Last Updated: May 31, 2024

The Story of Shimoda

How Japan Was Forcefully Opened

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

In 1853, on the 8th of July, the American navy steamed four of its mighty warships into the bay of the Shogun’s capital city. The crew carried an ultimatum for Japan to open up for trade. Though not the first foreign ships to appear off the coast of Japan, the country had by then been largely closed to outside influences for over two centuries. Commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, the arrival of these so-called “black ships” marked a huge turning point in the course of Japanese history. No longer able to maintain a position of self-isolation due to the impending presence of superior military might, the failing shogunate would have to come to terms with its inferiority.

Now, as any student of Japanese history can easily imagine, the sight of four steam-powered monstrosities sailing into the harbor instilled terror in those who saw them. Due to the shogunate’s self-imposed policy of near absolute seclusion, any and all seafaring vessels were at the time quite minuscule in comparison to America’s modern behemoths. Left with little other recourse, the local authorities were forced to acquiesce to Commodore Perry’s gunboat diplomacy and allow the Americans to land. While this concession ensured that the capital of Edo (present-day Tokyo) wasn’t leveled, Perry’s…