Changes

The edict is often cited within a narrative of "Japan's" [[sakoku|isolationist]] and aggressive attitudes and actions against Western interaction, a precursor or even cause for the later supposed "opening" of Japan by [[Commodore Matthew Perry]]. The shogunate, however, was not truly able to exercise full control over such matters, and it was coastal domains (and the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]), not the shogunate, or "Japan" as a unitary actor, which had to effect the actual enforcement of this edict.  

The edict is often cited within a narrative of "Japan's" [[sakoku|isolationist]] and aggressive attitudes and actions against Western interaction, a precursor or even cause for the later supposed "opening" of Japan by [[Commodore Matthew Perry]]. The shogunate, however, was not truly able to exercise full control over such matters, and it was coastal domains (and the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]]), not the shogunate, or "Japan" as a unitary actor, which had to effect the actual enforcement of this edict.  

In practice, the Edict was enforced only on an ''ad hoc'' basis. On at least one occasion (that of the American ship ''[[Morrison]]'' in [[1837]]), Ryûkyû not only did not fire on the foreign vessel, but in fact provisioned it. [[Satsuma han]] fired on that same vessel a few months later, driving it away, but it is unclear if Satsuma fired on any other ships during this period. Similarly, cannon batteries prepared at [[Matsumae han]] fired upon foreign vessels in [[1831]] and [[1834]], but did not fire upon other vessels which appeared in [[1832]] and 1834.

In practice, the Edict was enforced only on an ''ad hoc'' basis. On at least one occasion (that of the American ship ''[[Morrison]]'' in [[1837]]), Ryûkyû not only did not fire on the foreign vessel, but in fact provisioned it. [[Satsuma han]] fired on that same vessel a few months later, driving it away, but it is unclear if Satsuma fired on any other ships during this period. Similarly, cannon batteries prepared at [[Matsumae han]] fired upon foreign vessels in [[1831]] and [[1834]], but did not fire upon other vessels which appeared in [[1832]] and 1834. The ''Morrison'' may have been the only time this edict was actually officially invoked in firing upon a foreign vessel.<ref>Constantine Vaporis (ed.), "Sizing up the Foreign Threat: Aizawa Seishisai's Shinron (New Theses, 1825)," ''Voices of Early Modern Japan'', Westview Press (2012), 119.</ref>

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==References==

==References==

*Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 150-151.

*Robert Hellyer, ''Defining Engagement'', Harvard University Press (2009), 150-151.

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Historical Documents]]

[[Category:Historical Documents]]