Perry Expedition

Perry Expedition
Unknown author · Public domain · source
Conflict	Perry Expedition
Partof	the opening of Japan and American imperialism in Asia
Date	1853–1854
Place	Edo Bay and surrounding areas, Tokugawa shogunate
Result	Signing of the Convention of Kanagawa; opening of Japanese ports to American trade.
Combatant1	United States
Combatant2	Tokugawa shogunate
Commander1	Commodore Matthew C. Perry
Commander2	Abe Masahiro, Tokugawa Ieyoshi

Perry Expedition. The Perry Expedition was a pivotal diplomatic and military mission undertaken by the United States Navy to the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. Led by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, its primary objective was to force the opening of Japanese ports to American trade, ending over two centuries of the national isolation policy known as Sakoku. The expedition culminated in the signing of the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, which established formal relations between the two nations and set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the Meiji Restoration and Japan's rapid modernization.

Background and context

By the mid-19th century, Japan had maintained a policy of strict isolation, or Sakoku, since the early 17th century under the Tokugawa shogunate, severely limiting contact with foreign nations except for restricted trade through the Dutch enclave at Dejima in Nagasaki. The United States, expanding its commercial and whaling interests across the Pacific Ocean, sought coaling stations and safe harbors for its ships. Previous attempts by other Western powers, including the British under Sir James Stirling and the Russians led by Yevfimy Putyatin, had yielded limited results. President Millard Fillmore authorized the mission, tasking Commodore Perry with delivering a letter demanding the opening of ports and better treatment for shipwrecked American sailors. The expedition was also influenced by broader American ambitions for trade with China and the ideology of Manifest Destiny.

The expedition

Commodore Perry departed Norfolk, Virginia in November 1852 with a squadron of four warships, famously dubbed the "Black Ships" by the Japanese: the steam frigates USS ''Mississippi'' and USS ''Susquehanna'', and the sloops-of-war USS ''Plymouth'' and USS ''Saratoga''. He arrived in Edo Bay (modern Tokyo Bay) in July 1853, deliberately ignoring Japanese orders to depart and anchoring near the town of Uraga. Perry presented his credentials and President Fillmore's letter to representatives of the Tokugawa shogunate, threatening force if his demands were not met, before withdrawing to Hong Kong for the winter. He returned in February 1854 with an even larger fleet of nine ships. After weeks of negotiations, primarily held at Yokohama, the Convention of Kanagawa was signed on March 31, 1854, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels and establishing a consulate.

Aftermath and consequences

The successful treaty immediately triggered similar agreements between Japan and other Western powers, including the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty with Britain and the Treaty of Shimoda with the Russian Empire. The perceived weakness of the shogunate in dealing with the foreign "barbarians" fueled internal political dissent, contributing to the rise of the anti-shogunate Sonno joi movement. This domestic turmoil was a direct precursor to the Boshin War and the eventual collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The opened ports facilitated increased Western influence, leading to the signing of the more comprehensive and unequal Harris Treaty of 1858, negotiated by the first American consul, Townsend Harris.

Legacy and historical assessment

The Perry Expedition is widely regarded as the catalyst that ended Japan's isolation and forced it onto the world stage, setting it on a path toward becoming a modern imperial power. In Japan, the event is a seminal moment in the transition from the Edo period to the Meiji period, studied as a key example of gunboat diplomacy and Western imperialism. Commodore Perry was commemorated in the Perry Monument at Kurihama. The expedition's legacy is complex, viewed in the United States as a successful diplomatic achievement that expanded American influence in the Pacific Rim, while in Japan it is often remembered as a humiliating imposition that spurred a national drive for modernization and military strength to avoid further subjugation, ultimately reshaping the balance of power in East Asia.

Category:1853 in Japan Category:1854 in Japan Category:Japan–United States relations Category:Naval expeditions