Named in memory of Manjiro Nakahama, a fisherman from Kochi prefecture who was rescued by an American whaling ship at the age of 16 when, in 1843, he was drifting in the Pacific. Beginning a new life in the U. S. under the name John Manjiro, he served as first officer on several voyages and played a very important part in the early stages of cultural exchange between Japan and the United States. (M 19340) _ _.