This Japanese broadside, or kawaraban, shows Tokyo (Edo) Bay and its various defenses through a dense and complicated series of symbols and notations. It was created around the time of the Perry Expedition, which consisted of two American military and diplomatic missions (1852-55) to visit the Tokugawa shogunate. This government had a strict isolationist policy and few foreign visitors gained entry over its 250-year existence (1603-1868). While Perry’s first visit was limited in success, his second journey assured the diplomatic and trade ties that the U.S. sought. Japan’s opening of its doors eventually led to the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of Emperor Meiji.

These kawaraban covered a variety of topics of interest to the public, and were typically printed in large runs on inexpensive paper. While the Tokugawa shogunate attempted to restrict the flow of these broadsides, especially those of a political nature, they became nearly impossible to control at the time of the Perry Expedition, as many Japanese were hungry for news about the visits and their implications for the country’s future.

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Condition: B

Issued folding and now flattened and backed with thin linen. There is some printer's ink residue, a small stain at upper left, and a bit of offsetting. A small chip is confined to the bottom right blank margin.