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Military Exercises [Scroll 4]

Heather Velez, Brown '05

In this panel, blue and white banners fenced in the American officers next to what is possibly the Treaty House. The banners may have really been black and white, as they were the imperial colors, and the artist was at liberty to have made the aesthetic choice of blue. The banners acted as a barrier to the curiosity of the surrounding Japanese peoples and afforded the Americans privacy. The banners also acted as a barrier to the Americans. The Americans expressed interest in investigating the surrounding areas but the Japanese made it very difficult to do any serious surveying. Five groups of officers performed various exercises. In the left corner, the band practiced. Also in the foreground, officers marched, led by the American flag. One group exercised with their rifles, while another worked with bayonets. In the background, another group of officers marched. All visible faces were stern, the artist recognized the concentration and dedication involved in the military.

There were several possible explanations for such a military display. It may have been standard daily routine to run exercises. Commodore Perry may have intended to draw attention to the military diligence and prowess of the United States. On both expeditions to Japan, Commodore Perry was adamant about maintaining a dominant power position during relations. He did not want to show any weakness, or insecurity, and was thus unyielding to most Japanese appeals. For instance, he insisted on staying in the "American Anchorage" in the Bay of Edo, and refused to move to Uraga [a mere two miles away] where the Japanese wished to hold the diplomatic interchanges. The Japanese had little time to assemble a proper meeting place near the American Anchorage.

The military exercises may have been a tribute to the marine from the ship Mississippi who died on March 12, 1854. Commodore Perry negotiated with the Japanese for a proper burial place. The Japanese had wanted to take the body to Nagasaki or Uraga, but Perry persuaded them to allow the marine to be buried in the Japanese graveyard at Yokohama. The Chaplain accompanying the expedition presided over the burial services.1

Interesting to note that no Japanese appeared in this panel. The artist acted as a voyeur in this scene, informing Japanese viewers that this was one of the activities the Americans did when not involved in diplomatic relations and when hidden from Japanese eyes.

 

References

1. Robert Tomes, The Americans in Japan: An Abridgment of the Government Narrative of the U.S. Expedition (New York: D. Appleton, 1857), 260