The forgotten story of Japan's 1st English teacher in the 1850s
by editors@theworld.org (Rebecca Rosman) from The World: Latest Stories on (#6V25F)
In 1848, Ranald MacDonald, the son of a Chinook chief and a Scottish settler, staged a shipwreck near Rishiri Island to gain entry into Japan - then, a closed country under isolationist policies. Despite being briefly imprisoned upon his arrival in Japan, MacDonald ultimately became a highly influential figure in fostering US-Japan relations. Rebecca Rosman brings us the story from Rishiri Island, in Hokkaido.