"Kuro Fune" (Black Ships)

     I think most Americans are familiar with the term "black ships" when referring to our history with Japan, or at least I think so.  For those who need to have a refresher, the "black ships" was the name given to American warships that came to Japan in the mid 19th Century, the so-called opening of Japan by American gun boats!  However, many of the stories surrounding the historical event are vastly exaggerated, mostly by newspaper reporters at first and later by Hollywood!  Yes, the American gun boats did sail into Japanese harbors and they may have indeed looked menacing from a distance.  But there was no naval bombardment as depicted in some Hollywood movies or described in some novels.  Commodore Perry did fire the canons on board his ships as a greeting, a 21 gun salute to the Japanese on shore.  The canon fire was not directed at the land or people, rather out to sea!  The Japanese nick-named these ships kuro fune not because they were menacing, threatening vessels, but because they did appear black from a distance and they emitted  black smoke from their stacks.  These were some of the earliest steam ships!  So I hope that part of the story involving Commodore Perry and the "black ships" has been clarified, somewhat.
     In July of 1980, the US Embassy in Tokyo received a request from the city of Yokohama to provide a representative to attend a ceremony to commemorate the arrival of kuro fune (black ships) in Tokyo Bay.  I won't go into details on how or why, but I ended up being the US Embassy representative for that event.  As it turned out, Jo's parents were in Japan, visiting us, a sort of a trip down memory lane for them, since both of them were very fond of Japan and had been in Tokyo on and off since the late 1940s.  So, off we went to Yokohama, Jo, our kids Tony and Natalie, and Jo's parents.  Naturally we received VIP treatment, since I was to represent the United States for that event.  Jo, the kids, and her parents got nice VIP seating, but I ended up high up in the area where the Mayor of Yokohama along with the Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture were sitting.  But that wasn't all!  I was presented with a very fancy and colorful traditional silk vest, such as those worn by Daimyo and other big shots in feudal Japan!  Along with the vest I was presented with a turtle shell helmet!  I did not have to wear the helmet, but I did have to wear the ceremonial vest and say some words.  At any rate, it was a very enjoyable event for everyone, a bit uncomfortable for me up there in the stands, but still enjoyable.
     At this time, the TV mini-series Shogun was being shot nearby in Shizuoka.  So, there was a lot of talk about the TV series as well as the actual historical event.  There was a lot of criticism about how some scenes were staged and how "un-Japanese and un-realistic" the scenes were.  I realize that movie and TV directors do change things to better suit their needs, or their idea.  But the complaints from Japanese were mostly that the Japanese actors were forced to act and say lines that were totally un-Japanese!  Needless to say, when Shogun did show in Japan, it was not a hit with the Japanese people.
     The story in Shogun is actually based on fact, sort of.  The main character John Blackthorn, played by Richard Chamberlain, was based on a real life person, William Adams.  Adams, who was shipwrecked on Japanese shores in 1598 did become a first Westerner who was awarded two swords by the Shogun and given the title of a samurai.  Adams was a ship's navigator and he was called Miura Anjin (the pilot) by the Japanese.  That became his official Japanese name.  He won the favor of Shogun and was given his own fife, a huge tract of land that included the present day city of Yokosuka.  Today's Nihon-bashi district in Tokyo used to be called Anjin-cho, named after him!  To this day, the Anjizuka train station in Yokosuka is named after William Adams as well.
     Adams is a much celebrated individual in Japan, not as a samurai, but rather as a shipbuilder and navigator.  He took up shipbuilding for the Shogun and took exploratory trips to expand Japan's trade in Asia.  He had a family in England, but he also had a family in Japan.  When he died, his samurai title was granted to his oldest son in England and he was presented with his father's swords.  All of his estate and property were evenly divided among his English and Japanese family members.  He was so wealthy that all of them ended up rich!
     That was not quite the story that was presented by Hollywood in Shogun.  Too bad, because I think his true story was even more amazing than the Hollywood version!  Granted, he didn't have sword fights as depicted in the TV series, nor did he get involved in so many "action" events.  But he accomplished far more than the TV series gave him credit.  As for my brief role as the US representative on that day in Yokohama, I guess I will always remember it fondly.  I don't know what happened to the vest and helmet, they were lost somewhere along the line during our many moves and travels.  I recently found similar items selling on Ebay for a small fortune!