Author: Kurofune Kawaraban. Perry and the Black Ships.
Title: [Amerika Jokisen no Zu ... Kairiku o Kata o Yakunin Fu].
Description: n.p. [1854]. Woodcut 60x32cm on two sheets; folded. ¶ A most handsome portrait of Perry's steamship by an artist in no way hampered by being at some remove from the subject.Kawaraban - illicit illustrated news sheets for the streets - were produced by the million for a couple of hundred years so of course few survive. They were produced for anything more interesting than the drop of a hat and the arrival of the Black Ships, the American squadron commanded by Perry, in 1853 and 54 eclipsed any and all tiresome earthquakes, fires, plagues, famines, murders and scandals. For most Japanese this was the same as a squadron of alien space ships arriving on earth now. These prints are the kurofune (black ship) kawaraban. There is an almost identical version of this but in that there is just one background ship, partly obscured by a flag.Attached is the list of officials manning the defences.

Keywords: kawaraban social history travel c19th Japan Asia America Perry reform progress graphic art illustration black ships nautical maritime kurofune meiji