Empires on the Waterfront: Japan’s Ports and Power, 1858–1899

321 Pages·2015·6.125 MB·English

by  Catherine L. Phipps

Empires on the Waterfront
harvard east asian monographs 373

Empires on the Waterfront
Japan’s Ports and Power, 1858–1 899
Catherine L. Phipps
Published by the Harvard University Asia Center
Distributed by Harvard University Press
Cambridge (Massachusetts) and London 2015
© 2015 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Printed in the United States of America
The Harvard University Asia Center publishes a monograph series and, in coordination
with the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Korea Institute, the Reischauer Institute
of Japan ese Studies, and other facilities and institutes, administers research projects
designed to further scholarly understanding of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and other
Asian countries. The Center also sponsors projects addressing multidisciplinary and
regional issues in Asia.
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-P ublication Data
Phipps, Catherine Lynn, 1968–
Empires on the waterfront : Japan’s ports and power, 1858–1 899 / Catherine L. Phipps.
pages cm. — (Harvard East Asian monologues ; 373)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 674- 41716-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Free ports and zones—J apan—
History—19th century. 2. Japan—C ommerce—History—19th century. 3. Japan—
Foreign relations—1868–1 912. 4. Japan—H istory—Meiji period, 1868–1 912. I. Title.
II. Title: Japan’s ports and power, 1858–1 899.
HF1418.3.J3P45 2014
387.10952'09034—dc23
2014011101
Index by the author
Printed on acid-f ree paper
Last fi gure below indicates year of this printing
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15
For Kären Wigen

Contents
List of Maps and Tables ix
Ack nowl edgm ents xi
Note to the Reader xiv
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
Part I: Japan in the World
1 Special Trading Ports: A New Framework for the
Opening of Japan 19
2 Geographies of Direct Export: Rice and Coal, 1858–1 889 60
Part II: Ports in the Nation
3 The Making of Moji 109
4 The Paradox of Informal Imperialism 150
Part III: Moji in the Empire
5 The Sino-J apanese War Comes Home 189
6 Securing Status: Sovereignty and Open Ports 217
viii Contents
Conclusion 250
Bibliography 259
Index 273
Maps and Tables
Maps
1 Moji and Its Environs 2
2 East Asian Treaty Ports, 1899 9
3 Transmarine East Asia 12
4 Japan’s Open Ports, 1899 22
5 Taiwan’s Treaty Ports and Special Trading Ports 54
6 Chikuhō Coal Region 118
Tables
1 Types of Special Trading Ports and Their Opening Dates 25
2 Japan’s Foreign Trade, 1894 237
3 Foreign Trade Averages of the Open Ports, 1899–1 911 246