Samurai in New York in 1860?

If you’re in the New York area, you might consider checking out the exhibition Samurai in New York: The First Japanese Delegation, which features photographs and other mementos from the first group of Japanese who visited New York back in 1860, arriving on the Kanrin-maru, Japan’s first steamship. This was just six years after Commodore Matthew C. Perry had forced open Japan’s doors to trade with the U.S., and the delegation — which included several of modern Japan’s “founding fathers” including Yukichi Fukuzawa, who now appears on the 10,000 yen note — was treated to parades everywhere they went. I’ve always been fascinated by this era in Japan’s history 150 years ago. The country had been essentially closed to all contact for nearly 250 years, essentially frozen in time, and the arrival of those “Black Ships” must have been like first contact with UFOs. I wonder if there were any Japan otakus around back in 1860? (The exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York runs through November.)

The first samurais to visit New York in 1860 made quite a splash.