Lady Pierce

The Lady Pierce was an American merchant vessel, captained by a Mr. Burrows, which escorted castaways to Japan and made port at Koshiba, Uraga, and Shimoda in 1854.

The ship first appeared in Japan on 1854/6/17, when it entered a harbor near Koshiba (Musashi province) and dropped off a castaway named Yûnosuke. It then sailed to Uraga, but was informed by Uraga bugyô Matsudaira Nobutake to go to Shimoda instead. Upon arriving at Shimoda, however, the crew found that weather conditions prevented them from entering the harbor, and so they returned to Uraga. The bugyô then assigned them a Japanese pilot and had them return to Shimoda once again; they successfully entered Shimoda harbor on 6/26.

Captain Burrows met with Shimoda bugyô shihai kumigashira Isa Shinjirô at the Buddhist temple Ryôsen-ji; in gratitude for repatriating the castaway Yûnosuke, Isa gifted Burrows a number of native Japanese goods. The Lady Pierce then departed Japan at the end of that month.

References

• Ishin Shiryô Kôyô 維新史料綱要, vol 1 (1937), 615, 617, 618, 620.