1855
Ansei 2 (安政二年)
Timeline of 1855
- Ansei 1/11/25 (Jan. 12) Commodore Perry arrives in New York.
- Ansei 1/12/9 (Jan 26) The USS Powhatan returns to Shimoda with the ratification instruments for the Convention of Kanagawa, signed the previous year.
- Ansei 1/12/21 (Feb 7) Treaty of Shimoda signed between Russia and Japan.
- 1855/1/5 (Feb 21) Commander Adams of the Powhatan and Japanese representatives exchange ratified copies of the Convention of Kanagawa, completing the agreement process, and the Powhatan departs Japan the following day.
- 1855/1/21 (March 9) The Ryûkyû-USA Treaty of Amity is ratified by the US Congress and officially announced by President Franklin Pierce.
- 1855/5/19 A Ryukyuan mission to Edo departs from Naha.
- 1855/5/29 The Ryukyuan mission to Edo arrives at Kagoshima.
- 1855/10 French ships call at Ryûkyû.
- 1855/10/2 Ansei Earthquake strikes Edo.
- 1855/10/15 A Treaty of Amity is signed between France and the Kingdom of Ryûkyû, allowing a French mission to be established, and for Frenchmen to move freely within the kingdom.
Other Events of 1855
- Abe Masahiro steps down as Tairô.
- Bernard Bettelheim publishes his translation of the Gospel of Luke into Okinawan.
- The Kyoto Imperial Palace is rebuilt.
- Muslims in China's southwestern provinces rise up in rebellion; they are not suppressed until 1873.
- Paris hosts a World's Fair for the first time - the Exposition Universelle of 1855.
- The Ryukyuan mission to Edo is canceled, and returns home to Ryûkyû from Kagoshima, in the aftermath of the Ansei Earthquake.
- Yôgakusho (Bureau of Western Studies) is founded by the shogunate.
Births and Deaths
- Yôga painter Goseda Yoshimatsu is born (d. 1915).
- Inukai Tsuyoshi is born (d. 1932).
- Yûzen artist Nishimura Sozaemon XII is born (d. 1935).
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