近代日本の記録史料としての『完訳 日本奥地紀行』 : イザベラ・バード再読の意義(史料紹介)

抄録

Isabella L. Bird (1831-1904) wrote Unbeaten Tracks in Japan: An Account of Travels in the Interior, Including Visits to the Aborigines of Yezo and the Shrines of Nikko and Ise. Recently, the complete translation was published. This paper reads the translation of Bird's work as a significant record of historical materials of modern Japan. This book features three main points. First, the invisible is highlighted, not just the visible. Second, the analysis includes both the old and the new; in other words, it depicts the bilateral character. Third, it vividly depicts the regional differences in the same era. It draws the differences between the urban and rural areas, and it has become a valuable record of the agricultural technology and rural landscape of each region in the early Meiji era. In addition, Bird analyzed the major structural transformation of society since Japan was facing a structural transformation during this period. I found that Unbeaten Tracks in Japan is not just traveling writing. There is value in this book as a historical document for understanding modern Japan.