The Samurai's First Visit to America

[mcantu]

wow...i had no idea

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/ny...l?ref=nyregion


Collection of Tom Burnett

Tateishi Onojiro, who was called Tommy. In 1860, at age 17, he was the youngest of a visiting group of samurai, and a sudden heartthrob.

[RollingWave]

The two most famous Samurai who was in that 1860 group though... was undoubtablly Katsu Kaishuu and Fukuzawa Yukichi





(these were their pictures in that trip)

Katsu would be responsible for convincing the final Tokugawa Shogun to surrender . in doing so he both saved Japan from further bloodshed and saved the Tokugawa family from utter destruction. he would also be the founder of the new Japan navy. although he was vividly against Japan's turn towards imperialism.


Katsu right around the end of the Shogunate.

He is also the teacher of a even more famous samurai, one who was send to kill him but was so taken in by him that he went on to be his student.



Sakamoto Ryōma , arguablly the single most legendary figure of the entire Toubakuundou movement that lead to the Meiji restoration


As for Fukuzawa... just how famous is he? well this is the most worldwide known picture of him, litterally.



Although he does have a darker side, as his work either directly or indirectly stirred Japan towards the path of Imperialism.

Although undoubtably the two most famous people in that group, they also disliked each other quite strongly, as their opposing views were usually quite obvious, Katsu admired western cultured but also believed in the value of the traditional eastern teachings. he was against war with Korea and China, while Fukuzawa was most famous for preaching that Japan should completely abandon it's past culture, and even abandon asia as awhole. the famous "Leave Asia behind" theory.

[Darth_Revan]

those pics n stuff were friggin sweet