Historedia
Person

Townsend Harris

Events
2
Episodes
3
Years
1857–1860

Every event in Historedia whose sources name Townsend Harris, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. Townsend Harris meets the Shogun in Edo

    1857

    Role: First US Consul General to Japan

    1. 21 October 1857 · Edo CastleAudience at Edo Castle

      Townsend Harris received a personal audience with Shogun Tokugawa Iesada at Edo Castle in October 1857.

  2. United States and Japan sign Treaty of Amity and Commerce

    1858–1860

    Role: US Consul General and Negotiator

    1. July 29, 1858 · Edo BaySigning of the Harris Treaty

      The Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed on July 29, 1858, on the deck of the USS Powhatan in Edo Bay, formalizing trade relations.

    2. 1858-1860 · Washington (institutional context; ratifications exchanged outside Japan)Ratification and Exchange

      The treaty was ratified by the US Senate in 1858 and exchanged in Washington in 1860, following the first Japanese Embassy visit.

Sources

  1. Townsend Harris Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-29
  2. Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States–Japan) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-29