Sovereignty on Display: The Tokugawa Bakufu and the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867

Both the Tokugawa bakufu and the domain of Satsuma sent exhibits to the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867. This article asserts that the bakufu prevented Satsuma from mounting a separate exhibit at the exposition and used its presence there to ensure recognition by the French government of its sovereignty over Japan. The essay refutes earlier claims that the bakufu was unable to stop Satsuma from exhibiting as a separate and equal Japanese political entity. Japan's participation in the exposition did not diminish the bakufu's status in the eyes of the French government.