1854 Yoshimori Banned Account of the Perry Expedition to Japan

This is the scarce 1854 book Ikoku Ochiba Kago, illustrated by Utagawa Yoshimori, recounting the roughly contemporaneous visit of American Commodore Matthew Perry and his 'black ships' to Japan. This is the first color-illustrated book in Japan to depict Americans and the rarest of the early accounts of the Perry expedition published in Japan.

A Closer Look

The book, whose title 異國落葉籠 translates to Fallen Leaves [i.e. Gleanings] from a Foreign County, includes a curious map of North America (北亞墨利加輿地全圖), which appears to recognize both Mexican and American claims to Texas and New Mexico, though California is included as part of the United States with something like pre-Gadsden Purchase borders. The border between the U.S. and British North America in the Pacific Northwest is likewise unusual, and expansive, perhaps a reflection of the nationalism of the Americans who informed the map's production. Northern Canada promises a clear Northwest passage, sailing past imaginary kingdoms of the far north.

Some details have been lost in translation, as some of the names and borders of the states and territories in the American interior bear little to no resemblance to their actual names and borders. For example, Arkansas (アルカンサス) appears twice, once in its actual location and once (likely referring to the Arkansas River) north of the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), which is named 'Osarokuga' (ヲサロクが), probably a garbled translation of 'Osage.' Other names are impossible to decipher, perhaps also attempted translations of Native American names. Russian America (Alaska) is rendered backwards as 'America Russia' (アメリカロシア, the Tokugawa being at least somewhat familiar with Russia already).

Its crudeness and inaccuracies aside, the map was likely traced from a published English-language map carried on Perry's ships given the inclusion of details that would be virtually unknown to a Japanese audience, such as the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii). Next to the title of the map at left is a list of states in New England (where Perry and most of his sailors hailed from) and the mid-Atlantic whose names could not fit on the corresponding part of the map.

The map is followed by a classical depiction of one of Perry's 'black ships,' which interestingly is not referred to as kurofune (黒船), but instead factually as a coal-powered steamship. The number of crew members, cannons, sails, engines, and other details are noted, reflecting close familiarity with the ship. Several illustrations of American naval officers and seamen are included, as well as various goods the Americans brought with them, such as instruments, clothing, plants, and a miniature steam carriage (蒸氣小輪車), on which Yoshimori attempted to render Latin letters. A map of Edo (Tokyo) Harbor is also included (兩海岸略圖), depicting settlements and the most common routes travelled between ports with their distances noted. After the illustrations are some supplemental materials, including translations of letters from President Millard Fillmore and Secretary of State Edward Everett and a list of gifts brought by the Americans. A brief preface gives a quick description of the world's oceans and continents as well as information about the United States, struggling to translate the concept of a republic (王府, literally 'royal residence') headed by a president (伯理璽天德, roughly 'one who manages the imperial seal and enjoys heavenly favor').

The Perry Expedition (1852 - 1854)

Commodore Mathew Perry arrived in Japan on July 8, 1853 (Kaei 6). He had a commission from American President Millard Fillmore (1800 - 1874) to force the opening of isolationist Tokugawa Japan's seaports to American trade and diplomacy. For the previous two centuries, Japan operated under a Sakoku (鎖國, 'Locked-Country') policy, which allowed highly restricted trade with the Dutch and Chinese at Nagasaki, the Koreans via Tsushima, and some other narrow channels for exchange (such as diplomatic missions), but otherwise prevented foreigners from visiting Japan, Japanese from leaving Japan, and trade between Japanese and foreigners. The United States, at the time rapidly growing in power, was increasingly active in Japanese waters and in the China trade. Between 1790 and 1853, at least 27 U.S. ships (including three warships) visited Japan, only to be turned away. Aside from commercial interest, American and other countries' ships increasingly employed steam power and required coaling stations at regular intervals if making long-distance or circumnavigational journeys.

Frustrated by Japan's isolationism, Fillmore ordered Perry to push into Edo (Tokyo) Harbor, using gunboat diplomacy if necessary, to force open trade. When Perry's squadron arrived in Edo Bay on July 8, 1853, he was met with an armada of Japanese guard boats. Perry responded by firing blanks from all 73 of his cannons and began a campaign of intimidation, flying the white flag, but threatening violence. The Japanese populace was understandably concerned about the strange ships, generically referred to as 'black ships' due to the pitch used to waterproof the hulls. Ultimately, the Japanese accepted Fillmore's letter of demands and Perry left a week after his startling arrival, promising to return the following year to receive their response.

In the meantime, Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyoshi (徳川家慶; 1793 - July 27, 1853) died and was succeeded by his sickly young son, Tokugawa Iesada (徳川家定; 1824 - 1858), leaving effective administration in the hands of Abe Masahiro (阿部正弘; 1819 - 1857) and a Council of Elders (Rōjū; 老中). Abe felt that it was currently impossible for Japan to resist the American demands by military force and, by the time Perry returned in 1854, decided to accept virtually all the demands in Fillmore's letter. After much wrangling, the tiny fishing village of Yokohama was chosen to become a foreign concession and American fueling station. Other Western powers rushed to sign similar treaties with Japan, and in the following years Japan's economy, society, and culture underwent a traumatic period of upheaval, resulting in the collapse of the Tokugawa with the Meiji Restoration in 1868.

Publication History and Census

This book was illustrated and probably authored by Utagawa Yoshimori c. 1854 (dated in the preface 凡例), in the immediate aftermath of Perry's second visit to Japan. Here Yoshimori uses one or, more likely, two of his many aliases, 'Miki Kosai' (三木光斎) as illustrator and 'Ingakudō' (隠學堂) as author, a name which suggests that the publication of this work was considered dangerous. It is believed that most copies of the book were confiscated and destroyed by the Tokugawa due to the sensitive nature of the material, leaving only a relative handful to posterity. Roughly 15 institutions note the book among their collections, including seven in the United States (Brigham Young University, Harvard University, Brown University, Williams College, Princeton University, the Rosenbach Museum and Library, and the University of Colorado Boulder). This book only occasionally appears on the market, particularly outside of Japan.