NikkeiWest--Northern California Japanese American Newspaper

By J.K. Yamamoto

A plaque commemorating the arrival of the Kanrin Maru, the first Japanese naval ship to visit the U.S., was dedicated on March 17 at San Francisco’s Pier 9.

The bronze plaque, a gift from the local Japanese American community, was part of a series of events being held throughout the year to mark this milestone in U.S.-Japan relations. It includes an image of the vessel, the American and Japanese flags, and inscriptions in Japanese and English.

With men dressed as samurai and women in kimono providing a 19th-century atmosphere, the outdoor ceremony opened with a performance by San Francisco Taiko Dojo under the direction of Grand Master Seiichi Tanaka.

Consul General Yasumasa Nagamine explained the significance of that historical event: “March 17, 1860, exactly 150 years ago today, was a sunny, early spring day, much like today. It was 1 o’clock in the afternoon. A three-masted schooner, with an unfamiliar flag of a rising sun flying at the stern, sailed quietly into the San Francisco Bay and laid anchor at the Vallejo Street Wharf ...

“The purpose of this ship was to accompany the USS Powhatan, which was carrying the first Japanese embassy to the United States, dispatched by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Twelve days before the Powhatan arrived, the Kanrin Maru’s Japanese crew members stood on the deck of their ship as it arrived in San Francisco. They were stunned to see huge crowds of American citizens gathered on shore to see this small ship which had just arrived all the way from the little-known country of the rising sun.

“This meeting here in San Francisco would be the starting point of exchange between the peoples of Japan and the United States.”

The Kanrin Maru’s visit “provided the occasion for Japanese and American people to make real face-to-face contact on the mainland United States for the first time in our history,” Nagamine noted. “Thousands of citizens came to see the Japanese visitors, and I think it is truly notable how warmly the delegation was welcomed by San Francisco and California.

“The embassy later traveled to Washington, D.C. and had an audience with President (James) Buchanan, exchanged ratification for the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the two nations, and attended a state banquet. The delegation also visited cities including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York, and met with a warm welcome in each city.

“The Kanrin Maru and h er crew members stayed for 50 days in the Bay Area and developed people-to-people friendships here.”

Nagamine added that the Kanrin Maru, which was damaged during its 37-day voyage, was repaired by the U.S. Navy at no charge as a gesture of goodwill.

Among the 100 Japanese and 11 Americans aboard the Kanrin Maru, there were some notable individuals, he said. “The ship was mostly steered by the American Capt. John M. Brooke, who provided counsel and technical advice to Japan’s early navy at the time. Also on board were Adm. Kimura Yoshitake, Capt. Katsu Kaishu, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and John Manjiro, all of whom would play important roles at the turbulent time of major reforms that made Japan into a modern state.”

Nagamine stressed, “We are not only commemorating the past and the beginnings of U.S.-Japan exchange. We are also looking ahead to the future and affirming the importance of the Japan-U.S. relationship in the international community.”

15 Months of Planning

Nagamine is honorary co-chair of the anniversary committee with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The co-chairs are Allen Okamoto, who is also co-chair of this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival, and Isao “Steve” Matsuura, past president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California.

The consul general recalled that when he first took his post in 2007, “I started to talk with people in San Francisco about the anniversary and how to best celebrate it. Thanks to the efforts of so many like-minded people, in December 2008, the Executive Committee of the 150th Anniversary of Kanrin Maru’s Arrival was formed, and I was delighted to join as honorary co-chair …

“In the 15 months since then, the community has shown tremendous dedication in making the commemoration a reality. This will be a celebration to remember, and we have you, the citizens and community leaders of San Francisco and the Bay Area, to thank.”

Okamoto admitted in an interview that he knew little about the Kanrin Maru when he was asked to co-chair the committee. “I went to Japan last year and I met with some of the Kanrin Maru committee over there … and some of the descendants of the Kanrin Maru crew. It’s really big over there, amazingly big.

“They’re having ceremonies in Japan simultaneously with us, so hopefully in September I’m going to go to Japan and participate in some of the activities. This ceremony and reception far exceed what I had hoped. It’s really great. The plaque is absolutely beautiful.”

Okamoto is seeking to address an imbalance in public awareness. “The founder of Keio University, Fukuzawa, he’s really legendary … John Manjiro and Capt. (William) Whitfield, they’re all well-known in Japan. But in the United States this is a whole educational process. One of the reasons that I like being part of this group is because that’s going to be the end result — we’re going to educate the people of San Francisco and the United States about the Kanrin Maru and the relationship between the U.S. and Japan.”

(Whitfield, an American whaler, rescued Manjiro, who had been shipwrecked on a deserted island, and took him to America in 1841. Manjiro returned to Japan 10 years later and served as a consultant for the government when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan in 1853, then was assigned to be the official interpreter aboard the Kanrin Maru in 1860.)

City Celebration

Port Commissioner Michael Hardeman said that San Francisco is “forever grateful to the courageous sailors who dared to cross the stormy seas to establish this new relationship with the United States of America.” He also thanked the committee for donating the plaque “to remind us of this occasion for generations to come.”

As the only port commissioner to attend the ceremony, Hardeman took it upon himself to make Nagamine and his wife “Irish for a day” in observance of St. Patrick’s Day.

Port of San Francisco Executive Director Monique Moyer pointed out, “While we are using this space to recognize the landing of the vessel, she actually landed that way (inland). The original bay goes many blocks up to Battery and Broadway, so we are standing on the original bay at the moment.”

Moyer presented the committee with the mayor’s proclamation of “Kanrin Maru Day in San Francisco.” In addition to reaffirming “the deep friendship and relationship that exists between our city and the people of Japan in realizing our common goals and aspirations,” the proclamation states that “the people of San Francisco are enriched by the cultural heritage of our city’s valued Japanese and Japanese American community … which has shaped our city’s legacy of diversity forever.”

Capt. Bruce Horton, vice president of the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association, stated, “When the Kanrin Maru arrived in San Francisco Bay in 1860, our association was only 10 years old … San Francisco was a bustling frontier town at the start of a great maritime tradition, one that would be inextricably linked with the country of Japan and the economies of the Pacific Rim ...

“The Kanrin Maru had a rough crossing over the Pacific on its maiden voyage to the United States. When she arrived here, we’d like to think that the ship’s crew was relieved and comforted when a San Francisco bar pilot climbed aboard to help guide the ship into the safe, calm waters of the bay. Now, 150 years later, San Francisco bar pilots help guide ships from Japan in and out of the bay every week and help maintain the strong economic ties of our two countries.”

Noting that “maru” means “circle,” Horton said that the word is frequently added to names of Japanese ships “as a way of blessing the vessel, wishing it safe travels and a safe return to port, thus closing the circle. The San Francisco bar pilots are very pleased today to help close the circle 150 years later … and help celebrate this historic moment for our two countries.”

Other dignitaries in attendance included Vice Adm. Jody Breckenridge of the Coast Guard, Bill Lee, the city’s planning director, John Noguchi, the city’s director of convention facilities, and Emily Sano, former director of the Asian Art Museum.

Okamoto and Matsuura unveiled the plaque with the help of three samurai. A reception followed at the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association’s offices, where an exhibit on the Kanrin Maru, produced by the National Japanese American Historical Society, was displayed.

Previous anniversary events included the planting of cherry trees in Japantown’s Peace Plaza. Upcoming events include the U.S.-Japan Nichibei Choral Festival on Friday, April 9, at 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theater; an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, “San Francisco’s Ambassadors From Japan: Diplomats, Artists and Friendship Dolls, 1860-1927,” from April 27 to Nov. 11; and the arrival of the Kaiwo Maru, a tall-masted training ship, at Pier 27 on Wednesday, May 5.

For more information on these and other activities, visit www.kanrin-maru150.com