36 detailed hand-drawn scenes throughout, employing many ink washes in various colors. [45] folding leaves, i.e., [90] pp. Large orihon (accordion format: 277 x 199 mm.), blue silk covers over boards (a little rubbed), endpapers decorated with sprinkled golden leaf. Japan: “1855.”

A most remarkable orihon, containing the earliest impressions of Americans and Russians, recorded by a Japanese artist in 1855. This work was created immediately in the aftermath of both countries’ expeditions to forcefully open Japan.

This is the first time we have handled a “Black Ship” item in book format instead of an emaki (picture scroll). All of the handsomely rendered drawings within have been created by a single artist. This is unusual, as in many cases, “Black Ship” scrolls of the American and Russian expeditions are composites, assembled from more than one source. Furthermore, this volume includes several scenes we have not seen before in original materials from the period nor in the standard references on the 1854 Perry and Putiatin expeditions to Japan.

The illustrations in this book bear a striking resemblance to those in a scroll held by Princeton University’s Marquand Library (call no.: DS881.8.I74 1854). About half of the scenes here are found in the Princeton scroll but in a slightly different order. However, the scenes of Russians and several others are featured only in our orihon. These include two of the earliest Japanese encounters with photographic technology (scenes 23 & 35) and vivid portrayals of the camp constructed by the Russians stranded in Japan by a devastating tsunami.

Our manuscript opens with the large, bold kanji characters for sparrow 燕 and wild goose 雁, two birds that migrate in different seasons, alluding to the appearance of the Americans, then Russians, in quick succession off the shores of the Izu peninsula. The artist responsible for the calligraphy has signed as “Yellow head little person” 黄頭小人, with what must be the artist’s seals just below. The two kanji characters are also found on the lid of the old wooden box in which the manuscript is stored.

Following the “title-page” is a page of manuscript with the passage (in trans.): “American and Russian ships both arrived in Japan and stayed at Shimoda. These pictures detail their activities and stories at Kakisaki in summer [1855]. Originally drawn by Setsuzan 摂山. The same year [1855], early autumn, copied by Joshōsai 如昇斎 in Edo.”

We have divided the book into 36 distinct scenes, all of which have illuminating contemporary manuscript captions in Japanese. We have provided translations of the majority of the captions below, following brief descriptions of the scenes.

Scene 1 (3 pp.): Three American ships are headed to shore and are confronted by two Japanese ships. Manuscript caption: “1854 January 12 [in the Japanese calendar], Izu Peninsula, Manazuru port…nine American ships were spotted by two Japanese ships.”

Scene 2 (6 pp.): A wide and detailed panoramic rendering of Shimoda and the surrounding area. Seven of the large American vessels are denoted with their names (as best the Japanese could translate them). Caption: “Same day at Shimoda port, forces landed at Oura.” Text on the fifth page reads: “Foreign ships come into Shimoda port, following the host ships.”

Scene 3 (2 pp.): Two smaller American vessels filled with sailors. Caption: “From the large ship, small ships were unloaded in order to spread out around the bay. The names of the small ships are batera and potera.”

Scene 4 (2 pp.): Two American sailors are cleaning their clothes, some of which they have hung up on a clothesline set up between two trees. Caption: “Matoka beach, with a stream, Americans doing laundry.”

Scene 5 (2 pp.): An American sailor at the front of a rowboat in the foreground leans out to paint a rock outcropping white as a marker for the safety of the expedition’s ships. Another boat has a surveyor throwing out a sounding device to measure the harbor’s depth.

Scene 6 (2 pp.): The American expedition’s artist, Wilhelm Heine (1827-85), is depicted making a drawing of Sagishima shrine on Benten Island, off Shimoda. Heine’s sketches were the basis of a suite of illustrations in Graphic Scenes of the Japan Expedition (1856), an essential visual record of this consequential moment in American and Japanese history.

Scene 7 (2 pp.): A group of three smaller American vessels with sails. Caption: “Admiral Perry and the other officers come to Kakisaki village.”

Scene 8 (2 pp.): Depicted in the middle of a rainstorm is a group of three officers, including Commodore Perry, and a sailor behind them holding an umbrella to shield his superiors from the rain. Caption: “In the rain, at [Sagishima], Americans waiting for their ship.”

Scene 9 (2 pp.): An American rowboat with all its accoutrements: oar, anchor, barrels, etc. Caption: “Detailed image of small American boat; it is called a batella…colors added.”

Scene 10 (2 pp.): A pile of American sailors’ clothing lies on the ground; each of the items is named in Japanese.

Scene 11 (1 p.): Luo Sen (ca. 1821-99), the expedition’s Chinese translator, is depicted in traditional Chinese clothing with an umbrella and long braided hair. Caption: “Luo Sen, Perry’s translator, walks around the neighborhood and haggles for merchandise.”

Scene 12 (2 pp.): Surveyors sent by Perry evaluate the harbor near Shimoda. A team of two sailors is stationed with surveying tools. Caption: “Kakisaki beach, Tanoshiri; surveying the tide, day and night, two Americans stayed overnight with a tent and equipment.”

Scene 13 (3 pp.): Three American surveyors are taking notes on Shimoda and its harbor. One is using a telescope, another a surveying instrument, and the one in the middle is recording measurements.

Scene 14 (3 pp.): Ca. 15 American sailors haul in a fishnet at Tanoshiri, and men in a rowboat at the far end help them gather it.

Scene 15 (2 pp.): Close-up of American sailors in a Japanese rowboat. Caption: “Americans testing out a Japanese vessel.”

Scene 16 (2 pp.): A rowboat in the background with two sailors aiming their long rifles, and a single sailor in the foreground pointing his skyward. Caption: “Americans are hunting birds with their rifles on nearby islands.”

Scene 17 (2 pp.): The American expedition’s chief interpreter, Samuel Wells Williams, is practicing Japanese calligraphy while crouched in front of a wooden game board, composing notes concerning a botanical specimen. Above him is a complete chart of the Roman alphabet (uppercase, lowercase Roman, and Japanese katakana), providing a fascinating representation of the Japanese understanding of a foreign language at the time. Caption: “Japanese translator Williams went to Gyokusenji temple and wrote down lowercase and uppercase Roman letters and Japanese katakana. He often wears eyeglasses.”

Scene 18 (2 pp.): An American vessel with cannons fires at a target buoy as a demonstration for Japanese rowboats nearby. Caption: “The ship named Lexington stopped and shot 17 cannons; the sound was very powerful. They were very accurate.”

Scene 19 (2 pp.): Two sailors waving at an American rowboat with a white flag and a hat.

Scene 20 (2 pp.): A meticulously reproduced ivory fan, which must have belonged to one of the American sailors. In a rough recreation of Roman characters, the artist has written “FAN.” Under the fan, two objects might be a compass and a candle holder.

Scene 21 (2 pp.): A large drawing of an American steam frigate, Perry’s flagship, the USS Powhatan. Caption: “350 sailors, 21 middle-range cannons, 8 long-range cannons.”

Scene 22 (2 pp.): Portrait of three American sailors: the task of the rightmost was “blowing a whistle to deliver messages”; the middle holds a long firearm; the last is a “messenger for Perry.” Caption: “The Japanese were permitted to board and made these observations.”

Scene 23 (3 pp.): Three American sailors prepare to take a photograph of a Japanese couple with a daguerreotype camera; the man, with two katana, wears the characteristic attire of a samurai. One of the men handling the camera is Eliphalet M. Brown Jr. (1816-86), the expedition’s daguerreotypist/photographer. Caption: “At Shimoda, Dai’anji temple, a government official and a local woman are photographed by Americans to show to the king of America. Because of the photographic process, the final image is reversed, and the Japanese garments were worn to account for this.”

Scene 24 (4 pp.): American coins (with their weights), a cookie(?), another confectionery, shelled beans, candle, pencil, flags (and their significations), anchors, each with Japanese transliterations and observations.

Scene 25 (2 pp.): The narrative then shifts to the Russian expedition led by Admiral Yevfimy Putiatin (1803-83), which appeared near Shimoda in late November 1854. The Japanese agreed to start formal negotiations at the end of December; however, on 23 December, a massive earthquake precipitated a tsunami that destroyed a large part of the Russian fleet, stranding the Russians in Japan. This two-page drawing depicts Russian ships and Japanese houses swept away by the tsunami. The text on the second page recounts the considerable damage caused and the sinking of one of the Russian vessels.

Scene 26 (2 pp.): Six Russian sailors are rolling two cannons on tracks, likely recovering them from the flooding. In the aftermath of the flood, the Russians gifted a number of cannons to the Japanese for hosting and feeding them. Caption: “The 54 cannons from a destroyed Russian ship are recovered and sent to Shimoda. The French arrived at Chōgakuji [hill] to investigate this incident...”

Scene 27 (2 pp.): A particularly rare depiction of a Russian diver recovering one of the sunken cannons. Caption: “The Russian diver went below. He placed a large pot-like object on his head; he can see through glass holes. To help him breathe, there is a thin leather sack, and the rest of the crew is balancing the rowboat so they do not flip over.”

Scene 28 (2 pp.): Two Russian sailors grooming themselves in the morning, using “white powder” (i.e., soap) to wash and shave.

Scene 29 (4 pp.): A lively scene of a Russian kitchen and dining hall set up at Gyokusenji. Four beaming Russians are shown eating from a large wooden barrel next to a crowded copper oven and stove; a deer(?) and two large animal loins are hanging above. The cook is killing a chicken and adding the blood to one of the pots. We also see a Russian samovar and teapot, with a second chef ladling grains from another wooden barrel.

Scene 30 (2 pp.): Two Russian sailors stand guard at Gyokusenji. Caption: “Gyokusenji, Russians patrol around with guns, and they have a glass clock to determine their shifts; they hit the temple’s bell when it is time to change the guard.”

Scene 31 (2 pp.): An American rowboat in stormy seas. Caption: “11 March 1855, rainy and strong winds; a small American batella arrived, and the Russians went down to greet it. They brought the crew up to the temple to stay overnight; the Americans stayed for several days. A large American ship approached Shimoda harbor to rescue the Russians...”

Scene 32 (4 pp.): An American commercial schooner, the Caroline E. Foote, from San Francisco, arrived at Shimoda harbor, bringing a group of civilians to Japan for the first time. The artist has noted the names and ages of all five people depicted. Caption: “27 January 1855, an American ship arrived from San Francisco. There are two women with two children...who stayed at Gyokusenji with the Russians.”

Scene 33 (2 pp.): Traveling chests and a rocking chair, with the materials they are made of and their uses recorded by the artist. Caption: “The women from the American ship brought over chests to Gyokusenji...”

Scene 34 (2 pp.): Two Russian sailors lighting a floating lantern, with a lengthy description of the process of constructing such lanterns.

Scene 35 (2 pp.): Drawing of a photograph taken by the Russians of the head monk of Gyokusenji, with ms. text. This must be one of the earliest photographs/daguerreotypes taken in Japan.

Scene 36 (2 pp.): The Russian rescue expedition reunites with their compatriots who have been stranded in Japan for months. The artist shows them licking each other, which must have been a misunderstanding of joyous Russian greetings.

Fine condition; an exceptional book that conveys the curiosity mixed with trepidation the Japanese felt as foreign powers strove to end Japan’s centuries-long isolationism. Some wear to the lower cover; a title-label of golden paper is still securely affixed to the upper cover. Minute wormholes to some leaves, never touching the illustrations. Several unidentified seals within, and one belonging to collector Wada Zenkichi found at the beginning and end of the volume. Preserved in a contemporary wooden box (large split down the middle but holding), with the same seals. The handwritten text on the lid’s reverse serves as a Preface to the contents of our manuscript, declaring that these events were a crucial moment in Japanese history.

❧ Renata V. Shaw, “Japanese Picture Scrolls of the First Americans in Japan,” 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, Americans, and Russians, we highly recommend William McOmie’s 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: $65,000.00

Item ID: 11357