Japan Society of Fairfield County
On Sunday, March 6th, Daniel and Asami Green, Japan Society
Benefactors, very graciously invited Society members to their home, Arcan
Ridge, the former residence of Helen Keller. Our members flocked to
this event in an overflow crowd.
Listed in the U.S. Government’s National Registry of Historic Places,
Arcan Ridge was built for Helen Keller in 1936 and remained her beloved
Connecticut home until her death in 1968. It is surrounded by lovely
gardens, stonewalls and lush foliage, and has been visited by many distinguished
international visitors and guests, who have enjoyed its quiet New England
charm. Helen Keller’s special interest in Japan was described as
we enjoyed her former home.
The featured guest was Junji Kitadai, co-translator of Hyoson Kiryaku
(A Brief Account of Drifting toward the Southeast), as told to the
court of Lord Yamauchi of Tosa in 1852 by John Manjiro, transcribed and
illustrated by Kawada Shoryo. Kitadai-san only briefly spoke on
"Manjiro and Captain Whitfield - the first grass-roots friendship between
an American and a Japanese, and what Manjiro means to us today" to allow
time for another unannounced guest, Ayumi Sato. Sato-san and her husband
produced a 45 minute documentary The Castaway - the Story of Manjiro
and we were privileged to enjoy its premier. This project was an
outgrowth of a documentary Ayumi started for WGBH, Boston PBS, on the California
gold rush. Much to her surprise, she discovered that there was a lone
Japanese immigrant, Manjiro, participating in the gold rush. She ended
up discovering the story of Manjiro, an individual who changed the course
of history by laying a groundwork for the opening of Japan by Commodore Perry
150 years ago.
Daniel Green is the director of the Manjiro Historic Ship Society,
which is building a working replica of the John Howland, the New
England whaling ship that rescued Manjiro. Captain Whitfield adopted the
14 year old Manjiro and educated him first as a seaman, and then paid for
his education as a carpenter and navigator. After Manjiro returned
to Japan, his personal testament to America's superior technology and spirit
was crucial in peacefully opening Japan's closed door.
Click here to leave
this site and go to the site for the Manjiro documentary
Click here to leave this
site and go to the Manjiro Historic Ship Society site
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