A Chapter from Japanese History 



221 



The conduct of the first American en- 

 voy to Japan, as well as those who fol- 

 lowed him, was singularly marked with 

 truth and kindness, and it is gratifying, 

 indeed, to know that the annals of the 

 five decades of international relations 

 between Japan and the United States 

 are clean records of friendliness and 

 cordiality. In this connection it is per- 

 tinent to quote from the writer of a 

 little volume called " Agitated Japan," 

 who commenced his work with the fol- 

 lowing words : 



' 1 Without the least taint of flattery 

 it may be safely asserted that Japan is 

 indebted to no other country so much 

 as to the United States. This indebted- 

 ness began on her first trial of that in- 

 ternational intercourse which she has 

 kept up ever since, and will doubtlessly 

 continue as long as the world shall last. 

 It is an undeniable fact that the honor 

 of having opened the hitherto secluded 

 Empire of Japan to foreign intercourse, 

 commercial and otherwise, rests with 

 the United States." 



THE JAPANESE APPRECIATION OF 

 WHAT PERRY DID 



On July 14, 1901, a monument was 

 erected in memory of our revered Com- 

 modore Perry at the spot where he held 

 his first conference with the Japanese 

 authorities. It bears an inscription 

 composed by Marquis Ito, the most 

 prominent of our living statesmen, rec- 

 ognizing in appropriate terms the serv- 

 ices of that gallant sailor and shrewd 

 diplomatist. On the occasion of the 

 dedication of the monument the chair- 

 man of the committee in charge said in 

 his address : "It was at this spot that 

 the modern civilization of our Empire 

 had its beginning. . . . When 

 Commodore Perry set his foot on this 

 shore the Japanese Empire was en- 

 shrouded in the fogs of a seclusion of 

 nearly three hundred years. 

 This monument is erected to preserve in 

 stone our determination never to forget 



the friendship of the United States that 

 sent Commodore Perry to induce us in 

 a peaceful way to have intercourse with 

 foreign powers." 



Such is the memory that the Japanese 

 of today cherish. Indeed, the more we 

 study the magnitude of the transforma- 

 tion that Japan has undergone since the 

 advent of Perry, the higher becomes 

 our appreciation of his work and the 

 part played by the United States in re- 

 gard to Japan. If the country had been 

 forced open by any means but peaceful, 

 nobody knows where that little Empire 

 would stand today. Were it not for 

 the policy the United States patiently 

 and firmly pursued toward the upbuild- 

 ing of new Japan, it is impossible to 

 realize what progress she would have 

 made. I am happy to acknowledge 

 frankly our sense of indebtedness to you, 

 and I am proud to say that your kind 

 assistance was not in vain. In fact, 

 these remarks might not have been quite 

 pertinent to the subject chosen for the 

 speech of this evening, but this very 

 day being the fiftieth anniversary of 

 such a memorable event in the histor}^ 

 of the international relations of the two 

 countries, it would not have been proper 

 had I not paid my feeble tribute to the 

 noble deeds of your countrymen. 



THE RESTORATION 



The subject of my speech for this 

 evening is "A chapter from the Japa- 

 nese history, ' ' and the chapter I refer to 

 is the one which deals with the history 

 of the restoration consummated in the 

 year 1868. It is impossible, however, 

 to treat the subject thoroughly and com- 

 prehensively within the limit of time 

 which, in my judgment, would be en- 

 durable to my audience. I shall there- 

 fore confine what I have to say to the 

 main course of events which resulted in 

 the so-called " restoration." 



The term ' ' restoration ' ' in the mod- 

 ern history of Japan means the reinstat- 

 ing of the political powers to the de jure 



