Transcript Japan Tokugawa US Travel

Japan’s First Embassy
As We Saw
Them
What was the government of Japan
during their “closed period?”
The Tokugawa period, (1603—1868) unlike
the shogunate before it, was based on the
strict class hierarchy originally established
by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
The warrior-caste of samurai were at the
top, followed by farmers, artisans, and
merchants. This inflexibility of caste and
bureaucratic procedure led to its eventual
downfall.
One important rule of the government was
the ban of navigation and ships beyond the
coastal waters, which led to the perception
that Japan was closed off from the world.
But…
Japan was never a completely
“closed country”
They did have Chinese traders, and
several members of the Dutch East
India Company lived in the island of
Deshima. Dutch ships came once per
year
Of course, their business and role in
Japan was very regulated by the
government.
Also,
Japan had absorbed many aspects of
Chinese and Dutch society.
They used the Chinese writing system
and city planning structures.
From the Dutch, knowledge in fields
ranging from medicine to painting.
Japanese students had traveled and
read Western literature, and brought
back an understanding of the facts of the
geography of the world.
The Arrival of the Americans,
and the “opening of Japan.”
On July 8,1853 four black ships led by USS
Powhatan and commanded by Commodore
Matthew Perry, anchored at Edo (Tokyo) Bay.
America had decided that a postive trading
partnership with Japan was essential.
On March 31 1854 representatives of Japan and
the United States signed a historic treaty. A United
States naval officer, Commodore Matthew
Calbraith Perry, negotiated for several months with
Japanese officials to achieve the goal of opening
the doors of trade with Japan.
This is when Japan began to trade openly with
partners other than the Dutch and Chinese.
How this impacted Japan
Commodore Perry in some ways was seen as an
intrusion by the Tokugawa shogunate. They were
not ready to open Japan.
It turned out that Perry's arrival was more deadly
to the shogunate than annoying.
Perry, sensing that the Tokugawas were
apprehensive to any sort of business with
foreigners, threatened war if they refused to give
him permission.
Upon which the shogunate could not do anything
but to sign the formal documents.
The Japanese critics now said the Shogun had
sold their fatherland to the devils, so the Shogun
must go.
But in truth, the Japanese, all didn't want a
threatening presence of any foreigner.
Improvements
After Perry, came a troubled time as the
government transformed the country
from a feudal into a modern state.
In the area of global interaction, things
improved. As more and more Western
ships arrived, there was more contact
with the outside world.
Other motivating factors for
improvement
China had suffered loss in the Opium
War of 1840-42.
This also was a motivating factor for
Japan to modernize. They were
fearful of military invasion.
Therefore, Japan was eager to learn
from the west so that they would not
travel the way of China.
How do I say…
The main problem Japan now faced was
their lack of aptitude with the English
language.
In fact, a tiny percentage of Japanese
translators knew English in the early to
mid 1800s.
Until the 1870s all negotiations were still
conducted in Dutch.
This is also true in America, as there were
no true Japanese interpreters. The best
they had were rescued Japanese
fishermen.
At first, the language barrier was seen as
overwhelming.
Throughout all of this
The treaty with Perry allowed Japan and
American to develop a trading partnership, but
details still needed to be finalized.
In 1860, Japan's Tokugawa government decided
to send its first official ambassadors to the United
States on an important mission – to finalize the
treaty ratifications based on agreements
concluded between Townsend Harris and the
Japanese government in 1858.
Townsend Harris, the first American ambassador
to Japan (appointed U.S. Consul to Japan in 1854
after Commodore Perry's opening of Japan), set
the stage for this historic Japanese expedition to
America.
Men on a Mission
The mission was headed by Shimmi Buzen-noKami Masaoki as the Chief Ambassador and
Muragaki Awaji-no-Kami Norimasa as the ViceAmbassador. Another position, held by Oguri
Bungo-no-Kami, was the metsuke. His role was to
act as a spy, censor, attorney general, and liaison.
It was their role to not only finalize the ratification,
but to learn about the “strength and greatness of
the United States (pg.21).”
Along with these men, were 74 others, all of whom
were not necessarily the best choices from Japan.
The shogunate sent humble officers to America.
The ambassadors also were sent with very
unspecific instructions, which made the
negotiations more difficult.
Just what were they thinking?
The Japanese were unacquainted
with the concept of a treaty. This led
to much confusion and discovery.
Their inexperience in America and
with overseas journeys would lead to
wonderment, as reflected in their
journals.
They traveled overseas, visited
Hawaii, Washington D.C., Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and New York.
Maybe, it wasn’t all that great.
The Embassy had to overcome many
difficulties in America.
First, just crossing an entire ocean was new
to most of the group. Many were seasick
and spent their time in their cabins.
Another was the food. The Japanese are
unaccustomed to eating meat, dairy
products, or bread. This led to issues with
American restaurants, hotels, and balls.
Bedding was a third issue. The samurai
custom was to sleep on thin pads. Not to
mention the foreign idea of how to use a
chamber pot!
Confusion in the ranks
The high-ranking ambassadors kept
tight control over the younger officers,
who did want to explore America.
The higher ranking officers spent time
buying trinkets to bring back to Japan,
and some of the lower officers wanted
to go and see universities, social
welfare programs, and nature. This
led to some conflict within the group.
Learning about America
However they were, as a whole, able
to learn a lot about American
government, culture, and technology.
The tall buildings impressed them, as
did technology, such as trains, which
was so important to the growth of the
nation.
Mr. President….Mr. President?
The Japanese were baffled by the idea of the
President. They only had their Shogun as a
reference. The Shogun was seen as almost a
supernatural figure. When the President met with
them in a business suit, they were duly amazed.
They, then, had an interesting time explaining how
he was chosen and how he dressed.
Another aspect of their differences from the
Americans was how they approached the
President. They had wanted to present
themselves in the usual ceremonial customs as
they would any other high ranking officer at home.
The Americans, especially President Buchanan,
were not accustomed to all the pomp and
circumstance. They were seen as disappointments
to the ambassadors.
The American perspective
To the Americans, the arrival of the Japanese
was a major event. America wanted to
impress the Japanese, who were seen as
more cultured than the Chinese, and as
potential trading partners.
The U.S. Congress provided a $50,000
budget to entertain the envoys - a lot of
money at that time.
Everywhere they went, the Japanese
ambassadors were met by local men who put
on lavish receptions in their honor.
Large crowds turned out to see them. They
were fascinated by the Japanese traditional
clothing, topknot hairstyles, and, in particular,
their prominent samurai swords.
Everything was not that wonderful
America, as excited it was about having a new
trading partnership in the East, still had some
members of society treated the Japanese poorly.
The translators were aware of the racial insults,
especially when on the streets, and believed that the
government could do something about it. They had
recalled the time when the Japanese government
stopped Japanese insults from being used on
American visitors, like Commodore Perry.
However, they were unaware of the differences
between controlling members in a feudal and
democratic society. In a democratic society, people
have freedom of expression, whereas in a feudal
society, they can face repercussions from the
government.
Back at Home
Their visit took a few months, and did not
accomplish everything that they had hoped for. The
trading regulations greatly favored the Americans.
The ambassadors, upon returning to Japan found
that the political climate had changed.
A pro-trade regent, Ii Kamon-no-Kami, was killed by
xenophobic Mito warriors.
This political shift also began to signal a series of
anti-Western attacks.
It also began to signal the end of the Tokugawa
shogunate. In the end, the had not taken a clear
stand on the new foreign relations they had made,
and were caught between the fulfillment of treaty
obligations and the opposition to the “barbarians”
new presence.
Bibliography
"Consulate General of Japan in New York."
CGJ. Diplomatic Ambassadors. 01 Nov.
2006 <http://www.cgj.org/en/c/vol_113/title_01.html>.
Fredricks, Charles D. Members of the First
Japanese Embassy to the United States.
1860. American Museum of Photography,
New York. American Museum of
Photography. 01 Nov. 2006
<http://www.photographymuseum.com/japan
eseembassylg.html>.
Miyoshi, Masao. As We Saw Them: The First
Japanese Embassy to the United States. 1st
ed. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: Paul Dry Books,
2005. 7-150.