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The Black Ships (in Japanese, 黒船: kurofune) was the name given to four ships, the Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga, and Susquehanna, under the command of United States Commodore Matthew Perry that arrived in 1853 at Uraga Harbor, part of present-day Yokosuka, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The word "black" refers to the black smoke from coal-fired power plants and the black color of these American ships.

Commodore Perry's superior military force enabled him to negotiate a treaty allowing American trade with Japan, ending a 200-year period of Japanese isolation.

The following year, at the Convention of Kanagawa, Perry returned with seven ships and forced the shogun to sign the " Treaty of Peace and Amity ", establishing formal diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States. Within five years, Japan had signed similar treaties with other western countries. The Harris Treaty was signed with the United States on July 29July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. Events 1014 Battle of Kleidion: Byzantine emperor Basil II inflicts not only a decisive defeat on the Bulgarian army, but his subsequent savage, 1858Events January 14 Felice Orsini and his accomplices fail to assassinate Napoleon III in Paris but their bombs kill 156 bystanders. Because of the involvement of French emigres living in Britain, there is a brief anti-British feeling in France but the empe.

The surprise and confusion these ships inspired are described in this famous humorous senryuSenryu is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer syllables in total. However, senryu tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature. Senryu do not need to include a kigo or season (or kyo-ka ):

たいへいの (Taihei no)

ねむりをさます(Nemuri wo samasu)

じょうきせん(Jokisen)

たったしはいで(Tatta shihai de)

よるもねむれず(Yoru mo nemurezu)

This poem is a complex punA pun (also known as paronomasia is a play on words that transposes the meanings of words with similar sounds. This is usually for humorous effect, although one well known pun of serious intent is found in the Bible: Matthew 16. 18: "Thou art Peter [ Gree (in Japanese, kakekotoba or "pivot word"). Jokisen (上喜撰) is the name of a costly brand of green teaGreen tea is tea that has undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea is popular in China and Japan, and recently has become more popular in the West, which traditionally drank only black tea. Chinese green teas Grades of Chinese green tea ( containing large amounts of caffeineCaffeine is an alkaloid found naturally in such foods as coffee beans, tea, kola nuts, Yerba mate, guarana, and (in small amounts) cacao beans. It is added to some soft drinks such as colas and Mountain Dew. Caffeine has a characteristic intensely bitter, and shihai means "four cups", so a literal translation of the poem is:

Awoken from sleep

of a peaceful quiet world

by Jokisen tea

with only four cups of it

no more sleep possible at night

However, jokisen (蒸気船) can also be translated as "steam-powered ships", and shihai can also be used to refer to four vessels. The poem has a deeper meaning, which is:

The steamships

break the peaceful slumber

of the Pacific

a mere four boats are enough

to make us lose sleep at night.