A large-format illustrated composite scroll (393 x 4750 mm.), beige silk outer front endpaper, with a series of 15 vivid scenes & detailed portraits of American sailors & leaders, including Commodore Matthew C. Perry, along with impressive illustrations of the American fleet, all done with brush & ink and many color washes.
[Japan: ca. 1854-55].
An impressively assembled scroll that portrays the second American expedition to Japan (February-March 1854), led by Commodore Perry; much of it is focused on the American vessels that anchored menacingly off the coast. Seven of the nine ships in the American fleet are carefully portrayed, with notes on the estimated numbers of cannons and crewmembers. Steam-powered ships, with black smoke gushing from the stacks and rows of powerful cannons, shocked the Japanese, most of whom had never seen such a demonstration of advanced military technology. The observations in this scroll must have been crucial to inform the decision-making of Japanese officials.
“Black Ship Scrolls” conveying eyewitness reports were disseminated among the Japanese elite and kept top secret. Our scroll was presumably created for a high-ranking Japanese official, since any information on the American interlopers was carefully controlled by the local authorities to maintain public order in the face of an anticipated foreign invasion. Compared to other depictions of the foreigners, which frequently showed them as caricatures (hairy, oversized, red-faced and blue-eyed), the more dignified portraits in our scroll demonstrate the increasing familiarity between the Japanese and American contingents.
In the years following Japan’s opening to the West, Japanese artisans produced countless scrolls commemorating the American expeditions, catering to the tourist trade and as gifts to visiting dignitaries. Mass-produced with foreigners’ preferences in mind, these scrolls took liberties with the events that transpired, straying far from the earliest accounts and sketches. They pale in comparison with the elaborate and scrupulous illustrations found in this early scroll. Though the later, mass-produced scrolls are easily found on the market, examples like ours, presumably created for a Japanese official or nobleman, remain greatly treasured for their revealing depictions.
We have ordered the scroll into 15 individual scenes, most of which have a contemporary manuscript caption (translated below):
I. Three sailors in the American marching band, two of whom are uniformed drummer boys. The band led the American march to Yokohama, where negotiations between the two nations were held in a newly constructed reception hall. The Japanese manuscript caption reads: “Illustration of musicians.”
II. Two sailors, with swords sheathed, are holding their muskets with bayonets fixed. A fine indigo ink has been employed to depict the uniform on the left. Caption: “Rank: Sergeant/Soldier.”
III. Commodore Perry, on the right, faces a sailor who may be the conductor of the American expedition’s marching band. Perry is depicted rather sympathetically, compared to exaggerated and even outlandish portraits that depict him as quite large, hairy, and red-faced. The artist has once more used a deep indigo to capture the color of the uniforms. Caption: “Ambassador Perry/Conductor Commandant.”
IV. A larger portrait of a lone sailor, probably an officer, clutching his sheathed sword and clenching his fist. Caption: “Foreigner [Captain] landed near Kanagawa.”
V. An elaborate and realistic portrait of Perry, capturing even the individual hairs on his head and the wrinkles on his face. Caption: “American Envoy Perry.”
VI. A portrait of Perry’s chief-of-staff, Henry A. Adams, done by the same artist as Perry’s portrait. Caption: “American Vice Envoy Adams.”
VII. (upper portion) A very long horizontal painting of the American column marching to the Yokohama reception hall for negotiations regarding the opening of Japan to American trade. There are more than 100 armed Americans soldiers following the marching band. The top of this sheet has been slightly cropped, cutting off part of the American flag in the middle. Caption: “Illustration of American landing column.”
VIII. (lower right) A sizable rendering of the USS Vandalia, a sloop-of-war that joined the Perry Expedition in late 1853. Caption: “Name of ship: [Vandalia], 20(?) cannons, 200 crewmembers.” Minuscule mended wormholes to the image.
IX. (lower left) The USS Saratoga, another sloop-of-war. Caption: “Name of ship: Saratoga, 20 cannons, 200 crewmembers.” Expertly mended wormholes touching the image, hardly visible.
X. (upper portion) A panoramic view with a fleet of 23 American rowboats headed to shore. Mending to the top of the scroll.
XI. (right lower portion) The USS Mississippi, a steam frigate that was part of the first expedition. Caption: “Name of ship: Mississippi, 8 cannons, 240 crewmembers.”
XII. (left lower portion) The USS Southampton, a storeship. Caption: “Name of ship: Southampton, 6 cannons, 50 crewmembers.” Expert mending of wormholes, affecting the image.
XIII. USS Supply, a supply ship. Caption: “Name of ship: Supply, 6 cannons, 40 crewmembers.” Wormholes repaired and with some foxing.
XIV. USS Lexington, a supply ship. Caption: “Name of ship: Lexington, 26 cannons, 50 crewmembers.” Repaired wormholes and small sections of the white wash used for the sails have come off.
XV. USS Susquehanna, a steam frigate. Caption: “Name of ship: Susquehanna, 6 cannons, 240 crewmembers.” Careful mending of wormholes to head and tail of scroll.
In very good condition; there are a number of wormholes, all expertly restored to the point that most are invisible to the naked eye, and some browning and speckles to blank segments of the scroll. Two unidentified ownership seals next to the illustration of the USS Vandalia (no. VIII). Housed in a custom-made 20th-century wooden box.
❧ Renata V. Shaw, “Japanese Picture Scrolls of the First Americans in Japan” in The Quarterly Journal of the Library of Congress, Vol. 25, No. 2 (April 1968), pp. 134-53.
For helpful recapitulations of accounts from the Japanese and Americans, William McOmie, The Opening of Japan, 1853-1855: A Comparative Study of the American, British, Dutch and Russian Naval Expeditions to Compel the Tokugawa Shogunate to Conclude Treaties and Open Ports to Their Ships (2006).
Price: $39,500.00
Item ID: 11288
