List of issues > Series «History». 2026. Vol 57
From Irkutsk to Tomsk with a Tea Caravan:
The Siberian Diary of Tamai Kisaku (1894)
Author(s)
S. I. Kuznetsov
Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk, Russian Federation
Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Abstract
This article explores a little-known historical source – the diary of Japanese traveler and
journalist Tamai Kisaku, who made a trip to Berlin via Russia in 1893. Along the way, he kept notes
that filled several notebooks. The most interesting is the diary of the journey from Irkutsk to Tomsk
with a tea caravan in the winter of 1893. The author describes post stations, coachmen, and conducts
conversations with local residents. The author describes Siberian realities and the population of settlements along the route. The diary was first published in Germany in 1898. A Japanese translation
was not published until 1963.
About the Authors
Kuznetsov Sergey Ilyich,
Doctor of Sciences (History), Professor, Head,
Department of World History and International
Relations
Irkutsk State University
1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian
Federation
e-mail: s.kuznetsov@mail.ru
Professor
Hokkaido University
Sapporo, Japan
e-mail: sergey.kuznetsov@hokudai.oia.ac.jp
For citation
Kuznetsov S.I. From Irkutsk to Tomsk with a Tea Caravan: The Siberian Diary of Tamai Kisaku (1894). The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series History, 2026, vol. 57, pp. 108-115. https://doi.org/10.26516/2222-9124.2026.57.108 (in
Russian)
Keywords
Tamai Kisaku, Japanese traveler, Siberia in the late 19th century, Siberian Sled Route,
tea trade.
UDC
910.4(47)(093.3)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2222-9124.2026.57.108
References
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