The Golden Kite: The Longest Journey

On February 11th,1892, Major Yasumasa Fukushima, stationed at the Berlin Embassy, departs on a journey of 9,000 miles, alone and on horseback, across two continents and nine countries arriving in Vladivostok 488 days later. While outwardly doing this as a boastful wager during a drinking session in the Officer's club, it probably was, in fact, the longest reconnaisance mission in recorded history. He followed the then curent construction of the Trans-Siberian railroad and the telegraph infrastructure enroute. Japan was aware that this railroad, if completed, would be like a sword pointing at Japan's soft underbelly. Russian expansion eastword would allow massive numbers of Russian troops to be at Japan's doorstep in a matter of days. His daily diary entries tell of his perilous journey as he meets Kings, Czars and War Lords. The brutal weather ranges from below zero Siberia to the intense heat of the Gobi Desert. He even meets the founder of a Silicon Valley electronics company. The book features a Gazetteer, Bibliography, and index. This officer was born of the Samurai heritage. He attended the U.S. Centennial in 1876. He was the founder of the Kempei Tai (secret Police), He was a master of Haiku code. He was the senior allied officer during the Boxer Rebellion commanding over 18,000 Imperial troops during the battle of T'ienTsin. You might say that he, not Charlton Heston and the U.S. Marines, saved the day. He was one of the master planners of the 1904 Russo-Japanese War which was a major defeat for Russia. This book consists mainly of his daily journal entries as he makes this epic journey from Berlin to Vladivostok.

This is the first English Translation of this epic event!