Original manuscript in Japanese characters, ca. 27,5x16 cm (10 ¾ x 6 ¼ in), twelve pages, black ink on two-ply leaves of rice paper, stitched with a string. With minor creases and a larger worm hole (slightly affecting a couple of characters), but overall a very good manuscript.

An interesting official Japanese report about the events of the Bombardment of Kagoshima (also known as the Anglo-Satsuma War) on 15-17 August 1863, and compiled for the Tokugawa shogunate government in Edo apparently to receive instructions on what should be done. The title on the first leaf reads “Anglo-Satsuma War report. British notes/written down to Edo”. This and some features of the text (i.e. One of the dates is written as “1863”, not “Bunkyu 3”) opens up the possibility of this text being translated from a period British report. The text briefly informs about the details of the Kagoshima Incident, mentioning Naohachi Inoue (Inoue Yoshika, 1845-1929, future noted Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy), and lists casualties on board the British naval squadron (HMS Euryalus – 20 injured, including one who died; HMS Pearl – 7 injured, including one who died; HMS Coquette - 6 injured, including one who died; HMS Argus - three injured; HMS Perseus - one injured and one died; HMS Racehorse - 2 people injured).

“The Bombardment of Kagoshima, also known as the Anglo-Satsuma War(薩英戦争Satsu-Ei Sensō), took place on 15–17 August 1863 during the Late Tokugawa shogunate. The Royal Navy was fired on from coastal batteries near the town of Kagoshima and in retaliation bombarded the town. The British were trying to exact a payment from the daimyo of Satsuma following the Namamugi Incident of 1862, in which British nationals were attacked (one killed, two wounded) by Satsuma samurai for not showing the proper respect for a daimyo's regent (Shimazu Hisamitsu). <…> The conflict actually became the starting point of a close relationship between Satsuma and Britain, which became major allies in the ensuing Boshin War. From the start, the Satsuma Province had generally been in favour of the opening and modernization of Japan. Although the Namamugi Incident was unfortunate, it was not characteristic of Satsuma's policy, and was rather abusively branded as an example of anti-foreign sonnō jōi sentiment, as a justification to a strong European show of force” (Wikipedia).