HIUS 131 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Emperor Meiji, Japanese Architecture, Exoticism
HIUS 131 – Lecture 9 – Japan in the United States, 1850s-1880s
Introduction: Manjiro
• 1/5/1841 Manjiro 14 years old, boarded a boat to fish and got stranded at sea
o After 8 days at sea, New England whaling captain rescued them
• Manjiro thought that they looked like ghosts since he had never seen a white person
before
• Massachusetts captain adopted Manjiro as a son
• Learned English, went to church with family
• Became a strange creature in Massachusetts town, since no one had seen Asian person before
• Got a position on a whaling ship 1846 (?) and returned 1849 as a sailor, wanting to sail back to
Japan and see mother again before he died
• Went to California and mined in gold rush in order to get money to go to Japan
o Found other fishermen and worked together to get boat 1850
• Japan barred western ships from its ports for 2 centuries, except Dutch
o US trade with China thrived, especially porcelain china
• Japanese products seen as peculiar, ugly, unsightly
• Japanese saw westerners as barbarians who would bring only problems to the island
• Manjiro and friends could face imprisonment/death for returning from US
o Manjiro imprisoned for 9 months before allowed to reconnect with family
Japan Meets the United States at Midcentury
• Around the time that Manjiro returned, Japanese began to question policy of isolation
• China had been defeated by British in Opium Wars, British created imbalanced trade agreements
backed up by military might
o China fighting war to try to keep opium (introduced by westerners) out
o Japanese wanted to prevent the same thing happening to them
• Build up militarily and economically
• Keep up to est’s tehologies of ar ad idustr i order to ard off defeat Chia
had suffered
• Manjiro telling tales of US technologies
• Manjiro pleaded for opening of Japan to American ships
• Merchants and political leaders in US increasingly interested in Japan, seeing Japanese ports as
places where they could store coal for use by American ships
o American ships were coal-powered by late 19th century, and to make long voyages needed
places to refuel/restock in coal
• Americans interested in selling products in Japan
• Aerias did’t like that shipreked sailors i Japa faed iprisoet
Commodore Perry
• Leading official mission to Japan shortly after Manjiro arrives
• Arrives, ut Japaese do’t allo his ship to dok
o So he sails around for 8 months until the Japanese agree to talk to him
o Arrived in Ido/Tokyo 1850
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• Manjiro as translator
• Got treaty with Japan
Meiji Modernization
• Not until 1868, after Emperor Meiji took over, did the transformation (Japanese industrialization
and militarization) begin in full force
• Rapid process of modernization and westernization
• By late 1870s Japan had telegraph lines, railroads, gaslight streets in major cities, coastal
lighthouses
• Western architecture increasingly common sight in major cities
• Generation of students traveled to US and European universities for education and took education
back to Japan
• Created western-style system of immigration
Cultural Ambassadors
• Japanese universities began inviting prominent Americans to come to Japan as lecturers
o Edward S. Morse
• Zoologist at Harvard
• Invited to become visiting professor at University of Ido
• Interested in Japanese ceramics and had a huge collection
• During first trip, stayed in Japan for 3 years
• Became interested in Buddhism
• Gave lectures when in US, and inspired others to follow in his footsteps
o Ernest Fenollosa
• Stayed in Japan for 8 years
• Build up Japanese art collection
o William Sturgis Bigelow
• Became Buddhist
o UC Boston academics becoming immersed in Japanese culture, creating collections that
were brought back to US
The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (1876)
• World’s Fair
• Gave Japanese regime opportunity to showcase itself before western audience for the first time
• Centennial anniversary of the US
o 100 years of US history
• 10 million people attended
o Less than half the number that attended Chicago 1893, but still fantastic success for 1876
• Widely reported in newspapers across the country
• Blacks excluded
o By 1876 powerful northerners had grown weary of former slaves
• Chinese exhibit low-key affair
o Chinese government demoralized
o Anti-Chinese sentiment in US
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Document Summary
Hius 131 lecture 9 japan in the united states, 1850s-1880s. Japan and see mother again before he died: went to california and mined in gold rush in order to get money to go to japan, found other fishermen and worked together to get boat 1850. Japan barred western ships from its ports for 2 centuries, except dutch: us trade with china thrived, especially porcelain china. Japanese saw westerners as barbarians who would bring only problems to the island: manjiro and friends could face imprisonment/death for returning from us, manjiro imprisoned for 9 months before allowed to reconnect with family. Japanese universities began inviting prominent americans to come to japan as lecturers: edward s. morse. Invited to become visiting professor at university of ido. Interested in japanese ceramics and had a huge collection: during first trip, stayed in japan for 3 years, became interested in buddhism, gave lectures when in us, and inspired others to follow in his footsteps, ernest fenollosa.
