[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 8386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        THE BLACK SHIPS FESTIVAL

 Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, this year marks the 150th 
anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened 
trade between Japan and the United States. Rhode Islanders take great 
pride in the historic role played by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, USN, 
who was integral in the formation of the treaty.
  In 1853, Japan had been almost completely closed to foreigners for 
over 200 years, denying trade, refusing shipwrecked sailors, and, most 
importantly, refusing to serve as a coaling station for the growing 
numbers of steamships slogging the long haul across the Pacific. 
Commodore Perry was dispatched to Japan with full diplomatic powers by 
President Millard Fillmore for the purpose of opening that nation's 
doors to foreign trade.
  On Friday, July 8, 1853, Commodore Perry steamed four huge ships into 
what is now Tokyo Bay. The hulks breathed thick dark smoke, and were 
instantly dubbed the ``Black Ships'' by the shocked citizens of Japan. 
Their arrival set the city of Edo, inhabited by more than one million 
people, into commotion. The Japanese had not fought a single war for 
256 years, but now they feared an invasion.
  But Perry had not come to invade. Instead, he planned to deliver a 
letter to the Emperor, signed by President Fillmore, proposing ``that 
the United States and Japan should live in friendship and have 
commercial intercourse with each other.'' When his peaceful intentions 
became clear, tension around Edo Bay soon gave way to curiosity as each 
people sought to learn more about the strange new other.
  Commodore Perry gave the presidential letter to local officials 
shortly after his arrival, explaining that he would return the 
following spring to receive the Japanese reply. He arrived in Edo Bay 
slightly ahead of schedule, on February 13, 1854, this time with nine 
ships anchored near the city of Kanagawa. The cultural exchanges 
continued. After a stunning parade on land, Perry arranged a 21-gun 
salute to honor the Emperor, and then flew the Shogun's flag from the 
masthead of one of his ships. He presented his hosts with an array of 
gifts, including books, maps of America, whiskey, wine, clocks, rifles, 
perfumes, a miniature steam engine with railroad, and telegraph 
equipment--all of which aroused much awe in the growing crowds. The 
Japanese presented the Commodore and his officers with gifts from the 
Emperor, including scrolls, porcelain tea sets, silks, jars of soy 
sauce, umbrellas, swords, and ornate lacquer ware. They even treated 
the sailors to a Sumo wrestling show. When one Japanese commissioner 
left an American-hosted banquet, he gave Perry a crushing hug and 
exclaimed, ``Japan and America, all the same heart.''
  On March 31, after weeks of delicate and complex negotiations, a 
treaty declaring ``peace and friendship between the United States of 
America and the Empire of Japan'' was signed. The treaty of Kanagawa 
opened the seaports of Shimoda and Hokodate to American ships, and 
granted shipwrecked sailors protection in Japan. After the signing, the 
Japanese held a great feast for the Americans, and there was much 
celebration. As author Rhoda Blumberg writes, ``It is remarkable that 
people in the land of the Shogun could be so gracious and hospitable to 
unwanted visitors from the Black Ships and that the Americans could 
overcome their prejudice against a `different' people and enjoy their 
company.''
  Americans and Japanese were gracious, hospitable, and did enjoy each 
other's company at their first encounter. And that relationship 
continues today. The Japan-America Society and Black Ships festival of 
Rhode Island have helped maintain the bonds of friendship between our 
two nations. This month, representatives from Rhode Island will be 
participating in a ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island's sister city, 
Shimoda, Japan, commemorating the 65th anniversary of that city's Black 
Ships festival. I am proud to draw the Senate's attention to this 
historic occasion, and to express on behalf of my colleagues our deep 
congratulations to Mayor Naoki Ishii, members of the City Council, and 
the citizens of Shimoda, Japan as they host the celebration of the 
mutual friendship and shared values between our two nations, common 
bonds that will last for many years to come.

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