April 16, 2022: Japanese Interpreters worked for Lighthouse construction with McVean.灯台建設に関わった日本人通訳者たち
1-1. SOURCE: McVean's Diary 1869出典、1869年マクヴェイン日記
Saturday Apr 10, 1869. Simoda - Squally
--Landed remainder of timber for Huts – too blowy to take it out to Rock so had it all put into a large junk to wait first fair opportunity –
Walked to the Awa quarry with Brunton, Brown, Hiasawa, Saito, Murayama, & c .– very pretty country – found people putting up a temporary theatre near the quarry - saw stone already ordered for Light house – Evening still blowing hard Marks sleeps on shore tonight in the Temple - I remain on board - Japanese Man of War came in commanded by one of Satsuma’s men.
Monday Jul 5, 1869. Fine - night wet.
--Employed looking after work and waiting a report of state of affairs on the Rock - fr Mr B & Terashima in hopes that some change to the [beter] may be brought about - but it is very hard to alter the nature of the Japs I blame the head workmen principally for the provoking way they are going on - Fished for a while and caught I should say from 20 to 30 small things like cuddies - The Japanese were rather surprised to see the [Trgin] catching fish as fast or faster than they did themselves but it was not the first time I fished for cuddies from a carraig -
Tuesday Jul 6, 1869. Blowing fresh
--Tender not able to come off – Men on the Rock a little more biddable than usual as they are afraid something is being done about them – at headquarters -
Wednesday Jul 7, 1869. Fine -
--B X a.m. The Tomie’s smoke in sight - Tyinagawa (Shinagawa?) off in the Tender - he told me of the arrest by the Govr of Ishizaka - Lighthouse commissioner at Simoda and old Fugia the contractor - for swindling in connexion with the Light Ho [h…] - and hinted it would be a case for (Hara kiri) - I am sorry for Ishizaka as he was rather a nice fellow - Tyinagawa also hinted that it might also be his own fate by and by - and did not seem to relish the prospect. he went through the motion cutting himself up – made a wry face – and said it was “no goodo” - in which I quite agreed with him - Got in to Simoda just after the Tomio – found Mr Brunton had come but not Mary - I was on the whole both pleased that she did not as it is not a fit place this for baby - slept on board the Tomio
Thursday Jul 8, 1869. fine
--Tender alongside with steam up at ½ past 8 a.m. got on board with Mr & Mrs Brunton. Colonel (Brazin?) Capt Brown, Ueno san vice Governor of Yokohama - Jewry the new timekeeper and others - and off abt 9 pm Mikomoto had a good passage – and landed comfortably Mr Saito and Tyinagawa arriving a little while after us in their boat - Had Tiffin in my house and then had some new arrangements made as to work dicipline &c on the Rock which I hope will be of benefit -
Mr & Mrs Brunton remained with me the rest of the party went back to Simoda in the evening -
The news of Ishisaka’s and Fugia’s arrest by the Govr confirmed by this time - suppose they have committed (Hara Kiri) or had their heads taken off
Friday Jul 9, 1869. wet and disagreeable
“Tinio Maru” off for Mr & Mrs Brunton but they both felt sick and not inclined to face it so the Tomio was sent back to her old quarters in Simoda to wait for a better day
Saturday Jul 10, 1869. Fresh breeze
--Mr & Mrs Brunton still with me - as the “Tomio” did not come out today Mrs Brunton seems to enjoy being on shore anywhere out of the “Tomio Maru” - Brunton very impatient - New arrangements have not had time to work yet -
Sunday Jul 11, 1869. Showery -
--Tender off at 8 a.m. with Hirasawa who comes to relive Tyinagawa (Shinagawa?) who goes to [Yedo] under arrest - Mr & Mrs Brunton leave for Nagasaki &c in the “Tomie” abt X a.m. Went to the office in the evening and saw the men mustered got a number of the names taken down - and I think made Hiasawa understand that I was to be master and not he he did not seem to like my goings on at all –
Monday Jul 12, 1869. Blowing fresh
--Employed - [Ng……y ] to get things with working order - Read some of “The Only Farm care” &c and made some calculations in connexion with the Light Ho. Had a fire in the lime kiln
Tuesday Jul 13, 1869. Calm afternoon wet -
--Tender off with a lot of timber - Mr Coto came also, but did not appear to have any particular business - gave some orders for material - at work on Light Ho - drawings -
Lime kiln finished
Wednesday Jul 14, 1869. Fair - ½ day
--Tender not off today. I suppose from its being a great Japanese holiday. they made it out to be too rough to cross - men at work in the afternoon – but not very heartily – as they think it very hard to have to work on “[Aki Dintag” ] I have got Jewry the timekeeper at work to try and [ferit] out of the men how much they are paid as I have a very strong suspicion most of the money sticks to the fingers of the Yakonines it is very difficult to get at the truth – or even near it
Thursday Jul 15, 1869. Showery
--Went to Simoda - Great Japanese feast in honour of the Mikado. Had Japanese Tiffin with Coto afterwards went to the Shinto Temple to see the procession found it well worth seeing – 1st came men with grotesque masks and bearing great Bows and arrows and lances – then came a frantic mob dressed in white with deamons in china ink on their clothes – carrying the “Horen” [miniature shrine] a model of the Mikado’s chair of state - The brother of the 2d Mikado of the Dynasty – was supposed to be in it he was a cruel tyrant and fond of fighting so all the bearers fought and apparently with great difficulty forced the Mikado into the temple after that came the big drum belonging to each street of the Town preceded by the chief men of the street and followed by a rude band of fife, and small drums. the same frantic fighting mob in white with demons on their clothes and in some cases dancing girls with their guitars - as each party entered the court of the Temple they appeared to get quite frantic pushed one another about and knocked each other down in the mud. some Shinto Priests in full dress – light green, and wearing their two swords appeared in the procession –
Friday Jul 16, 1869. Fair very calm & hot, Tender not off
--5 men off to tend lime kiln - kiln in fair working order now – divided the men into gangs and tried to organise some system and regularity in the work -
Saturday Jul 17, 1869. --Fine light breeze
--American Man of war and 2 sailing ships passed this morng. - got some of the Tower foundation stones into their places but not bedded - work going on very fairly now -
Sunday Jul 18, 1869. Fine -
--Tender off in the morning - Geng as usual; breaking his leave. Laid the foundation stone of Mikomoto Light house nearly 3 months and a half since our first landing on the rock - about 9 months from the date if all goes well I hope to see at least the masonry finished - Dispatched a messenger to Yokohama with letters -
Monday Jul 19, 1869. fine -
--Tender off Geng back but has kept out of sight all day - sent Tender to tow in stone boat - got her in in time to unload before dark - work going on pretty well now . Made some pretty good shooting with my rifle
Tuesday Jul 20, 1869. Fine - but blowing a little
--getting on with tower foundation - beginning to make a show now - Aden passed in the afternoon carrying the mails – returned our salute -
Wednesday Jul 21, 1869. Showery
--Tender off at X a.m. went on shore to look after the quarry - and to order a quantity of material had Japanese tiffin with Cota – [….ri…] peaches, tea, hot saki, raw eggs and some kind of sauce &c - got back to Mikomoto abt ½ past 5 p.m. –
Thursday Jul 22, 1869. Blowing hard N
--Work going on as usual nothing of any importance took place -
Friday Jul 23, 1869. Fine -
--Tender off – Hiasawa got the better of me today, as I gave orders that 3 masons who wanted to leave the […] were not to be allowed to go till next week – however he let them slip and then came up and told me with a long face he was very sorry but the 3 masons had escaped - I told Watanabi I quite understood how it was - but the Japanese are most pig-headed and perverse and annoying - Heard that Hara is back in Simoda – and Nogotché (Noguchi) come to relieve Watanabi – 3 stones 1st course of the Tower laid
Saturday Jul 24, 1869. Fine -
--Went on shore to Simoda found a Theatre rigged up so went to see what was going on - The building was a temporary one made of bamboo and boarding with a stage and scenery just like a European Theatre - and the acting was much in the same style - I think the actors were all women -
Remained at Simoda all night and got eaten up by mosquitoes in the Temple as I had no curtains –
got letters by Nogotché (Noguchi) -
Sunday Jul 25, 1869. Fine but blowing at sea
--Went to the sulpher baths in the morning found Jewry who had come up the night before very ill - left him for some days in hope that baths will do him good made an attempt to get out to Mikomoto in the evening but by the time we got half way we saw it would be impossible to land so we put about - borrowed mosquito curtains for the night -
Monday Jul 26, 1869. Fine
--Started for Mikomoto about 9 a.m. found the work had progressed well during the last three days 2d of the first course of the tower [………] -
Tuesday Jul 27, 1869. Showery
--Usual routine of work nothing new -
Wednesday Jul 28, 1869. Morng. very wet - even - fair
--No work to day - wrote letters home. Very heavy sea on - and several large turtles swimming about the Rock - two in the creek - Marks & I shot one each but did not manage to pick them up - Nogotché (Noguchi) and the new Yakomine up in the evening
1-2. Identification人物比定、彼らは3-4人が1グループとなり、1週間毎の交代勤務で下田にやってきた。
(1) Saito
・斉藤卯太郎Saito Utaro、蕃書調所勤番斉藤源蔵の息子、木村直樹「通訳たちの幕末維新」p.164。
(2) Hiasawa (Hirasawa)
・平沢??
(3) Maruyama
・丸山??
(4) Tyinagawa
・品川英介Shinagawa Eisuke、オランダ通司出身、木村直樹「通訳たちの幕末維新」p.166。
(5) Coto?
・工藤助作Kudo Sukesakuの可能性があるが不確定
(6) Watanabi
・渡辺牧太Watanabe Makita
「生粋の英語の通弁というのは、横山孫一郎・渡辺牧太・星亨・矢野次郎・富永冬樹・榊原保太郎・工藤助作・鳴戸義民(略)などの人々でしたが、榊原は県庁勤め、工藤は裁判所附で判事格でした」(石井光太郎・東海林静男編『横浜どんたく』上、有隣堂、1973 年)
(7) Sakakibara
・榊原保太郎
(8) Noguchi
・野口源之助Noguchi Gennosuke、加藤克「明治初期の「自然史」通詞 野口源之助 : ノグチゲラの名前の由来 (試論)」北大植物園研究紀要6、2006年、1-24頁。
・マクヴェインが神子元島灯台建設の合間に、島で魚や鳥をスケッチしていたときに野口がそばにいたことがわかる。