6 ms·

An 1861 illustrated Japanese book on the American revolutionary war

103 points by lermontov 8y ago

protomyth 8y ago
The Google Translate version of the summary https://www.kufs.ac.jp/toshokan/gallery/data22.htm https://www.kufs.ac.jp/toshokan/gallery/data22.htm is pretty uhm... odd Read the title of the book as "Farewell Time Letter". Lu Bun is a prominent man who played a role as a playwriter from the end of the Tokugawa period to the beginning of the Meiji era, his real name is Bossi Nozaki, from Edo, and besides this book there are works such as "Western Canal Knee Chest". According to the introduction of this book, based on the "Seikokushiji" etc., which Wei Genji was established, others, based on other "Mr. Satoshi Ichinomiyoshi", this book is played and the contents are clearly understood by women and children It is said that it made it into a pseudonym book and put it in. The outline of this book began with colon (閤龍) petitioning to Isabela king and discovering the New Continent, eventually the British reigned and rushed to regulate, but Washington appeared and established independence and founding founder Progress has been made interestingly, with some fictional figures and youkai appearing. Therefore, this book is kind of a novel and a novel based on the course of the founding of the United States I'm pretty sure my high school history class would have been more fun with youkai appearing.
- resoluteteeth 8y ago
  The Google Translate translation is mostly gibberish, but in short this book isn't really a history book. It's a book in the "gesaku" genre (Edo era light literature) that the author created by reading other books about Columbus and America and adapting the story to fit the conventions of the genre (thus youkai, etc.).
  - crooked-v 8y ago
    So, pretty much like modern historical-fantasy books that posit WW2 with Nazi vampires or whatever? Edit: http://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/ http://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/
TimTheTinker 8y ago
Direct link to book scans: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002.html http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/... Note - the Reddit comment provides some helpful commentary in English, hence OP didn't link directly to the book scans.
sandworm101 8y ago
Definitive proof that the Japanese had little knowledge of gunpowder. The artists obviously had seen a cannon, more likely a picture of one, but had absolutely no idea how it was actually fired. http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002_p0038.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/...
- Taniwha 8y ago
  I'm pretty sure the Japanese were aware of gunpowder ... esp. by 1861 ... by then they should have seen a musket too ... at this point we should remind ourselves that this is a FICTIONAL account
  - Gibbon1 8y ago
    The Dutch had a trading post in Japan during the Edo Period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima Before that they had regular trade with the Portuguese starting in the 16th century. The Japanese didn't have guns for the exact same reason Amish still use Kerosene lamps.
    - dragontamer 8y ago
      Didn't Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century almost take over the whole country because he used Guns? (And economics... and better training... and...) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_of_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_of_Japan I mean, the Japaneses learned of guns later than Europeans. But "later than Europeans" means using guns in the 16th century. The 19th century (1860s) when this Japanese print was made is dated hundreds of years after Oda Nobunaga proved the efficacy of gunpowder on the Japanese Battlefield.
      - Gibbon1 8y ago
        Yes exactly, and the Japanese weren't that far behind the Europeans until circa 1800 or later. A lot of firearm technology we take for granted wasn't common/practical until the US Civil war era. AKA breach loading artillery and rifles, cylindrical shells, brass riffle cartridges, etc.
searke 8y ago
The same author wrote a short biography of General Grant. I managed to track it down after reading the Japanese wikipedi page for him. American Flag Kimonos: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/bunko11_a0470_0002/bunko11_a0470_0002_p0006.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/... "Grant kun" at dinner: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/bunko11_a0470_0003/bunko11_a0470_0003_p0030.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/...
ramgorur 8y ago
Interestingly, the style of art and writing is very similar to that of Hokusai Manga. Which is considered as the one of the predecessors of today's Manga and Anime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga
craftyguy 8y ago
Why not link to the original source instead of some reddit post crap? http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002.html http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/...
- kchoudhu 8y ago
  Because the reddit post gives useful context.
zimpenfish 8y ago
Side-relevance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6FuHfgF2bc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6FuHfgF2bc David Bull talks through how these kinds of books are made, read, etc.

103 points by lermontov 8y ago

The Google Translate version of the summary https://www.kufs.ac.jp/toshokan/gallery/data22.htm https://www.kufs.ac.jp/toshokan/gallery/data22.htm is pretty uhm... odd Read the title of the book as "Farewell Time Letter". Lu Bun is a prominent man who played a role as a playwriter from the end of the Tokugawa period to the beginning of the Meiji era, his real name is Bossi Nozaki, from Edo, and besides this book there are works such as "Western Canal Knee Chest". According to the introduction of this book, based on the "Seikokushiji" etc., which Wei Genji was established, others, based on other "Mr. Satoshi Ichinomiyoshi", this book is played and the contents are clearly understood by women and children It is said that it made it into a pseudonym book and put it in. The outline of this book began with colon (閤龍) petitioning to Isabela king and discovering the New Continent, eventually the British reigned and rushed to regulate, but Washington appeared and established independence and founding founder Progress has been made interestingly, with some fictional figures and youkai appearing. Therefore, this book is kind of a novel and a novel based on the course of the founding of the United States I'm pretty sure my high school history class would have been more fun with youkai appearing.

resoluteteeth 8y ago
The Google Translate translation is mostly gibberish, but in short this book isn't really a history book. It's a book in the "gesaku" genre (Edo era light literature) that the author created by reading other books about Columbus and America and adapting the story to fit the conventions of the genre (thus youkai, etc.).
- crooked-v 8y ago
  So, pretty much like modern historical-fantasy books that posit WW2 with Nazi vampires or whatever? Edit: http://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/ http://pbfcomics.com/comics/now-showing/

TimTheTinker 8y ago

Direct link to book scans: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002.html http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/... Note - the Reddit comment provides some helpful commentary in English, hence OP didn't link directly to the book scans.

sandworm101 8y ago

Definitive proof that the Japanese had little knowledge of gunpowder. The artists obviously had seen a cannon, more likely a picture of one, but had absolutely no idea how it was actually fired. http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002_p0038.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/...

Taniwha 8y ago
I'm pretty sure the Japanese were aware of gunpowder ... esp. by 1861 ... by then they should have seen a musket too ... at this point we should remind ourselves that this is a FICTIONAL account
- Gibbon1 8y ago
  The Dutch had a trading post in Japan during the Edo Period. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejima Before that they had regular trade with the Portuguese starting in the 16th century. The Japanese didn't have guns for the exact same reason Amish still use Kerosene lamps.
  - dragontamer 8y ago
    Didn't Oda Nobunaga in the 16th century almost take over the whole country because he used Guns? (And economics... and better training... and...) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_of_Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_of_Japan I mean, the Japaneses learned of guns later than Europeans. But "later than Europeans" means using guns in the 16th century. The 19th century (1860s) when this Japanese print was made is dated hundreds of years after Oda Nobunaga proved the efficacy of gunpowder on the Japanese Battlefield.
    - Gibbon1 8y ago
      Yes exactly, and the Japanese weren't that far behind the Europeans until circa 1800 or later. A lot of firearm technology we take for granted wasn't common/practical until the US Civil war era. AKA breach loading artillery and rifles, cylindrical shells, brass riffle cartridges, etc.

searke 8y ago

The same author wrote a short biography of General Grant. I managed to track it down after reading the Japanese wikipedi page for him. American Flag Kimonos: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/bunko11_a0470_0002/bunko11_a0470_0002_p0006.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/... "Grant kun" at dinner: http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/bunko11_a0470_0003/bunko11_a0470_0003_p0030.jpg http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0470/...

ramgorur 8y ago

Interestingly, the style of art and writing is very similar to that of Hokusai Manga. Which is considered as the one of the predecessors of today's Manga and Anime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_manga

craftyguy 8y ago

Why not link to the original source instead of some reddit post crap? http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/bunko11_a0380_0002/bunko11_a0380_0002.html http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko11/bunko11_a0380/...

kchoudhu 8y ago
Because the reddit post gives useful context.

zimpenfish 8y ago

Side-relevance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6FuHfgF2bc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6FuHfgF2bc David Bull talks through how these kinds of books are made, read, etc.