Ms. Jean Sharac’s letter (“Maybe it’s time to stop celebrating Victory Over Japan Day,” Aug 13) gives the impression, based on an image in the Commodore Perry statue in Newport, that “primitively clad” Japanese were “bowing in supplication” to Perry, thus indicating fear. The truth is that for 250 years of isolation before the arrival of Commodore Perry, the Japanese bowed to fearsome, sword-wielding samurai.

If the Japanese supplicated to Perry, they risked reprisals and a shortened lifespan. I know of no images by Japanese or American artists from the 1800s that depict Japanese bowing in supplication to Perry. On the contrary, the Japanese were in awe, fearing but respecting the man who was commonly called “Old Bruin.”

Two good historian friends of mine from Japan studied the statue when they visited Rhode Island.  They stated that the Japanese in the image are dressed in traditional kimonos and are not bowing in supplication to Commodore Perry, but, at that time, even nowadays, Japanese people bow to others as good manners and etiquette.

In one of the first interviews that Commodore Perry had with the Japanese in 1853, Perry said, “I have come here as a peacemaker.” General Douglas MacArthur selected these words to be inscribed on the Opening of Japan Monument as part of the 100^th anniversary of Treaty of Peace and Amity between Japan and the United States that Commodore Perry negotiated.

In his book, “Old Bruin,” historian Samuel Eliot Morrison notes that Perry and MacArthur were similar in that both were successful in their Japanese negotiations. While they were falsely accused of seeking their own fame, Morrison (and other historians) recognized their success. “Perry and MacArthur are the two most respected foreigners in Japanese history,” he wrote.

Japanese and Americans are still striving to understand the destruction and human carnage of World War II. We should never forget the suffering, but we should endeavor to help find opportunities to form a peaceful world. Rhode Islanders might consider that the “Victory over Japan” holiday be called “Peace with Japan Day.”

Emphasis should be that Japan is one of our best allies and is not ruled by Russia, which was a fear if the war had continued. We should recognize the atrocities of both nations and the tremendous loss of life we experienced. We should use the day as an educational experience, especially for youth, to remind us of the terrors of war and vow not to do it again.

More Americans should study world history and become aware of the contributions of Commodore Perry and General MacArthur, two of our finest diplomats. Samuel Morrison ends his book on Commodore Perry with the following:

“The cordial relations initiated by Perry, although broken during a bitter war, were welded again by the good will of both peoples, under the leadership of President Truman, Emperor Hirohito, and General Douglas MacArthur. May they endure forever!”

Matthew C. Perry
Bristol

Dr. Perry is the great-great-grandnephew of Commodore Perry.