Manjiro Nakahama

Japanese: 中浜万次郎 - なかはま・まんじろう

Year of death: November 12, 1898
Year of birth: 1827.1.27 (1827.1.27)
A castaway from the end of the Edo period, an English educator, and an enlightener. In 1841, as a young fisherman from Nakanohama, Tosa (Nakahama, Tosashimizu City, Kochi Prefecture), he was shipwrecked while out fishing, washed ashore on Torishima Island in Izu, and was rescued by the American whaling ship John Holland. Captain Whitfield recognized his talent, and he was educated in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, where Whitfield was originally from, and later became a crew member on the whaling ship. In 1850, accompanied by friends who had been living on Oahu in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), he boarded an American ship bound for China, and the following year he boarded a boat near the Ryukyu Islands, disembarked, and was sent to Nagasaki via Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture), returning to Tosa in 1852. His talents were first noticed by Shimazu Nariakira, the lord of the Satsuma domain, who, with his advice, attempted to build a small European-style ship, but after Perry's arrival, his knowledge became even more important, and after serving as a subordinate of the Tosa domain, he was invited to serve the shogunate, where he was made a direct retainer and given the surname Nakahama. He subsequently translated books on navigation and provided instruction in whaling, and in 1860 he participated in a mission to the United States as an interpreter for the Kanrin Maru. He also attempted whaling in the Ogasawara Islands, and gave advice to the Satsuma and Tosa domains on their ship purchases. After the Meiji Restoration, he was appointed professor at Kaisei School, where he lectured in English, and in 1870 he accompanied a mission to observe the Franco-Prussian War, but the following year he suffered a mild cerebral hemorrhage and lived a secluded life. During the period of national isolation, he came into contact with Western culture, and with his sharp intellect, he mastered languages and navigation, but due to the restrictions of the class system, he was not able to develop his talents after returning home. His nickname "John Manjiro" comes from a novel by Ibuse Masuji, and he used the name "John Man" when speaking to others.

(Toru Haruna)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治31.11.12(1898)
生年：文政10.1.1(1827.1.27)
幕末の漂流民,英語教育者,啓蒙家。天保12(1841)年土佐中の浜(高知県土佐清水市中浜)の少年漁師として出漁中に遭難,伊豆の鳥島に漂着,アメリカ捕鯨船ジョン・ホーランド号に救助された。船長ホイットフィールドに才能をみこまれて,その郷里マサチューセッツ州フェアヘイブンで教育を受け,のち捕鯨船乗組員となる。嘉永3(1850)年にサンドイッチ諸島(ハワイ)オアフ島に居住していた仲間を伴って中国航路のアメリカ船に乗船,翌年,琉球近海でボートに移乗して上陸,薩摩(鹿児島県)を経て長崎に送られ,嘉永5(1852)年に土佐へ帰還した。まず薩摩藩主島津斉彬がその才能に注目し,彼の助言によってヨーロッパ型小型船の建造を試みたが,ペリーの来航によってその知識はますます重視され,土佐藩の定小者を経て幕府に招聘され,直参の旗本に列せられ中浜の姓を授けられた。その後,航海術の書物の翻訳,捕鯨の指導などに当たり,万延1(1860)年には咸臨丸の通訳として遣米使節団に参加した。また小笠原諸島で捕鯨を試みたり,薩摩,土佐藩の船舶購入に助言を与える。明治維新後は開成学校教授に任ぜられ英学を講じ,明治3(1870)年,普仏戦争観戦使節団に随行,翌年,軽い脳溢血にかかって以後は隠遁生活を送った。鎖国時代に西欧文化に接触し,明敏な頭脳で語学や航海術を自己のものとしたが,身分制度の制約にあって帰国後は必ずしも才能をのばせなかった。なお通称の「ジョン万次郎」は井伏鱒二の小説に由来するもので自分で対外的に使った表現は「ジョン・マン」である。<参考文献>川澄哲夫編『中浜万次郎集成』

(春名徹)

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