An Analysis of Two Accounts of Japan During the Closing Years of the Tokugawa Shogunate

Abstract

Catholic interference in the affairs of state resulted in the expulsion of European settlers in Japan. What makes this event particularly remarkable is the duration of and tenacity with which the policy of isolation remained effective. Samuel Wells Williams’ account of his voyage to Japan in 1837 confirms the ongoing position of the Japanese authorities. Ernest Satow, arriving in Yokohama in 1862, describes the enduring reluctance to countenance the presence of foreigners on Japanese soil despite the accomplishment of the 1853 Perry Expedition. This study reflects upon accounts of the respective authors and considers how contemporary Westerners attempted to rationalize the posture of the Japanese towards Western visitors. It further reveals how the Japanese policy of seclusion came to yield to external pressure.