Final answer:
No, as recently as the 1970s, it is unlikely that there were any Shamatari villages left in which nobody in the village had ever seen an outsider. In Japan, during the Tokugawa period (1600-1867), there were various interactions and influences from the outside world, even though the country was closed off from most foreign contact.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, as recently as the 1970s, it is unlikely that there were any Shamatari villages left in which nobody in the village had ever seen an outsider. In Japan, during the Tokugawa period (1600-1867), there were various interactions and influences from the outside world, even though the country was closed off from most foreign contact. The samurai, who rose to power during this period, had connections with merchants, diplomats, and foreigners. Furthermore, there were also instances of official delegations and merchants visiting Japan, such as those from Korea, the Ryukyu islands, and the Dutch East India Company, who would have made contact with local communities.