A Diplomat in Japan [Paperback]

Ernest Satow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2002

Sir Ernest Satow spent over 21 years in diplomatic service in Japan, starting in 1862. In this book her records the inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, as well as giving an account of his personal experiences during that period.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Satow (1843-1929) arrived in Japan in 1862 and remained there for 21 years as a secretary of the British Legation of Tokyo, becoming an avid student of Japanese language, history, religion, and customs. He later served as Minister in Siam, Uruguay, Morocco, and China. He died at age 86 in England.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: ICG Muse (August 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4925080288
• ISBN-13: 978-4925080286
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,753,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Japanese history comes alive, August 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Diplomat in Japan (Paperback)

If you are interested in Japanese history this is a great book. It gives a firsthand account of events between 1862 and 1869 from the perspective of a foreigner, which covers the very important period of Japan opening to foreigners and the overturn of the shogunate. Sir Ernest Satow was witness to many of the important events that formed modern Japan in his function as a translator for the British Consulate. The book reports his various travels through Japan as an official, his interactions with members of the different Japanese clans, negotiations between the foreign representatives and the Japanese government, including the first audience with the Mikado granted to foreigners. The book makes history come alive and fills it with real-life people. It also shows firsthand the difficulties of foreigners in understanding the very different culture of Japan, at a time when there wasn't even proper teaching material to learn the language (not even a dictionary) to make this process easier. A great book for anybody who wants to further his or her understanding of Japan.

4.0 out of 5 stars Seeing history as it was made, August 6, 2011

By 

Horseman - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Diplomat in Japan: The Inner History of the Critical Years in the Evolution of Japan When the Ports Were Opened and the Monarchy Restored (Stone Bridge Classics) (Paperback)

Satow describes in detail Britain's diplomatic involvement in the opening of Japan and Meiji Restoration. He was a junior member of the diplomatic corps at the time, but as one of the first English-Japanese interpreters in the British foreign service attended many important meetings. As a history of events as they occurred in this interesting period in Japan the book is unrivalled.

5.0 out of 5 stars a remarkable work, May 2, 2008

By 

Ian C. Ruxton (Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Diplomat in Japan: The Inner History of the Critical Years in the Evolution of Japan When the Ports Were Opened and the Monarchy Restored (Stone Bridge Classics) (Paperback)

The mere fact that this book has been through many paperback editions since it first appeared as a hardback published in London by Seeley Service in 1921 is on its own a powerful testament to its enduring fascination. This edition is the latest in a long line, and this reviewer hopes that it will never go out of print. (As a Kindle edition has recently been produced this seems unlikely, unless the Kindle itself heralds the end of printed books!)

What is the secret of its popularity? First, it is an eye-witness account by an acutely sensitive and intelligent insider, which many would argue is one of the best kinds of history. Based mainly on his diaries, it depicts not only the political situation of Japan, but also the social conditions of a society on the threshold of an enormous change: the Meiji restoration.

The eyes are those of a sympathetic Westerner who was able to master the Japanese language in a time when there were hardly any text books available, and who later became one of the foremost japanologists of the 19th century. (Of course this is to say nothing of his subsequent career as a top British diplomat and the original author of the Guide to Diplomatic Practice, now in its 6th edition pubd. 2009.)

Ian Ruxton, editor of A Diplomat in Japan, Part II: The Diaries of Ernest Satow, 1870-1883 and several other Satow-related books which are also available on amazon.