Sources
Kinsei Nihon kokuminshi, Perry's Arrival and Its Time
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Eight Hours at the West Magistrate’s Office in Nagasaki ―― The Fourth Year of Kaei, Twelfth Month: The First Negotiations Between Kawaji Toshiakira and the Russian Envoys
In Nagasaki it rained heavily all day from morning. At nine in the morning, the Russian envoys appeared at the West Magistrate's Office. The two men did not leave their seats until four in the… -
We will not borrow a fire ship ―― Kawaji Toshiakira’s visit to the Russian ship and delivery of the reply letter, in the twelfth month of Kaei 6 (1853)
Clear skies. -
Stalling for Five Years, for Ten Years ―― In the Sixth Month of Kaei 6, Tokugawa Nariaki Was Told the Shogunate’s True Intentions at the Komagome Residence
Tokugawa Nariaki was watching Hachirōmaro, dressed in armor, ride a horse at Sugi Baba. It was around the seventh half-hour, roughly five in the afternoon. Word reached him even at the riding ground. -
Three Months in Nagasaki ―― The Russian Envoy Putyatin and the Shogunate’s Delaying Tactics
The inspector Ōi Saburōsuke went out to sea. His destination was the Russian ship moored inside the harbor. There was only one thing he had to convey. It was the death of the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi. -
Footsteps in an Empty Valley ―― In Kaei 6, the Daimyo’s Opinions on America and Takashima Kihei’s Argument for Opening the Country
The tenth month of Kaei 6 (1853). Takashima Kihei. He had once called himself Shirōdayū Shūhan, and was the man who introduced Western artillery techniques to Japan. -
The Character for Peace, Sealed Away ―― The Seventh Month of Kaei 6, and the Trump Card Named Tokugawa Nariaki
On the third day of the seventh month of Kaei 6 (1853), a notice came down to the Mito residence. Since there was business concerning coastal defense, he was to attend the castle roughly every other…
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