Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry
On July 8th, 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into the harbor of Tokyo. He was commanding four ships, and the one that he was personally aboard was known as the Susquehanna.
Perry's arrival marked the beginning of a new era in Japan. For the first time, the Japanese people were witness to steamships, which were a Western technology.
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Convention of Kanagawa
On March 31, 1854, the first treat was signed between the U.S. and Japan. This treaty (the Convention of Kanagawa) opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to the U.S. for trade, and ensured the safety of U.S. sailors that were shipwrecked. While it allowed for there to be a permanent American consul in Shimoda, it did not allow for any other permanent American concessions to be put in place. The treaty would become part of what were known as the "Unequal Treaties", which were treaties signed between Western powers and Japan that forced Japan to open access to ports under the threat of military action.