Black Ships & Samurai, Lesson 07

Site Quest: Advising the Shogun
on a Response to America

Introduction
In 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry led a U.S. expedition of four ships to Japan with the mission of opening that country to trade and other relationships with the United States. While the Japanese had ongoing exchange with the West, it was strictly limited and controlled through the port of Nagasaki in southern Japan and confined to trade with the Dutch. The vast majority of Japanese, including the government of the Tokugawa shogun, had extremely limited knowledge of the West. The government’s policy, for over 200 years, had been to close the country from any unnecessary exchange with the West. Perry arrived in Japan with documents from U.S. president Millard Fillmore and the express intent of negotiating a treaty to initiate trade relations within a year’s time.

Perry’s arrival in Japan, the American efforts to establish relations with that country, the reactions of the Americans in the expeditionary party, and the reactions of Japanese who came in contact with them are documented through an official U.S. narrative of the Perry expedition, as well as extensive visual records made by official and unofficial American artists and Japanese artists. The many aspects of this encounter are presented and analyzed in Black Ships & Samurai, the focus of this site quest.

Task
Daimyo was the name given to the regional lords who ruled over large domains of land within Japan prior to and during the Tokugawa period (1603–1868). Under Tokugawa rule, daimyo were organized under the central rule of the hereditary Tokugawa shogun. Daimyo with a blood relationship to the shogun had the highest status within the Tokugawa administrative structure and enjoyed greater trust from the shogun.

When Commodore Matthew Perry presented a list of U.S. demands to the Japanese government in 1853, his action set off a great debate. In an unprecedented move, the Tokugawa government solicited the opinions of the daimyo. At issue was whether to attempt to hold off the foreigners and preserve the policy of isolation, or to open the country (with or without some negotiation of the foreign demands). Although it may seem now that the Japan had no choice but to open its doors to the United States, in 1854 the Japanese government did, indeed, consider its alternatives.

Your assignment is to take the role of a Tokugawa clan daimyo who will advise the Tokugawa shogunate in developing a response to the American treaty ultimatum. Your task is to examine and analyze the resources available to you in the Black Ships & Samurai unit—paying special attention to primary source data presented through visual records made at the time—and to create a proposal for Shogunal response to the American treaty demands. Your proposal must:

    (a) review the nature of the American challenge as you see it;
    (b) present an action plan with a minimum of five items; and
    (c) support each segment of the action plan with visual documentation that justifies the need for and/or wisdom of this action in the current (1853) situation.

You will work in teams, with each member of your team investigating a specific aspect of the situation with which Japan is confronted.

Process and Resources
Task #1: homework assignment. Prior to beginning your site quest, it is important that each student read and understand the demands that the United States made to Japan. Read the 1853–1854 exchange between the American and Japanese governments in the letters of U.S. president Fillmore and Commodore Perry.

What terms, specifically, did the United States want from Japan? These are the demands which you, as a group, must assess and decide how best to respond to.

Task #2: In your work group, select work roles.

1: Daimyo: This person will be responsible for the classroom presentation of the daimyo’s position.
2: Daimyo retainer: This person will “chair” the fact finding meetings that your group will hold over the next several days.
3: Recorder: This person will record the most relevant findings and most persuasive information to use in the policy statement.
4: Commissioned artist: This person will select and order the visual images that support your position statement to the shogun.

In addition to the roles above, all members of the group will work as fact finders and each fact finder will have a specific role in the process.

Fact finder #1: investigate the military challenges and benefits posed by the United States. What is the nature of the threat—what kind of military technology do they have, in what numbers, and what does the Japanese government have with which to respond? What is the situation in Japan? Select 10 examples from the visual record that will be useful in arguing a policy component focused on the military challenge and response.

Fact finder #2: investigate the cultural challenges and benefits posed by the United States. What aspects of U.S. culture conflict with Japanese culture and might threaten or challenge it? How severe is this threat? How might Japan effectively respond? What is the situation in Japan? Select 10 examples from the visual record that will be useful in arguing a policy component focused on the cultural dimension of the challenge and response.

Fact finder #3: investigate the technology challenges and benefits posed by the United States. In what way does American technology pose opportunities for Japan? In what way, challenges? What is the state of technology in Japan? Select 10 examples from the visual record that will be useful in arguing a policy component focused on the technological costs and benefits of developing a relationship with the United States.

Fact finder #4: economic challenges and benefits. What is the situation in Japan? Select 10 examples from the visual record that will be useful in arguing a policy component focused on the economic challenges and benefits of developing a relationship with the United States.

Resources
All components of the Black Ships & Samurai unit contain information that can benefit your group. Within the unit, many of the sections contain parallel presentations on the U.S. views and the Japanese views of a particular topic. Be sure to explore all available connections and sections to collect information for your position.

The Presentation
Each member of your group has analyzed a different topic or issue and has examined that issue from both Japanese and U.S. perspectives. As your group prepares its presentation, discuss the information each group member has collected. Each person should present his or her 2-3 strongest points from his or her own research. Then, sift through this information to reach a consensus on what course your recommendations to the shogun will take. Among the positions open to you are:

    • Encourage the Shogun to open Japan as a defensive measure—that is, there is too much to lose if Japan does not open
    • Encourage the Shogun to open Japan as an offensive measure—that is, there is much to gain from exchange with the United States and the world at this point in time
    • Encourage the Shogun to resist the American demands and keep Japan closed
    • Negotiate a partial agreement with the United States

You may also come up with a policy direction not reflected in the four positions above.

Your position must clearly state the specific terms you recommend to the Shogun—that is, what are you willing to concede and why; what do you want from the United States and why.

Next, select specific arguments, and the visual images that will support them, for your recommendations. Create a visual and written presentation which you will present to the shogun.

Evaluation

Research skills

Beginning Begins research task without completing advance reading assignment. Does not define research task for defined role. Uses only 1-2 sites on the Web site; is not selective about data collection. Does not find sufficient sources. Does not site sources. Does not use own words.

Developing Completes advance reading assignment but cannot contribute to discussion. Begins research with some idea of information that will be needed to complete assignment. Uses 3 sites on the Web site. Is somewhat selective about data collection but uses some irrelevant information. Does not find sufficient sources. Not consistent in source citations. May or may not use own words.

Accomplished Completes advance reading and contributes to discussion. Begins research with clear idea of information needed for assigned role. Collects data from 4 sites on the Web site. Finds required 10 examples. Notes are well organized and indicate where data comes from.

Exemplary Completes advance reading assignment and makes significant contributions to discussion. Begins research with clear idea of information needed for assigned role. Collects data from 5 or more sites on the Web site. Finds required 10 examples. Notes are well organized and indicate where data comes from.

Score

Teamwork

Beginning Does not take on assigned role or tasks. Works toward group goals only when reminded. Requires prompting to complete individual assignments within the group. Does not take part in finalizing the project for presentations.

Developing Contributes minimally to the group when prompted to do so. Completes individual assignments. Participates in making decisions about and fine tuning final project

Accomplished Stays on task; encourages others to do so. Completes individual assignment within the group. Takes active role in making decisions about and fine tuning final project for presentation.

Exemplary Stays on task and encourages others to do so. Takes leadership within the group. Completes individual assignment within group at high level. Takes leadership role in finalizing the project for presentation.

Score

Final project

Beginning Does not follow requirements for final project. Arguments or images are absent. Writing with many errors.

Developing Addresses all parts of presentation requirement but arguments are not well formed; images do not support arguments. Writing with some errors.

Accomplished Good arguments backed by images that clearly support arguments. Clearly written and presented. Few grammatical or punctuation mistakes.

Exemplary Excellent arguments, backed by images that clearly support arguments. Clearly written and presented. Minimal grammatical/ punctuation mistakes

Score

Conclusion
Compare to actual letters to the Shogun: “Tokugawa Nariaki to Bakufu, August 14, 1853” (Letter #01) and “Ie Naosuke to Bakufu, October 1 1853” (Letter #02).

• Table of Contents | Lessons:

• 01
  • Handout 01-A
  • Handout 01-B
  •  
• 02
  • Handout 02-A
  • Handout 02-B
  • Handout 02-C
  •  
• 03
  • Handout 03-A
  • Handout 03-B
  •  
• 04
  • Handout 04-A
  • PowerPoint Template
  •  
• 05
  • Handout 05-A
  • Handout 05-B
  • Handout 05-C
  • Textbook Excerpts
  •  
• 06
  • Handout 06-A
  • Sumo Account Excerpt
  •  
• 07
  • Instructions
  • Letter #01
  • Letter #02
  •  
• 08
  • Instructions
  •  

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