# Canonical recap data for Treaty of Kanagawa (1854)
# Source: https://recap.at/1854/treaty-kanagawa
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: treaty-kanagawa
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1854/treaty-kanagawa"
title: Treaty of Kanagawa
aliases:
- Convention of Kanagawa
- Japan-US Treaty of Peace and Amity
- Harris Treaty
- Treaty of Kanagawa Ansei
subtitle: Commodore Perry's forced opening of Japan ended two centuries of isolation and triggered the Meiji Restoration, fundamentally reshaping East Asian geopolitics.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1854-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1854
decade: 1850
country:
name: Japan
slug: japan
summaryShort: The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty  or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity , was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March 31, 1854. Signed under threat of force, it effectively meant the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion by openin
summaryLong: The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty  or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity , was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March 31, 1854. Signed under threat of force, it effectively meant the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion by opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels. It also ensured the safety of American castaways and established the position of an American consul in Japan. The treaty precipitated the signing of similar treaties establishing diplomatic relations with other Western powers.
lede: On March 31, 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry's American fleet forced Japan to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, ending more than two centuries of deliberate isolation from the outside world. The agreement opened Japanese ports to American ships and established diplomatic relations, marking the beginning of Japan's rapid transformation into a modern nation.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Ratification_of_the_Japan_USA_Treaty_of_Peace_and_Amity_21_February_1855.jpg/1280px-Ratification_of_the_Japan_USA_Treaty_of_Peace_and_Amity_21_February_1855.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Convention of Kanagawa"
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Treaty date
  value: March 31, 1854
- label: Duration of Japanese seclusion ended
  value: 220 years (since 1634)
- label: American commodore
  value: Matthew Perry
- label: Japanese signatory
  value: Tokugawa Shogunate (Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi)
- label: Primary American objective
  value: Coaling stations for ships traveling to China
- label: Ports opened to American trade
  value: Shimoda and Hakodate
- label: Years to formal trade treaty
  value: 4 (Harris Treaty, 1858)
timeline:
- date: 1633-01-01
  title: Japan's sakoku policy begins
  description: Tokugawa Iemitsu closes Japan to nearly all foreign contact, a policy that would last over two centuries.
- date: 1853-07-08
  title: Perry's fleet arrives in Edo Bay
  description: Commodore Matthew Perry leads four American warships (the 'Black Ships') into Japanese waters, demanding negotiations.
- date: 1854-02-13
  title: Perry returns with reinforcements
  description: Perry arrives with a larger squadron of eight ships, increasing pressure on the Shogunate to negotiate.
- date: 1854-03-31
  title: Treaty of Kanagawa signed
  description: The Shogunate agrees to open Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels, ending Japan's policy of isolation.
- date: 1858-07-29
  title: Harris Treaty signed
  description: Townsend Harris negotiates a more comprehensive trade treaty, establishing full diplomatic relations and opening additional ports.
- date: 1868-01-01
  title: Meiji Restoration begins
  description: The Tokugawa Shogunate collapses, partly due to the destabilization caused by forced opening to the West; Japan enters rapid modernization.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Kanagawa"
  title: Treaty of Kanagawa
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The treaty shattered Japan's sakoku (closed country) policy and triggered a cascade of modernization that would reshape East Asia within decades. It exposed the weakness of the Tokugawa Shogunate, accelerated internal political upheaval, and forced Japan to negotiate its place in a Western-dominated global order—ultimately leading to the Meiji Restoration and Japan's emergence as a regional power.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- treaty_signing
- diplomatic_summit
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- exchange
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
metaDescription: How Commodore Perry's gunboats ended Japan's 220-year isolation in 1854, opening it to the world.
wikidataQid: Q771451
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260520183338/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Kanagawa"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-20
  label: Treaty of Kanagawa
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_of_Kanagawa"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Commodore Matthew Perry, US Navy Commander
  voiceType: official
  context: Perry justified the forced opening of Japan in his official report to Washington just days after signing the treaty.
  excerpt: Japan is no longer closed to the world. The treaty secures to our vessels coal and provisions, and establishes the foundation for future commerce.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: Official Report to US State Department, April 1854
  publishedAt: 1854-04-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Ii Naosuke, Tokugawa Shogunate Senior Councilor
  voiceType: official
  context: Ii defended the treaty to the imperial court as a necessary evil to prevent military invasion and preserve the shogunate's power.
  excerpt: We have chosen a temporary peace over certain destruction. To resist would mean the loss of our lands and our sovereignty entirely.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Council memorandum to the Emperor, May 1854
  publishedAt: 1854-05-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Henry Raymond, Editor of The New York Times
  voiceType: media
  context: American press celebrated the treaty as a triumph of Western civilization and commercial expansion in its immediate aftermath.
  excerpt: A great achievement has been won without the sacrifice of a single American life. Japan's doors stand open to enterprise and enlightenment.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: The New York Times editorial, April 1854
  publishedAt: 1854-04-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Yoshida Shoin, Samurai Intellectual and Activist
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Japanese nationalist scholars immediately condemned the treaty as a humiliating capitulation that threatened traditional Japanese values.
  excerpt: This treaty brings shame upon our nation. We have surrendered to foreign guns what we should have defended with the sword of honor.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 82
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Private letters and early nationalist writings, 1854
  publishedAt: 1854-06-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Lord Clarendon, British Foreign Secretary
  voiceType: analyst
  context: British officials viewed Perry's success as validation of Western expansionist strategy and a precursor to broader treaty negotiations.
  excerpt: America has succeeded where diplomacy alone could not. Japan's isolation cannot withstand the pressure of civilized nations seeking fair commerce.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - British Foreign Office dispatch, May 1854
  publishedAt: 1854-05-25
  originalLanguage: en
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Treaty with Japan Concluded - American Squadron Under Commodore Perry Succeeds in Opening Japanese Ports
  publishedAt: 1854-04-03
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: The long-sealed empire of Japan has at last yielded to Western diplomacy and the persuasive presence of American naval force. Commodore Matthew Perry's squadron has secured a treaty that grants the United States coaling stations and trading privileges, marking the end of Japan's two centuries of self-imposed isolation.
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times-london
  headline: Japan Opens Its Doors - Treaty Signed at Kanagawa Signals Shift in Eastern Politics
  publishedAt: 1854-05-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - British observers regard the American success in Japan as a watershed moment in Asian affairs. The forced opening of Japanese ports to foreign commerce represents a triumph of Western determination and raises questions about the stability of the once-insular Shogunate.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Illustrirte Zeitung
  publisherSlug: illustrirte-zeitung
  headline: Japan offnet seine Tore - Amerikanischer Flottenkommandant erzwingt Handelsvertrag
  publishedAt: 1854-06-10
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "DE: 'Japan offnet seine Tore - Amerikanischer Flottenkommandant erzwingt Handelsvertrag' / EN: 'Japan Opens Its Gates - American Fleet Commander Forces Trade Treaty'. German readers learned of Commodore Perry's feat through extensive woodcut illustrations depicting the American black ships and the signing ceremony at Kanagawa, emphasizing Europe's growing influence over distant civilizations."
  significance: 75
  type: magazine
  region: Germany
- publisher: The North China Herald
  publisherSlug: north-china-herald
  headline: American Treaty with Japan Ratified - Implications for Trade in East Asia Considerable
  publishedAt: 1854-07-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Merchants and diplomatic correspondents in Shanghai regard Perry's success as a catalyst for expanded Western commercial networks across Asia. The treaty's provisions for American coaling stations foreshadow a new era of steamship-driven commerce in the Pacific.
  significance: 70
  type: newspaper
  region: China
- publisher: Le Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: le-moniteur-universel
  headline: Traite d'Amitie entre les Etats-Unis et le Japon - Fin de l'Isolement Japonais
  publishedAt: 1854-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'Traite d'Amitie entre les Etats-Unis et le Japon' / EN: 'Treaty of Friendship between the United States and Japan'. French officials and journalists saw in this pact further proof of American ascendancy in Pacific affairs and speculated on whether France might soon negotiate similar advantages with the Shogunate."
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: France
