Top of page

Book/Printed Material Gasshūkoku shokan wage 合衆国書簡和解 / Title in Chinese reading: Hezhongguo shu jian he jie

About this Item

Title

  • Gasshūkoku shokan wage

Other Title

  • 合衆国書簡和解
  • Title in Chinese reading: Hezhongguo shu jian he jie

Translated Title

  • Official Letter of Rapprochement Written by the United States of America

Summary

  • On July 8, 1853, at a time when Japan still maintained its Sakoku (closed country) policy, the East India Squadron of the United States Navy, commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794--1858), dropped anchor in the Uraga Strait. Perry conveyed to the Japanese authorities an official letter from U.S. president Millard Fillmore proposing friendship and the establishment of commercial relations between Japan and the United States. Senior Councilor Abe Masahiro (1819-57) decided to accept the letter and promised to give an answer within a year. This was an extraordinary reaction in the context of the Bakufu (shogunate) policy of the time. Abe had Japanese translations made of the official letter and other related letters, showed them to various daimyōs (territorial nobles who ruled over vast private land holdings and large numbers of vassals), and sought their opinions. This collection contains five letters written in classical Chinese, including the official letter from Fillmore and a letter from Perry and their Japanese translations.

Names

  • Abe, Masahiro, 1819-1857 Associated Name
  • Fillmore, Millard, 1800-1874 Author
  • Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858 Author

Created / Published

  • [Place of publication not identified] : [Publisher not identified], 1853.

Headings

  • -  Japan
  • -  United States of America
  • -  1853
  • -  Foreign relations
  • -  Letters
  • -  Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858
  • -  Trade
  • -  United States Naval Expedition to Japan (1852-1854)

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource at: National Diet Library.
  • -  Content in Japanese and Chinese.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
  • -  Title revised per Asian Division.--cc28 2023-01-06

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667464

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress is unaware of any copyright or other restrictions in the World Digital Library Collection. Absent any such restrictions, these materials are free to use and reuse. Researchers are encouraged to review the source information attached to each item. For information on contacting WDL partner organizations, see this archived list of partners

The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Abe, Masahiro, Associated Name, Millard Fillmore, and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Gasshūkoku Shokan Wage. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1853] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667464/.

APA citation style:

Abe, M., Fillmore, M. & Perry, M. C. (1853) Gasshūkoku Shokan Wage. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667464/.

MLA citation style:

Abe, Masahiro, Associated Name, Millard Fillmore, and Matthew Calbraith Perry. Gasshūkoku Shokan Wage. [Place of publication not identified: Publisher not identified, 1853] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667464/>.