Katsu Kaishu (2/2)

Katsu Kaishu was appointed as captain of the ship "Kanrin-maru" and was dispatched to the United States under the command of Admiral Kimura Yoshitake in order to ratify the 1858 Japan-U.S.A. Friendship Treaty of Amity and Commerce (Harris Treaty) in 1860.
Captain Katsu Kaishu and his members made the first transpacific voyage by Japanese navigators a success, and brought knowledge about American political, social and economic systems back to Japan.

After the voyage of Kanrin-maru, a Rôjû (exective of Bakufu) ordered Katsu to report the most different point between Japan and the U.S.A. Katsu satirized Japanese ancien-régime in this answer.
"Well, I noticed all persons who lead others in the United States are smart in proportion as each position. Isn't it a good contrast to Japan?". "My intention has been belonging to only my mind. Evaluating me is not my business; I have no concern of it."
He was given the rank of gunkan bugyo (commissioner of warships) by the bakufu, a rank he held when Sakamoto Ryoma asked to become his assistant.

In 1862 Katsu started a campaign to build a strong Japanese navy in order to defense Japan from Western imperialism. He opend a naval training center in Kôbe and nurtured young seamen at there. He expected them to navigate not only a ship but also their country through coming new era. SAKAMOTO Ryôma (1835-1867) and MUTSU Munemitsu (1844-1897) lived up to that expectation.

1868, Fifteen years after of the Kurofune shock, the situation became a violent power-struggle between the Emperer's supporters and Bakufu, after all. Among most of them were plotting to down the opposite side, Katsu and very few people had a higher point of view. They were well aware of the cases of colonialized India and China, which foreigners had taken advantage of internal warfare. Katsu as Bakufu's delegate succeeded to rescue Edo from the fires of civil war by carefully arranging surrender negotiations with Saigo Takamori to let his army take over Tokyo without war. (see the kabuki play)
Thus Katsu played the role of downing the curtain of samurais' age followed by the first modern country in Asia.
< Monument of the negotiation between SAIGÔ Takamori [aka 'The Last Samurai'] (1827-1877) and KATSU Kaishu --- at Tamachi >

Even though the new government was established, Katsu had to bustle about two movements. One is a good-neighbor policy in East Asia to prevent the new government from pressuring Korea and China. He had been proposing an equal alliance with these countries. On the other hand he made every effort to recover samurais' good name.

During the Meiji period he served in several posts. In 1887 we has granted the rank of count by the imperial court. One of his weak points was that always he talked too much. "I can do it!" was his favorite sentence. He was the first Japanese to think about international diplomacy.

There were some criticism by comtemporaries to Katsu's behavior.
In 1892 FUKUZAWA Yukichi (1834-1901) blamed Katsu that he had betrayed Bakufu and requested explanation about it.
Katsu showed no explanation nor did he boast of his political results, which saved not Bakufu but Japan while Fukuzawa was running away.
"Ten years after of Japan? If I can forecast it, they'll call me not Count but Saint."

In his last years he had been anxious about the future of Japan in Asia.
‘Hikawa Seiwa’ is a collection of Katsu Kaishu's talks in his last years. Seeing the argument for "Seikan-ron" (The theory of conquering Korea) becoming stronger.
In light of the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), Katsu stated that "About Korea, [some people] despise it as a country half ruined, or a country poor and weak, but I think the time has already come for Korea to revive. . . . It is just a recent phenomenon that [the Japanese] make little of Korea. In old days, the seeds of Japanese civilization were all imported from Korea. . . . Several hundred years ago, Korea was the master teacher of the Japanese?
Many Japanese including Fukuzawa was clamoring Japanese Imperialism overtly.
His fear came true after his death.
Count Katsu passed away in the next year at Tokyo in 1899.

Now you know why this great man on the right was named after him.
海 - Kai: Ocean
舟 - shu: Big ship going in the right direction