172 years ago today, on July 8, 1853 (June 3, 1853 in the lunar calendar), the black ship that opened the door to Japan sailed. Perry, the protagonist of the Black Ship Incident that opened the door to Japan, on July 8, 1853, the "Black Ship Incident" happened. Brigadier General Perry of the U.S. East India Fleet led four warships into Edo Bay, Japan, and threatened the Japanese shogunate with force to stop the policy of "closed door". Perry asked the shogunate to accept U.S. President Millard Fillmore's credentials to the "Japanese Emperor (General)", end the lockdown policy, and conclude a trade treaty. The shogunate was forced to accept the credentials of the President of the United States, but asked for a delay until the following year to reply. The black ship incident knocked on Japan's closed door and began to open its eyes to see the world. After the Opium War, we continued to dream of being a great power in China. In the first half of the 19th century, when Japan was confined to a corner of Northeast Asia under the lockdown policy, the world was changing rapidly. Britain, France, Russia, the United States and other countries became a new wave of powerful countries dominating the world. After experiencing the industrial revolution and transportation revolution, they began to actively operate the Far East for the raw materials, markets, colonies and transfer stations needed after the industrial revolution. The two sides signed the Japan-US Goodwill Treaty in Yokohama, which is also the first trade treaty signed between Japan and western countries. Other Western countries followed the United States and asked Japan for trade, so the United Kingdom, Russia, the Netherlands and other Western countries signed goodwill treaties (free trade treaties) with Japan. Japan was forced to end the era of lock-up, and the curtain-vassal system also collapsed. "Three capitals" Edo, Osaka and Kyoto. Armed middle and lower-level warriors, businessmen, capitalists and emerging landlords are the main body. Battle of Fushimi and Toba, the shogunate army was defeated. The Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown. On July 8, 1853 (June 3, the sixth year of Kayaga), U.S. Navy Commodore Perry led the fleet to forcibly sail into Uraga and Kanagawa (now Yokohama) in Edo Bay. Under the coercion of force by the United States, the shogunate accepted the request to open the port and signed the "Japan-US Goodwill Treaty" (Japan-US Kanagawa Treaty) in Kanagawa on March 31, 1854 (March 3, the seventh year of Kayaga). Japan was forced to agree to open the two ports of Shimoda and Hakodate (now Hakodate). American ships can add coal and water at these two ports and get supplies of food and other items. The treaty also allows the United States to send consuls in the above two ports and enjoy most-favored-nation treatment. Soon, Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and other countries came with aid and signed similar treaties with the Japanese government. For the first time, in July 1853 (the sixth year of Kayong), General Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858), commander of the U.S. East India Fleet, led four warships to the mouth of Edo Bay and threatened the founding of the shogunate with force. The black modern armored warships in the fleet were seen for the first time in Japanese lives. Perry gave the shogunate a model of train locomotive showing industrial civilization and a telegraph of the U.S. Navy landing in Yokohama, but the shogunate could only show its strength by carrying the rice returned by Lux. Perry's arrival shocked the Japanese and deeply felt the huge gap between Japan and foreign countries. The Japanese called this incident "the black ship sailing". As these four warships had a total of 63 cannons, and the range and firepower of Japan's coastal defense guns in Edo Bay at that time were only about 20 comparable to those of these four warships, the shogunate did not dare to refuse the request of founding the country under the threat of opening fire without founding the country, but I was afraid that after accepting the credentials brought by Perry, it would be attacked by the whole country. Therefore, Masahiro Abe, the chief of the shogunate at that time, had to get the approval of the emperor before accepting the treaty, and agreed that Perry would give a reply next spring. For the second time, on February 13th, 1854 (the seventh year of Yoshinaga), Perry led the fleet to Japan again. This time there were seven warships in total, and the fleet went deep into Edo Bay and stopped near Yokohama. Faced with Perry's tough posture, the shogunate had no choice but to accept the request for the founding of the country. So the two sides signed the Japan-US Goodwill Treaty in Yokohama, which was also the first unequal treaty between Japan and western powers. Other western powers followed the United States and asked Japan for trade, so Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and other western powers signed goodwill treaties with Japan. Japan was forced to end the era of lock-up, and the curtain-vassal system also collapsed. Influence In fact, the Tokugawa shogunate never allowed the emperor to participate in politics for more than 200 years, but this time, in order to reduce the opposition of various vassals, it wanted to sign a contract in the name of the emperor, and made an exception to invite famous people, vassals, scholars and even civilians to put forward their opinions on the founding of the country. So the emperor and his courtiers, daimyo and his retainers raised the banner of saving the nation and took the opportunity to leap onto the political stage. In any case, Japan's political situation after the "Black Ship Incident" is becoming more and more chaotic day by day, which also laid the fuse for the demise of the shogunate.