A strange twist of fate led the Sendai clan to become the first Japanese to circumnavigate the globe [Miyagi Prefecture]

Did you know that the first Japanese person to circumnavigate the world was from the Sendai domain?

In this article, we will briefly explain the story of people from the Sendai domain who, due to a strange fate, ended up traveling around the world

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A trip around the world that started with drifting?

When you hear the phrase "circumnavigating the world," you might think of some kind of adventure, diplomacy, or exploration, but it is said that the original trigger for the circumnavigation was when a ship that set sail from Ishinomaki bound for Edo carrying rice and timber was shipwrecked in an unprecedented storm off the coast of Shioyazaki (present-day Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture)

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A narrow escape from death: the crew after the disaster

The year was November 1793 (Kansei 5), and as mentioned above, the ship set sail from Ishinomaki loaded with rice and lumber and headed for Edo with a crew of 16 people

The name of the ship that set sail for Edo was "Wakamiya Maru .

However, just as they set sail, the ship unfortunately encountered a storm off the coast of Shioyazaki, causing it to deviate from its course and end up wandering the seas for around six months

The ship is said to have drifted with the current off the coast of Shioyazaki and drifted ashore on a small island in the Aleutian Islands, a chain of islands stretching from the Alaska Peninsula to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the North Pacific Ocean, in May of the following year, 1974 (Kansei 6)

It is recorded that all 16 crew members miraculously survived when the ship drifted ashore on the Aleutian Islands

While the ship was carrying supplies (rice, wood, etc.), there was food, but the essential drinking water quickly ran out and people had to endure thirst

Not a single person was killed and the entire crew was washed ashore on a small island, but the boatman died shortly after being washed ashore

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After being stranded on a small island in the Aleutian Islands

With the loss of their captain, the Wakamiya Maru's crew of 15 men were rescued by locals and taken to Naatsuka Island, where they spent about a year with the help of natives and Russian sea otter hunters

It was then sent to mainland Russia in May 1795 (Kansei 7)

The ship left Okhotsk and crossed Siberia, heading for Irkutsk. However, on the way to Irkutsk, one crew member of the Wakamiya Maru lost his life, possibly due to the stress of the journey

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Crew members (from the Sendai domain) who traveled to mainland Russia

The 14-person crew will spend approximately eight years in Russia

During their stay, they were able to convert to Russian Orthodoxy and become Russian citizens, so they were split into two groups: four who wanted to become naturalized and ten who wanted to return to their home country

However, during this long (eight-year) stay, one more person would die

It was April 1803 (Kyowa 3), and things began to move

The Wakamiya Maru's 13-man crew was heading to St. Petersburg to meet Emperor Alexander I

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The group heading to St. Petersburg

It is unclear what route they took to St. Petersburg, but on the way there, three of them returned to Irkutsk due to stress and illness

The group of 10 people arrived safely in St. Petersburg, where they met with Emperor Alexander I, who confirmed their intention to return home

At this point, opinions were divided between those who wanted to return to their home country and those who wanted to naturalize, and in the end , four people, Tsudayu, Gibei, Tajuro, and Sahei, wanted to return to their home country, while the other six decided to remain in Russia.

However, it is said that the repatriation of this group of castaways was intended to gain an advantage in trade negotiations with Japan

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The five people are finally returning home, but what will their journey be like?

In July 1803 (Kyowa 3), five people, including Zenroku (who had become a naturalized citizen) and four others who wanted to return to their home country, departed St. Petersburg.

It headed to Copenhagen (Denmark), then continued on to Falmouth (England) and sailed to Tenerife (Canary Islands), then Santa Catarina in Brazil, the Marquesas Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula, before arriving at Nagasaki Port in September 1804 (Bunka 1) .

However, even after arriving in Nagasaki, negotiations between the shogunate and Russia did not go well, and the four members of the group who returned home, excluding the interpreter Zenroku - Tsudayu, Gibei, Taijuro, and Sahei - were stranded in Nagasaki for a while.

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Several years after the disaster, the long journey comes to an end

In March 1805 (Bunka 2), an agreement was reached between the shogunate and Russia, and the four returning soldiers were finally handed over to Japan

However, even though an agreement was reached, it was difficult to return to his hometown, and the first place he was sent from Nagasaki was the "Sendai Domain's Upper Residence" in Edo

Here, the four men were questioned by Dutch scholars Otsuki Gentaku and Shimura Hirotsugu

The contents of these interviews have been compiled into a book called "Kankai Ibun."

Later, in 1806 (Bunka 3), the four returned to their hometown for the first time in 12 years, but Taijuro and Gibei died in the same year, Tsudayu in 1814 (Bunka 11), and Sahei the following year in 1829 (Bunka 12)

The details of the naturalized group who remained in Russia are unknown, but there are stories that they worked as interpreters

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summary

The first Japanese person to circumnavigate the world began with an unprecedented disaster that turned the lives of 16 people upside down

There may be some descendants of those who have naturalized in Russia today

This story of the "strange voyage around the world" is not widely known, but the Ishinomaki Wakamiya Maru Castaways Association has been formed in Ishinomaki City, where the Wakamiya Maru set sail, and investigations are still ongoing

In addition, there is a memorial monument for the crew of the Wakamiya Maru at Zenshoji Temple in Ishinomaki City, so it might be a good idea to take this opportunity to visit it

Zenshoji Temple <Information>

• Address: 1-4-8 Yamashitacho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture
• Protective benefits: Ishinomaki Oshika 24th temple of the 33 sacred temples

Google Map

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Finally, we will provide detailed information about the 16 people on board the Wakamiya Maru, quoted from Wikipedia

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