Reply to Paul Weaver's query on references to Yamada Nagamasa
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From: Edward C. Fields
fields@humanitas.ucsb.edu
I believe that sources in English [and other languages for that matter]
are rather scant. The longest piece that I've seen is is in the popular
history/culture journal, "The East", vol.xxix no.4 Nov./Dec. 1993. [n.a.]
It focuses on Yamada's legendary exploits in Thailand in the early 17th
century. Similar and even shorter references may be found in an article
entitled "The Shishi Interlude In Old Siam: An Aspect of the Meiji
Impact in Southeast Asia" by E.Thadeus Flood. This is contained in in a
collection of essays entitled " Japan's Modern Century" edited by E.
Skrzyrczak . I believe that it's A MN monograph from about 20 years ago,
but I don't have the full citation at hand. Donald Keene mentions the
use of the Yamada "legend" as WWII propaganda in his essay "Japanese
Writers and the Greater East Asia War ", contained in his "Appreciations
of Japanese Culture", and there are short references to Yamada in the
works of D.K. Wyatt and Georges Coedes [ on Thailand and Southeast Asia,
respectively]. The essay by Flood has references to a few other Japanese
and English secondary sources. Hope this is of some help.
Edward C. Fields
University of California at Santa Barbara
fields@humanitas.ucsb.edu
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From: ideyuki Morimoto
hmorimot@library.berkeley.edu
The following English-language article might be of some use to research
on N. Yamada.
Saito, Masakane, 1797-1865. "A Short Narrative of Foreign
Travel of Modern Japanese Adventurers." _Transactions
of the Asiatic Society of Japan_ 7 (3): 191-204
(1879)
Note: "A translation from a small work entitled
Kaigai iden, by Saito Masakane ... dated
... 1850."
Subject: Yamada, Nagamasa, d. 1633.
Hamada, Yahei, 1808-1870.
====================================
Hideyuki Morimoto
East Asian Library Voice: +1-510-643-0892
208 Durant Hall FAX: +1-510-642-3817
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000 Internet: hmorimot@library.berkeley.edu
3)---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: David Wittner
dwittner@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU
On March 10, Paul Weaver wrote:
>I have been looking for information on the Japanese mariner Yamada Nagamasa
>who sailed in the waters north of Australia in about the sixteenth century
>AD. I understand he did some pearling in Torres Strait.
Yamada Nagamasa was also know as Yamada Jinzaemon and Tenjiku Tokubei. He
was, if memory serves, a samurai out to make a name for himself who had
decided that there was little opportunity in Japan. He stowed away on a
merchant vessel bound for Formosa in search of adventure. That's were his
career as a mariner begins. You can find out more about him in:
J. M. James, "A Short Narrative of Foreiggn Travel of Modern Japanese
Adventurers," in _Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan_, vo.
7,(1879) pp. 191-204.
H. A. C. Bonar, "On Maritime Enterprise in Japan," _TASJ_, vol. 15(1887),
pp. 103-161 (includes a sketch said to be his ship).
E. M. Satow, "Notes on the Intercourse Between Japan and Siam in the
Seventeenth Century" in _TASJ_, vol. 13 (1885), pp. 139-210.
Sorry I can't provide anything more recent.
DGW
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