In May 1854, an American fleet of five ships under command of Commodore Perry arrived at Hakodate Port. Following Japan’s agreement to open ports to the United States, Perry’s fleet surveyed regions including the Tsugaru Strait and Hakodate Port.

Vassals of the shogun with knowledge of foreign nations, including the young technocrat Ayasaburo Takeda, held a formal conference with Matthew Perry in Hakodate.

During the meetings between Takeda’s group and Perry, the shogun’s delegates were accommodated by Matajiro Kojima, a senior town official and the owner of a large store which dealt in liquor and sundries. Ayasaburo would later marry Matajiro’s younger sister, Minako.

It is thought that these bottles of liquor, which Perry gave as a gift to the shogunate, may have been passed from Ayasaburo to the Kojima family.

Words Masaharu Taniguchi
Translation by Xene Inc.