Another of Michishige's ancestors, KAWADA Shoryo (1824-1898), was a samurai scholar and painter from Kochi who is known for debriefing castaway John MANJIRO and documenting the account of his experiences in Hyoson Kiyraku (Drifting Toward the Southeast) in 1882. This account, and meetings with Shoryo, were instrumental in convincing SAKAMOTO Ryoma, one of the architects of modern Japan, of the need to end Japan’s policy of isolationism.