Background
During the late 19th century, incursions by foreign vessels into Japanese territorial waters increased, challenging the government’s official policy of national seclusion, and threatening the stability of the Tokugawa regime. Citing the need to protect Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu islands, Satsuma Domain daimyō Shimazu Nariakira successfully petitioned the Tokugawa shogunate to lift the prohibition on the construction of large ocean-going vessels in 1852. A shipyard was constructed on Sakurajima and the new vessel was launched in May 1853 in anticipation of the announced return of United States Commodore Commodore Perry and his fleet of “Black Ships” to Edo Bay. Named Shōhei Maru, the new ship was apparently built using ship construction manuals obtained from the Netherlands via the trading outpost of Dejima, and occasional observations of foreign vessels roaming the waters off Japan. Nakahama Manjirō may have contributed to its design from his personal experiences, but this is uncertain.
Read more about this topic: Japanese Warship Shohei Maru
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