of Perry (center) and other high-ranking American seamen
American motivations In 1852, Perry was assigned a mission by American President
Millard Fillmore to force the opening of Japanese ports to American trade, through the use of
gunboat diplomacy if necessary. The growing commerce between the United States and China, the presence of American whalers in waters offshore Japan, and the increasing monopolization of potential
coaling stations by European powers in Asia were all contributing factors. Shipwrecked foreign sailors were either imprisoned or executed, and the safe return of such persons was one demand. The Americans were also driven by concepts of
manifest destiny and the desire to impose the benefits of western civilization and the
Christian religion on what they perceived as backward Asian nations. "The people of America will, in some form or other, extend their dominion and their power, until they shall have brought within their mighty embrace the islands of the great Pacific, and placed the
Saxon race upon the eastern shores of Asia," Perry said. The Japanese were forewarned by the Dutch of Perry's voyage but were unwilling to change their 250-year-old policy of
national seclusion.
First visit (1853) Perry reached
Uraga at the entrance to
Edo Bay in Japan on July 8, 1853. His actions at this crucial juncture were informed by a careful study of Japan's previous contacts with Western ships and what he knew about the Japanese hierarchical culture. As he arrived, Perry ordered his ships to steam past Japanese lines towards the capital of
Edo and turn their guns towards the town of Uraga. Perry refused Japanese demands to leave or to proceed to
Nagasaki, the only Japanese port open to foreigners. He also fired blank shots from his 73 cannon, which he claimed was in celebration of the
American Independence Day. Perry's ships were equipped with new
Paixhans shell guns, cannons capable of wreaking great explosive destruction with every shell. He also ordered his ship boats to commence survey operations of the coastline and surrounding waters over the objections of local officials. Meanwhile,
shōgun Tokugawa Ieyoshi was ill and incapacitated, which resulted in governmental indecision on how to handle the unprecedented threat to the nation's capital. On July 11,
Rōjū Abe Masahiro bided his time, deciding that simply accepting a letter from the Americans would not constitute a violation of Japanese sovereignty. The decision was conveyed to Uraga, and Perry was asked to move his fleet slightly southwest to the beach at
Kurihama where he was allowed to land on July 14, 1853. After presenting the letter to attending delegates, Perry departed for Hong Kong, promising to return the following year for the Japanese reply.
Second visit (1854) Bell which Perry brought back from Okinawa, saying it was a gift from the
Ryukyu Kingdom. Stationed at the entrance of
Bancroft Hall at the
United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, MD. The original bell was returned to Okinawa in 1987. On his way back to Japan, Perry anchored off
Keelung in Formosa, known today as
Taiwan, for ten days. Perry and crewmembers landed on Formosa and investigated the potential of mining the coal deposits in that area. He emphasized in his reports that Formosa provided a convenient, mid-way trade location. Perry's reports noted that the island was very defensible and could serve as a base for exploration in a similar way that Cuba had done for the Spanish in the Americas. Occupying Formosa could help the United States counter European monopolization of the major trade routes. The United States government failed to respond to Perry's proposal to claim sovereignty over Formosa. To command his fleet, Perry chose officers with whom he had served in the Mexican–American War. Commander
Franklin Buchanan was captain of
Susquehanna.
Joel Abbot, Perry's second in command, was captain of
Macedonian. Commander Henry A. Adams was chief of staff with the title "Captain of the Fleet". Major
Jacob Zeilin, future commandant of the United States Marine Corps, was the ranking Marine officer and was stationed on
Mississippi. Perry returned on February 13, 1854, after only half a year rather than the full year promised, and with ten ships and 1,600 men. American leadership designed the show of force to "command fear" and "astound the Orientals." After initial resistance, Perry was permitted to land at
Kanagawa, near the site of present-day
Yokohama on March 8. The
Convention of Kanagawa was signed on March 31. Perry signed as American
plenipotentiary, and
Hayashi Akira, also known by his title of
Daigaku-no-kami, signed for the Japanese side. The celebratory events for the signing ceremony included a
Kabuki play from the Japanese side and, from the American side, U.S. military band music and blackface minstrelsy. Perry then visited
Hakodate on the northern island of
Hokkaido and
Shimoda, the two ports which the treaty stipulated would be opened to visits by American ships. A handscroll with pictorial record from the Japanese side of US Commodore Matthew Perry's second visit to Japan in 1854 is retained in the
British Museum in London.
Return to the United States (1855) When Perry returned to the United States,
Congress voted to grant him a reward of $20,000, , in appreciation of his work in Japan. He used part of this money to prepare and publish a report on the expedition in three volumes, titled
Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan. ==Last years==