How did Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s arrival influence Yokohama’s development?

Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s arrival in 1853 with his fleet of "black ships" served as the catalyst that transformed Yokohama from an isolated fishing village into a major international port city.12

Following the Treaty of Kanagawa (1854), which ended Japan’s policy of seclusion, the government initially designated the neighboring town of Kanagawa as a port for foreign trade. However, because Kanagawa was a vital post station on the Tōkaidō road, the Japanese government sought to limit foreign access to the highway.314

Consequently, officials established the port at the nearby, more isolated fishing village of Yokohama, which offered a superior deepwater harbor. This decision effectively redirected the growth of international trade and shipping to the site of modern-day Yokohama. The area subsequently flourished, leading to the city's formal incorporation in 1889 and its eventual rise as one of Japan’s most significant industrial and commercial centers within the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area.14