Uraga Harbor Teahouse
This is a contemporary teahouse located at Uraga Harbor, Edo bay where is the current Tokyo Bay. This is an traditional Japanese teahouse and it is very famous in Japan and it also has many branches all over the world. It is famous by the distinct flavor of Jokisen, which is a Uji premium tea. Please enjoy the tea!
Two hundred years ago in 1853, July 8th, one fisherman stopped to drink a cup of tea after fishing in the sea. He sat with a poet, Kisen and start chatting with him and made some poems with him.
“Beside the window,
Suddenly there came four ships,
Chaos in Edo”
The fisherman made a haiku to describe the situation. Matthew Perry from United States came to Edo Bay with four Black steam warships. He tried to made negotiation in trade with Japanese government. However, during this time, the Bakufu Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi was died and the Roju said that they need the confirmation of the emperor. Perry didn’t forced the Japanese government to made the negotiation by battling with the Japanese. Perry went away and told the Japanese that he would come next year.
Suddenly there came four ships,
Chaos in Edo”
The fisherman made a haiku to describe the situation. Matthew Perry from United States came to Edo Bay with four Black steam warships. He tried to made negotiation in trade with Japanese government. However, during this time, the Bakufu Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi was died and the Roju said that they need the confirmation of the emperor. Perry didn’t forced the Japanese government to made the negotiation by battling with the Japanese. Perry went away and told the Japanese that he would come next year.
The poet Kisen made another Haiku in response to the Haiku of the fisherman:
“Jokisen end peace,
It is hard to fall asleep
After drinking four.”
(Jokisen, the tea in Japanese is the homonym with steam ships)
“Jokisen end peace,
It is hard to fall asleep
After drinking four.”
(Jokisen, the tea in Japanese is the homonym with steam ships)
This poem describe the uproar of the people near the Harbor and the people in Edo castle. The government was also in a chaos because they had no power to fight with the industrialized country because Japan was a agricultural country. The black Jokisen scared the Japanese and this destructive ships end the tranquility in Japan.
One year later, in March 31st, 1854, Commodore Perry came to Japan with nine warships. This time, the Bakufu had no choice, so they made a compromise, which is the Treaty of Kanagawa. In the treaty, Japan had to open ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to permit American trade and Japanese should also had to permit US Embassy in Japan. This end the Seclusion of Japan with other foreign countries for two hundred years.
The fisherman and the poet Kisen met again in the teahouse. This time, they made a poem together to express their feelings.
“Changes in the time,
Imperialization,
Japan is not free.”
The fisherman and the poet Kisen met again in the teahouse. This time, they made a poem together to express their feelings.
“Changes in the time,
Imperialization,
Japan is not free.”