This medal was issued to honor Commodore M.C. Perry who negotiated a treaty with the Japanese that became to be known as the Convention of Kanagawa. Through “battleship diplomacy” Commodore Perry was able to negotiate the opening of the then-closed Japan to foreign trade. By anchoring a group of warships in Japanese waters Perry was able to force negotiations with Japan, demanding permission to deliver a letter from President Millard Fillmore. The boats were referred to by the Japanese as “Black Ships” a term that later became synonymous with threatening foreign powers. The final recorded military mission in Japan that involved ninja activity was during this event. The Japanese sent ninja Sawamura Yasusuke to board Perry’s ship with instructions to gather information that would reveal the commodore’s intentions. While the ninja was successful in boarding the commodore’s ship, the success of the mission is questionable. Sawamura Yasusuke was able to gather some paper documents as well as make detailed descriptions of the ships. However the linguistics barrier hindered him from gathering documents that were of any strategic value. When translated, the documents showed to be letters describing, “extolling the delights of French women in bed,” and “British women in kitchens.” Essentially letters from sailors describing exploits with women and cooking recipes. 104 Medals were struck in bronze Julian-PE-26 AE 66mm.Julian-PE-26 AE 66mm