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Black Ships — Commodore Perry Forces Japan Open (1853-1854)

Japan & The World: Crossroads of History

Black Ships — Commodore Perry Forces Japan Open (1853-1854)

2 min

Four steam-powered American warships appear in Edo Bay in 1853, ending 220 years of Japanese isolation. Episode 6 traces Commodore Perry's mission, the Treaty of Kanagawa, and how the unequal treaty system planted seeds that would topple the Tokugawa shogunate.

Show notes

After 220 years of Sakoku isolation, Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships forced Japan open in 1853. Demand letter from President Fillmore. Treaty of Kanagawa. The unequal treaty system. Sonno Joi movement. The dramatic chain that would topple the Tokugawa shogunate.