Shipwrecked on a deserted volcanic island in the Pacific, a 14 year old fisherman from Kochi, Japan, survives to live a life that helps change the path of modern Japan! The story of Nakahama "John Mung" Manjiro is one of the most unforgettable ones, from his rescue after months on a deserted volcanic island to being the first Japanese to live in the USA. Because of the policy of Sakoku, Japan closed to the world, Manjiro cannot return home to see his mother without being executed for leaving Japan, but like all adventurers, he tries to find a way!
The bond between Manjiro and his rescuer, Captain William Whitfield of Fairhaven, MA is inspirations and from this American and Japanese relation starts the relationship between the two governments when Perry's Expedition of Black Ship Squadron to Edo (now Tokyo) ends Japan's 220 year isolation. Manjiro's experiences in America, as a Samurai employed by the Shogun in Edo, shapes the relationship and friendship into the Meiji Era.

Thank you to those who helped me produce this episode:
Whitfield-Manjiro Friendship Society
The John Mung Museum
The New Bedford Whaling Museum
Tosashimizu City Tourism Office
Kochi Prefecture
Nakanohama Town

00:00 Start
01:05 Where does Manjiro start?
01:32 John Mung Museum
02:44 Shipwrecked on Torishima
03:49 Rescue by American Whaler
06:12 Arrival in Hawaii
07:52 First Japanese in America
10:12 Manjiro Trail, Fairhaven
11:16 Franklin, Back to the Pacific
12:20 Gold Rush in California
13:29 Leaving San Francisco
14:14 Plan to re-enter Japan via Ryukyu
15:03 Home again! Nakanohama, Kochi
16:14 Manjiro's Birthplace tour, Nakanohama
17:41 Manjiro's mother on his death
19:06 Ryugu Shrine on the Pacific
20:27 Back to Kochi Castle as Samurai
21:22 PANIC! Perry's Black Ship Enters Japan
22:17 Shimoda, First US Trading Port in Japan
23:16 Manjiro comes to Edo (Tokyo)
24:57 First Japanese Embassy in US (Kanrin Maru Story)
25:48 Manjiro Festival, Fairhaven
27:36 The Final Meeting
29:06 Manjiro's Grave, Zoshigaya Cemetery
29:39 Conclusion: John's Take / Footnotes

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