The Forgotten Story of How British Redcoats Took on Japanese Samurai

The Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade with the Japanese between 1641–1854. This was agreed between the Japanese and the Dutch. The Japanese studied Dutch so that they could read and study Dutch books such as medicine, mathematics and science. The Japanese wanted to be kept informed about what was happening in the world through the Dutch. The port where Dutch trading ships were allowed to moor was Dejima. Once a year there was a procession with European (latest technical) attributes from Dejima to the Japanese capital to show this to the Japanese emperor. This would be faster by boat, but the procession went over land which took much longer. The Dutch often warned the Japanese that they had to modernize and that there was a danger that other nations would force Japan to trade with them. The Spanish and Portuguese were thrown out of Japan because they converted Japanese to Catholicism. The Dutch were allowed to stay because they wanted to trade alone.

I had no idea about any of this, two VCs awarded in Japan. Another great video. Thanks.

Well done Sir! As a former Hungarian Loyal Canadian and fan of British and Japanese History, this satisfied a curiosity about military comparison between EDO period Samurai and Western Military Doctrine. Keep up the good work !

Pleasure to work with you on the script! I loved writing the book!

I would like to share some trivia here. As a Japanese, I have to say that many of the samurai photos on the Internet, although not seen in this video, are fakes. From the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period, many fake photos taken in photo studios were sold as souvenirs to foreigners. These photos were popular with foreigners because they showed ordinary people wearing armor and pretending to be samurai by imitating seppuku (ritual suicide) or practicing martial arts. In many cases, the only photos that can be authenticated are those in which the person in the photo is a famous samurai.

Excellent coverage of this topic!! I’m a US Marine veteran, and I have to say I smiled when you brought up Redcoats and US Marines fighting side by side!! Thank you for another fantastic video!!

Great video Chris. Thanks for sharing.

Its great that you are sharing events that most people have never heard about. However, I feel that this was told from a western POV and could have elaborated on the historical context. This era was a revolutionary period in Japanese history leading to the formation of the foundation of modern Japan. It all began with the Americans one day sailing to Edo with gunboats and enforcing one-sided trade agreements, soon followed by other European nations vying to expand influence in Asia. This was during the age of western imperialism, where underdeveloped civilizations were colonized and annexed. China, British Malays, French Indochina, etc. The Japanese knew about this and the fact that China was overtaken was a huge shock as China was considered the most advanced civilization in the region for most of history. As western nations began to influence the country through show of force, meddling with internal politics, demanding agreements that only merit the west and disadvantaged Japan, etc. etc. naturally many people considered their country to be threatened, risked being overtaken like all the other asian countries, and their way of life to be destroyed. So its important to clarify that there was cause on the west one way or another for any clashes. Japan knew it was time for change and these events caused many many young men to think about what should be done, what course the country needs to take. Of course there were different factions, different views and conflicts of interest, etc. so it lead to civil war and incidents with western countries like what was covered in the video. This was an era full of energy, bred many brilliant people who took a country from the feudal era to the modern era in just a few decades. One unfortunate lesson Japan learned from the whole experience was that they thought that Japan too must become imperialistic like all other modern nations at the time, or else risk being colonized, which influenced the path of foreign policy/national security strategy afterwards.

Wow, i love learning something new. Thank you 😊.

Interesting episode. My Great grandfather served with the 10th Foot in Yokohama in 1868. He may have had a more interesting time than I first thought.

Another outstanding vid sir.

Fantastic snippet of history and great video- many thanks

Great stuff thank you! This is all news to me! I had no idea about our actions in Japan. Thanks again, keep up the great content 🇬🇧

Japan is the Britain of Asia.

Excellent. I hadn't heard about these actions before.

Fascinating. As with other comments this was completely new history to me. As an ex-colonial I was amused that I was rooting for the Redcoats! I keep telling others that what makes it into the history books is a fraction of one percent of what actually happened. Excellent research and great presence as the narrator. Just enough emotional reaction. A side note. On this side of the Pond we receive little of British military history. The biggest source is Sharpe's Rifles series and the two follow up episodes. Is this worth a video context on accuracy and dynamics? Also, an episode on the Light Brigade charge? I'm subscribing

A samurai was defeated by a soldier who extended his foot and make him trip over it... That is gotta be my new favourite example of why real history is not like a movie.

Outstanding account, I’d never realised that we had had military action in Japan.

History worth remembering!! Thank you!

Excellent content. Uncovering sections of history I knew nothing about. Thanks for posting.