Research Catalog

Title

The Satsuma students in Britain : Japan's early search for the "essence of the West" / Andrew Cobbing.

Author

Cobbing, Andrew

Publication

Richmond, Surrey : Japan Library, 2000.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Inuzuka, Takaaki, 1944-

Description

xvi, 201 p., [6] p. of plates : ill., maps; 24 cm.

Summary

"In the spring of 1865, with Japan in the grip of internal conflict, eighteen samurai and an interpreter risked their lives to embark secretly on a voyage to the unknown lands of the barbarian West. Their destination was Britain - an island at the hub of a vast empire." "These were the students from the province of Satsuma in southern Japan, some of them still in the teens, all carrying orders from their domain to travel abroad." "The students' experience of life in the West not only transformed their perception of the outside world, but through their diverse activities in later life, had a profound impact on commerce, education and culture in Meiji Japan." "First published in 1974, Inuzuka Takaaki's original study is still the classic work on the Satsuma students' revealing tale of discovery. In this translation and adaptation by Andrew Cobbing, further details that have since emerged have been incorporated into the text or added as supplementary references to give a fresh portrayal, the first in English, of this singular episode in the opening of Japan."--BOOK JACKET.

Series Statement

Meiji Japan series ; 9

Uniform Title

Meiji Japan series 9.

Alternative Title

Japan's early search for the "essence of the West"

Subject

• 1800-1912
• Japanese students > Great Britain > History > 19th century
• Japan > Civilization > 1868-1912
• Japan > Relations > Great Britain
• Great Britain > Relations > Japan

Genre/Form

History

Note

• Based on and, in part, a translation of: Satsuma-han Eikoku ryūgakusei by Inuzuka Takaaki. "The endnotes in this volume are new, as are the following historical introduction, glossary, appendixes (with the exception of the Satsuma Students Timeline), the supplementary bibliography and index"--P. xv.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-197) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

1. Fifteen Samurai to Study Abroad -- 2. The Voyage -- 3. The House in Bayswater Road -- 4. College Days in London -- 5. Aftermath.

ISBN

1873410972

OCLC

• 44680854
• SCSB-12221900

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library