Mori Arinori's Life and Resources in America'Mori notes, 'Where men think that they know everything, and boast of their superior wisdom, the presumption is that they have yet much to learn.' . . . [T]oday's readers, whether in the United States, in Japan, or elsewhere, who may think they already know so much about the subject, will find much of value in Life and Resources in America.' --Akira Iriye, Harvard University, from the foreword Mori Arinori's Life and Resources in America was written by the young, educated ex-samurai the Japanese government selected as its first diplomatic representative in the United States. Originally published in English in Washington, D.C., in 1871, this book sheds much light on the shape of an American society, government, and economy recovering from the Civil War. Like earlier philosopher-tourists such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Harriet Martineau, Mori understands the United States as a stage upon which an important experiment in democracy, pluralism, and liberalism is unfolding. Life and Resources in America is distinct for its view from the Reconstruction period and by a non-European observer. Historian John E. Van Sant has annotated and lightly edited this uniquely illuminating text, making it readily accessible to the contemporary audience it deserves. |
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Page xxi
... importance and dignity of Japanese tradi- tions . According Kido's diary , at one point Prince Iwakura " reproached Mori for his continuing lack of patriotism . " 20 Including the students brought by the Iwakura embassy , Mori's duties ...
... importance and dignity of Japanese tradi- tions . According Kido's diary , at one point Prince Iwakura " reproached Mori for his continuing lack of patriotism . " 20 Including the students brought by the Iwakura embassy , Mori's duties ...
Page xxiii
... growing relationship with the barbarian West , Saigo Takamori , the influential military commander from Satsuma who routed Tokugawa forces in Edo in early 1868 and became one of the most important members East Meets West xxiii.
... growing relationship with the barbarian West , Saigo Takamori , the influential military commander from Satsuma who routed Tokugawa forces in Edo in early 1868 and became one of the most important members East Meets West xxiii.
Page xxiv
... important members of the new Meiji government , left the government he helped create in part because of its " pro- West " policies . In 1876-1877 , he led a massive , but failed , rebellion against the Meiji government.33 Perhaps Mori ...
... important members of the new Meiji government , left the government he helped create in part because of its " pro- West " policies . In 1876-1877 , he led a massive , but failed , rebellion against the Meiji government.33 Perhaps Mori ...
Page xxviii
... important matter to the education minister . As soon as the young man started to speak to Mori , he pulled a knife out of his kimono sleeve and thrust it deep into Mori's abdomen twice before Mori's bodyguard grabbed his sword and ...
... important matter to the education minister . As soon as the young man started to speak to Mori , he pulled a knife out of his kimono sleeve and thrust it deep into Mori's abdomen twice before Mori's bodyguard grabbed his sword and ...
Page xxxi
... important because Mori's views , like those of many people , shift over time . Furthermore , Mori was both an intellectual and a government official . It would be unfair to say that these positions are incompatible , but clearly such ...
... important because Mori's views , like those of many people , shift over time . Furthermore , Mori was both an intellectual and a government official . It would be unfair to say that these positions are incompatible , but clearly such ...
Contents
Official and Political Life | 5 |
Life among the Farmers and Planters | 15 |
Commercial Life and Developments | 31 |
Life among the Mechanics | 43 |
Religious Life and Institutions | 51 |
Life in the Factories | 69 |
Educational Life and Institutions | 81 |
Literary Artistic and Scientific Life | 93 |
Life in the Leading Cities | 119 |
Frontier Life and Developments | 129 |
Judicial Life | 135 |
Final Thoughts on America1 | 139 |
Religious Freedom in Japan | 141 |
The Religious Charter of the Empire of Dai Nippon | 149 |
Selected Bibliography | 151 |
155 | |
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Common terms and phrases
acres agricultural amount annual believe Bible called century chapter chargé d'affaires Charles Lanman chiefly Chinese Christ Christian church Circuit civilization claim College comfort commercial connected cotton coun culture daimyō District employed England established extensive fact factories farm farmers fifty foreign Fukuzawa Yukichi give houses hundred important inhabitants institutions Ivan Parker Iwakura embassy Iwakura Tomomi Japanese Japanese students jurisdiction known labor land large numbers largest late laws leading live manufacture Meiji Meiji era Meiji government Meiji Restoration ment merchants miles millions of dollars minister Mori Arinori Mori's nation Niijima persons political population productions published regard religion religious Resources in America Sakoku samurai Satsuma schools sect ships society Supreme Court Territories Thomas Lake Harris thousand dollars tion Tokugawa Tokugawa bakufu Tokyo total number trade true United University various Washington West Western women writing York