Choraku-ji
Encyclopedia
is a small Shingon sect Buddhist
temple in Shimoda
, Shizuoka Prefecture
, Japan
. It is noteworthy in that it was the location of the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda
in 1855, which officially established diplomatic relations between Bakumatsu Japan and the Russian Empire
.
The temple was commandeered by the Tokugawa shogunate
for use as a conference hall during negotiations to end Japan’s national isolation policy
. The Russian delegation under Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin
, was trapped in Shimoda at the end of 1854 when a tsunami
caused by the Ansei Tokai Earthquake destroyed their fleet. While a new ship was being constructed in nearby Heda, negotiations proceeded towards a treaty, and on February 7, 1855, the Russo-Japanese treaty of friendship was signed at Chōraku-ji by Putiatin as Russian Imperial Ambassador and Japanese representative Kawaji Toshiakira. The treaty comprised a trade agreement which opened three Japanese harbors (Hakodate, Nagasaki
, and Shimoda) to Russia, one more than had been opened to the Americans. Furthermore, the treaty also partially defined the northern borders of Japan in the Kurile Islands with the Russo-Japanese border drawn between Etorofu
and Urup
pu.
34.671245°N 138.942431°W
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
temple in Shimoda
Shimoda, Shizuoka
is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...
, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is noteworthy in that it was the location of the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda
Treaty of Shimoda
The Treaty of Shimoda of 1855, formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia , was signed between the Russian Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin and Toshiakira Kawaji of Japan in the city of Shimoda, Izu Province, Japan, on February 7, 1855...
in 1855, which officially established diplomatic relations between Bakumatsu Japan and the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
History
Chōraku-ji was founded in 1555, but much of its subsequent history is uncertain.The temple was commandeered by the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
for use as a conference hall during negotiations to end Japan’s national isolation policy
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
. The Russian delegation under Vice-Admiral Euphimy Vasil'evich Putiatin
Yevfimy Putyatin
Yevfimy Vasilyevich Putyatin was a Russian admiral noted for his diplomatic missions to Japan and China which resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda in 1855.-Early life:...
, was trapped in Shimoda at the end of 1854 when a tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by the Ansei Tokai Earthquake destroyed their fleet. While a new ship was being constructed in nearby Heda, negotiations proceeded towards a treaty, and on February 7, 1855, the Russo-Japanese treaty of friendship was signed at Chōraku-ji by Putiatin as Russian Imperial Ambassador and Japanese representative Kawaji Toshiakira. The treaty comprised a trade agreement which opened three Japanese harbors (Hakodate, Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, and Shimoda) to Russia, one more than had been opened to the Americans. Furthermore, the treaty also partially defined the northern borders of Japan in the Kurile Islands with the Russo-Japanese border drawn between Etorofu
Etorofu
Etorofu was an escort ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II....
and Urup
Urup
Urup is an uninhabited volcanic island near in the south of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Ainu language word for salmon trout.-Geography and climate:...
pu.
External links
34.671245°N 138.942431°W