Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry

This Opening of Japan Centennial stamps commemorates the centenary of Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s negotiations with Japan, which opened its doors to foreign trade. Upon the orders of President Millard Fillmore, Perry negotiated the treaty of the Convention of Kanagawa, which opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to the United States and guaranteed protection for shipwreck American sailors. The stamp features a portrait of Commodore Matthew C. Perry as well as an image of the first anchorage of U.S. ships off of Tokyo Bay.