Brief Historical Overview --- Uraga and Yokosuka

横須賀 History ～人物編｜横須賀市 (city.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp)

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During the Edo period, Uraga flourished as a port town with many dried sardine wholesalers and shipping agents. When the magistrate's office was moved from Shimoda to Uraga, it became a base for monitoring marine transportation in and out of Edo Bay. Furthermore, at the end of the Edo period, when foreign ships began to appear in Japan's neighboring waters, the Uraga Magistrate's Office became important as a base for sea defense in Edo Bay.

The officials of the Uraga Magistrate's Office, who were considered modern-day self-defense officers and diplomats, were well versed in world affairs and were highly competent. When four black ships led by Perry arrived in 1853, the officials of the Uraga Magistrate's Office were put in charge of the practical affairs and dealt directly with Perry's fleet.

The best personnel from the Uraga Magistrate's Office were dispatched to the Nagasaki Naval Training School and other institutions to further absorb their skills. The efforts of these people resulted in the successful completion of the historic voyage of the Shogunate warship Kanrin Maru, which left Uraga in 1860 as an escort ship for the ratification of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan.

In 1865, construction began on the Yokosuka Ironworks, one of the largest shipbuilding facilities in Japan. Many of those who were once active in the Uraga Magistrate's Office moved their activities to the Yokosuka Works and made great contributions to the development of modern industrial technology in Japan.

After the Meiji Restoration, the Yokosuka Iron Works was taken over by the new government and continued to develop further. On the other hand, in 1884 (Meiji 17), when the Tokai Naval Station command in Yokohama was moved to Yokosuka, Yokosuka became a military base for the Navy, and many naval facilities were subsequently built there. The Yokosuka Iron Works continued to develop further, changing its name to Yokosuka Shipyard and Yokosuka Naval Arsenal. The technological innovations were remarkable, especially around the time of the Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War, and Yokosuka became a pioneer in the modernization of Japan.