The Tale of Tartary

Japanese: 韃靼漂流記 - だったんひょうりゅうき

A record of an Echizen merchant's drift through Tartary (Qing Dynasty) in the early Edo period. Also known as "Tales of Tartary" or "Tales of a Foreign Land." In 1644 (Shoho 1), 58 men, including boatman Takeuchi Touemon of Shinpo Village, Mikuniura, Sakai County, Echizen Province, set sail from Mikuni Port to trade with Matsumae, but their ship was wrecked on the way and they were washed ashore in Poshets Bay in what is now Primorsky Krai, Russia. The 15 survivors were given generous protection by the Qing government and taken to the national capital, Beijing, before being repatriated to Japan via Korea in the following year, 1645. This record documents the events that took place during that time, and as it was around the time the Qing dynasty moved its capital to Beijing, it vividly depicts what it was like at the time, making it a valuable record.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸初期，越前商人の韃靼国(清国)漂流の記録。《韃靼物語》《異国物語》ともよばれる。1644年(正保1)越前国坂井郡三国浦新保村の船頭竹内藤右衛門ら58人は三国港を出帆し，松前へ貿易に赴いたが，途中船が難破して今のロシア沿海州のポシエト湾に漂着した。生存者15名は清国政府の手厚い保護を受け，国都北京へ連行されたのち，翌45年朝鮮を経て日本へ送還された。この記録はその間の経緯を記したものであるが，時あたかも清朝が都を北京に遷した時期にあたり，当時の様子が生き生きと伝えられていて，貴重な記録となっている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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