| Black Ship |
Article Index for Black |
Website Links For Black |
Information AboutBlack Ship |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BLACK SHIPS | |
| japanese poetry | |
| history of united states expansionism | |
| edo period | |
|
The Black Ships (in Japanese , 黒船, ''kurofune'') was the name given to four Ship s, ''Mississippi'' , ''Plymouth'' , ''Saratoga'' , and ''Susquehanna'' , under the command of United States Commodore Matthew Perry that arrived in 1853 at Uraga Harbor (part of present-day Yokosuka ) in Kanagawa Prefecture , Japan . The word "black" refers to the Black Smoke from Coal -fired power plants and the black Colour of these American ships. Commodore Perry's superior military force enabled him to negotiate a treaty allowing American Trade with Japan, ending a 200-year period in which trading with Japan was only allowed to the Dutch . The following year, at the Convention Of Kanagawa , Perry returned with seven ships and forced the Shogun to sign the " Treaty Of Peace And Amity ", establishing formal diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States. Within five years, Japan had signed similar treaties with other Western Countries . The Harris Treaty was signed with the United States on July 29 , 1858 . The surprise and confusion these ships inspired are described in this famous Kyoka (a Humor ous poem similar to the 5-line Waka ): .]] This poem is a complex set of Pun s (in Japanese, ''kakekotoba'' or "pivot words"). ''Jōkisen'' (上喜撰) is the name of a costly brand of Green Tea containing large amounts of Caffeine , and ''shihai'' means "four cups", so a literal translation of the poem is: : Awoken from sleep : of a peaceful quiet world : by Jokisen tea : with only four cups of it : no more sleep possible at night However, ''jōkisen'' (蒸気船) can also be translated as " Steam-powered Ships ", and ''shihai'' can also be used to refer to four vessels. The poem has a deeper meaning, which is: : The steamships : break the peaceful slumber : of the Pacific : a mere four boats are enough : to make us lose sleep at night. SEE ALSO |
|
|