Abe Masahiro (阿部正弘)(1819-1857) was the chief senior councillor (rōjū) in the Japanese government at the time of the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry. Against the shogun's wishes, and the wishes of many other government officials, he worked to open Japan to the West, signing the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, and other unequal treaties shortly afterwards. 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The RōjÅ« (老中), usually translated as Elder, was one of the highest-ranking government posts in Tokugawa Japan. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858). ... On March 31, 1854, the Convention of Kanagawa (Japanese: 神奈川条約, Kanagawa Jōyaku, or 日米和親条約, Nichibei Washin Jōyaku) was used by Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy to force the opening of the Japanese ports of... The Unequal Treaties is the name in the English language used by modern China for a series of treaties signed by several Asian states, including the Qing Empire in China, late Tokugawa Japan, and late Joseon Korea, and foreign powers (列強, ì—´ê°•) during the 19th and early 20th centuries. ...

Life & Career

Abe was a daimyō (feudal lord) of Fukuyama, having inherited the position from his father, and also served as governor of Ise province. He was appointed jisha bugyō (minister of shrines and temples) in 1840, and rōjū three years later. Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... Categories: Old provinces of Japan | Japan geography stubs ...

Commodore Perry's famous episode of gunboat diplomacy occurred in early 1854; Abe was one of the top officials of the shogunate to meet with Perry, and his officers, to negotiate arrangements between their two countries. In March, Abe signed the Convention of Kanagawa, marking the beginnings of the opening of Japan and extending the arm of friendship to the United States. The treaty allowed for American use of certain Japanese sites as coaling stations, the opening of several ports, and the establishment of a consulate. Abe would then sign similar treaties with Russia, the Netherlands, and England very soon afterwards. In international politics, gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power—implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare, should terms not be agreeable to the superior force. ... Motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right)1 Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English Gaelic Welsh (Wales) Scottish Gaelic (parts of Scotland) Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1920–1922...

All of this raised significant opposition both within the shogunal government, and without, among political factions defined by the slogan sonnō jōi (尊皇攘夷, "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians"). Thus, he resigned, and was replaced by Hotta Masayoshi, who sought to undo much of Abe's work, and to close Japan once more. Sonnō jōi (尊皇攘夷) is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement, which was derived from Neo-Confucianism; it was also a political slogan in 1850s-60s, meaning Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians, or being commonly translated as The origin of the philosophy can be seen in Takenouchi Shikibu... Hotta Masayoshi )(1810-1864) was the Shoguns advisor from 1855 to 1858. ... The following text needs to be harmonized with text in the article History of Japan#Seclusion. ...

Despite his resignation, however, Abe continued to have significant influence for the rest of his life. He aided in the formation of a modern military, advocated the study of Western sciences, and supported the notion of government selection of talented men, even of low birth, to serve as workers or bureaucrats. Rangaku (蘭学) or Dutch Learning was the method by which Japan kept abreast of Western technology and medicine in the period when the country was closed to foreigners, 1641-1853, because of the Tokugawa shogunates policy of national isolation (sakoku). ...

Reference

• Frederic, Louis (2002). "Japan Encyclopedia." Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.