It was a pleasure to be in San Francisco in August 25, 2010, and to take part in another cultural exchange Grassroots Summit between Japan and the United States of America.  I was honored to be on the stage with Mr. Tokugawa, the eighteenth head of the main lineage of the Tokugawa family.  After reading his interesting book, The Edo Inheritance, I had a much better appreciation of the positive aspects of the Shogunate period that is seldom depicted in popular media.

I also welcomed the opportunity, as a descendant of Commodore Perry, to revisit with descendants of Captain Whitfield and Manjiro Nakahama.  These two contemporaries of Commodore Perry played a major role in Perry’s successful diplomacy in Japan in 1853 and in 1854.  

Historians have argued for many years about the importance of Commodore Perry’s actions and the need for military strength to negotiate a treaty of “peace and amity.”  The world will never know the consequences if the squadron of smoke– belching ships that frightened Japanese on-lookers had originated in England or in Russia, and not the United States.  Although Commodore Perry did use threats and intimidation as tactics to obtain his goals, he clearly was acting as a friendly emissary from the United States with clear guidance from President Millard Fillmore.

Although the Commodore had planned well for the mission by learning as much as possible about Japanese people and their governing powers, he still was not totally aware of the intricacies and complexities of the Shogunate in Edo or the Emperor in Kyoto.  The extended negotiations conducted between Commodore Perry and Abe Masahiro demonstrated the pride and diplomacy of both men, who were determined to provide the best agreement for their respective countries.

In 2004, Japan and the United States celebrated the 150-year anniversary of the Treaty of Kanagawa, and in 2010 celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first delegation from Japan aboard the Japanese steamship, Kanrin-maru.  I think it is important to celebrate these milestones in our history and to continue to work for positive relations between our two great and powerful nations.  The cultural exchange that takes place during each Summit is one of the best ways to learn about foreign countries.  Average citizens become diplomats and emissaries of their respective countries, while becoming more knowledgeable about a different culture. 

Mr. Tokugawa emphasized the importance of formal education and religious freedom in The Edo Inheritance.   These were qualities that Commodore Perry exemplified throughout his long career that culminated in his negotiations with Japan.  A very religious man himself, he resisted pressures from his chaplain to exploit opportunities for conversion.  Through his own actions and mannerisms, her convinced the Japanese that Americans were not “barbarians and convinced the world that Japanese were not “heathens”. 

Epithets that stereotype a culture are counterproductive to healthy relations between people and their countries, and should be avoided in public and private situations.   Mr. Tokugawa, in writings and in his actions is clearly an environmentalist and conservationist, a trait shared by his ancestors during the Tokugawa Period.  Commodore Perry emphasized the need to better understand the natural resources of our planet and encouraged scientific investigations on all expeditions that went by sea to foreign countries.  As a research biologist I’d like to think that I might have inherited some of this interest from my ancestor, as Mr. Tokugawa probably did from his ancestors. 

As our planet continues to get smaller with increasing human populations it is imperative that we continue to share cultural experiences and learn to value our renewable and nonrenewable natural resources that we share on land and sea to the betterment of future generations.

One of the quotes from Tokugawa-san’s book, The Edo Inheritance that impressed me the most was what he said about nature.  He said, “Japan is the only industrial nation in the world that has a civilization with a tradition of choosing to coexist with nature.”  Cultural exchanges like the one in San Francisco give us opportunities to learn more about each other and the beautiful planet we share as temporary occupants.

The 150th anniversary of the first Japanese delegation to come to the United States in 1860, was a major event in Japan history.  The Kanrin Maru left Japan in February 1860 in company with the USS Powhatan, which was part of Commodore Perry's squadron.  This trip to the US was a major result of Commodore Perry's negotiated Treaty of Kanagawa, which was signed between the US and Japan in 1854.  

Commodore Perry introduced steam propulsion to Japan, which had not mastered the skill yet.  Fulton is considered the father of steam power, but Commodore Perry is considered the father of the US steam navy.  This was not an easy transition as many of the “old salts” did not want to give up sail as they thought steam power was not reliable due to the limited availability of coal. 

Of course, that was one of the main reasons why the US wanted to trade with Japan as the US wanted their coal.  Not much different than our situation today with oil in the Middle East!  The US Navy was training sailors on sail ships at least to the late 1800s, as my Uncle Andrew was trained on the Constellation in 1899 during the Spanish American War.  The Kanrin Maru was not built by the Japanese, but purchased by them from the Dutch, who were the only people Japan was trading with at the time.  

Commodore Perry's ships were powered by steam and were "side wheelers," whereas the Kanrin Maru was a more advanced screwdriven (propeller) warship as most ships are today. 

There were more than 170 Japanese aboard the Kanrin Maru and one American navy officer, John Brooke.  The delegation consisted of many Samurai, and among the dignitaries was John Manjiro, who had been educated in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, after his rescue as a ship-wrecked sailor by an American, Captain Whitfield.  He was one of the few Japanese, who was allowed to return to Japan during the seclusion period (sakoku).  The Kanrin Maru returned to Japan after the visit, but 76 

Samurai traveled to Panama aboard the Powhatan. The Samurai in Panama traveled by train across land and then by ship, the USS Roanoke, to Washington, DC. 

In Washington they ratified the Treaty of Kanagawa by delivering the signed English version of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce to the President and received a signed version in Japanese.  From Washington the Samurai delegation traveled to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.  After the NY visit the delegation traveled across the Atlantic on the USS Niagara to Angola and then to Indonesia, China, and eventually to Japan.  The whole journey took nine months, which interestingly to me was how long my first cruise to the Eastern pacific was from San Diego during the Vietnam War (a long time). 

Several years ago, an exhibition was on display and was open to the public at the Museum of the City of New York and entitled "Samurai in New York."  The Samurai lost power in Japan in 1868, when power in Japan returned to the Emperor.  Of course, after World War II, Japan became a democracy modeled after the US, but the emperor still exists and has similar status as the royalty in England. 

There also were many activities in San Francisco in late August 2010, and I participated in a panel discussion at a celebration there marking Japanese and American relationships.  The three other persons on the panel included a descendant of the Tokugawa Shogunate, a descendant of Manjiro, and a descendant of Captain Whitfield who rescued Manjiro.  Two Americans and two Japanese and a lot of good will for better international relations!!!!