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The Intercourse Between the United States and Japan

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The Intercourse Between the United States and Japan TheU. S. and Jap INAZO (OTA) NITOBE Studies in Hi3TORicAi.&PouTiCAi.3crENCE; Tuns College Library. ^ GIFT OF ' JAMES PERKINS* Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 / https://archive.org/details/intercoursebetweOOnito Johns Hopkins University Studies IN HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCE HEEBERT B. ADAMS, Editor History is past Politics and Politics present 'HistoTj—Freeman EXTRA VOLUME VIII — " For mankind are one in spirit, and an instinct bears along, Round the earth's electric circle, the swift flash of right or wrong; Whether conscious or unconscious, yet Humanity's vast frame, Through its ocean-sundered fibres, feels the gush of joy or shame; In the gain or loss of one race, all the rest have equal claim."—Lowell, Present CHHs. \ TUFTS COLLHGB LIBRARY. THE INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND JAPAN AN HISTORICAL SKETCH By INAZO (OTA) NITOBE, A. B. extra ordinem {J. H. U.), A. M. and Ph. D. {Halle)., Associate Professor, Sapporo, Japan BALTIMORE The Johns Hopkins Press 1891 Ck)PYBIGHT, 1890, BT ThB JOHNS HOPKTSS PRESS, JOHN MURPHY 4 CO., PRINTERS, BALTIMORE. rUFTS COLLSai IX 14-3.6 .JaNi PREFACE. In these days of universal intellectual activity, when each dawning day finds new literary productions brought to light, it requires an apology from an unknown novice in authorship, should he dare to trespass upon the patience of the public. My apology lies in the sincere gratitude I feel for the attitude of America, as a nation, towards Japan, and of a few individual Americans towards me personally. If this humble work of mine should contribute in the smallest measure toward strengthening the bond of national friendship, or serve to bring nearer to each other a few individual hearts in the two countries, I shall feel more than amply repaid for the time spent in writing the book. I am well aware how far short of the possibilities of such a work this effort falls. If I had undertaken the task on a more elaborate scale, which might easily have been done with the materials which were placed at my disposal, I might, perhaps, have been able to succeed better ; but I naturally shrank from imposing upon overburdened readers. For the sources of my information I have depended firstly, on Japanese works of reliable authority ; secondly, on foreign writers of different nationalities ; and, thirdly, on personal correspondence with a number of Japanese and Americans, who took active part in the events which I have endeavored to describe. That they may recognize the identity of the author, who corresponded with them in 1885-87, let me state, that, owing to family affairs, my V vi Preface. name has since been changed from "Ota" to "Nitobe." To all who have thus aided me, I cordially express my thanks. The preparation of this monograph was undertaken with the encouragement of Professor Dr. Herbert B. Adams, while I was studying in the Johns Hopkins University during the years 1884- 87. During the three years which have since elapsed, the MS. has remained untouched until I find myself again in the United States, on my way home from Europe. At Dr. Adams' sugges- tion, I have made some alterations and additions, and through his never-ceasing kindness I now offer it to the friends of Japan. For valuable assistance rendered me in making emendations and in the reading of proof-sheets, I am under great obligations to my friend Mary P. Elkinton, of Philadelphia. Finally, I wish to express my indebtedness to the Friend under whose hospitable roof I have written a large part of this monograph. Inazo Nitobe. "Egerton," Overbrook, Philadelphia, Pa. 10th month 17, 1890. — CONTENTS. PAGE. Introduction. Song of the Black Ship 1 Chapter I. Foreign Intercourse before Perry. Traditional Foreign Intercourse 3 Korea 4 China 5 Portugal 7 Spain 9 Christian Persecutions 11 Exclusive and Inclusive Policy 13 England 16 Holland 20 Russia 22 France 24 Commercial Isolation not the Policy of Old Japan 24 Dawn of Western Knowledge in Japan 25 The Political State of Japan in the Middle of the Century 28 Chapter II.— Commodore Perry and his American Predecessors. Early American Attempts at Negotiation 31 Commodore Biddle 33 Wrecks of Whalers 35 A Curious Youth 37 Service of the Whale in American-Japanese Intercourse 37 Causes of the Expedition 38 Just before the Expedition 40 Sketch of Perry's Life 42 What theW^orld said of the Expedition 43 vii —— viii Contents, PAGE. Voyage of Perry's Squadron 45 The Squadron in Yedo Bay 46 The Shogunate at its Wit's End 48 The Spirit of the Times 49 Perry's Second Visit and Treaty 52 Synopsis of the Treaty of Peace, Commerce and Navigation, Signed at Kanagawa 31st March, 1854 53 Significance of the Treaty 54 Services of the Dutch 55 Legality of the Treaty 57 America Followed by Europe 59 Exchange of Ratifications 60 Chapter III. Diplomacy and Commerce. American Disappointment in Regard to Perry's Treaty 61 Japan soon after Perry's Departure 62 American Pioneers of Commerce 63 , Advent of Townsend Harris 64 ^Commercial Treaty 65 s.^ Treaty of Amity and Commerce 66 N^rowth of Treaty Ports 69 The Currency Question (1854-'69) 71 The Revival of Anti-Foreign Prejudice 75 Decline of Anti-Foreign Ideas 80 The Restoration of the Imperial Authority 84 The Shimonoseki Indemnity 86 Tarifi" Convention 88 Trade and Commerce 90 Japanese Exports to America 93 American Imports into Japan 96 Friendly Diplomacy 96 Extradition Treaty 100 Treaty Revision 102 Chapter IV. Americans and American Influences tn Japan. Foreign Influences 110 Beginning with Perry Ill N Townsend Harris in Yedo 113 Harris and Perry Compared 115 — Contents. ix PAGB. Educational Influence 116 Scientific Services 123 Postal System 126 Religious Influences 128 Agriculture 134 American Railways 137 Miscellaneous Services 138 American Writers on Japan 141 Dark Side of Foreign Influences 151 Chapter V. Japanese in America. Before Perry's Expedition 157 Shogun's Embassy 159 Imperial Embassy 162 Influx of Students 165 Their Mental Aptitudes 170 Morals 173 Religion 175 Romance 177 Female Students 179 Japanese in California 183 Exhibitions, Mercantile Houses, &c 186 Farewell 189 — ; — A HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE INTERCOURSE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA AND JAPAN. INTRODUCTION. Song or the Black Ship. Thro' a black night of cloud and rain, The Black Ship plies her way An alien thing of evil mien Across the waters gray. Down in her hold, there labor men Of jet black visage dread ; While, fair of face, stand by her guns Grim hundreds clad in red. With cheeks half hid in shaggy beards, Their glance fixed on the wave, They seek our sun-land at the word Of captain owlish-grave. While loud they come—the boom of drums And songs in strange uproar And now with flesh and herb in store, Their prows turn toward the Western shore. And slowly floating onward go These Black Ships, wave-tossed to and fro. History begins with poetry, and the history of the Ameri- can-Japanese intercourse is no exception to this general rule. Poetry is often prophetic and the ballad of the Black Ship is but an illustration of this fact. Forty or forty-five years ago, — 2 The Intercourse between the United States and Japan. when the popular Japanese knowledge of the jet-black race as well as of the American nation, was as vague as the news of the lunar world, this seemingly nonsensical song resounded throughout the length and breadth of the land. The Empire of the Rising Sun was then in apparent peace and prosperity, or I might better say, in the words of Carlyle, barren (of events), which, as Philosophy knows, is often the fruitfuUest of all.'^ There was no war, nor any rumor of war. The con- tented people could see nothing in the signs of the times indeed, to them, there were no signs save those in the dock- yards. There the number of shipwrights increased ; at the long-neglected forts masons and carpenters were busy repair- ing, and filling their time of rest with the song of the Black Ship. But to the mind of a few statesmen and scholars this ballad foreboded " some strange eruption to our State." They were aware what the " Black Ships " meant and what kind of people manned them. ^' Let me make the ballads of the peo- ple," thought the unknown author of the Black Ship, " and let who will tmmake the laws." Our relations with older foreign powers, and the consequent making and unmaking of the exclusion and inclusion laws, for which Japan had long acquired an unhappy notoriety, must engage our attention before we enter into the subject proper of American-Japanese intercourse. These relations I shall briefly sketch in the following chapter. CHAPTER I. Foreign Intercourse before Perry. Traditional Foreign Intercourse. Isolation, at least commercial isolation, was at no time the ultimate aim of the foreign policy of Japanese rulers. This was, as Commodore Perry shrewdly remarked, in direct opposition to what history proved to be the natural tempera- ment and disposition of the Japanese people.'' It is unnatural and unlikely that a people mixed in race and inhabiting small islands not far from a continent, should long remain a hermit nation. Traditions seem to suggest that in times and places which history has not yet clearly disclosed to us, Japan was in communication with other countries. The old nursery story of Asaina's travels (about the first quarter of the thirteenth century), over unknown seas and to strange lands of pigmies and giants, as incredible as Gulliver's travels, has lately been connected with a temple in Mexico, where it is said antique armor very much like Japanese workmanship, is preserved in the Holy of Holies.^ The amicable relations, which are believed to have existed in forgotten times (proba- bly in the eighth century) between Persia and Japan, were a favorite subject of gossip a few years ago, when our govern- ment sent an envoy to that kingdom.
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