Yokohama

:For the town of Yokohama in Aomori Prefecture, see Yokohama, Aomori.

History

Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the Edo period, a time when Japan conducted very little trade with foreign countries. In 1854, Commodore Matthew Perry arrived just south of Yokohama with a fleet of American warships, and forced Japan to open several ports for commerce. Yokohama was designated as a foreign port instead of Kanagawa, which the Tokugawa shogunate feared was too close to the Tokaido, a strategic highway connecting Edo to Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka.

Related Topics:
Edo period - 1854 - Matthew Perry - American - Tokugawa shogunate - Tokaido - Edo - Nagoya - Kyoto - Osaka

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The Port of Yokohama was opened in 1859 and quickly became the base of most foreign trade in Japan. Foreigners occupied a district of the city called 'Kannai' ("inside the barrier"), which was surrounded by a moat. Many individuals crossed the moat, causing a number of problems. The Namamugi Incident, one of the events that preceded the downfall of the shogunate, took place in what is now Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama in 1862. Ernest Satow wrote about the incident in his A Diplomat in Japan.

Related Topics:
1859 - Moat - Namamugi Incident - Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama - Ernest Satow

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After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the port was developed for trading silk. Japan's first railway was constructed in 1872 to connect Yokohama to Tokyo, allowing zaibatsu firms to use the port for importing raw materials bound for factories in the growing Keihin Industrial Area. The growth of Japanese industry brought affluence to Yokohama, and many wealthy trading families constructed sprawling residences there. Until more commerce was carried out directly in Tokyo, Yokohama was known as the most international city in Japan.

Related Topics:
Meiji Restoration - 1868 - Silk - 1872 - Zaibatsu - Keihin Industrial Area - Tokyo

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Much of Yokohama was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the city was firebombed by U.S. aircraft during World War II. During the American occupation, Yokohama was a major transshipment base for American supplies and personnel, especially during the Korean War. After the occupation, most local U.S. naval activity moved from Yokohama to an American base in neighboring Yokosuka.

Related Topics:
Great Kanto Earthquake - World War II - American occupation - Korean War - Yokosuka

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The city was officially incorporated on April 1, 1889, and designated by government ordinance on September 1, 1956.

Related Topics:
April 1 - 1889 - Government ordinance - September 1 - 1956

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