Foreigners for Hire: Drifting Sailors Encountered in Matsumae: Discrimination and Treatment as Observed by a Foreigner, Ranald McDonald (Kaei Nenkan)

Foreigners for Hire: Drifting Sailors Encountered in Matsumae: Discrimination and Treatment as Observed by a Foreigner, Ranald McDonald (Kaei Nenkan)

Foreigners were not treated uniformly in Japan during the Kaei era. Ranald MacDonald, a gringo transported to Matsumae, learned of the existence of 15 American sailors who had drifted ashore separately from him. They were held in a group and were regarded as difficult for the Japanese to manage because of their rough attitude and difficulty in communicating. As a result, their initial protective treatment was gradually lost, surveillance intensified, living conditions deteriorated, and the situation became serious enough to cause illness, death, and even suicide. McDonald's treatment, on the other hand, was relatively benign. He acted alone, maintained his decorum, was able to communicate in Japanese and English, and had established a relationship with his translator. His language ability and demeanor were proof to the Japanese that he was understandable and manageable, and thus less dangerous. This contrast shows that isolationist Japan was not simply an xenophobic society,
but that there was a hierarchy and selectivity even among foreigners. In Matsumae, McDonald witnessed firsthand the reality that it was not the status of being an alien per se, but the language, attitude, and ability to form relationships that determined one's destiny.