Carved Bead Necklace from Japan, 1854

necklace

String of 27 carved beads made from fruit pits or nuts. Each bead is delicately carved with Japanese humanity, birds, monkeys, turtles, fish, butterflies, dragons, flowers, serpents, etc. This string of beads was brought back to the United States in 1854, by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, of the United States Navy, from Japan.

Commodore Matthew C. Perry (1794-1858) negotiated a treaty between the United States and Japan in 1854. He had broken through a barrier of Japanese isolationism, clearing the way for trade. The two cultures could also now satisfy their curiosity about one another. Americans were fascinated with Japanese items such as the carefully carved beads seen here. The Japanese were equally fascinated. They recorded images of Perry and his officers, often with Asian features.