Person

Matthew C. Perry

Also known as Commodore Matthew Perry, Perry

Matthew C. Perry was a United States naval officer who led an expedition to Japan in 1853 and 1854. Backed by modern warships, he forced the Tokugawa Shogunate to open Japanese ports through the Convention of Kanagawa. The episode exposed the shogunate's military weakness and contributed to its downfall.

Matthew C. Perry
Image: Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Tokugawa ShogunateMilitary, DeclineRyukyu KingdomDecline, Summary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Matthew C. Perry. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matthew-c-perry
MLA
“Matthew C. Perry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matthew-c-perry. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Matthew C. Perry.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matthew-c-perry.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Matthew C. Perry’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/matthew-c-perry (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻