The Barbarian and The Geisha
by Adam Stubert
It was 1856 and the annual invitation of the Japanese dead ancestors was taking place in the Japanese village of Shimoda. That night, the Japanese spotted a dark ship approaching their land. Since the Japanese practice isolation, no person left their empire and no person entered. The ship lay anchored in their bay all night. At sunrise the foreign ship tried to enter the town. The Japanese yelled to the foreigners to stay away, but they persisted, and as the foreigners entered, some of the Japanese fled. Townsend Harris requested quarters for himself, his translator, and three Chinese servants. The Japanese didn't want the foreigners to stay, but they did. Harris tells the Japanese that the treaty they made with the Commodore Perry didn't translate properly.
The Americans flew the U.S. flag for the first time in Japan. Little children watch Harris as he is told by the government of Shimoda to take the flag down. Harris......
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Approximate Word Count: 3019
Approximate Pages: 12 (260 words per double-spaced page) |