TỪ MỘT TÁC PHẨM CỦA TRƯƠNG ĐĂNG QUẾ, NHẬN DIỆN ĐẤT NƯỚC VÀ CON NGƯỜI NHẬT BẢN ĐẦU THẾ KỶ XIX QUA CHUYẾN PHIÊU DẠT CỦA NĂM NGƯỜI LÍNH VIỆT NAM SANG NHẬT BẢN

Abstract

Trương Đăng Quế was a highly influential mandarin in the Nguyễn dynasty court, serving under four kings: Gia Long, Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị, and Tự Đức. He was renowned for his literary elegant writing, possessing deep knowledge and skill as a poet and historian who was highly respected. Among the notable literary heritages that he left behind is the work 'Nhật Bản kiến văn lục' (Observations on Japan), which was written in 1828 based on narratives of Vietnamese sailors who were drifted to Japan due to a storm. This work is the first prose account of Japan written by a Vietnamese in Classical Chinese. Basing on previous works and using interdisciplinary research methods, cultural studies, and ethnology, this article will elucidate the locations where the five Vietnamese soldiers drifted before being taken to Nagasaki to return home, as well as the situation of the land and the people of Japan in the early 19th century as recorded by Trương Đăng Quế in Nhật Bản kiến văn lục.