Tinted lithograph print depicting Uraga in Toyko Bay, Japan. A boat flying an American flag is visible in the foreground. Further into the bay there are more boats. In the background to the right is Mount Fuji. Inscribed: ‘View of Uraga, Yedo Bay / W. Heine / T. Sinclair’s lith. Philad[elphi]a’.

The title of the print refers to the location depicted as “Yedo Bay”. This is an anglicisation of Edo, which renamed to Tokyo after 1868. Today, Uraga is a subdivision of the city of Yokosuka in Japan.

The print is based on a drawing by Peter Bernhard Wilhelm Heine, better known as William Heine (1827–1885). A German-American world traveller, writer and artist, Heine was the official artist on Commodore Matthew Perry’s expedition to Japan in 1852. This print was published as an illustration in the official voyage publication, Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan (Washington: Beverley Tucker, 1856), opposite page 233.

Perry’s expedition embarked for Japan in 1852 with the intention of securing a trade treaty through threats and displays of US naval power. Perry and the Japanese disagreed on the site for negotiations. Perry insisted on Edo (Tokyo), while the Japanese offered various other locations. They compromised on Yokohama, a port city in Tokyo Bay. Perry landed on 8 March 1854 to commence negotiations. On 31 March, the Convention of Kanagawa was signed under threat of force, with Japan reluctantly agreeing to protect stranded seamen and open two ports for refuelling of American ships. It was not a trade agreement but did contain a most-favoured-nation clause, which provided an opening for a future trade contract between Japan and the United States.