This digital collection features rare materials at the Library of Congress that document early Japanese interactions with the United States and countries in Europe, namely Britain, France, Netherlands, and Russia.

The Perry Expedition of 1853-54 figures prominently in many of these materials. Led by Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858), this expedition set out to establish diplomatic ties between the United States and Japan, a goal achieved with the signing of the US-Japan Treaty of Peace and Amity on March 31, 1854. Contemporary Japanese observers documented the expedition’s visit through a variety of media, including books, scrolls, and woodblock prints. They were particularly fascinated by the imposing presence of the “black ships” they spotted off the coast, some of which were powered by coal-burning steam engines. Within the collection are multiple examples of richly illustrated “Black Ship scrolls,” a genre that emerged from this period.

Some of the other notable items in this collection include an illustrated account of the first Japanese mission to the United States in 1860; a compendium of extensive debates about Japan’s foreign policy and national defense compiled in a 38-volume manuscript book between 1850 and 1852; and first-person accounts from Nakahama “John” Manjirō (1827-1898), who became the first Japanese to reside in the United States after being rescued by an American whaling crew in 1841, before finally returning to Japan in 1851.