Years
Kaei
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“Take down the curtains,” said the commodore ―― A day at the Yokohama reception hall, the tenth day of the second month of Kaei 7
The tenth day of the second month of Kaei 7 (1854), Yokohama. The meeting hall on the shore was completely enclosed on all four sides with curtains. From outside, the interior could not be seen. -
Putyatin’s Arrival at Nagasaki ―― A Mild-Mannered Envoy and the Russian Flag Forty Days Later
The seventeenth day of the sixth month of Kaei 6 (1853). Far out on the sea off Nagasaki, five white sails appeared. Sentries at three posts at once sent word. The magistrate's sentries were somewhat… -
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. -
The Chancellor of the Spring Breeze ―― Abe Masahiro and the Forecast of the Eleventh Month of Kaei 5
The second day of the eleventh month of Kaei 5 (1852). At the Satsuma domain residence in Edo, Shimazu Nariakira took up his brush. The letter was addressed to his younger brother Hisamitsu, who was… -
The Wound Called Ryūkyū ―― How Did Shimazu Nariakira Inherit Satsuma?
Two reports from Satsuma reached Shimazu Nariakira in Edo. One was addressed from Shimazu Shōsō to Shimazu Iwami. Its content was that Ryūkyū was peaceful and there was nothing to worry about. The… -
Shimazu Nariakira’s Patience ―― The Takasaki Collapse and the Blood-Stained Undergarment
The eighteenth day of the twelfth month of Kaei 1 (1848). Zusho Shōzaemon, who had for many years held sole control over the finances of the Satsuma domain, coughed up blood and died. -
The Revival of Tokugawa Nariaki ―― From a Telescope to a Boat at Kōrakuen
The seventh month of Kōka 2 (1845). The matter was a request to borrow a telescope owned by Abe. -
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. -
The Treaty Returned to Shimoda ―― Adams and the Exchange of Ratifications
Off the coast of Shimoda in Izu, beyond Mikomotojima, a single dark ship's silhouette appeared. -
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.
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