Manjiro: The Boy Who Risked His Life for Two Countries
Grade 3–6—A fascinating episode from Japanese history, related in an oversize picture-book format. In 1841, while 14-year-old Manjiro and four men were fishing, their small boat was destroyed in a storm, and they were cast away on a tiny island for almost six months. Though they survived a drought and an earthquake, they feared for their lives. "For over two and a half centuries Japan had been closed to the outside world. Anyone who tried to return after leaving the country could be put to death." They were finally rescued by a New England whaling ship. At journey's end, Captain Whitfield took Manjiro home to New Bedford, MA. Whitfield married and bought a farm where the boy learned to plant, cultivate, harvest, and ride a horse—a skill reserved for samurai in Japan. Despite increasing homesickness, he attended school and graduated at the top of his class. In 1849, the California gold rush lured him to San Francisco where he collected $600 in gold dust in 70 days. Finally, after a nine-year absence, he headed back to Japan with two of the original castaways. When they arrived, government officials jailed and questioned them for seven months. He told them of America's desire to trade and of railroads, telegraphs, drawbridges, and wristwatches. At last, he became an honored samurai. An author's note gives background on Japan's 250-year isolationist policy and how one curious, determined boy opened the door to the Western world. McCully's realistic watercolors are striking against white backgrounds and show the contrast between traditional Japanese and 19th-century New Englanders as well as the tumultuous seas and perils of a fishing life. An exciting account of a pivotal period in U.S.Japanese history.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools