MATTHEW CALBRAITH PERRY AND TAIRO II NAOSUKE: IN COMMEMMORATION OF THE OPENING O.

[Yokohama 1909, Yokohama Chamber of Commerce]. Color post card, gold embossed, overlay of busts of both Perry and Ii over a colorful view of Yokohama harbour in 1859, issued to celebrate the Centenial Anniversary of the Opening. R A R E . *** **** *** . . A STUNNING COLOR-PRINTED COLLOTYPE PHOTO POSTCARD . . . WITH TWO GILT IMAGES: COMMODORE PERRY & II TARO NAOSUKE . . . CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL 1859-1959 * This obscure postcard illustrated the two main people involved in the historic opening of Japan: Commodore Perry & Minister Ii Taro Naosuke, in embossed gilt. . The background is a color rendering of Yokohama harbor, with Honmoku at the upper part, Yokohama and Kanagawa at the bottom foreground. . This postcard was stamped on Meiji 42nd year [1909]. July 1st, using the "Jubilee Of Opening of Yokohama Port," with a postal cancel on a 1 1/3 sen stamp. . An obscure and historical item. . *** THE HISTORIC SETTING: . Townsend Harris the first American Ambassador to Japan, convinced Chief Councilor Lord Hotta Masayoshi of the necessity of signing the Treaty of Kanagawa, but Emperor Komei remained firmly committed to excluding the West. After Shogun Tokugawa Iesada's sudden death in early 1858, Senior Minister Ii Tairo] Naosuke [1815-1860] signed the American treaty on July 29, 1858, and undermined the position of Japan's strong anti-Western Daimyo. . * This RARE and lovely and obscure color collotype postcard celebrates that historic day, June 2, 1859. When Japan entered into its first treaty with America, thus sealing its fate forever and opening the doors of change. . * Townsend Harris, settled into his quarters in Edo, the hub of the Japanese universe, with high hopes of concluding a new treaty with Japan. While in Shimoda, Harris had heard sketchy reports about the political turmoil in Edo. Soon after his arrival in the capital however, he began to realize just how bad things had become among the politically active daimyo. Chief Councilor Abe Masahiro's decision to invite comments from the daimyo on the proper response to Commodore Perry's demands brought all the building tension and uncertainty about the future to the surface. With popular sentiment running strongly against opening the country, there was a growing feeling in Japan that to meet the foreign menace the nation would have to pull itself together more effectively around the Emperor. Many proponents of the "Sonno Joi movement" ["Respect the Emperor, Expel the barbarians"] were young warriors from the lower rungs of the Samurai hierarchy known as "Shishi." . These self-righteous, intolerant young men who were also rabidly anti-Western, extremely dogmatic and disinclined to be reasonable. They saw themselves as the saviors of Japan, the only true patriots. Ruled by strong passions and short tempers, they were convinced that truth was on their side and those who failed to agree with them were self-serving traitors. In effect, the Sshishi were forerunners of the ultra-nationalist extremists of pre-World War II Japan. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** BIBLIOGRAPHY: . JAPAN BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA & WHO'S WHO, p.344 for an excellent article on Ii Naosuke. * WORKS ON/ABOUT TOWNSEND HARRIS: * W.E. Griffis, TOWNSEND HARRIS Townsend Harris: THE COMPLETE JOURNAL OF TOWNSEND HARRIS S. Sakanishi: SOME UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF TOWNSEND HARRIS. * Note please visit our website we may have some of the above cited reference books in stock. . *.…