Edo No Igirisu Netsu: Rondon-Bashi to Rondon-Dokei

Kodansha, Tokyo, 2006, 254 pages, ISBN 4-06-258352-6

Review by Sean Curtin

This is a fact-packed scholarly study of the image of England in Edo Japan. It is crammed full of great illustrations as well as a host of fascinating information on the yoyo-like history of the British presence in Japan and their fluctuating image. The English East India Company first set up shop in the Land of the Rising Sun in 1613, but within a decade were forced to quit, departing in 1623. The subsequent Civil War prevented their return until the end of the century. When they did re-establish a presence, the Brits were initially welcomed, but the rival Dutch East India Company was reluctant to give up its monopoly on the Japanese market. So, it pulled out the stops to blacken and blur the English name, eventually succeeding in pushing the British out of the country once more. In 1813 they bounced back to restart trade for a third time, on this occasion in a mission sent by Stanford Raffles (of Singapore fame). However, not before too long they were yet again made to withdraw, before once more yo-yoing back with the opening up of the country in the 1850s. This book analyzes the fascinating two centuries between 1613 and 1813, which have not been extensively studied in English or Japanese. The project grew out at a talk Dr. Screech delivered for the Japan Society during Asian Art Week, 2003.