Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of

national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]
Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.
Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the feudal Edo period, when Japan held a policy of
national seclusion, having little contact with foreigners.[5] A major turning point in Japanese history
happened in 1853–54, when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of
American warships, demanding that Japan open several ports for commerce, and the Tokugawa
shogunate agreed by signing the Treaty of Peace and Amity.[6]

It was initially agreed that one of the ports to be opened to foreign ships would be the bustling town of
Kanagawa-juku (in what is now Kanagawa Ward) on the Tōkaidō, a strategic highway that linked Edo to
Kyoto and Osaka. However, the Tokugawa shogunate decided that Kanagawa-juku was too close to the
Tōkaidō for comfort, and port facilities were instead built across the inlet in the sleepy fishing village of
Yokohama. The Port of Yokohama was officially opened on June 2, 1859.[7]

Yokohama quickly became the base of foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners initially occupied the low-lying
district of the city called Kannai, residential districts later expanding as the settlement grew to
incorporate much of the elevated Yamate district overlooking the city, commonly referred to by English
speaking residents as The Bluff.

Kannai, the foreign trade and commercial district (literally, inside the barrier), was surrounded by a moat,
foreign residents enjoying extraterritorial status both within and outside the compound. Interactions
with the local population, particularly young samurai, outside the settlement inevitably caused
problems; the Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took
place in what is now Tsurumi Ward in 1862, and prompted the Bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863.