Iwakura Mission and the Network of Japanese Students in the United States

IF 0.2 Q2 HISTORY
Haruko Wakabayashi
{"title":"Iwakura Mission and the Network of Japanese Students in the United States","authors":"Haruko Wakabayashi","doi":"10.1163/18765610-31030005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"One notable characteristic of the Iwakura Mission was, in Tanaka Akira’s words, its historical and cultural “continuity in discontinuity.” While its leaders were mostly from the aristocracy and the powerful Satsuma and Chōshū domains with little experience in the West, the secretaries who assisted them were former Tokugawa retainers that were experts in foreign affairs. The <jats:italic>ryūgakusei</jats:italic>, or overseas students, who were in the United States or Europe prior to the mission’s arrival and joined them on site, were another group that exemplified the “continuity.” Reform-minded daimyo and the progressive members of the Tokugawa regime had dispatched many to the West during the Tokugawa period with the very purpose to become useful servants to assist Japan’s quick and successful modernization. Once recruited to the mission, these <jats:italic>ryūgakusei</jats:italic> served as guides, interpreters, and investigators, collecting and compiling information on various institutions and policies in the respective countries. The knowledge, experience, and linguistic skills they had acquired and the network they created while abroad were vital in facilitating the Iwakura Mission and the new Meiji government’s subsequent effort of modernization.","PeriodicalId":41460,"journal":{"name":"Journal of American-East Asian Relations","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of American-East Asian Relations","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1163/18765610-31030005","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"HISTORY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

One notable characteristic of the Iwakura Mission was, in Tanaka Akira’s words, its historical and cultural “continuity in discontinuity.” While its leaders were mostly from the aristocracy and the powerful Satsuma and Chōshū domains with little experience in the West, the secretaries who assisted them were former Tokugawa retainers that were experts in foreign affairs. The ryūgakusei, or overseas students, who were in the United States or Europe prior to the mission’s arrival and joined them on site, were another group that exemplified the “continuity.” Reform-minded daimyo and the progressive members of the Tokugawa regime had dispatched many to the West during the Tokugawa period with the very purpose to become useful servants to assist Japan’s quick and successful modernization. Once recruited to the mission, these ryūgakusei served as guides, interpreters, and investigators, collecting and compiling information on various institutions and policies in the respective countries. The knowledge, experience, and linguistic skills they had acquired and the network they created while abroad were vital in facilitating the Iwakura Mission and the new Meiji government’s subsequent effort of modernization.
岩仓传道会和在美日本学生网络
用田中明的话说,岩仓使团的一个显著特点是其历史和文化的 "非连续性中的连续性"。岩仓使节团的领导人大多来自贵族和强大的萨摩藩和长州藩,几乎没有西方经验,而协助他们的秘书则是精通外交事务的前德川家臣。在使团抵达之前就在美国或欧洲的留美学生是另一个体现 "连续性 "的群体。在德川时代,具有改革意识的大名和德川政权的进步人士派遣了许多人到西方,目的就是让他们成为有用的仆人,帮助日本快速、成功地实现现代化。这些龙宫使节团成员一经招募,便充当向导、翻译和调查员,收集和汇编有关各国各种制度和政策的信息。他们在国外获得的知识、经验和语言技能以及建立的网络,对岩仓使节团和明治新政府随后的现代化努力至关重要。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
CiteScore
0.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
13
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信