The Black Ships 黒船

In 1720, a office headquarters & administrative complex was set-up in Uraga ---  It was called the Uraga Magistrate's Office, and it reported up to the Tokugawa Shogun government in Edo (Tokyo.)

At that time, Yokosuka City did not yet exist (it was just a small fishing village) --- so, even until today, the people who live in the Uraga section of Yokosuka have a sense of being the oldest and historically most important part of the City (local pride!)

The job of the Uraga Magistrate's Office, due to his location near the mouth of Tokyo Bay, was to monitor and manage the entry of boats and ships into the bay --- i.e., to make sure no one could sneak-up and surprise the Shogun in Edo.

So, in 1853, when Commodore Matthew Perry and his squadron of U.S. Navy warships showed-up to "open" Japan, it was the Uraga Magistrate who had to deal with the situation.

Yokosuka City has produced an excellent summary of what happened between Uraga and the "Black Ships" --- and here it is:

Matthew Perry and Yokosuka