The Exceptional Ranald McDonald: An Accidental English Teacher Who Entered Japan under the Closed-Door Policy (First Half of the 19th Century)

The Exceptional Ranald McDonald: An Accidental English Teacher Who Entered Japan under the Closed-Door Policy (First Half of the 19th Century)

Ranald McDonald is a very unique figure in the history of modern English education in Japan, as he suddenly appeared from outside the system. He was not a "hired foreigner" systematically invited by the Meiji government, but rather, a person who entered Japan as a fictitious drifter at the end of the Edo period when the isolationist system was still strictly maintained. As a result, however, his presence enhanced the English language skills of Japanese officials and had a substantial impact on later negotiations with the outside world.

In the first half of the 19th century, Japan was faced with the approach of powers such as Russia, the U.K., and the U.S., while nominally remaining closed to the rest of the world. The Dutch-centered correspondence system with Nagasaki as the contact point was beginning to show its limits with the increase in English-speaking ships, but the shogunate had not yet reached the stage of institutionalizing English-language education. McDonald's happened to enter this vacuum.

He was born in the U.S. to a mixed-race father of European descent and a mother who was the daughter of a Chinook chief. In the 19th century in the West, there were widespread theories and imaginings that the ancestors of North American Indians had originated in Asia, and there were discourses that regarded Japan as their spiritual home. McDonald also harbored a strong yearning for Japan and decided to come to Japan out of personal motivation rather than a national or religious mission.

In 1848, he deliberately deserted from a whaling ship and landed on Rishiri Island, posing as a castaway. This was almost the only practical means of entering Japan, which did not allow free entry to foreigners. He was then sent to Nagasaki and placed under house arrest at the Sofukuji temple, but in this captivity, the magistrate's office used him as a resource for English language skills and had him teach English to Einosuke Moriyama and other government officials.

At the time, English in Japan was taught only indirectly through Dutch documents. In contrast, McDonald taught colloquial English, which emphasized pronunciation and conversation. With this experience, the translators were to play a central role as practical interpreters when Perry arrived in Japan in 1853.

In studies of the English-speaking world, MacDonald is often referred to as "Japan's first English teacher. His Japanese-English word-contrast charts and Japanese memos are considered valuable documents from the perspective of the history of Japanese language studies. Although he was an institutional outlier, McDonald occupies a special place in the history of the end of the Edo period as a symbolic example of how chance and individual actions moved history.