Japan-Nantucket (Rashomon): Episode 3 - Ready or Not, Here We Come!

When we left off, the samurai class was on the brink of revolt because they were tired of being bureaucrats and westerners were circling the shores of Japan itching to get in. It’s 1853 and the situation has reached a boiling point.
 
This is a production of the Nantucket Atheneum. It is hosted and edited by Janet Forest. It was researched, fact checked and co-hosted by Reference Library Associate Jim Borzilleri. Special thanks to the Berkshire Athenaeum for use of their space and Shire Video for production support.
 
 SHOW NOTES:
 If something piqued your interest and it isn’t in the Show Notes, please email [email protected]. and include “Podcast Question” in the subject header.

In 1852, Cmdr. Perry visited New Bedford “for the purpose of obtaining information from our whaling captains in relation to the cost of Japan and securing their cooperation in the enterprise.” [I&M, May 8th, 1852]

Manjuro’s life is featured in Christopher Benfey’s “Great Wave”.  His years in New Bedford are detailed in “The Life and Times of John Manjuro,” by D. R. Bernard. Manjuro was lucky to be brought before the ruler of Satsuma, who was particularly unhappy with the Shogunate and already looking to the West for both trade and weapons technology. 

Warren Delano’s involvement in the opium trade and the resulting First Opium War is discussed in “Barons of the Sea”. Both Wars and their legacy is covered in Julia Lovell’s “The Opium War: Drugs, Dreams, and the Making of Modern China”.Not lost on the Japanese negotiators was that the “Unfair” treaties being imposed on them by the Western Powers were based on those imposed on China after the First Opium War. While the West remained intransigent on most of the other terms, they readily agreed to ban importation of opium into Japan, mainly because of Japanese demand for other Western goods.The Boshin War and its aftermath are the backdrop to Janice Nimura’s “Daughters of the Samurai”, which we will cover in upcoming episodes. With Perry ‘s arrival, the Shogunate knew they had to open Japan, but planned to do so only to quickly reach parity and then re-negotiate as equals.However, even this was seen as surrender by the already unhappy Samurai, leading to their rebellion.Over the next 15 years, the Shogunate was violently disposed, the nobility transitioned to becoming governors of their former domains, and a small group of younger Samurai consolidated their power, ruling in the name of the Emperor (though any decisions made by the monarch had to be obeyed).Dr. Noelle Wilson gave an excellent presentation about the Japanese whaling apprentice programs and Hakkodate’s brief role as the “Nantucket of the Pacific” as part of the NHA Nantucket University  series.

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