Writings: A Portrait of Captain Adams
Anna Wada, Brown ’13
“A North American figure: Portrait of a Commander,” is a bust portrait of Commander Henry Adams, Perry’s second-in-command. It is drawn in a style similar to the ōkubie (large-head picture), close-up woodblock prints of famous actors and courtesans popular in the Edo period.[1] With the head nearly filling the frame, these images often emphasized facial features and expressions to the point of exaggeration. This portrait is no exception, as it caricatures Adams with curly hair, large nose, standard American uniform, and a somewhat severe expression. Those who made the kawaraban often did not see the actual characters themselves, instead copying illustrations drawn by the few artists who were permitted in the receptions rooms by feudal lords.[2] The text describes Adams’ age (around 40), rank, landing in western Uraga, and uniform. It abruptly moves on to list words from the English vocabulary and how they sounded to Japanese ears, such as “father” (“woranpē”), “fish” (“kiyokorenpo”), “buttocks” (“notsufura”), “coins” (“kokonchia”), “silver” (“chiipan”), “funeral” (“mukachia”), “alcohol” (“halupelu”), and “officials” (“motsukau”). This seemingly random list may have been introduced out of interest for the strange sounds, rather than as an aide to actual communication. The final block of text names the administrator of Uraga and his retainer who had been in charge of the crew’s reception.
Notes:
- “Kawaraban to Jyohou Shakai [Kawaraban and the Society of Information],” The Birth of News, accessed January 10, 2011. Richard Louis Edmonds, et al, "Japan," Oxford Art Online, accessed January 10, 2012.
- Kinoshita and Kitahara, Bakumatsu Meiji Nyusu Kotohajime, 62.