ON THIS DAY ·
Harris Treaty
29 Jul 1858 — Although the emperor had refused his consent, commissioners signed the Harris commercial treaty aboard USS Powhatan in Edo Bay. They acted on the authority of Ii Naosuke, the shogun’s chief minister. Ii then purged the treaty’s critics; within two years he was assassinated outside Edo Castle.
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The moment in context
The United States wanted Japan to serve ships crossing the Pacific. Steamers bound for China needed coal, American whalers worked in nearby waters, and Washington wanted safety for their crews as well as trade. Perry refused to take his request to Nagasaki, the usual place for receiving foreigners. His guns did not fire in anger, but their presence near Edo forced the shogunate to decide how to respond. A month later Admiral Putyatin’s Russian squadron reached Nagasaki, shown by the arrow from the west. The American request was only one of the demands confronting Japan.
From Black Ships and the opening of Japan, chapter 2 of Remaking the State: Meiji Japan 1600–1912 and Post-Soviet Russia 1964–2000 (1859).
The place: Harris Treaty — map and full story →
Teach this in 5 minutes
- Why it happened — Steam and the Pacific brought America to Japan. After gaining California in 1848, the United States sought coaling stations for steamships traveling across the Pacific to China. Its whalers also…
- The turn — The Harris treaty signed, 29 July 1858. On 29 July 1858 Ii had the Harris treaty signed despite the emperor’s refusal. The shogunate claimed to govern in the emperor’s name; defying him…
- What it changed — Terror entered politics. After Ii’s assassination, political violence continued for a decade. Young samurai calling themselves “men of high purpose” (shishi) killed…
Then ask the room: Did the unequal treaties weaken Japan more through their economic terms or through the political crisis they caused? The argued answer is on the chapter page →
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