Yankees in the Land of the Gods: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan

by Peter Booth Wiley

Describes Commodore Perry's expedition to "open" Japan to international trade and places this episode in the context of American imperial ambitions

Genres: History, Japan, American History, Nonfiction, Japanese History

592 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1990

About the author

Peter Booth Wiley has served as Chairman of the Board of John Wiley & Sons since 2002 and has been a member of the board since 1984. He represents the sixth generation of Wileys to play a leadership role at the company.

Wiley is Chairman of the California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo’s Library and Technology Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the University of California Press. He is also the author of many books including Empires in the Sun: The Rise of the New American West, America’s Saints: The Rise of Mormon Power, and Yankees in the Land of the Gods: Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan. Wiley has lectured extensively on the history and future of publishing, San Francisco history and architecture, and the writing experience.

Wiley received a B.A. in English literature from Williams College and an M.A. in United States history from the University of Wisconsin (Madison).

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1853 a small fleet of American warships under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry steamed into Edo Bay toward the capital of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Though vastly outnumbered, the Americans possessed far superior weaponry over the isolationist Japanese and after a year of negotiations, Perry succeeded in making Japan open itself to American ships. The story is widely taught to students of World and United States history, and one that Peter Booth Wiley, a researcher, and former journalist, tells in meticulous detail.
Yankees in the Land of the Gods takes a deep dive into the motivations, stakes, and views of both the Americans and Japanese during this intense event. Beyond the impact of Perry’s expedition on each respective nation, the reader will also see how personal careers on both sides were at stake. Perry knew, for instance, his entire legacy was on the line if this expensive venture failed. At the same time, many Japanese officials were fighting for their lives in the complicated court politics of the Banfu. The comparisons of the complex bureaucracies of both feudal Japan and the mercantile United States paint a fascinating portrait of the inefficient parts of the government. Equally interesting is the wide scope of Perry’s imperialist vision. Wiley does an excellent job at showcasing the full scope of goals Perry set for this expedition. Not only was the intent to have Japan open posts for American ships, but Perry also forced open Japan’s semi-independent vassal Okinawa, as well as asserting America’s claims to a group of islands known as the Bohins. Perry saw these possessions as key to securing American trade routes to China, the more valuable trading partner. However, when he returned Perry found himself spending the rest of his life defending his expedition from Americans who saw little use in expansion to the Pacific.
The book's greatest strength is Wiley's extensive use of a variety of primary source materials. Quotes and observations from letters, diaries, and post-expedition accounts build a human personality for each figure. A reader can feel the frustration and panic of both American and Japanese officials throughout the expedition. On the other hand, while the detail of the book helps paint an intriguing history it does however drag. Wiley recounts too much detail and provides unneeded context. The story of a whaler/adventurer named Ranald McDonald who smuggled himself into Japan begins the first half of the chapter of the book despite multiple times throughout mentioning how McDonald’s personal adventure did little to capture the public imagination. This, along with the family history of the Perrys and a history of the Tokugawa Shogunate in its entirety could have been shortened or cut altogether and the history would not lose too much.
Overall, those interested in this particular niche of history and fans of naval history and expeditions would find this book an interesting read.

[Shmu · Rating 5 out of 5]

こんにちは! (jk I'm back in nyc lol)

So I always knew that Commodore Perry vaguely went to Japan and Japan opened up to the world after that, but both the how and the why of this tend to be pretty lost. Yankees in the Land of the Gods is such an amazing look at the answers to both of these questions!

This book is starts with an extremely detailed look at the background, both in the USA and in Japan. The first 200 pages covers basically the entire history of the US navy to that point, along with a ton of information about high finance, US relations with the entire orient especially china and British Hong Kong, and how basically every decision made in Washington in the antebellum period affected the Japan and Asia trade, including the Mexican-American war and all of the politicking of the Whig and D-R parties.

The second half of the book is where it really shines, however. The actual Japan's politics, relations between the mainland Japanese and various groups like the Ryukyus on Okinawa, how these relations impacted American strategy in infiltrating the nation and convincing (through surprisingly peaceful ish means, for the most part) Japan to open up.

Genuinely one of the best researched works I've seen. Could not recommend higher!

Read it!

[ZT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly informative but only moderately satisfying — 3 stars.

For some reason, I suspect that, in modern academia, the notion that anything could be overcontextualized is considered preposterous. But I’d say this book is just that. The book would have been better if the author had exercised more discipline in deciding which subtopics were worthy of detailed explorations. It felt frequent that 1-3 page passages would be dedicated to something that was ultimately of little consequence.

The scope of the Japanese perspective on the earliest US-Japan relations was broad, and this is a credit to the depth of the author’s research. But I don’t think the same can be said for the scope of the American perspective included in the book. Perhaps that is simply a result of which diaries/narratives ended up being published, but it seemed as if the reader was only privy to the thoughts of Perry and a handful (at most) of others who were on the expedition.

I benefited greatly from the explanations of the structure and machinations of the Japanese government, as well as various factions competing across multiple levels of the Japanese sociopolitical hierarchy.

[Tim Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like it follows every single tangent that comes along but also seems to present a very clear picture or the events leading up to the "opening of Japan". From the Shogun closing the islands to the rebellions in China and opium wars to the naval engagements between the US and England in the war of 1812.

[M. Apple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone interested in Japan, modern or historical. The ending is a bit abrupt and should be read in the context of the socioeconomical and political world of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

[? · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sailing
Takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
Soon I will be free"

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pivotal but largely overlooked moment in history and geopolitics, Perry's expedition to Japan is recounted comprehensively and engagingly in this impressive piece of work. Booth Wiley provides the backstory, the colourful personal details, and both the American and Japanese sides of the story, all wonderfully illustrated with contemporary images and backed by exhaustive research. Apart from the story proper, what comes through is a true sense of what it was like to travel the seas in the 1850s, of the USA's transition from fledgling state to world power, and of the deep layers of history and culture underpinning Japanese society. The overall conclusion is that Matthew Perry was both flawed and heroic; I think he'd want to be remembered that way.