"I Watched Them All Die For 484 Days"

Captain Oguri Jukichi and two crewmen survived 484 days adrift on a dismasted, rudderless Japanese cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean, facing starvation, scurvy, and isolation due to Japan's Sakoku policy, only to endure further foreign travel and suspicion before Oguri became a national hero who dedicated his life to memorializing his lost crew.

• Captain Oguri Jukichi and two crewmates survived 484 days adrift at sea after a devastating storm.

• Japan's isolationist 'Sakoku' policy prevented any external rescue efforts for their rudderless ship.

• Oguri became a hero, dedicating his life to honoring the lost crew who perished from scurvy and starvation.

Captain Oguri Jukichi and his crew embarked on a routine trip in 1813 that turned into a harrowing 484-day ordeal when their ship, the Tokujo Maru, was dismasted and lost its rudder in a violent storm, leaving them adrift in the Pacific. Despite Japan's isolationist Sakoku policy, three survivors were eventually rescued by an American vessel, but faced a long journey through foreign lands before Oguri's return to Japan where he was initially questioned before being celebrated as a symbol of endurance.

The Tokujo Maru's Ordeal

• 00:00:05 In October 1813, Captain Oguri Jukichi and his fourteen-man crew on the Tokujo Maru, a Japanese cargo vessel, departed Ito for Toba to retrieve soybeans, but on their return, a severe storm dismasted the ship and destroyed its rudder. This left them adrift and powerless in the open Pacific, ill-equipped for deep ocean travel, and facing dire circumstances exacerbated by Japan's 210-year 'Sakoku' policy of national isolation, which precluded any international assistance.

Survival and Suffering

• 00:04:47 Despite the catastrophic loss of control, the Tokujo Maru's cargo of soybeans became their lifeline, enabling Captain Oguri to implement strict rationing, supplemented by fish caught by skilled crewmen, to sustain his men for months. However, the lack of vitamin C in their diet led to a severe outbreak of scurvy, resulting in the progressive deaths of twelve crew members who were stored in the hold in a desperate hope for rescue, leaving only Oguri, Otokichi, and Hanbei alive by early 1815.

Rescue and Foreign Lands

• 00:07:03 On March 24, 1815, the American fur-brick Forester, captained by William J. Piggott, discovered the Tokujo Maru off California, rescuing the three emaciated survivors. They were first taken to Spanish-owned Northern California, then to Sitka, Russian America (modern-day Alaska), facing a significant language barrier and an unfamiliar world. The Russians agreed to transport them toward Japan, but Hanbei tragically died during the voyage home, leaving only Captain Oguri and Otokichi to eventually reach Japanese shores.

Return and Legacy

• 00:09:18 Upon Captain Oguri's return to Japan, he faced suspicion and a rigorous investigation by the Tokugawa Shogunate for having interacted with foreigners, which was a grave taboo under the Sakoku policy. After the charges were dropped, Oguri's reputation transformed; he was hailed as a national hero and an emblem of Japanese endurance. Haunted by survivor's guilt, he spent the rest of his life traveling Japan, sharing his story and collecting funds to build a memorial for the thirteen crewmates who perished at sea.