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Lot Essay
This painting appears to be an interesting amalgamation of images of foreign ships which arrived in Japan in the 19th century and is almost identical to a woodblock print of the same name (see image above), also depicting a Dutch steamship from a similar view and adorned with almost identical flags and people. Probably originally part of a folding screen (byobu), it has since been mounted as a picture.
Although the Tokugawa reign had fairly successfully kept the outside world at bay for over two centuries, from mid-19th century increasing numbers of foreign forces began arriving in Japan. In 1853, Commodore Perry led steam-powered warships into Nagasaki harbour with the threat of force should Japan not allow trade with the United States. Perry’s ships were the first ever steamships ever seen in Japanese waters and in the face of such significantly advanced technologies, the Tokugawa government saw no option but to open Japan’s doors to the West, beginning the bakumatsu period. As a result, Japan decided to build a naval defence fleet and so ordered several steam warships from the Dutch - up to now Japan's only Western trade partner (albeit in a highly restricted manner), and the ships were delivered in 1855.
In Japan, the construction of Western-style ships become something of a competition amongst the domains as a show of power and prestige. With a long tradition of Dutch studies, it was Satsuma which was the first domain to be successful with the completion of a working model of a paddle-steamer in 1855.
Although the Tokugawa reign had fairly successfully kept the outside world at bay for over two centuries, from mid-19th century increasing numbers of foreign forces began arriving in Japan. In 1853, Commodore Perry led steam-powered warships into Nagasaki harbour with the threat of force should Japan not allow trade with the United States. Perry’s ships were the first ever steamships ever seen in Japanese waters and in the face of such significantly advanced technologies, the Tokugawa government saw no option but to open Japan’s doors to the West, beginning the bakumatsu period. As a result, Japan decided to build a naval defence fleet and so ordered several steam warships from the Dutch - up to now Japan's only Western trade partner (albeit in a highly restricted manner), and the ships were delivered in 1855.
In Japan, the construction of Western-style ships become something of a competition amongst the domains as a show of power and prestige. With a long tradition of Dutch studies, it was Satsuma which was the first domain to be successful with the completion of a working model of a paddle-steamer in 1855.