Black Ships
Western vessels that opened Japan after centuries of isolation.
via Wikipedia: Black Ships · see source
The term "Black Ships" (kurofune) was used in Japan during the Edo period to describe two distinct groups of Western vessels: Portuguese merchant ships in the 1500s and American warships in the 1800s. The Portuguese carracks that first arrived in 1543 had their hulls coated with black pitch, a practice that led the Japanese to apply the name to all Western ships. In 1639, after the Shimabara Rebellion—blamed on Christian influence—the Tokugawa shogunate enforced the Sakoku policy, restricting foreign contact to Dutch traders on Dejima island.
In 1844, a Dutch king's request for Japan to open its mainland was refused. Then, on July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry led four U.S. Navy warships—Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga, and Susquehanna—into Edo Bay. Although these vessels were not painted black, their coal-fired steam engines emitted thick black smoke. Perry threatened to attack if Japan did not agree to trade, and his show of force ended over two centuries of isolation.
The following year, he returned with eight ships, and after negotiations, the Treaty of Peace and Amity was signed. The Harris Treaty in 1858 formalized trade with the United States, and Japan soon signed similar agreements with other Western nations. The Black Ships thus became a symbol of Japan's reopened borders.
Quick Facts
- Portuguese trade route
- Goa to Nagasaki via Malacca
- Location of perry's landing
- Kurihama
- Harris treaty signed
- July 29, 1858
- Sakoku period duration
- more than 200 years
Facts from the source article.
First Kurofune ships: Nau do Trato
Portuguese traders reached Japan in 1543, initiating the first Western contacts. They established a trade route from their headquarters in Goa, through Malacca, to Nagasaki. Large carracks of 1200 to 1600 tons, called nau do trato or nau da China, carried goods in the Nanban trade. These ships had hulls painted black with pitch, giving rise to the term kurofune.
The Portuguese introduced items such as refined sugar, optics, and firearms—particularly arquebuses, which became a major innovation during the Sengoku period of internal warfare. A triangular trade developed, exchanging Japanese silver for Chinese silk via Macau. The name kurofune was recorded in the Nippo Jisho, the first Western-Japanese dictionary compiled in 1603. Spanish missionary Francis Xavier began a Jesuit mission in 1549, and Christianity spread alongside trade, gaining about 300,000 converts among peasants and some daimyō.
After the Shimabara Rebellion of 1637, blamed on Christian influence, Portuguese traders and Jesuits faced tighter restrictions and were confined to Dejima before expulsion in 1639. The Tokugawa shogunate then adopted the Sakoku isolation policy, allowing limited trade only with China, Korea, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Dutch.
Gunboat diplomacy
Commodore Matthew Perry's show of military force was the principal factor in negotiating a treaty allowing American trade with Japan, ending the Sakoku period. The sight of four ships entering Edo Bay, belching black smoke and moving without wind, deeply frightened the Japanese. Perry ignored requests to proceed to Nagasaki, the licensed port for external trade, and threatened to attack Edo and burn it to the ground if not allowed to land. He eventually landed at Kurihama, delivered his letter, and departed.
The following year, at the Convention of Kanagawa, Perry returned with eight Black Ships to demonstrate U.S. naval power and announced he would not leave until a treaty was signed. After internal debate, Japanese officials decided to avoid war and agreed to a treaty. Following roughly a month of negotiations, the shōgun's officials presented Perry with the Treaty of Peace and Amity. Perry refused certain conditions but agreed to defer their resolution, establishing formal diplomatic relations.
The fleet departed, leaving consul Townsend Harris at Shimoda to negotiate a more permanent agreement. The Harris Treaty was signed on July 29, 1858, and within five years Japan had signed treaties with other Western countries.
In Japanese culture
The surprise and fear inspired by the first visit of the Black Ships are captured in a famous kyōka, a humorous 31-syllable poem. The poem uses complex puns (kakekotoba or pivot words). A literal translation reads: 'The tranquil morning / after four cups of / expensive strong green tea / is refreshing. Kurofune is also the title of the first Japanese opera, composed by Kosaku Yamada and premiering in 1940, based on the story of Tojin Okichi, a geisha caught up in the turmoil of the late Tokugawa shogunate.
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