Tenjiku Tokubei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tenjiku Tokubei (1612- c.1692) (Jp:天竺徳兵衛) was a Japanese adventurer and writer of the early 17th century. He traveled to Southeast Asia and India, hence his "Tenjiku" (Jp:天竺, lit. "India") nickname.
He was born in Sendo-machi, Takasago-cho, in today's Hyogo Prefecture in 1612. His father was a salt wholesaler.
[edit] The adventurer
At the age of fifteen, in 1626, Tokubei was hired by a trading company in Kyoto. He pursued commercial activities in Siam (Thailand) and Magadha (India) onboard Japanese Red Seal Ships. He is also recorded as having been to India with the Dutch adventurer Jan Joosten, and traded there.
Upon his return to Japan, and after the introducing of the Seclusion policy (Sakoku), Tokubei wrote an essay titled "Tenjiku Tokai Monogatari" (天竺渡海物語, "Relations of sea travels to India") on his adventures in foreign countries, which became very popular in Japan. He is sometimes referred to as the Marco Polo of Japan.
He died around the age of 80 in his home town of Takasago.
[edit] The Kabuki character
Tenjiku Tokubei became a popular character of Kabuki and Joruri puppet dramas, where he was given the role of a magician. He was a popular subject of woodcut prints in the 18th and 19th century.
In September 1795, Kunitaro played the role of Tokubei's wife in the drama "Tenjiku Tokubei Kikigaki Ôrai", while the role of Tenjiku Tokubei was played by Arashi Koroku III.
[edit] Conveyor belt sushi
Today, Tokubei is also the name of a chain of Conveyor belt sushi, comprising 49 restaurants as of June 2005.
