Japan Rising

by Kume Kunitake, Chushichi Tsuzuki (Editor), R. Jules Young (Editor)

In 1871 Japan sent a high-ranking delegation to the USA and Europe, to negotiate treaties and trading agreements and to investigate how it might modernise its political and economic institutions. Led by the Foreign Minister Prince Tomomi Iwakura, the 'embassy' of politicians, courtiers and officials travelled extensively around the USA for eight months, before spending a further year examining the British manufacturing industry, German armaments and French culture. The Iwakura Embassy helped change the course of Japanese history, for the official report of this journey, compiled by Prince Iwakura's personal secretary, the Confucian scholar Kunitake Kume, was to play a key role in Japan's transformation into a modern industrial nation. The report was translated into English in five large volumes in 2002. This carefully prepared abridgement makes it accessible to a wider range of scholars and students, and to all who are interested in the remarkable rise of modern Japan.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction, Japanese History, Japanese Literature

560 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[J]

These men on the Iwakura Mission had the trip of the lifetime. They traveled all across Europe and America and then some, and were greeted with kindness and pomp. I realize that they wrote their travel diaries with the intent of publishing, so perhaps that’s why many personal details were left out, and why they didn’t disparage anybody outright. But I wanted the juicy details!

I was surprised how astute their observations were of America. All in all, a fascinating read.

[Cone]

Fascinating.