Manjiro was 14 when he and his comrades were rescued by whaling ship "The John Howell" out of New Bedford in 1841 after they were stranded on an island by a storm. Manjiro became navigator and first mate and lived in the Fairhaven/New Bedford area for some years before returning to Japan at the peril of his life. He knew the Japanese govt wouldn't execute him for having contact with foreigners. He knew too much about them.Manjiro was 14 when he and his comrades were rescued by whaling ship "The John Howell" out of New Bedford in 1841 after they were stranded on an island by a storm. Manjiro became navigator and first mate and lived in the Fairhaven/New Bedford area for some years before returning to Japan at the peril of his life. He knew the Japanese govt wouldn't execute him for having contact with foreigners. He knew too much about them.
Manjiro was 14 when he and his comrades were rescued by whaling ship "The John Howell" out of New Bedford in 1841 after they were stranded on an island by a storm. Manjiro became navigator and first mate and lived in the Fairhaven/New Bedford area for some years before returning to Japan at the peril of his life. He knew the Japanese govt wouldn't execute him for having contact with foreigners. He knew too much about them.