M.C. Perry and Japan (I)

M.C. Perry (1794-1858) was the commander of a squadron sent to Japan by the US to negotiate a treaty which would open up that country to commerce. He delivered his message and papers to the representatives of the emperor on July 1853 and then sailed to China to give Japanese time to consider the proposals. He returned and obtained a treaty that was signed in March 1854 granting US trading rights at ports of Hakodate and Shimoda.1 In order to cerebrate the Centennial of Commodore Perry's visit to Japan a historian Sidney Wallach edited the original three big volumes Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan which was compiled by M.C. Perry and published by the US government in 1856, and produced one smaller edited version. Wrote in the introduction of this edited version in around 1952, Wallach says that Perry's visit had generated much internal pressure to the governors in Japan. Their problem was whether to run the risk of war, or to be more conciliatory. Japanese leaders knew that censorship could no longer conceal the news of this visit.2 America was an unknown to Japan although through the Dutch, they were aware of the existence of such a country. Additional information about America was obtained through the Chinese. In the US, the desire to visit Asia was mounting since the 1830s. America's investment in whaling in the Pacific was enormous and shipping bases were needed to supporting the ocean going whaling and trading ships. 3 Indeed before MC Perry's visit, there were several attempts to mount a similar expedition. As early as 1835, US President Jackson had written a letter to the Emperor of Japan that was intended to be delivery by Edmund Roberts, but the latter died before he could do so. 4 In 1845, Commodore Biddle mounted an expedition to Japan to open trade related negotiation, but was physically struck by Japanese guard and flung back into a boat. In 1849 Commodore Glynn's similar mission also failed. In 1851, another expedition was planned with Commodore Aulick as the officer-in-charge. But later he was replaced by Commodore MC Perry. (to be continued)

Notes:

1. Merriam-Webster's Biographical Dictionary. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, publishers, 1995, page 816.
2. Perry, Matthew Calbraith ed. by Sidney Wallach. Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan. NY: Coward-McCann, 1952, page xiv

3. Ibid., page xv

4. Ibid., page xvi