A new addition to the Military Collection is a beautiful ink and water-color Japanese scroll on rice paper (338 x 26,2 cm) relating to the Perry Expedition. It is a pictorial record of the negotiation of the first American-Japanese Treaty of Kanagawa which was signed in Yokohama on March 31, 1854. The treaty was the result of Commodore Matthew Perry’s two naval expeditionary missions to Japan (July 1853 and February-March 1854), and effectively ended 220-years of Japan’s isolation from the western world. The negotiations lasted for almost a month, accompanied with the presentation of the gifts from the American President to the Japanese Emperor and vice versa, contests by sumo wrestlers, drills of American marines, banquets and many other activities between the Americans and the Japanese. After the Treaty was signed Perry and his ships cruised in the Edo Bay and departed for Simoda on April 11-18, 1854.
The scroll consists of four sections beginning with full-length portraits of ten members of the American delegation, including Commodore Perry himself, marines in their respective uniforms and the Chinese translator Luo Sen; the captions next to each figure read: Amerika Koku Jokan no Shin Zo (“True image of an American Superior Officer”); Do Heishi Gashira no Zo (“Image of American Chief Soldier”); Do Shiki Yaku (“American Commanding Officer”); Do Heishi (“American Soldier”); Seijin Gakukan (“Chinese Scholar Officer”); Amerika tai Gungaku Kan (“American Military Music Officer”); Migi Onaji (“Same as the one to the right”); Do Taiho Shi (“American Cannon Soldier”); Do Gekan Kokui (“American Black man- Lower Officer”); Do Suihu (“American Sailor”).
The second scene is titled “Kaei 7 Kinoe Tora Toshi Ni Gatsu To Ka Oite Yokohama Kan Amerika Koku Kyowa Seiji no Shisetsu Osetsu Joriku no Zu” (“A View of Reception of the Envoy of American Republican Government Landing at Yokohama in 1854”). The watercolour shows the Americans disembarking at Kanagawa on March 8, 1854 for the first day of negotiations with nine “black ships” in the background. Seven boats with American flags are landing at the shore, American marines are lined up in front of the specially constructed “Treaty House”, as Perry and his retinue with an American flag walk to meet the Japanese commissioners. He is preceded with a group of Japanese officials leading him to the negotiation buildings.
The third section titled “Oite Yokohama Taihei Shintai Henka no Zu” (“Picture of troops’ manoeuvres in Yokohama”) shows the American marines during drills performed for the Japanese on March 24. The final scene shows a group of sumo wrestlers tossing bales of rice (entertainment arranged by the Japanese on March 24, 1854, when the presents from the Emperor were handed to the Americans), and the miniature railway in action, which had been presented by the Americans to the Japanese Emperor on March 13. The captions to the scenes read: “Gotoukei Kakushina no Uchi Komedawara 200 Hyo Rikishi Unso no Zu” (“Picture of sumo wrestlers carrying 200 straw bags with rice which are one of our gifts”) and “Kenko Karin Sharyo Shi Zu” (“Picture of the trial of the engine train which was presented”).
This scroll complements our panorama of 12 original water-colors depicting scenes from the Perry Expedition. The curator would like to acknowledge the help of Eric Waschke of The Wayfarer’s Bookshop for providing the description of the scroll.