The Japanese Discovery of Victorian Britain

Early Travel Encounters in the Far West

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies
Cover of the book The Japanese Discovery of Victorian Britain by Andrew Cobbing, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew Cobbing ISBN: 9781134250134
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: November 5, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Andrew Cobbing
ISBN: 9781134250134
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: November 5, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The investigations undertaken in the pursuit of knowledge by the first overseas Japanese travellers during the 1860s and 70s have left a unique record of life in the then unknown west. Leaving behind a homeland culturally isolated for more than 200 years, these samurai travellers were especially fascinated by the extent of British political and commercial influence they observed during their travels, and therefore paid particularly close attention to the Victorian world and recorded all they saw in minute detail. Their diaries and 'travelogues' comprise the single largest body of material on Victorian society to be recorded in any non-European language. This book examines the nature of these travellers' experiences and their perceptions of Victorian Britain. A deeper understanding of this rich source material is important because, although entirely unknown to British readers, the documents reveal one of the most spectacular culture shocks ever recorded in World History. They are also important because the images of Victorian and other western societies that they portrayed to the Japanese reading public in the late nineteenth century still underpin Japanese understanding of the outside world more than a hundred years later.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The investigations undertaken in the pursuit of knowledge by the first overseas Japanese travellers during the 1860s and 70s have left a unique record of life in the then unknown west. Leaving behind a homeland culturally isolated for more than 200 years, these samurai travellers were especially fascinated by the extent of British political and commercial influence they observed during their travels, and therefore paid particularly close attention to the Victorian world and recorded all they saw in minute detail. Their diaries and 'travelogues' comprise the single largest body of material on Victorian society to be recorded in any non-European language. This book examines the nature of these travellers' experiences and their perceptions of Victorian Britain. A deeper understanding of this rich source material is important because, although entirely unknown to British readers, the documents reveal one of the most spectacular culture shocks ever recorded in World History. They are also important because the images of Victorian and other western societies that they portrayed to the Japanese reading public in the late nineteenth century still underpin Japanese understanding of the outside world more than a hundred years later.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book HRM, Work and Employment in China by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Living without a Constitution: Civil Rights in Israel by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Colonising Expeditions to the West Indies and Guiana, 1623-1667 by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Opening The Door by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Combating International Crime by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Unsettling the Colonial Places and Spaces of Early Childhood Education by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book The Insistence of the Letter by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Interpretive Planning for Museums by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Physical Limits to Economic Growth by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Urbanization and Urban Planning in Capitalist Society by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Women's Bodies by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Minority Politics at the Millennium by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Race and Multiculturalism in Malaysia and Singapore by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Narratology by Andrew Cobbing
Cover of the book Ivo van Hove Onstage by Andrew Cobbing
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy