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週刊NY生活［English Edition］

VOICES From

THE NEW YORKERS
Get to Know Kanagawa
at Japan Society
by Susan McCormacTHE

SHUKAN NEW YORK SEIKATSU

JAPAN VOICECOOL JAPAN from New Yorkers’ Viewpoints

Kanagawa
Prefecture ishome to severalofJapan’s gems:
the country’s
l a r g e s t
Chinatown,
located in thecapital city of Yokohama; theDaibutsu, or Great Buddha, inKamakura, a towering bronzed iconwith a history of more than 700 years;
and the views of Mt. Fuji fromHakone, a resort town prized for its
many hot springs.
Japan Society invites you to“Get to Know Kanagawa,” an event
about the historic and natural wondersof the prefecture on Thursday, January
23 at 6:30 p.m. I am honored to serveas the moderator for this program,which will feature an in-depth discussion about this unique region.
Kanagawa experts Hitoshi
Suzuki, Director, JETRO NY,
Kanagawa Division; Nanako Sadasue,Director, Maker’s Shirt Kamakura Co.,
Ltd.; and Kenichi Noda of Odakyu
Electric Railway Co., Ltd. will cover
all that Kanagawa has to offer.
A tasting reception featuringmaguro donburi from Misaki Port andsake from Kanagawa will follow thediscussion.
All guests will receive aBokksu set, an assortment of snacks
from Kanagawa called “New Year inKanagawa,” and a sensu (folding fan)from Kamakura Shirts. Go towww.japansociety.org to purchaseyour tickets. See you on January 23!
(Susan is the founder ofJapanCultureNYC, an English-language website for all things Japanesein New York, and the co-host of The
Big Root Podcast.)

thought to be the first Japanese to eat
ice cream. It probably tasted great andsurprised them since it was recorded inthe diary.
The United States government spent$50,000 (which in today’ s money
would be $1,500,000) to welcome theembassy. They even held a party in theWhite House for the embassy. They
officially met the 15th president John
Buchanan on March 28. At the time,the embassy members were wearing
traditional and official clothes of samurai called kariginu and wore a hat, also
traditional, called eboshi. They had
katana (Japanese swords), too.
The embassy stayed in Washington,
D.C. for three weeks, visiting theSmithsonian, the State Capital and theMarine Shipyard. Then they visitedBaltimore and the United States Mint inPhiladelphia before going to New York.
Samurai Parade in New York

Samurai from Japan officially met 15th president James Buchanan on March 28, 1860.
https://www.yomiuri-info.jp/daily_yomiuri/nys/

2020年（令和2年）1月11日（土）SAMURAI GO ABROAD TO
UNITED STATES 160 YEARS AGO;
80 PARADE ON BROADWAY
A new era has begun with thereign of the new Reiwa emperor
and Japan’s new era name, Reiwa,
following the end of the Heisei
Era. This year is the 160th anniversary of the historic visit toWashington, D.C. by the JapaneseEmbassy of the Tokugawa shogunate to ratify the Treaty ofFriendship, Commerce andNavigation.
According to some newspapers
from that time, Americans paid
respect to the elegant and polite
behavior of the samurai who had
been sent from the land of the Far
East and warmly welcomed thesamurai wherever they visited. A
parade was held on Broadway inN.Y. for them. Now, we look backat the path of the first samurai delegation with an inspiring mission.
Including Ambassador Masaoki

Shinmi, Vice-envoy Norimasa
Muragaki and Tadamasa Oguri, whowere all foreign retainers of theshogunate, about 80 samurai boarded
the U.S.S. Pohatan from Shinagawa
setting off in January 1860. Due to astorm, they made a stopover at a harbor in Honolulu. At that time they
had a chance to meet King
Kamehameha of Hawaii. On March
8, when they reached San Francisco,
they received a courteous welcome.
After their nine-day stay, they headed
to Washington, D.C. via Panama andCuba. There was no Panama Canalback then, so they experienced thefirst railway journey toward theAtlantic Ocean.
At the end of March, the embassyAmbassador Masaoki Shinmi (center),Vice-envoy Norimasa Muragaki (left)
and Tadamasa Oguri (right).

arrived at Washington, D.C. and received
huge praise there as well. They then got
on a carriage and arrived at theWashington Willard Hotel led by a cavalry and marching band. The audience on
the sidewalk threw bouquets and rang
bells. The Washington Willard Hotel still
stands to this day. They had ice cream at
the hotel, and per an embassy member’sdiary entry, they were told it was a “sweettreat that melts in your mouth.” They areThe samurai diplomats arrived in
New York on June 16. They were verymuch welcomed by civilians, and thesword-bearing samurai parade was heldon Broadway. The parade was heldfrom Downtown to Union Square. The
Army also held a military parade.
Japanese and American flags were putup everywhere alongside the road.
About half a million people showed up
to see the parade. There were people
watching from the windows of buildings, and others climbed up a telephonepole. The New York Times called it“the most sparkling event in the historyof this city.” Hearing that makes me
wish I could go back to 1860 to see theparade.
In the evening, the city hosted a
grand civic ball at the Metropolitan
Hotel in Soho. The samurai had a talkwith the New York State Governor andthe New York Mayor, and then they
visited Central Park and schools in thecity. About 70 samurai’s full names,
their titles and their characteristics wereintroduced in the New York Tribune
which was issued on June 19, 1860.
There was a performance madehonor the delegation; souvenirs weremade; and “Japanese” cocktails becamefamous. The summer of 1860 in NewYork was full of “Japan.” (KaoruIshiguro/Translated by Etsuko Noda,Kanta Hakamata and Chikako Iwasaki)

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