Black Ships (Kurofune)
Black-painted ships that arrived to Japan in the closing days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, demanding that Japan, a closed country, open for trade and diplomatic relations; perceived as a great threat
The term “black ships” refers to the vessels of the Western great powers that came to Japan in the closing days of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Initially, it was used to distinguish the Western vessels, which were painted black, from the ships that came from Southeast Asia from the end of the 16th through the 17th centuries. The term is found in Nippo jisho (Japanese-Portuguese Dictionary), the first Western-Japanese bilingual dictionary, compiled by missionaries of the Society of Jesus. Later, at the end of the Edo period, as the traffic of ships from various Western countries, including steam-powered vessels, increased, the meaning of the term “black ships” expanded to include all Western vessels. The Western vessels that came to Japan demanding the opening of trade were perceived as a great threat to Japan, which had been isolated under the closed country (sakoku) policy of the Shogunate. The arrival of the fleet led by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry in 1853, in particular, became a symbol of the colonialist ambitions of the great powers, and it is said to have greatly intimidated and frightened the people of Japan. After Perry’s arrival, Kaishu Katsu submitted a memorandum on naval defense to the Shogunate. His memorandum was approved, and in 1855 he was recruited into government service as negotiator with the foreign powers and Dutch translator, and he was also sent to study at the Nagasaki Naval Academy as a core student.
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Institutions Holding Related Materials
The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.
The National Archives is an organization for preserving, as historical materials, public records and archives of importance transferred from state organs, and providing them for public use, with the aim of achieving appropriate preservation and use of such public records and archives that are kept in the National Archives or state organs as historical materials.
As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.
Kyushu National Museum explores how Japan’s history of cultural exchange with the rest of Asia has impacted the formation of its culture. To that end, we engage in the collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of cultural properties, in addition to providing educational outreach to the local community.
Kyoto National Museum collects, preserves, displays, researches and provides educational programs focusing on cultural properties from Heian- through to Edo- period Japan, when the capital was located there.
東京都品川区の臨海副都心に所在。ペリー艦隊来航時の模型や、絵画「蒸気フリゲート サスケハナ精密解剖図」などが所蔵されています。
静岡県下田市に所在。日本の開国に係る約2000点の資料・遺品の中から、約1000点を入れ替え展示しています。
External Links
国立国会図書館による電子展示。第1章「立憲国家への始動 1-1 開国―近代の幕開け」で、黒船来航前後の史料、特に、ペリーが持参したフィルモア大統領の国書や、日本側が作成した「日米和親条約」批准書の写しなどの画像をみることができる。
公益財団法人日本財団による電子図書館「日本財団図書館」の一部。ペリー艦隊の諸艦の精密側面イラスト、読み物「ペリー艦隊の実像に迫る」、艦隊の諸データ、錦絵など豊富な電子展示を見ることができる。
国立公文書館による電子展示。平成16年（2004）春の同館特別展「激動幕末 - 開国の衝撃 -」を再編成したもの。変動の時代のなかで先人が抱いた危機感や使命感、そして苦難の歴史を乗り越えた日本人の英知とたくましさを実感できる同館所蔵の貴重な資料を駆使した電子展示。
神奈川県立公文書館による「神奈川デジタルアーカイブ」のうちの「幕末維新史料」。幕末から明治維新期にかけての外国船来航、それに対する海岸警固、開国後の外国人居留に関する文書、記録がPDFで提供されている。
京都外国語大学付属図書館/京都外国語短期大学付属図書館HPより。平成15年（2003）に開催された展示会の紹介ページ。
「ベネッセ 教育情報サイト」より。
References
- 「黒船」の項
- 「黒船」の項
- 「黒船」の項
- 「くろふね【黒船】」の項
- 歴史学研究会 編,岩波書店
- 対外関係史総合年表編集委員会 編,吉川弘文館