Samurai Meets Perry

Finished

Approximately 170 years ago, an American fleet led by Commodore Perry appeared in Japanese waters. In preparation for Perry's arrival, the Edo shogunate deployed daimyo across various regions and strengthened the security of Edo Bay. In the Yokohama area, the domains of Kanazawa (present-day Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama), Tottori (Tottori Prefecture), Kokura (Fukuoka Prefecture), and Matsushiro (Nagano Prefecture) were responsible for security. While the fact that "Perry came" is widely known, the efforts of the samurai who guarded the Yokohama area during Perry's arrival are not well-known. These samurai confronted Perry's fleet on the front lines and recorded their experiences in diaries and letters.

This year, 2024, marks the 170th anniversary of Perry's landing in Yokohama and the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and Japan. In this exhibition, to commemorate this milestone year, a new perspective on Perry's arrival will be introduced from the viewpoint of the samurai who were responsible for security on the ground at that time.

Schedule

Jul 13 (Sat) 2024-Sep 1 (Sun) 2024