Shipwrecked!
Shipwrecked! tells the true tale of a 14-year-old Japanese boy. After he shipwrecked while fishing in 1841, he spent for six months marooned! Rescued by an American whaling ship, he received his education in New England. Then, miraculously, he returned home to become an honored samurai.
Reading more like the heroic adventures of a swashbuckler, this instead shares the incredible story of Manjiro Nakahama. After his tragic shipwreck, this poor Japanese boy’s own country essentially exiled him! The isolationist policy of Japan during the 1840’s mandated this response.
After being rescued by an American whaling boat, Manjiro became the first Japanese person to ever enter the U.S.. He eventually played a key role in opening Japan’s ports to American ships.
- This well-written work by author Rhoda Blumberg is also beautifully illustrated with Japanese ink drawings, giving a rare glimpse into a closed country in the mid-1800’s.
