Manhattan (1843)
Encyclopedia
The Manhattan was a United States
whaling ship under Captain Mercator Cooper
that made the first authorized visit of an American ship to Tokyo Bay
, in 1845.
on November 9, 1843.
On March 14–15, 1845, its crew rescued 22 shipwrecked Japanese sailors in the Bonin Islands. The first 11 sailors were found on an island. The next day 11 more sailors were found on a foundering Japanese boat (along with a detailed navigation map of Japan).
The Manhattan set sail for Tokyo to repatriate the sailors. Outside of Tokyo Bay
four of the survivors took a Japanese boat with a message that Cooper wanted to deliver the remainder to the harbor. The Japanese normally wanted to avoid contact with outsiders because of their culture of Sakoku
. However, on April 18, 1845, an emissary from the emperor gave the ship permission to proceed. "About three hundred Japanese boats with about 15 men in each took the ship in tow", according to Cooper's log. "They took all our arms out to keep till we left. There were several of the nobility came on board to see the ship. They appeared very friendly."
The Japanese examined his ship and took particular note of Pyrrhus Concer
, a crewman from Southampton, Long Island
, who was the only African American
on board, and of a Shinnecock Native American
named Eleazar. They were the first dark skinned men the Japanese had seen and they wanted to touch their skin.
The Japanese refused payment for provisions and gave the ship water, 20 sacks of rice, two sacks of wheat, a box of flour, 11 sacks of sweet potatoes, 50 fowl, two cords of wood, radishes and 10 pounds of tea. They thanked the Manhattan's crew for returning the shipwrecked sailors and told them to never return. On April 21 the 300 boats towed the Manhattan 12 to 20 miles out to sea.
Monuments to the event are across from Cooper's home at 81 Windmill Lane in Southampton, in Southampton Cemetery
, and in Tokyo
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
whaling ship under Captain Mercator Cooper
Mercator Cooper
Mercator Cooper was a ship's captain who is credited with the first formal American visit to Tokyo, Japan and the first formal landing on the mainland East Antarctica....
that made the first authorized visit of an American ship to Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
, in 1845.
Events in Japan
The Manhattan left the whaling port Sag Harbor, New YorkSag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, with parts in both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census....
on November 9, 1843.
On March 14–15, 1845, its crew rescued 22 shipwrecked Japanese sailors in the Bonin Islands. The first 11 sailors were found on an island. The next day 11 more sailors were found on a foundering Japanese boat (along with a detailed navigation map of Japan).
The Manhattan set sail for Tokyo to repatriate the sailors. Outside of Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
four of the survivors took a Japanese boat with a message that Cooper wanted to deliver the remainder to the harbor. The Japanese normally wanted to avoid contact with outsiders because of their culture of Sakoku
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
. However, on April 18, 1845, an emissary from the emperor gave the ship permission to proceed. "About three hundred Japanese boats with about 15 men in each took the ship in tow", according to Cooper's log. "They took all our arms out to keep till we left. There were several of the nobility came on board to see the ship. They appeared very friendly."
The Japanese examined his ship and took particular note of Pyrrhus Concer
Pyrrhus Concer
Pyrrhus Concer was a former slave from Southampton, New York who was aboard the ship the Manhattan that was the first American ship to visit Tokyo in 1845....
, a crewman from Southampton, Long Island
Southampton (village), New York
Southampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton...
, who was the only African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
on board, and of a Shinnecock Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
named Eleazar. They were the first dark skinned men the Japanese had seen and they wanted to touch their skin.
The Japanese refused payment for provisions and gave the ship water, 20 sacks of rice, two sacks of wheat, a box of flour, 11 sacks of sweet potatoes, 50 fowl, two cords of wood, radishes and 10 pounds of tea. They thanked the Manhattan's crew for returning the shipwrecked sailors and told them to never return. On April 21 the 300 boats towed the Manhattan 12 to 20 miles out to sea.
Aftermath
Cooper took with him the map that charted the islands of Japan that had been found on the disabled Japanese ship. He was to turn it over to the United States government when the ship returned to Sag Harbor on October 14, 1846. News of Cooper's encounter was extensively publicized in the United States. Matthew Perry was said to have used the map on his visit to Japan with four U.S. warships on July 8, 1853.Monuments to the event are across from Cooper's home at 81 Windmill Lane in Southampton, in Southampton Cemetery
Southampton Cemetery
Southampton Cemetery is located in Southampton, New York. Southampton has 47 public and private cemeteries.-Notable burials:*Roone Pinckney Arledge *Carl Andrew Capasso *Jack Dempsey *Patricia Kennedy Lawford...
, and in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
External links
- The Whaleship Manhattan, depiction from an 1845 Japanese watercolor
