翻刻
万次郎爪印
書面江戸之沖合と有之候は江戸之方角外海之事御座候
無人嶋并外国之様子漂流人共へ相尋候趣申上候
書付
無人嶋之様子
一土地之様子凡周海壱里程も有之荒礒にて汐満
干は国元同様に有之山は一山にて凡五六丁も登り有
之絶頂平地無之漂流人共住居候穴は南向にて西之
方は凡壱丁計平地有之其所に鳥類多罷在り東
北之方は至て険阻に有之海上嶋の廻り魚類多く
相見候へとも釣道具も無之殊に荒波にて迚も漁抔
は出来不申土地之由被助揚候船頭咄聞せ申候礒辺に
小石は無之大きなる丸石多く場所も見掛多分は
岩に而切岸高く難所多く又少々平地下り安
き所も有之右穴は入口五尺程丸き穴にて弐間四方
程も有之蟹船虫等多く礒貝有之候へとも荒礒に
て日々少々宛取集一同夫を食に致二月比汐干之
比は多取得申候貝は烏之口と申貝二三才程有之
よめみ貝かつもし貝いつれも片貝多く岩に附
居申候由
現代語訳
万次郎 爪印
書面に「江戸の沖合」とありますのは、江戸の方角の外海のことでございます。
無人島並びに外国の様子について、漂流人たちへ尋ねた趣旨を申し上げる書付
無人島の様子
一、土地の様子は、おおよそ周囲一里程もある荒磯で、潮の満ち干きは国元と同様にあります。山は一つの山で、おおよそ五、六町ほどの登りがあり、絶頂には平地がありません。漂流人たちが住居とした穴は南向きで、西の方にはおおよそ一町ほどの平地があり、その場所に鳥類が多くおります。東北の方は非常に険しく、海上では島の周りに魚類が多く見られますが、釣り道具もなく、特に荒波のため、とても漁などはできない土地だと、助け上げられた船頭が話して聞かせました。磯辺には小石はなく、大きな丸石が多く、場所によって見かけは様々で、多分は岩で切り立った崖が高く、難所が多く、また少々平らで下りやすい所もあります。その穴は入口が五尺ほどの丸い穴で、二間四方ほどもあります。蟹や船虫等が多く、磯貝がありますが、荒磯のため日々少しずつ取り集めて皆でそれを食料とし、二月頃の潮干の時期には多く取得できました。貝は烏の口という貝が二、三寸程あり、よめみ貝、かつもし貝、いずれも片貝が多く、岩に付着していました。
英語訳
Manjirō [thumb print]
What is written as "off the coast of Edo" in the document refers to the open sea in the direction of Edo.
Written report stating the particulars of inquiries made to the castaways regarding the conditions of the uninhabited island and foreign countries
Conditions of the Uninhabited Island
The terrain consists of rough rocky shores with a circumference of approximately one ri, where the tides ebb and flow just as in our home province. There is a single mountain with a climb of about five to six chō, with no flat land at the summit. The cave where we castaways took shelter faced south, and to the west there was flat land of about one chō where many birds resided. The northeast area was extremely treacherous. Although many fish could be seen around the island in the surrounding waters, we had no fishing equipment, and moreover the rough waves made fishing completely impossible on this land, as the ship captain who rescued us explained. Along the rocky shore there were no small stones, but many large round rocks. The appearance varied by location - much of it consisted of rock with high vertical cliffs and many dangerous spots, though there were also some slightly flat areas that were easier to descend. The cave had a round entrance about five shaku wide and extended about two ken square inside. There were many crabs, wood lice, and other creatures, and shore shellfish, but due to the rough rocks we could only gather small amounts daily, which we all ate as food. Around the second month when the tide was low, we were able to collect more. Among the shellfish were "crow's mouth" shells about two to three sun in size, as well as turban shells and limpets - all single-shell mollusks that attached to the rocks.