so they would not look so bad in the comparison...

[@sleepyguy4237]

@@Bialy_1 hahahaha I see you in every comment section in this video, trying to paint the Germans as the bad guy, that's hilarious. Keep going, you might convice one.

[@DutchLabrat]

@@drewpamon : You will find the Dutch were there a few centuries before :)

[@AmazingPhilippines1]

Fascinating! Thanks for the effort to bring these histories to us.

[@knightshade2654]

There may be few periods as interesting for me as the industrialization of Japan.

[@toastyblend391]

What a wonderful narrative. Astute, whistful, reflective. A real pleasure hearing this voice from the past.

[@physetermacrocephalus2209]

"A Prussian warship showed up once. Those guys were really drunk"

[@quicke5486]

Honestly, it's so interesting hearing of history from what now is also history.

[@janiekcarney5482]

Narrator voice is clear and calming. Background music is nice for a change instead of intruding. Great quality.

[@SlayerRiley]

The commentary on the British museum came across as very powerful. Resounding words, still applicable today. :)

[@acemax1124]

Awesome video 👍👍 it's amazing to learn what other cultures and countries think about each other from the early days till today. Most people live in a bubble and never give it any though until a problem or war happens.

[@giuseppelogiurato5718]

This channel just keeps getting better... I've skarsley seen its equal ("scarcely"; that word is in in every single video so far; I don't think I've ever used it once in all my life)... I find it interesting that all of these "voices of the past" seem to have had remarkably good English skills).

[@VoicesofthePast]

Thanks! I have also scarcely pronounced the word scarcely correctly.

[@JM-gj7de]

Discovered another gem of a channel. Good stuff!

[@mohammadabuhawash4487]

Really enjoying this!

[@VirtualnomadVirtualnomad]

Surprising how the Japanese, despite coming out of a feudal era have pretty well educated class that can observe and record numerous details on their travels. Feels like they were more professional and educated than modern politicians and diplomats

[@caine8875]

Well, there are the good, the bad and the ugly as well as there are smart, dumb and the dumber in every country.

[@equationinc.8089]

Yep, just coming out of feudalism still so much professionalism, indeed great.

[@nos8141]

Not that surprising? The tools and potential to further develop, and to understand rest of the world was there. *Remember, Edo was one of the biggest City for a time....and well, still is( > v 0)

[@MrDicoz]

What does feudalism have to do with this? A feudal society does not mean that the people are stupid

[@nos8141]

@@MrDicoz I am guessing because for certain places, the words "feudal' associate with "dark ages" before 15th century (sorry if is not accurate,) which seem to have poor view. But that is not the case at all here

[@jasmikko]

The best video you made so far. Great work! Please make more video on the great Prussian statesman, Bismarck

[@inco9943]

This is my favourite video of yours so far!

[@dewetmaartens359]

Fascinating! Thank you

[@tasmaniansyrup1645]

Parts of these reports sometimes remind me of this scene in Babylon 5 /watch?v=P0bJMfK2HUY "No. No, this report is totally inappropriate. You have to do it again." "But Londo, why? I've spent weeks working on this report. I didn't even sleep on the flight back from Minbar so I could go over it again. I've checked every single detail myself. It's absolutely accurate." "Yes, Vir, I'm sure it is. And that is the problem. Here, you say: 'The Minbari have carefully preserved their cities over the course of centuries'." "That's right, absolutely." "No, what you should say instead is: 'Their cities are very old indicating a decaying culture.'" "What?" "And here: 'The Minbari put great emphasis on art, literature and music.' Say instead: 'They are decadent people, interested only in the pursuit of .. of dubious pleasures.' Dubious-part is very important. It doesn't mean anything, but it scares people every time. All right?"

[@Great_Olaf5]

I think I remember that scene.

[@Roadwarior2]

“Progress does not mean discarding what is old and contriving something which is entirely new” They could’ve fooled me.

[@bricknolty5478]

You must be easy to fool.

[@Roadwarior2]

@@bricknolty5478 Not really

[@bricknolty5478]

@@Roadwarior2 Could've fooled me.

[@Roadwarior2]

@@bricknolty5478 And a hurr durr to you too.

[@josephang9927]

Progress is a bubble and aim to it has caused as much prosperity as damage and death.

[@Starkada]

Absolutely fascinating content thanks!

[@IanRuxton]

Truly an excellent video in all respects. Well done!

[@painmt651]

This is TRULY EDUCATION. When I was younger, much of my education was just learning about different people. Now everything’s about dissecting and dividing peoples apart from each other

[@celticarm5]

That was fascinating! I love this channel and how you show us a different perspective, so exciting.

[@Brandon-yg7mw]

Thank you for this channel

[@blickluke]

These videos and contents are intensely interesting

[@marcusaurelius3501]

Profit over culture is modernity.

[@REM1956]

Sadly true.

[@gersakkun]

Profit was always above culture.

[@freckleheckler6311]

@@gersakkun not in national socialist Germany

[@PolishBehemoth]

#fakks

[@freddy4603]

Outdated cultures hold us back, that's why need tp keep them old but not too old. Modernity shows how efficient machine can be, culture shows how well maintained that machine is.

[@Mr.Nichan]

12:05 WHAT?! How interesting. We always talk about footbinding as being a Chinese thing. I guess it makes sense that it might not be a 19th century Japanese thing (which it obviously wasn't based on Iwakura's reaction), and what he's describing probably isn't nearly as extreme as the extreme Chinese footbinding people talk about, but it is interesting to hear someone from East Asia talking about women wearing tiny shoes because small feet are considered attractive as a weird European thing. I didn't even realize finding small feet attractive was a thing in Europe.

[@Fishboi64]

European back then also always make their women wear head coverings. Nowadays they like to pretend they never did that and it's a backward islamic thing.

[@dialecticsjunkie7653]

I think he's talking specifically about high heels

[@UltimateTruthChannel]

Japanese never practiced feet binding for women. It was never part of their culture. Feet binding was not even a Chinese culture. It was the custom of Manchurians who later conquered China and forced it on the Chinese during the Qing Dynasty. Manchurians and Chinese are two different ethnic groups of people. And the foot binding the Japanese man referred to is basically the way European women used to tie strings around their shoes like ballerina.

[@jeschr3462]

Excellent video! Thanks

[@lukang72]

Amazing vignettes and insights

[@MalletMann]

7:10 I guess mall ninja garbage goes back at least 200 years. Probably longer.

[@zanderaw]

This is all pretty accurate. Seems like Japan sent some competent people.

[@colinl992]

It’s crazy how during this fairly short modern industrial time the Japanese were quite civil and progressive compared to Europeans . Seemingly having outgrown their incredible cruelty seen during the invasion of Korea .Only to become so racist and xenophobic and cruel in the first half of the 20th century that Jim Crow America starts to look civilized by comparison.

[@MogofWar]

Iwakura was a highly observant person. He wasn't exactly the typical Japanese person either. He was among one of their finest scholars and statesmen... And his hosts understood this as they entertained him and his entourage.

[@VVayVVard]

@@colinl992 This is the Allied prop. version of the events. Objectively however, Japan was trying to emulate the success of Britain, in order to obtain the means to stand up to Western powers, which had a track record of trampling on non-European powers, including Japan itself (e.g. Ansei treaties, the Racial Equality Proposal). And because it was so weak, those in power felt an urgent need to consolidate their control over their newly established 'colonies' in Asia, resulting in tyrannical policies. Even then however, it is clear that none of the policies were created out of cruelty; all of Japan's political decisions in this era seem very logical and calculated, and I would argue that they seem short-sighted in hindsight only. This is very much in contrast to Germany, and many other European nations, where the political leaders themselves exhibited extreme racial views. It is no coincidence that Japan's "xenophobia" only manifested after the rejection of its Racial Equality Proposal by the League of Nations. But this aspect of history was generally not taught in Allied nations, as it would have been inconvenient to do so. And even today, many Western historians remain unaware of how things actually transpired in the South-East Asian theater of WW2, largely because all countries involved, aside from Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, had a nationalistic incentive to paint the events in a specific light, often without much evidence.

[@XJonAye]

I'm so glad I found this channel

[@dannyhughes4889]

What a marvelous series.

[@aaronrowepalmer]

I died - cause: I laughed at the line about the Scottish' "strange dress" (AKA: THE KILTS).

[@chrisbirch6513]

Damn Bismark was a great statesman

[@NoMadMediaProductions]

Fascinating. Like a breath of quality air.

[@freek9335]

I love these unedited voices from the past

[@badrulhussain5545]

They wanted to see what's inside the British Queen's bed room lol. But she didn't want to see them. Lol.

[@theanglo-lithuanian1768]

I mean, they said she was on holiday. But who knows? Maybe she was fed up off greeting envoys every day and used the whole "Tell them I'm not here" excuse.

[@pukingpanda1803]

I wonder if she had a statue of Albert under the sheets.

[@asmirann3636]

@@pukingpanda1803 It was probably Abdul that she was hiding in her bedroom.

[@Numba003]

America could use more info about Bismarck in 19th century history courses I think. He was a very important figure. Thank you for another fascinating one! Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you friends! :)

[@wulf4785]

I love this material

[@xelldincht8149]

those observations were really on point

[@mimamo]

Bismarck's comments were the most interesting and remarkable here.

[@deadby15]

his argument is not unlike Putin's.

[@ottersirotten4290]

and spot even taday

[@raylopez99]

This JP diplomat is the Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (French: [alɛksi də tɔkvil]; 29 July 1805 - 16 April 1859) of his country. Amazing insights, perfectly capturing the moment and even predicting the future.

[@TheValledorLife]

i love the naration.

[@ntheg]

Still the best channel on KZbin

[@123Dunebuggy]

The dutch would take 10 hours, since they will spend the time looking to hire the cheapest laborer to do the task.

[@LeukipposOfAbdera]

The Dutch have one of the highest productivity rates in the world. “The productivity per hour worked is $61.43 in the Netherlands. The Netherlands has the second-lowest hours worked in an average full-time workweek among OECD countries of 37.3 hours. Productivity is so high in the Netherlands that only 0.4% of employees work over 50 hours per week.” The productivity rate is that high despite having the second-lowest hours worked in an average full-time work week. worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/most-productive-countries

[@AYVYN]

All of the tasks were done improperly, except for the German who spent all night perfecting it.

[@JohnSmith-il6kk]

This is really interesting and telling!

[@franciscor.6828]

Beauty history 👏🏻👏🏻

[@nosotrosloslobosestamosreg4115]

You cannot imagine howe helpful your videos have been for my writing.

[@lkrnpk]

Japanese are told a joke about English, French, USA and Germany Japanese: such a wise philosophy!

[@andreweden9405]

I noticed that the writer was extremely careful literally not to utter one, single compliment about any of his hosts! Instead, he just went on and on about how, frankly, greedy the Europeans are, and that they're too economically inclined compared to Asians. He also never goes into detail about how Asians are different, but I suppose we're meant to assume that everything Asian people do is always for genuine, altruistic purposes, and always just out of the sweetness and kindness their hearts? I found that very interesting!

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

Diplomats do have a tendency to be very...diplomatic.

[@entropybear5847]

Indeed. Being somewhat of a amateur student of Japanese history, they aren't nearly as virtuous as say a 1800s diplomat might imply. Truth is all powerful people are mercenary and lacking in perfect morality.

[@VVayVVard]

You have to understand that this was the era of colonialism, and that Japan had been forced to open its doors to these colonial powers. Not to mention, this was after China, a regional power, had been brought to relative ruin, by Britain. Thus, it was not at all uncommon for Japanese people to view these colonial powers as a looming threat. And in this context, the writer seems to correctly analyze how these colonial powers had evolved to their contemporary form: the way they had been shaped and strengthened by a culture of competition, capitalism and patriotism in an ethnically separated, yet multicultural world. Europe was nothing like Japan.

[@kn2549]

Because these writing are written by Japanese FOR Japanese people back home for information of the outside world. Whats the point of writing a detailed comparative analysis between “Asian people” and the Europeans?

[@augustuslunasol10thapostle]

13:26 oddly heartwarming

[@nes129]

good vid

[@tubularap]

2:10 - "The area of the United Kingdom as a whole is 121 thousand 362 square miles, and according to statistics from 1871 its total population was 31 million 817 thousand one hundred and eight." Wow, that was very specific. ;-)

[@goodpol5022]

Man there was a real fast turn from the 1870s to the 1930s on nationalism

[@TVwriter23]

@Gabriel Terrero Just like Rome and any other people oppressed by another people. Basically oppressed people go on to oppress people.

[@bouzoukiman5000]

Barbarian influence

[@yaz2928]

@Poika Nationalism is to globalism what monarchy was to nationalism. It's a natural evolution of human civilization and many saw the rise in nationalism in the same way that modern nationalists see globalism, a plot by people in power to change the social order of the world.

[@yaz2928]

@Poika I am not a Marxist. Marxists and Nationalists sought to do away with the older world order (back when large Empires dominated the world) just as Globalists are currently trying to do away with nationalism. Such is human progress, and our evolution from cavemen, to tribes, to villages, to city-states, to kingdoms, to feudalism, to empires, to nations, and now to supranational entities like the EU.

[@yaz2928]

@Poika Marx was right about the bourgeoisie eventually replacing aristocracy. Singular nations are far too weak to deal with countries like the US and China, and must unite to play a relevant role on the international scene. The endgoal of all of this being the inevitable unification of the human species. There was a time when nationalists were seen as progressives for their role in seeking to progress society beyond feudalism and monarchy to modern nation-states. And now we likewise have globalists trying to progress society beyond nation-states to supranational entities like the EU and UN.

[@Defensor_Libertatis]

Beautiful.

[@Nnashka]

11.19 : french village "Moustier Ste Marie" It's a marvelous village in South of France.

[@goosemontv]

‘Look at these cool samurai swords we have’ ‘Lol’ said the Japanese man. ‘Lmao’.

[@Wilson907]

"Check out these awesome katanas I got, bro"

[@ElJosher]

This japanese man had some nice and interesting insights.

[@lisaa.4667]

At 13:27 - so true!

[@timog7358]

wonderful

[@LOLERXP]

Bismarck: "Politics these days is just feeding people honey... it's all a fassade in a game for supremacy..." Also Bismarck: Feeds the Japanese embassy honey about how Prussia respects sovereignty and national struggle against great powers Also also Bismarck: Forcefully brings Germany under Prussian rule and literally hosts a conference in Berlin to carve up Africa

[@BobBob-eb4io]

He didnt really forceably bring the other german states under prussian rule they willingly joined them because they saw france as a threat to them plus all the german states were already talking about uniting under prussia or austria anyway

[@LOLERXP]

@@BobBob-eb4io He fought a war against Southern Germany and Austria to establish Prussian hegemony in Germany, and then he orchestrated a war with France to make the South German states side with Prussia. And then he used Prussia's outstanding political position to unite Germany under Prussian control and became chancellor of it all. What I said was accurate.

[@BobBob-eb4io]

The way your original comment is worded makes it sound like prussia invaded and annexed all of southern germany

[@BobBob-eb4io]

Thats also still not really forceful sure he helped stur it up but the southern german states still willingly joined prussia after Prussia baned austria out of german affairs

[@Bialy_1]

@@BobBob-eb4io "Ems telegram, report of an encounter between King William I of Prussia and the French ambassador; the telegram was sent from Ems (Bad Ems) in the Prussian Rhineland on July 13, 1870, to the Prussian chancellor, Otto von Bismarck. Its publication in a version edited by Bismarck so as to purposely offend the French government precipitated the Franco-German War." - Encyclopaedia Britannica You can also easly find all his quotes on the subject and in them its clear picture that history is a tell of conspiracies that failed and conspiracies that succeded.

[@dannya1854]

Rather chilling and ominous to hear Bismarck's speech to the Japanese.

[@ottersirotten4290]

Perhaps chilling and ominous but true words never the less

[@yucca5497]

Kume Kunitake was such an intelligent man, his observations on imperialism and racism are spot on 150 years later

[@Meanietube]

What an awesome display of lucidity and enlightenment from the Japanese gentleman

[@diegolarrea7932]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the author participated in the Tsarsuma rebellion in some way. He talks about how impressive the westerners ares but makes a large énfasis on how important ancient costoms and preserving the past and how progress involves preserving the past while including new ideas. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was samurai this period of Japanese history was marked by the end of the maji restoration and the start of imperial Japan so the whole end of the samurai and old ways of Japan happened during this. It’s interesting how beautifully he writes and subtly makes an argument for both progress and tradition

[@popephiliam5860]

Bismarcks speech was pretty incredible

[@imcbocian]

As incredible as lying and plotting cab be.

[@ottersirotten4290]

@@imcbocian What was the Lie?

[@nils191]

21:25 Oswald Spengler can be heard screaming in the background

[@Amnok]

0:03 That map is hilarious by the way