[link:https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/01/national/events-mark-1800s-castaways-who-were-first-japanese-in-u-s/
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On Nov. 4, 1813, a storm hit the vessel off Shizuoka while it was on its way back from Edo (Tokyo). The vessel’s helm and mast were damaged, and it began drifting helplessly to the east.
When the crew were rescued by a British ship off California 484 days later, only two other crew members — Otokichi and Hanbe — had survived.
The two sailors and Jukichi landed on American soil and then sailed up the West Coast aboard a British ship, past Alaska, and spent the winter on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.
The following year, the three mariners traveled to Hokkaido on a Russian ship, but Jukichi and Otokichi, a resident of Izu in present-day Shizuoka Prefecture, were the only two who made it. Hanbe died during the journey.
Since Japan was a closed country at the time, the two were subject to a long investigation.
When Jukichi returned to his hometown, his status in the community soared. After climbing the social ladder, in addition to being permitted to carry a sword, Jukichi won the right to have a last name, Oguri.
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