France–Japan relations (19th century)

The development of France-Japan relations in the 19th century coincided with Japan's opening to the Western world, following two centuries of seclusion under the "Sakoku" system and France's expansionist policy in Asia. The two countries became very important partners from the second half of the 19th century in the military, economic, legal and artistic fields. The Bakufu modernized its army through the assistance of French military missions (Jules Brunet), and Japan later relied on France for several aspects of its modernization, particularly the development of a shipbuilding industry during the early years of the Imperial Japanese Navy (Emile Bertin), and the development of a Legal code. France also derived part of its modern artistic inspiration from Japanese art, essentially through Japonism and its influence on Impressionism, and almost completely relied on Japan for its prosperous silk industry.

Context

Martyrdom of the French Dominican Guillaume Courtet, in Kagoshima, 1637.

Japan had had numerous contacts with the West during the Nanban trade period in the second half of the 16th and the early 17th century. During that period, the first contacts between the French and the Japanese occured when the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga landed in the southern French city of Saint-Tropez in 1615. François Caron, son of French Huguenot refugees to the Netherlands, who entered the Dutch East India Company, and became the first person of French origin to set foot in Japan in 1619. He stayed in Japan for 20 years, where he becomes a Director for the company.

This period of contact ended with the persecution of the Christian faith in Japan, leading to a near-total closure of the country to foreign interaction. In 1636, Guillaume Courtet, a French Dominican priest, penetrated into Japan in clandestinity, against the 1613 interdiction of Christianity. He was caught, tortured, and died in Kagoshima on September 29, 1637.

First contacts

Signature of the First Franco-Japanese treaty in 1858 in Edo.

After nearly two century of strictly enforced seclusion, various contacts occured from the middle of the 19th century as France was trying to expand its influence in Asia. In 1844, a French naval expedition under Captain Fornier-Duplan onboard Alcmène visited Okinawa on April 28, 1844. Trade was denied, but Father Forcade is left behind with a translator. In 1846, Admiral Cecille arrived in Nagasaki, but was denied landing.

Following the opening of Japan by the American Commodore Perry in 1852-1854, France obtained a treaty with Okinawa on November 24, 1855. In 1858, the first official treaty between France and Japan was signed in Edo on October 9, 1858, by Jean Baptiste Louis Gros, opening diplomatic relations between the two countries. In 1859, Gustave Duchesne de Bellecourt arrived and became the first French representative in Japan.

Development of trade relations

French man with a Geisha in 1861.

The opening of contacts between France and Japan coincided with a series biological catastrophies in Europe, as the silk industry, in which France had a leading role centered on the city of Lyon, was devastated with the appearance of various silkworm pandemics from Spain: the "tacherie" or "muscardine", the "pébrine" and the "flacherie". From 1855, France already was forced to import 61% of its raw silks. This increased to 84% in 1860. The silkworm from Japan proved to be the only ones capable to resist to the European illnesses. Japanese raw silk also proved to be of the best quality on the world market.

Foreign silk traders started to settle in the harbour of Yokohama, and silk trade developed. In 1859, Louis Bourret, who already had been active in China, establishes in branch office in Yokohama for silk trade. From 1860, silk traders from Lyon are recorded in Yokohama, from where they immediately dispatched raw silk and silk worm eggs to France. For this early trade they relied on British shipping, and shipments transited through London to reach Lyon. As of 1862, 12 French people were installed in Yokohama, of whom 10 were traders.

Japanese embassies to France

The First Japanese Embassy to Europe, in 1862

The Japanese soon responded to these contacts by sending their own embassies to France. The Shogun sent First Japanese Embassy to Europe, led by Takenouchi Yasunori in 1862. The mission was sent in order to learn about Western civilization, ratify treaties, and delay the opening of cities and harbour to foreign trade. Negotiations were made in France, the UK, the Netherlands, Prussia and finally Russia. They were almost gone an entire year.

A Second Japanese Embassy to Europe in 1863, in an effort to pay lip service the 1863 "Order to expel barbarians" (攘夷実行の勅命) edicted by Emperor Kōmei, and the Bombardment of Shimonoseki incidents, in a wish to close again the country to Western influence, and return to sakoku status. The mission negociated in vain to obtain French agreement to the closure of the harbour of Yokohama to foreign trade.

Major exchanges

France decided to reinforce and formalize links with Japan by sending its second representative Léon Roches to Japan in 1864. Roches himself originated from the region of Lyon, and was therefore highly knowledgeable of the issues related to the silk industry.

Leonce Verny directed the construction of Japan's first modern arsenal at Yokosuka from 1865.

Very soon relations developed at a high pace. The Japanese Shogunate, wishing to obtain foreign expertise in shipping obtained the dispatch of a French engineer to build the Yokosuka arsenal, Japan's first modern arsenal. Verny arrived in Japan in November 1864. He worked together with Shibata Takenaka who visited France in 1865 to prepare for the construction of the Yokosuka (order of the machinery) arsenal and organize a French military mission to Japan.

As the Shogunate was confronted with discontent in the southern parts of the country, France participated to allied naval interventions such as the Bombardment of Shimonoseki in 1864 (9 British, 3 French, 4 Dutch, 1 American warships).

Military missions

The first French military mission to Japan in 1867. Jules Brunet in front, second from right.

The Japanese government also wished to develop military skills as soon as possible. Negociations with Napoleon III started through Shibata Takenaka as soon as 1865. In 1867, the first French Military Mission to Japan arrived in Yokohama, among them Captain Jules Brunet.

Timeline

• 1867. Japan sends a delegation to the 1867 World Fair in Paris.
• 1867. The French mining engineer Francois Coignet is sent to Japan and is put in charge of the gold mines of Ikuno in 1868.
• 1868. Kobe incident (January 11th). A fight erupts in Akashi between 450 samurai of the Okayama fief and French sailors, leading to the occupation of central Kobe by foreign troops.
• 1868. Eleven French sailors from the Dupleix are killed in the Sakai incident, in Sakai, near Osaka, by southern rebel forces.
• 1869. Former French advisors under Jules Brunet fight alongside the last Shogun loyalists of Enomoto Takeaki, against Imperial troops in the Battle of Hakodate.
• 1870. Henri Pelegrin directs the construction of Japan's first gas-lightning system in the streets of Nihonbashi, Ginza and Yokohama.

File:TomiokaFactory.jpg

Japan's first modern silk reeling factory at Tomioka, established by the French engineer Paul Brunat in 1872.

• 1872. Paul Brunat opens the first modern Japanese silk spinning factory at Tomioka. Three craftsmen from the Nishijin weaving district in Kyoto, Sakura tsuneshichi, Inoue Ihee and Yoshida Chushichi travel to Lyon. They travel back to Japan in 1873, importing a Jacquard loom.
• 1872. Start of the second French Military Mission to Japan (1872-1880).
• 1873. The legal expert Gustave Emile Boissonade is sent to Japan to help build a modern legal system.
• 1874. The Second French Military Mission is sent to Japan, and builds the military school of Ichigaya.
• 1882. The first tramways are introduced from France and start functioning at Asakusa, and between Shinbashi and Ueno.
• 1884. Third French Military Mission to Japan (1884-1889).
• 1886. The French Navy engineer Emile Bertin reinforces the Japanese Navy, and directs the construction of the arsenals of Kure and Sasebo, contributing to the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese war.

The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898.

• 1898. The first automobile (a Panhard-Levassor) is introduced in Japan.

References

• Christian Polak, Soie et Lumières, Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Francaise au Japon, 2001

External links

• Japan-France Relations