叶神社 Kano Jinja

There are a pair of famous old Yokosuka shrines which face each other across Uraga Bay.

East Kano Shrine and West Kano Shrine.

"叶"  the kanji character used in the name of the shrines, is normally pronounced "kana-u", and means to have a wish or prayer come true.

West Kano Shrine is adorned with some very intricate and beautiful woodcarving decorations of dragons, elephants, and sumo wrestlers.

It was founded on the current site back in the 12th century, and the current building was constructed in 1842.

A large copper lantern was presented to the Shrine and paid-for by contributions from the local red light district.

The Kano Shrines are considered “power spots” ... and many people buy good luck charms and amulets during their visits.

They are rivals, but also have a business arrangement where you buy a lucky stone (maga-tama) at the west shrine, but then you need to go to the east shrine to buy the small decorative cloth bag to contain it ..... and there is a cool WATER TAXI which can take you across Uraga Bay to complete the purchase.

Here is what a maga-tama looks like:

The shrine's Japanese website:

http://kanoujinja.p1.bindsite.jp/

The Lonely Mikasa Park Fountain Performance

Located right next to the U.S. Navy base is Mikasa Park.

The main attraction there is the Memorial Battleship Mikasa, which has been turned into a wonderful museum ..... Here the museum's an English language PAMPHLET.

Go deeper into the park, and there are greenery areas, a music stage, places to sit & relax, watch the ocean, etc. --- all-in-all, a well maintained, clean, and peaceful park.  (And it is free.)

Then, there is the fountain, which does musical performances (every one-and-half hours, starting at 11:00) ..... It is place where one can feel a sense of pathos, or lonely magic, an existential moment perhaps --- especially at times like weekday afternoons, when there is pretty much no one in the park, and the fountain performs for nobody...

     













From April to October, the fountain performs at night, with lights ..... beauty in emptiness

   











Someone recorded a performance HERE.

入鉄炮出女 IRI-TEPPO DE-ONNA

I previously briefly wrote about the Uraga Magistrate's Office ( 浦賀奉行所 )  HERE.

Starting in 1720, the Magistate's Office complex served as a check point for ships and vessels going into and coming out of Edo Bay (now Tokyo Bay) ..... It was located along Yokosuka's southeastern coast, as shown in this model:

   

　

A similar facility to check on land-based travelers & traffic along the Tokaido Road was built up at Hakone.  It later was closed and fell to ruin, but was excavated and rebuilt as a museum in 2007:

A couple of things, in particular, the checkpoint officials looked for when they did their interviews and inspections were: (1) guns and (2) women ..... so, this came to be called IRI-TEPPO DE-ONNA "guns going in, women coming out"...

Keeping guns from being smuggled into Edo was obviously to maintain public order and control & crime prevention, etc. --- all important to the ruling Tokugawa (Shogunate) government.

As for departing women, the Shogunate had a system where the regional Samurai Lords (Daimyo), who could be pretty independent & powerful, were required to send their wives or other important family members to live in Edo, as hostages ..... so, naturally, there were instances of wives or daughters who tired to get out of Edo to reunite with their husbands or families, etc. --- hence the strict checks at Uraga and Hakone.

Kappa!

Located behind Hashirimizu Shrine ..... in the oldest spot ..... carved into the rock slope....

The Secret Beach

Along the coast, just south of Yokosuka's Uraga Bay is Tomyosaki  燈明埼  (Tomyo Cape)

It is the site of a light house, which was built in 1648 ..... The reason being that after the Tokugawa Shogun moved Japan's capital city (and the Emperor) from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo), the amount of shipping traffic into Edo Bay (i.e., Tokyo Bay) increased significantly....

So, a light house (called Tomyo-Do) was built on the Cape, since it was a great location near the Uraga Suido shipping channel .... and for 220 years afterwards, it helped to guide various vessels & boats safely in & out of Tokyo Bay.

The lighthouse was closed & replaced in 1872, and thereafter fell apart ..... but in 1988, Yokosuka City rebuilt it using the same stone foundation.  This is what it looks like:

         















Another thing is that the nearby rocks and beach are undeveloped, and are a rare example of natural coast line still left in Yokosuka ...... for some reason, Google Map lists the area as "Glass Beach" ..... perhaps because of sea glass and shells which can be collected there ...... in any case, it certainly is off the beaten track, and Tomyosaki Kaigan therefore qualifies as a "secret beach" in Yokosuka

     

National Defense Academy

Located on a plateau called "Obaradai", which overlooks Yokosuka City and Tokyo Bay, is the National Defense Academy (NDA).  It is also a place from which Mount Fuji can be seen.

NDA belongs to the Japanese Ministry of Defense and mainly serves to educate cadets who will serve as officers in the ground, air, and maritime units of Japan's Self Defense Forces (JSDF).

What makes NDA unique, compared to the U.S., is that it is a "Joint" school, which, in effect, combines Annapolis (USN), West Point (USA), and Colorado Springs (USAF).

In 1950 when the National Police Reserve was organized, then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida wanted to create a national school that could educate, motivate, and train career officers for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces.  On August 1, 1952, the National Safety Academy was established under the provisions of the National Safety Agency Establishment Law, and Prime Minister Yoshida appointed Dr. Tomoo Maki, a professor of law at Keio University, to be its first president.  The National Safety Academy opened on April 1, 1953, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and admitted its first class of 400 cadets, of whom 300 were for the Ground Safety Force and 100 for the Maritime Safety Force.  On July 1, 1954, with enactment of the National Defense Agency Establishment Law, the name of the academy was changed from the National Safety Academy to the National Defense Academy.

Here is NDA's Website

    

An interesting event, which occurs in the Fall when NDA holds a Field Day which is open to the public, is called "Bo-Taoshi"  棒倒し ..... one group of cadets defends a tall pole, while another group tries to pull it down (and has only a few minutes to do so) ..... apart from hitting with closed fists & biting, etc., pretty much anything is permitted...  (FYI --- There are several videos of this exciting event on YouTube)

1961: Started Making Cars In Yokosuka ... Nissan Oppama Plant

In 1961, Nissan automobile manufacturing company finished construction of a large factory , facing Tokyo Bay, in the northeastern section of Yokosuka City called: Oppama.

The Oppama Plant was built on the site of what was formerly the Japanese Imperial Navy's Yokosuka Air Station ..... and after Word War II, it was called U.S. Naval Air Facility Oppama.

This is from a 2014 Japan Times newspaper article:

"Even as Nissan increasingly shifts its manufacturing base overseas, its factories in Japan still play a vital role in spreading production know-how and training workers in other countries .... Nissan manufactured about 80 percent of its vehicles in Japan in the early ’90s .... Last year that figure was only about 20 percent .... 'The global role of Japanese plants used to be to function as the production base, but they have now become a base to develop manufacturing technologies and train people and have them spread the knowledge globally,' said Nissan Vice President Fumiaki Matsumoto .... For instance, the Oppama plant is tasked with finding ways to make production lines more efficient and sharing the know-how with overseas factories .... Also, the manufacturing process for new cars is first tested and tweaked at the Oppama plant before being introduced overseas, the firm said .... Rounding out the strategy, workers from abroad are brought to the plant for training in such skills as painting and parts assembly, as well as management .... about 1,500 Nissan workers have attended training sessions at the plant so far .... While the Oppama plant can churn out 240,000 cars a year, due to lack of demand it is currently operating at only about half that capacity"

Nissan's Oppama Plant is leading-edge, and one of Yokosuka's largest employers .... It also offers free factory tours.

2009 News Story on "Yokosuka Navy Burger"

Below is a U.S. Navy News Service story on the launch of Yokosuka's "Navy Burger" in January 2009 ..... As things turned out, the Navy Burger became a real hit product, and is now one of Yokosuka's top-level tourism items, drawing thousands of visitors from Tokyo and up the Keihin Kyuko tracks, especially on weekends and holidays.

The U.S. Navy Burger joined the Japanese Navy & JMSDF's "Navy Curry Rice" as popular specialty foods of Yokosuka. 

(* And just for the record .... I am the one who came up with the idea for Navy Burger, while working for RADM Kelly's staff .... I even wrote the recipe, after talking to some U.S. Navy cooks .... but it was others -- especially Yokosuka City government staffers -- who took the idea and gave it wings and made it fly...)

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YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- Local restaurants in Yokosuka are now offering the public authentic American style burgers, using a recipe provided by Commander U.S. Naval Forces Japan (CNFJ).  The burger, named "Yokosuka Navy Burger," is a new specialty food for Yokosuka.

Prior to launching initial sales of Yokosuka Navy Burger, the city of Yokosuka hosted a taste testing event at Tsunami Mexican Restaurant on Dobuita Street January 23, 2009.

"The purpose of the specialty burger is to promote tourism and to liven up the community," said Yokosuka City Planning and Coordination Division Director Kenji Yasuda.  "Yokosuka is well known as a U.S. Navy base town with an American atmosphere, but when tourists came to visit Yokosuka, we didn't have any special food that they could only eat here.  They tended to go to Yokohama's China Town or other places after stopping by Yokosuka.  So we would like them to stay longer in Yokosuka and enjoy food here."

After Yokosuka Mayor Ryoichi Kabaya received a recipe for the Yokosuka Navy Burger from CNFJ Rear Admiral James Kelly in November 2008, Yokosuka City officials asked restaurants around Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka to cooperate with the city's revitalization project.  Four restaurants started offering the specialty burger January 30, 2009.  By the middle of February, customers will be able to order them at 10 local restaurants, according to Yasuda.

To be authorized by the city of Yokosuka to make and sell the Navy Burger, restaurants need to abide by the following rules:

  - Meat has to be 100 percent beef with 20 percent fat.
  - Don't use too much spices, but use salt and pepper.
  - Buns need to have white sesame seeds on the top.
  - Don't include ketchup and mustard on the burger but have it available for customers to use if desired.
  - Don't mix milk, bread crumbs and eggs into the ground beef (usual for Japanese burgers).

According to Yasuda, city officials wondered if all the restaurants would come up with the same taste.  But they didn't.  All the restaurants successfully made their own unique Navy Burger.

Tsunami Restaurant owner and Chef Shigeru Iida and his wife Keiko searched for the best way to make the Navy Burger following the rules.  Iida said it was very challenging to make unique burgers which would stand out among others.  Iida put a lot of time and labor into producing their high-quality Navy Burger.

"We use natural marine yeast of Miura [Peninsula] for our buns, which is chewy and very tasty," said Iida.  "We also make ketchup and special mayonnaise using American mayonnaise.  So, hopefully it will be new [not only for Japanese] but for the Americans as well."

Iida also came up with unique naming for his burgers. In recognition of the 7th Fleet, Iida will have seven kinds of Navy Burgers at the restaurant.

"The biggest burger's name is 'George Washington,' which weighs about 500 gram (17 ounces)," Iida said.  Smaller sizes are also available.

"We also would like U.S. servicemen and their families to come out into town and enjoy eating out and shopping," said Yasuda.  "With more Americans out in town, more tourists can enjoy the American atmosphere, which will also help liven up the community."

The Shogun Navy's first sail and screw-driven steamship --- Kanrin Maru 咸臨丸

Built in the Netherlands, and delivered to Japan in 1857, Kanrin Maru was the escort ship that accompanied the Japanese diplomatic members on their voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

In January 1860, the ship departed Uraga (Yokosuka) with approximately 90 crew under the command of Commander Settsunokami Kimura and Captain Rintaro Katsu.

It was a Japanese crew's first experience making such a long voyage and they faced considerable hardships, including severe weather, during the difficult crossing.  But with the aid of an American naval crew, and its officer Captain Brooke, the Japanese sailors were able to arrive safely in San Francisco on February 22nd, 37 days after their initial departure from Japan.

The crew of the Kanrin Maru was warmly welcomed by the people of San Francisco who were very impressed by the spirit of their unusual guests from Japan.

Repairs were made to the ship, and on the 19th of March they set sail for their return to Japan.  On May 5th, this time without facing any major storms, the crew arrived in Uraga.

The first voyage and return across the Pacific by a group of Japanese had been successfully completed.

Among the crew the vessel was the interpreter John Manjiro, and Yukichi Fukuzawa, who is remembered for founding Keio University.

Kanrin Maru, en route the U.S., in a bad storm

Kanrin Maru memorial, located in Atagoyama Park in Uraga

Oto Tachibana Hime (弟橘媛) --- A woman who sacrificed herself for her husband

At Yokosuka's Hashirimizu Shrine, there is a monument related to the "King Arthur-like" Yamato Takeru...

Yamato Takeru, Japanese folk hero, noted for his courage and ingenuity, who may have lived in the 2nd century AD.  His tomb at Ise is known as the Mausoleum of the White Plover.  The legendary son of the legendary 12th emperor Keikō, Yamato Takeru was supposedly responsible for expanding the territory of the Yamato court.  He subdued two uncouth Kumaso (barbarian) warriors by cleverly disguising himself as a woman and, at a banquet in his honour, killing them while they were drunk.  He cut away the burning grass of a fire set by the Ainu tribesmen with the miraculous sword "Kusanagi" and escaped.  His adventures ended on the plains of Tagi, where he was stricken with illness and, according to legend, changed into a white plover and disappeared from the world.

Here it is:

The monument is in the shape of a ship's rudder, and it is said to offer protection and safety to those who make their living by sailing on the unpredictable and dangerous waves of the ocean ..... and the figure shown in the metal plate picture is: Oto Tachibana Hime ..... who, back in the legendary days, was the wife (or concubine) of Yamato Takeru...

So, here is the story .....  Yamato Takeru, deployed on one of his barbarian-bashing military campaigns, was returning on a ship (along with his retinue) crossing Tokyo Bay from the Chiba-side to the Kanagawa-side (Yokosuka) ..... and then a huge storm occurred, which threatened to sink the ship and drown everyone aboard ..... until, that is, when Oto Tachibana Hime jumped into the sea, offering herself to the ocean god ..... at which point, everything calmed down, and Yamato Takeru & Co. made safe landfall at Yokosuka's small (but important) Hashirimizu Bay....

           














This legendary story about female sacrifice & loyalty, as well as offering good luck for mariners, has been taken up by Hashirimizu Shrine, which has become a popular "power spot" in Yokosuka, selling charms and amulets to a host of visitors ..... Of note, the shrine, and its story, was also inspirational to the Japan Imperial Navy, which erected a large stone monument (endorsed with calligraphy from Russo-Japan War hero, Admiral Togo, and others) at a spot overlooking Tokyo Bay....

動物愛護の碑 Dobutsu Aigo No Hi ..... Animal Protection Monument

There are several interesting monuments located in Suwa Park, which is located on a small bluff right across from the main gate of Yokosuka navy Base

The one shown below is unusual, as it is not related to the Japan Imperial Navy or an important famous person ..... It is called  動物愛護の碑  "Dobutsu Aigo No Hi" ..... Animal Protection Monument.

It turns out that back in the early days of the 20th Century, a small zoo was located at the current location of Suwa Park ..... reportedly Japanese soldiers and sailors returning from the war with Russia brought back some bears, goats, sheep, monkeys, and pheasants ..... and  those animals were put into what became the zoo ..... the three bears, in particular, were very popular with the local Yokosuka people.

Sadly, however, during World War II, it became harder and harder to feed and maintain the animals, especially the meat-eating bears, there was also worry that the zoo could be destroyed by an air raid ..... so, in 1944, the bears were shot and the zoo was closed.

In 1985, the above-pictured monument was built as a to remember the shot bears, as well as the souls of pets, and those of other animals killed by accidents caused by humans and automobiles, etc.

Of note, even unto this day, every year, the first Sunday of November, the Japan Humane Society holds a memorial service at the Dobutsu Aigo No Hi, which is said to be built on the site where the bear cage used to be located....

Yokosuka's Famous "Navy Curry Rice" --- 海軍カレー

In recent years, Yokosuka has turned "Navy Curry Rice" (海軍カレー  Kaigun Curry) into one of its main tourist attractions, advertising it as the City's specialty food.  People from all over the country come down to Yokosuka via trains buses, and cars to eat it, and there are Curry Rice festivals, etc. --- it is a real money-maker for the City.

In Yokosuka, and all around Japan, Curry Rice is a widely popular comfort food ..... It basically is a plate or bowl of white rice with a thick curry-flavored beef (or pork) stew ladled on top....

 














The recipe and cooking of  Kaigun-Curry traces its roots directly back to the Japan Imperial Navy (JIN).  In the early years following JIN's establishment in 1868, the main health problem suffered by officers and sailors was a serious disease called Beriberi (caused by vitamin B1 deficiency).  For example, in 1884, 1,632 JIN pesonnel got sick with Beriberi, and 47 died.

So JIN looked around for more nutritious chow to serve on its ships, and then discovered a meal which was being served in Great Britain's Royal Navy, i.e., a beef stew seasoned with (Indian) curry spices.

JIN adopted Royal Navy's recipe, added its own touches, and Kaigun Curry was born.  The key to its health benefits was that the mixed-in flour and vegetables provided vitamins which had been missing from JIN's previous white-rice-based menus.

So, JIN started to regularly serve Curry Rice and by 1886, there were only 41 cases of Beriberi in the Fleet.

Of note, Curry Rice continues to be served nowadays -- every Friday -- in the ships and ashore units of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).

In 1998, JMSDF joined with Yokosuka City Government, and Yokosuka's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to jointly authorize/declare Navy Curry Rice as an "Official Food of the City" ..... and there are now many restaurants, cafes, and pubs which serve it, all around town + pre-cooked packets are sold in many souvenir stores...

           

"The Honch" ---- is also どぶ板通り

When the Japan Imperial Navy's Yokosuka Naval Arsenal was established in the late 19th Century, the nearby "Hon-Cho" residential & commercial district, was where shops and restaurants were set-up to cater to the Japanese sailors and shipyard employees, etc.

After World War II, the Hon-Cho shopping & entertainment street continued its business, except that its customer base shifted to include U.S. military personnel ..... and, at some point, with all the U.S, Navy ships' liberty parties and other sailors going there for "rest & recreation", the area came to be known as "The Honch"...

       











Notice the name at the bottom in blue letters?  .....  "Dobuita"  .....  That is what Japanese people call The Honch ..... the complete name is: どぶ板通り  Dobu-Ita Dori, which literally means "Covered Creek Street"...

As mentioned above, from the 1860s through the 1940s, the Hon-Cho shopping street catered to customers from the nearby Yokosuka Naval Arsenal ..... originally, there was a small stream or creek (called: どぶ  "dobu") which ran along the street; and, as things got busier over time, it became a nuisance and a traffic hazard ..... so, the Naval Arsenal manufactured a bunch of thick steel plates (板  "ita") which were then laid-down to cover the creek, thereby making the street safer and more convenient for pedestrians and wheeled traffic.

     

Hashirimizu Port

Hashirimizu inlet, shown in the red circle, is located near the mouth of Tokyo Bay ..... In fact, it faces the narrowest point, distance-wise, between Kanagawa (on the left side of the map) and Chiba (on the right) ..... So, naturally, from way back in time, it this area became a ferry point, for travelers who wanted to cross over to the other side of Tokyo Bay (without taking the long way around.)

Hashirimizu -- 走水 -- means "Running Water" and the reason this small, but important, inlet was given that name is due to the fact that there is a fast-flowing current (and deep channel) on the western (Kanagawa) side of the entrance to Tokyo Bay.  So, Hashirimizu was a sheltering place for ships to anchor and get out of the current.

(* Note: Another reason for calling the area Hashirimizu is because there are abundant and active fresh water springs in the surrounding hills .... I've written about this previously in this Blog right here.)

Taking a closer look at Hashirimizu, you can see that there are two capes to the north and south, which form the entrance to the bay/port called "Gosho-ga-saki" and "Ise-yama-saki" ..... these two spots, overlooking the narrowest entrance to Tokyo Bay was chosen by the Tokugawa Shogunate to serve as coastal artillery bases ..... and over the years, in eastern Yokosuka, a total of 28 coastal sites were fortified with cannons by the Japanese Imperial Army.     

     













Here is how the Gosho-ga-saki coastal artillery site looks today:

"Navy Traditional Restaurant Komatsu" --- A Piece of History Lost...

This bleak picture shows all that is left of Yokosuka's historic Komatsu (小松) restaurant --- also known as "Kaigun Ryotei" (Navy's Traditional Restaurant -- 海軍料亭) ---- It was founded in 1885, and was frequented by senior officers of Japan's Imperial Navy, and remained in business after World War II and through May 2016, when it burned down.

I visited Komatsu several times over the years, and it was a truly magnificent example of traditional Japanese architecture, and it also hosted a collection of old photos, naval mementos (including from U.S. & other countries), and calligraphy scrolls written by famous Japanese Admirals, such as Heihachiro TOGO and Isoroku YAMAMOTO ---- unfortunately, all of that was lost in the fire... 

Link:  The history of Yokosuka's Ryotei Komatsu

Yokosuka Port --- and a Mysterious Visitor

The Port of Yokosuka offers 100 berths serving commercial, military, fishing, and ferry traffic.  With the Nissan Oppama plant nearby, the Port of Yokosuka is an important shipping point for automobiles.  The port’s fishing fleet lands tuna and other fish species.  Ferries operating from the Port of Yokosuka take travelers and cargo to Tokyo, Isu Oshima, and Ōita on Kyūshū, Japan’s southern and third largest island.

The Yokosuka City Hall Port and Harbor Department is the port authority managing the Port of Yokosuka.  Located in the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area, the Port of Yokosuka serves the national capital region with easy highway access to the capital city.

The Port of Yokosuka harbor area covers over 5.5 thousand hectares and contains 100 berths at depths of more than 4.5 meters.  In 2004, over 28 thousand ships visited the port carrying more almost 17 million tons of cargo, including 2.1 million tons of foreign cargo and 14.8 million tons of domestic goods.  This included about 8.8 million tons of exports and 8.1 million tons of imports.

Link:  More Information On Yokosuka Port

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All kinds of ships pull into Yokosuka, naval combatants, merchants, fishing vessels .... and, sometimes, a visitor from a different time & dimension...

A Piece of Battle in Suwa Park

Suwa Park is located on top of a small hill in Hon-Cho, which faces the main gate of the naval base currently used by the U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force.

Right below the park is Suwa Dai Jinja shrine, where the head priest is the 23rd generation of the same family which has faithfully managed the gods' house for a few hundred years.

There are several monuments in Suwa Park, but one, in particular, is a stark and remarkable symbol of the cost of naval warfare, and Japan Imperial Navy's 19th-to-20th century history of sea battles...

 

Mysterious Object Along The Beach Boulevard

Several interesting objects are located on the pedestrian promenade which runs along Yokosuka City's unique Kaigan Dori.

This one, in particular, is sort of mysterious.

I looks like a portal to the underworld, or perhaps a different destination, a la "Beam me up, Mr. Scott"...

Kurihama Beach --- Where The U.S. Navy Came Ashore In 1853

Kurihama is located along the southern coast of Yokosuka, facing the very busy Uraga Suido (the channel for ships to enter and depart Tokyo Bay.)

Kurihama's beach has not changed much over the years, and is a nice spot for relaxing.

It was at this beach that around 300 U.S. Navy sailors and marines officially landed on Japanese soil for the first time in 1853.  They were from a squadron of U.S. Navy warships, commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry.  The Japanese got all spun-up over the ships' arrival off of Yokosuka, and called them  "Kuro Fune" 黒船 ... the "Black Ships."

The intent of the landing was to hand-deliver a letter to Japanese rulers from President Millard Fillmore, and once that was done, after 30 minutes or so, the Commodore and all hands returned to their ships.

To commemorate that historic event, a monument, park, and museum were built right across the street from Kurihama beach.

Some more history from "We Japanese" (published in 1950):

Rear Admiral L.A. Beardslee was a naval cadet on board USS PLYMOUTH when Commodore Perry visited Japan as a messenger of peace in 1853.

In October 1900, Rear Admiral and Mrs. Beardslee came to Japan on a sight-seeing tour, and the first place they visited on landing in Yokohama was Kurihama, where forty-seven years before Perry had landed.  What was his disappointment to find that the landing place of the Commodore, whose coming to Japan in 1853 was epoch-making in her history, had been left quite unmarked.

Acting on the suggestion of Admiral Beardslee for marking the place, the American Freinds' Association, whose membership consisted of those Japanese who stayed in or visited the United States of America, appointed a committee for drawing up plans to raise the necessary funds for erecting a monument at Kurihama.

The appeal made by the America's Friends' Association was quickly responded to, and the monument was completed on July 6, 1901.  It is made of granite obtained in Miyagi Prefecture, and it measures 15 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 1.3 feet thick, and weighs about ten tons.  It stands on a foundation of stone taken from the Tone River, 18 feet high, 11 feet wide, and 5 feet thick, weighing nine tons, so that in all the monument stands 33 feet high.

The ceremony of the unveiling of the monument took place on July 14, 1901, or the 48th anniversary of the landing at Kurihama of Commodore Perry in 1953.  The function proved very attractive and was attended by quite a large number of prominent people, both Japanese and foreign.

The U.S. government sent the three men-of-war, USS NEW YORK, USS YORKTOWN, and USS NEW ORLEANS, commanded by Rear Admiral F. Rogers, grandson of Commodore Perry.  It was Rear Admiral Rogers, who unveiled the monument.

The Japanese inscription on the front consists of sixteen Chinese ideograms meaning "Monument marking the landing place of Commodore Perry, U.S.A.", and on the back the Japanese reads "Landed July 14, 1853 (old calendar); erected July 14, 1901."

Also on the back, there is the following English inscription "This Monument Commemorates The First Arrival of Commodore Perry, Ambassador from the United States of America, Who Landed at This Place July 14, 1853.  Erected July 14, 1901, By America's Friend Association."