Napoléon & Saga

Ryofumaru (凌風丸) from Wikipedia

What happened in China has affected the rest of the world. In the 19th century, a similar thing occurred in Saga Domain, current Saga Prefecture.

In 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte became the emperor of French Empire and eventually took over the Netherlands, the only European trading partner allowed by Tokugawa Shogunate.

In 1808, Phaeton Incident took place where a British frigate ship, HMS Phaeton, entered the Nagasaki harbor disguising itself as a Dutch ship. It captured Dutch officials working in Nagasaki and then demanded water, fuel and food in exchange for their return. Tokugawa Shogunate gave all the ship wanted; thus, it released the hostages and left the harbor.

Saga Domain was supposed to protect the harbor but failed. Tokugawa Shogunate punished Saga Domain severely; high officials of Saga Domain had to kill themselves to take responsibility.

Awaken by the incident, Saga Domain started to learn Western technology. It built reverberatory furnaces and cannons. It succeeded in building Ryofumaru （凌風丸）, Japan's first practical steam ship. The shipyard where it was built became a World Heritage Site in 2015.

In the 1850's, Tokugawa Shogunate ordered 50 cannons from Saga Domain to defend the Tokyo coastal area.

With its technology, Saga Domain later became one of the leading powers to modernize Japan. Ultimately, Napoleonic Wars in Europe made Saga Domain play an important role in Meiji Restoration.

I hope the pandemic will leave us with something we can be proud of when we recall history. Stay safe:)