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Overview of Shimoda
Shimoda is a port town located at the southeastern tip of the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture (Chubu Region) and is a hot spring city that forms the center of tourism and economy in southern Izu. As of 2026, the population of Shimoda City is approximately 17,000. The Inouzawa River flows through the center of the city and empties into Sagami Bay, with Shimoda Port located near its mouth. The city center is formed around the port. Blessed with a natural harbor, Shimoda flourished from the early Edo period onward as a key point for maritime traffic connecting Edo (Tokyo) and the Kansai region.
Shimoda became widely known because, for several years starting in 1854 when Commodore Perry arrived there with his “Black Ships,” it became the main stage for negotiations between Japan and the United States. Until then, Shimoda had been merely a quiet port town on the Izu Peninsula, but during the late Edo period, it suddenly came into the spotlight and became a new window to the outside world for Japan. As a result, traffic on the road leading to Shimoda increased. Because of this history, even today, Shimoda has many historical sites related to the opening of Japan to the world during the late Edo period and the history of negotiations between Japan and the United States.
The eve of opening the country
From 1639 onward, Japan severely restricted its interactions with foreign countries. Only the Netherlands and China were permitted to trade with Japan at Dejima off Nagasaki. Consequently, information from abroad was extremely scarce. Furthermore, Japanese citizens were prohibited from traveling overseas, and violators faced the death penalty. H.G. Wells, in his “Short History of the World,” describes the situation in Japan at that time as follows:
Meanwhile, Western nations, having accumulated industrial productivity and military power through the Industrial Revolution that began in the late 18th century, were beginning to expand into various parts of Asia in search of raw material supplies and market expansion. Finally, on July 8, 1853 (June 3 in the lunar calendar), four “black ships” led by Commodore Perry, commander of the American East India Squadron, appeared off the coast of Uraga. Perry carried a letter from President Fillmore and demanded that Japan open its doors to the world. The shogunate postponed its response until the following year, so Perry left Japan for the time being.
On February 13th of the following year (January 16th in the lunar calendar), Perry returned to Japan with three steamships and four sailing ships. Negotiations dragged on due to the shogunate’s evasive responses, but finally, on March 31st (March 3rd), the Treaty of Peace and Amity between Japan and the United States, consisting of 12 articles, was signed in Yokohama. It is said that the reason the shogunate could not refuse the treaty was the difference in military power between Japan and the United States. One of the articles of this treaty stipulated the opening of the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate. (However, at this point, a trade treaty had not yet been concluded.) It was through this process that Commodore Perry first came to Shimoda.
