Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan

by Frederik L. Schodt

How Japan, after 250 years of self--imposed isolation, began the process of modernization is in part the story of Ranald MacDonald. In 1848 this half-Scot, half-Chinook adventurer from the Pacific Northwest landed on an island off Hokkaido. Although promptly arrested and imprisoned for seven months in Nagasaki, the intelligent, well-educated MacDonald fascinated the Japanese and became one of their first teachers of English and Western ways. Based on primary research in Japan and North America, this book chronicles the events leading to MacDonald’s journey and his later struggle to obtain recognition at home. Frederik L. Schodt has written extensively on Japan, including America and the Four Japans and Inside the Robot Kingdom . Fluent in spoken and written Japanese, he lives in San Francisco. In 2009 he was received the The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette for his contribution to the introduction and promotion of Japanese contemporary popular culture. "Schodt's account of MacDonald's life and his eventual journey to Japan is depicted with the accuracy of a trained academic and the excitement of a skillful novelist." -- Kyoto Journal  

Genres: Japan, Nonfiction, History, Native American

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Frederik Lowell Schodt is an American translator, interpreter and writer.

Schodt's father was in the US foreign service, and he grew up in Norway, Australia, and Japan. The family first went to Japan in 1965 when Schodt was fifteen. They left in 1967 but Schodt remained to graduate from Tokyo's American School in Japan, in 1968. After entering the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1970 Schodt returned to Japan, and studied Japanese intensively at International Christian University (I.C.U.) for a year and half. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1972, and after a brief bohemian stint at a variety of jobs and traveling became a tour guide in Los Angeles for Japanese tourists, also escorting them to Canada and Mexico. After trying to interpret for a group once at Sunkist, he realized that he could become an interpreter, but needed further training. In 1975, he was awarded a scholarship from Japan's Ministry of Education, to return to I.C.U. and study translation and interpreting. After finishing his studies at I.C.U. in 1977, he began working in the translation department of Simul International, in Tokyo. In mid-1978 he returned to the United States, and since then has worked in San Francisco as a free-lance writer, translator, and interpreter.

While working in Tokyo in 1977, he joined with several university friends in contacting Tezuka Productions. They sought permission to translate the Phoenix comic into English. Schodt is notable in manga and anime fandom for his translations of works such as Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix, Tezuka’s Astro Boy, Riyoko Ikeda’s The Rose of Versailles, Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen, and others.

His best known book is Manga! Manga! The World of Japanese Comics, published in 1983 and reprinted several times, with an introduction by Tezuka. Manga! Manga! won a prize at the Manga Oscar Awards in 1983. Furthermore, in 2000 Schodt was awarded the Asahi Shimbun’s Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize "Special Prize" for his outstanding contribution to the appreciation of manga worldwide.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Schodt has been translating books from Japanese into English for many years it came as no surprise that he provided a great deal of contextual information about Japanese history, culture, and society while describing the experiences which protagonist Ranald McDonald had in Japan in 1848. It was impressive, however, that he did a lot of research to do likewise for his portrayal of the Chinook indigenous nation of the Pacific Northwest and the Hudson Bay Company circa the early to mid 19th century. To support his presentation he provided 22 pages of endnotes and a 9 page bibliography which included numerous primary sources. Maps, reproductions of paintings, and photos added to the quality of this book.

It was ironic that the author criticized the editor of McDonald’s memoirs for the latter’s ‘frequent digressions from the subject’ at hand. This is because in his desire to provide so much contextual information he was guilty at times of the same thing. Admittedly, these portions of the book often contained information I was not aware of before. But by about 2/3 of the way through the at times tangentially related detail got to be tiresome. In fact, I skipped much of one chapter about how McDonald’s autobiography finally got published many years after his death. Additionally, I began to wonder why the editor went along with this style.

Even for a reader like me with a long standing interest in things Japanese and a more recent one in Native American history I was as much relieved as satisfied by the time I finished this book. While I would not recommend against reading it, a prospective reader should realize that he/she needs patience in perusing it. Or willing to do some skimming at times.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 2 out of 5]

MacDonald was in Japan for 8 months of 1848. One must read nearly 200 pages of this 365-page book before he even LANDS in Japan. Of course some history and backstory is necessary as a prelude, but Schodt fills out his tome with every single possible thing of the slightest possible relevance and then figures, what the hell, let's pad it even further with the irrelevant. Honestly, this book should have been about 100 pages long, and it would probably still be unsatisfying then, as the author isn't exactly an engaging writer. In fact, the rear cover synopsis is more or less all you need. What a disappointment.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting, but I am an American living in Japan so that is my personal bias. Tells the history of a man from Northwestern America has he enters a closed Japan and ends up teaching English while imprisoned. One of his pupils goes on to be an important interpreter for Imperial Japan.

[Don MacLaren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Native American in the Land of the Shogun: Ranald MacDonald and the Opening of Japan is a very important book about a fascinating man in Japanese history.

I have read a lot about Japanese history, but I never came across Ranald MacDonald until I read this wonderful book by Frederik L. Schodt.

I am surprised MacDonald’s story is not better known. I’m very happy, though, that someone with Schodt's talents at research and storytelling wrote about it.

MacDonald was a free spirit and a man of intense determination and courage. He went to Japan during the Edo Period, a time when foreigners were not allowed into Japan, except for a small number of Dutch who resided in a small island off Nagasaki. He could have been executed by the Japanese government.

Japanese were not allowed to leave Japan at that time either. If they ventured to do so, they were at risk of being executed as well.

Japan was a closed country for over 200 years, until shortly after Commodore Matthew Perry’s “Black Ships” arrived in Tokyo Bay in 1854. MacDonald arrived in Japan in 1848 and left the next year on a U.S. Navy ship that had been sent to Japan to rescue shipwrecked sailors. 15 other American sailors who had been shipwrecked and - like MacDonald - imprisoned in Japan, accompanied him.

Many native English speakers who reside in Japan today have taught English there, but MacDonald was the first native English speaker in Japan to do so.

Sadly, the great impact MacDonald had on Japan and its relations with the outside world was largely forgotten. This book should change that and give him his rightful place in history.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets 4 stars because there are few books on the subject and the author provides context and sources for his information.

However!! Ithought it amusing that this author speaks of a previous author, saying the he "produced a text that was insufferably difficult to read...with frequent digressions from the subject". I think that is an apt summary of THIS book.

[Josh Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in pieces as I dove into the research on R MacDonald. Schodt does a solid job of connecting MacDonald's life to larger historical contexts. His skills with the Japanese language and culture adds substantially to our understanding of what MacDonald accomplished.