Tabe Mitsuro

Who is Tabe Mitsuro?

Tabe Mitsuro was a Japanese born explorer. Born in a fishing village to a poor family in Kyūshū, he became an explorer due to chance when he was cast adrift in his fishing boat during a storm. He was rescued by a Chinese vessel and taken to the mainland continent. Despite the language barrier he thrived, choosing to travel about much of the countryside and visiting numerous townships and communities. Although the exact duration of his stay is unknown, he is said to have spent a large portion of his life in China.

In his later years he grew nostalgic for Japan and booked passage on a ship venturing as close to Japan as possible. He then set adrift on a small raft by himself and made his way towards the island of Japan.

Illiterate, as his background had not provided him with formal education, his tales of travels and exploration were related orally. Many of his stories were dismissed at the time as imaginative fictions. However, later historic accounts confirm that his tales were based on fact and depicted accurately the culture and lifestyles that he had witnessed on the mainland.

Considered today an obscure folk hero, a statue of him stands looking over the fishing town of Minoh where he is said to have been born.