The Forgotten Story of How British Redcoats Took on Japanese Samurai
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- čas přidán 22. 02. 2024
- Samurai vs Redcoat. In this video we examine the multiple times that bayonet and Katana battled during the 1860s. It includes the bombardment of Kagoshima and also the Shimonoseki campaign.
This is the story behind James Clavell’s Gaijin: a tale of samurai, imperialism, politics, war and gunboat diplomacy in the Wild East.
This video also sees the first American earn the Victoria Cross and the ancient rule of the Japanese Shoguns come to an end.
Thanks to Joshua Provan for researching and writing the script. His CZcams channel can be found here - / @adventuresinhistoryla...
His book Wild East is available via this link - amzn.to/3un24KU
If you are interested in the Zulu War, then please sign up for my mailing list to receive my free book on the subject: redcoathistory.com/newsletter/
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The Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade with the Japanese between 1641-1854. This was agreed between the Japanese and the Dutch. The Japanese studied Dutch so that they could read and study Dutch books such as medicine, mathematics and science. The Japanese wanted to be kept informed about what was happening in the world through the Dutch. The port where Dutch trading ships were allowed to moor was Dejima. Once a year there was a procession with European (latest technical) attributes from Dejima to the Japanese capital to show this to the Japanese emperor. This would be faster by boat, but the procession went over land which took much longer. The Dutch often warned the Japanese that they had to modernize and that there was a danger that other nations would force Japan to trade with them. The Spanish and Portuguese were thrown out of Japan because they converted Japanese to Catholicism. The Dutch were allowed to stay because they wanted to trade alone.
A samurai was defeated by a soldier who extended his foot and make him trip over it... That is gotta be my new favourite example of why real history is not like a movie.
I had no idea about any of this, two VCs awarded in Japan. Another great video. Thanks.
I would like to share some trivia here. As a Japanese, I have to say that many of the samurai photos on the Internet, although not seen in this video, are fakes. From the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, many fake photos taken in photo studios were sold as souvenirs to foreigners. These photos were popular with foreigners because they showed ordinary people wearing armor and pretending to be samurai by imitating seppuku (ritual suicide) or practicing martial arts. In many cases, the only photos that can be authenticated are those in which the person in the photo is a famous samurai.
Well done Sir! As a former Hungarian Loyal Canadian and fan of British and Japanese History, this satisfied a curiosity about military comparison between EDO period Samurai and Western Military Doctrine. Keep up the good work !
Pleasure to work with you on the script! I loved writing the book!
Japan is the Britain of Asia.
The irony of these incidents is that all they did was weaken the Tokugawa government. Satsuma, Choshu, and a few others, realized that the Tokugawa needed the foreigners to fight their battles. Even worse (for the Tokugawa), these domains eventually reached out to the foreigners and obtained their weapons, training and tactical and strategical skills. All of this then came to blows in the Boshin war, as you correctly point out. During that war the supporters of the emperor became known as the Imperial Army, officially, with approval of the emperor. The Tokugawa forces were beaten quickly, and the remnants installed the short lived Ezo Republic on what is Hokkaido today.
Excellent coverage of this topic!! I’m a US Marine veteran, and I have to say I smiled when you brought up Redcoats and US Marines fighting side by side!! Thank you for another fantastic video!!
Interesting episode. My Great grandfather served with the 10th Foot in Yokohama in 1868. He may have had a more interesting time than I first thought.
Its great that you are sharing events that most people have never heard about. However, I feel that this was told from a western POV and could have elaborated on the historical context. This era was a revolutionary period in Japanese history leading to the formation of the foundation of modern Japan. It all began with the Americans one day sailing to Edo with gunboats and enforcing one-sided trade agreements, soon followed by other European nations vying to expand influence in Asia. This was during the age of western imperialism, where underdeveloped civilizations were colonized and annexed. China, British Malays, French Indochina, etc. The Japanese knew about this and the fact that China was overtaken was a huge shock as China was considered the most advanced civilization in the region for most of history. As western nations began to influence the country through show of force, meddling with internal politics, demanding agreements that only merit the west and disadvantaged Japan, etc. etc. naturally many people considered their country to be threatened, risked being overtaken like all the other asian countries, and their way of life to be destroyed. So its important to clarify that there was cause on the west one way or another for any clashes.
Outstanding account, I’d never realised that we had had military action in Japan.
Wow, i love learning something new.
"Sam-yoo-rai" lol
Thanks for that, thoroughly enjoyed it, it was all new to me, well researched & well produced. 'Long Live the history of the Red Coat'
As a Yank living in Sagadahoc county (state of Maine), bravo to Mr. Sealy! And cheers to you for telling the tale!
Great stuff thank you! This is all news to me! I had no idea about our actions in Japan. Thanks again, keep up the great content 🇬🇧
Fascinating. As with other comments this was completely new history to me. As an ex-colonial I was amused that I was rooting for the Redcoats! I keep telling others that what makes it into the history books is a fraction of one percent of what actually happened. Excellent research and great presence as the narrator. Just enough emotional reaction. A side note. On this side of the Pond we receive little of British military history. The biggest source is Sharpe's Rifles series and the two follow up episodes. Is this worth a video context on accuracy and dynamics? Also, an episode on the Light Brigade charge? I'm subscribing
Great video Chris. Thanks for sharing.
The Satsuma domain had been purchasing large quantities of Western weapons and warships from Thomas Blake Glover. Emperor Meiji was educating the Japanese people so that Japan would not be influenced by Western ideas. He created the Imperial Rescript on Education, and Inazo Nitobe wrote Bushido, a collection of ancient samurai morals.