North to Matsumae: Australian Whalers to Japan

Noreen Jones

Shipwreck, mutiny, massacre and imprisonment. With all the hallmarks of a maritime adventure story, North to Matsumae retraces the perilous voyages of two nineteenth century Australian whaling ships as they harvest whales off the Japanese coast.

Drawing on previously unpublished journals of the Lady Rowena’s ship master and supplemented by Japanese historical accounts, this well-researched account provides a historical context to the current whaling debate. The book also charts an unexplored chapter in Australian-Japanese relations, documenting the first known contact between the two countries on Japanese soil in 1831.

For anyone interested in Japan’s highly controversial whaling industry, North to Matsumae, is a fascinating read about a time when there was a very different Australian attitude toward the practice of whaling.

Praise for North to Matsumae:

A well-researched history.

HISTORY MAGAZINE AUSTRALIA

Book details

PUBLICATION DATE: 2008
FORMAT: Paperback
EXTENT: 212 pages
SIZE: 230 x 150 mm
ISBN: 9780980296518
RIGHTS: World
CATEGORY: Australian Studies, General Non-fiction, Noreen Jones,