A.B. Mitford and the Birth of Japan as a Modern State : : Letters Home / / Robert Morton.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Amsterdam University Press Complete eBook-Package 2017
• VerfasserIn: Morton, Robert,
• MitwirkendeR: Cortazzi, Hugh,
• Place / Publishing House: Amsterdam : : Amsterdam University Press, , [2022]; ©2017
• Year of Publication: 2022
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (256 p.)

Mitford (later to become the first Lord Redesdale) was an urbane aristocrat, had charm, looks and excellent manners. He was always in the right place at the right time, almost drowned, could have burned to death, was shot at, and was nearly cut down by samurai swords. But 'Bertie', as he was known, was never fazed by events. He stood face-to-face with the new, teenage Emperor when almost everybody else, including the Shogun, could only talk to him behind a screen. He became friendly with the last Shogun and witnessed a hara-kiri, his atmospheric account of which is now a classic. An accomplished linguist and writer, Mitford was the outstanding chronicler of the Meiji Restoration, complementing the writings of his contemporary Ernest Satow. This book will be of particular interest to students and readers of Japanese history, as well as readers of nineteenth-century biography in general. It will also have special appeal to those who are familiar with the Mitford family history.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- Foreword -- Preface -- List of Plates -- 1 Yokohama -- 2 Edo -- 3 The Shogun -- 4 An Adventurous Journey -- 5 The Birth of the New Japan -- 6 Kyoto -- 7 Osaka -- 8 Tokyo -- 9 After Japan -- 10 The Return -- 11 The Legacy -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgements -- Index