Commodore Perry
Also called: Matthew Perry · Topic: Paths to Modernisation: Japan, China, Korea · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Paths to Modernisation"
Meaning
Commodore Matthew Perry (1794–1858) was a US naval officer. In 1853 he sailed to Japan with warships that the Japanese called the "black ships". He demanded that Japan open diplomatic and trade relations with the United States, and Japan signed a treaty with him in 1854. The US wanted a stop on the route to the China market and a place for its whaling ships to take on fuel and supplies. His arrival weakened the shogun and made the emperor politically important again.
Example
Before Perry came, Holland was the only Western country allowed to trade with Japan. The black ships of 1853 became a symbol of Japan's "opening" to the world. Scholars point out, though, that Japan had never been fully closed.
Don't confuse with
- Opium Wars: The Opium Wars (1839–42 and later) were wars Britain fought against China. Perry's mission did not lead to war. It forced Japan into a treaty in 1854.
Related concepts
- Treaty of Kanagawa
- Unequal treaties
- Meiji restoration
- Charter Oath 1868
- Fukoku kyohei
- Emperor system
- Meiji education system
- Imperial Rescript on Education
- Hiragana and katakana
- Satsuma Rebellion 1877