Dominique Luongo: Perceptions of Perry
Created by an unknown artist in 1854, this black and white print portrait of Commodore Matthew Perry was created using a woodblock for reproduction in cheap, mass-produced kawaraban broadsheets.
The image’s inclusion in a kawaraban is significant in many respects. For one, it may help to explain the lack of information about the artist, as many kawaraban contributors produced works anonymously to prevent the shogunate from punishing them for commenting on national issues (Unwin). Additionally, the inclusion of the image in a kawaraban indicates that it was tailored to a wide Japanese audience who could afford the low-cost newspaper. This reveals the fasciation that Japanese citizens had for the American diplomatic party. Indeed, Perry and his black ships became so popular that they inspired a whole genre of kawaraban known as kurofune kawaraban (Wada).
During the year that the image was produced, Perry returned to Japan to finalize trade negotiations which he began a year earlier. It is possible that this visual was one of the first images of Perry that Japanese citizens were exposed to, as Perry hid himself from view to preserve the enigma that surrounded him as a westerner, since Japanese citizens had a limited knowledge of foreigners due to Japanese isolationist policy (Commodore Perry and Japan). Moreover, it is feasible that the image might have served as an illustration for a written article, in which capacity the eye-catching, detailed visual might have enticed prospective buyers and/or clarified written descriptions.
Examining the image, one sees Perry holding up a sword that fuses elements of a traditional samurai sword (including a collar and signature on the blade) and a western sabre (such as the hand guard). Perry is dressed in a military uniform, complete with fringed epaulettes on his shoulders and a row of buttons down his chest, details that prove to be relatively accurate when compared to a photograph of Perry. It is more difficult to determine the inspiration for his tall, stiff, brimless hat, which, like his sword, may represent a hybridization of western and Japanese influences. A symbol on the front of the hat may be an attempt to recreate western writing for a Japanese audience.
Perry’s facial features are rather exaggerated and have elements of caricature. In the portrait, Perry has thick eyebrows, a goatee, a large nose, and prominent jowls. Once again comparing the print to the photograph, the rendering of the nose and jowls seem understandable, if a tad overplayed. However, his eyebrows and goatee correspond little with his photographed visage. The embellishment of his face with hair may have something to do with the disparaging nickname that westerners had of keto or ketojin, which translates to “hairy barbarians” (Dower). As such, the artist may have been pandering to existing stereotypes about the appearance of westerners, which is unsurprising given that the portrait was designed for mass consumption.
Furthermore, the Japanese writing on the portrait betrays an ethnographic inclination to expand upon and elucidate details of the image to its wide audience who were still unfamiliar with the exotic appearance, dress, and mannerisms of the American envoys.
Analyzing this image shows that when it was produced in 1854, a large number of Japanese people knew little about the American visitors and their culture. As a result of this paucity of information, they relied upon existing stereotypes. In turn, these stereotypes were used by artists who catered to such beliefs to bolster sales, thereby reinforcing existing notions. The eagerness with which the Japanese people embraced news of Perry indicates the curiosity they had for him and his emissaries and their receptiveness to learning more about westerners (and their steamships) in general. Nonetheless, the exaggeration of Perry’s features suggests that despite being intrigued by the foreigners, Japanese citizens still perceived them as outsiders to their culture who, despite their impressive technology and strange dress, were still just hairy barbarians.
Bibliography
"Commodore Perry and Japan." Asia for Educators. Columbia University, 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
Dower, John W. "Black Ships and Samurai." MIT Visualizing Cultures. MIT, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.
Unwin, George. "Early Newspapers in Japan." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014.
Wada, Anna. "Perry In Japan." Perry In Japan: About Kawaraban. Brown University Library Center for Digital Scholarship, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.