*Note that the authors have been attributed based on their last names and dates of attendance at Kaisei Gakko/Daigaku Nanko/University of Tokyo (during Griffis’ appointment between 1872-1874). Further research is required to confirm their authorship (H. Wakabayashi).
Every one’s residence is the best place in the world. So every nation thinks itself to be better than others in many respects and especially this is the case with the people of those countries which have little or no intercourse with the rest of the world. Read More
When I was a child, I was told by all around me that all foreigners are very much different from us, and that they have the character of wild beasts rather than that of men, and also that their object of coming our country are to make it poor and finally to take it. Read More
As nearly all of the higher class in this country, that is, chiefly Samurais, had been educated in the Chinese style in which system they learned that the Chinese and the Japanese were the most highly civilized nations, and all other foreign nations were barbarians or savages; for this was the case about two thousand years ago. Read More
Till about twenty years ago, the Japanese government permitted no foreigner to visit the island, so the mutual intercourse with them was long time neglected and the people openly refused to have friendship of them. Read More
Before the treaty between our country and America, which was made by Commodore Perry in 1860, and which marked an important era in the history of the empire, foreigners had generally been excluded from our territory except a few Dutch and Chinese; and even these were confined to Nagasaki. Read More
There was nothing but the ignorance of our people which caused them to think all foreign nations, except the Japanese, to be barbarous. It seems to me to be a very very unfortunate thing for us, that we, the Japanese, studied Chinese, the principle of which, that is, the doctrine of ____, is only to make us as ignorant as possible. Read More
As it is supposed in this country that flattering is one of the greatest sins, I will describe what I thought of them without any alteration, though something in them may not be agreeable to them. The first time I saw foreigners, I thought they were of the same species as monkeys, because their faces were red and their hair, sometimes yellowish-red, and sometimes grey. Read More
We, the Japanese have, I hope, somewhat sprung up from the darkness of barbarism, foolish obstinacy, and ignorance. The majority of the people know, at present, something about foreigners and trust in them and think that really they are far enlightened, learned, and intelligent than we are and hence expect to be acquainted with them and learn from them whatever thing we are backward in and teach them anything, if there be, in which we are farther advanced. Read More
