The astonishing and decidedly unconventional gesture of Mizuno Tadakuni—publicly "recognising a father on the spot"—not only bewildered Arthur Lionheart and the British officers, but also made the subsequent "negotiation process" disturbingly smooth.
The whole affair bore no resemblance to diplomacy between two sovereign powers.
It was more akin to a stern patriarch laying down rules for a wayward ward…
Inside the council chamber of Her Majesty's Revenge, Arthur Lionheart reclined calmly on the main seat, a glass of wisky resting idly in his hand, a new passion learned during his journey. Barely sparing a glance for Lord Mizuno, who knelt before him with a rigid back and the humility of a servant.
With a cool, unhurried tone, he instructed the interpreter, Karl Gützlaff, to hand over a prepared document.
"Lord Mizuno," Arthur Lionheart said, voice devoid of emotion, "since your sincerity is so very emphatic, let us dispense with unnecessary courtesy. I dislike games. We shall write the rules plainly—business will proceed more smoothly that way."
"Yes! Yes! Your Highness is correct! Everything shall follow your… venerable instructions!" Mizuno Tadakuni nodded repeatedly, accepting the document with both hands as though receiving a divine edict.
He unfolded it and began reading.
The anachronistic Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Friendship and Commerce of Kanagawa, drafted entirely by Arthur Lionheart, possessed a level of "friendliness" that would make any future historian shudder.
Article I — Port Opening and Free Trade
Japan shall immediately and permanently open five principal ports—Shimoda, Hakodate, Nagasaki, Kobe, and Yokohama—to the British Empire. British merchant vessels may anchor, resupply, and trade freely. British merchants and their families may reside, purchase land, and conduct business in these ports without restriction.
Article II — Consular Jurisdiction
All British subjects in Japan, regardless of alleged offence, shall not be tried under Japanese law. All legal matters concerning them shall be handled exclusively by the British Consular Court in Japan.
Article III — Tariff Autonomy
Tariff rates for all imports and exports between Japan and the British Empire may not be unilaterally set by Japan. They must be established through joint consultation with the British Consul, and any alteration requires British approval.
Article IV — Most-Favoured-Nation Status
Should Japan conclude any treaty with another nation containing terms more favourable than this one, the British Empire shall automatically enjoy those improved terms without renegotiation.
Article V — Military Cooperation and Base Cession
For the "protection" of trade and maritime security, Japan shall permanently cede Yokosuka Port and its surrounding islands and lands to Her Majesty the Queen, as a Royal Navy outpost and supply station in the Far East. Britain shall possess the unrestricted right to station troops therein.
Territory, sovereignty, judiciary, tariffs—virtually every core power of a nation was addressed.
It was ten times harsher, more imperious, and more shameless than the treaty Commodore Perry would historically impose with his four ships. It practically laid Japan's fate for the next century upon the table, neatly priced and awaiting British carving.
Yet when Mizuno Tadakuni finished reading, he did not show humiliation.
Instead… he exhaled in deep relief.
His expression, astonishingly, carried gratitude—as if a dreadful weight had finally been removed.
Arthur Lionheart raised a brow.
"Father—oh, forgive me, Your Royal Highness!" Mizuno exclaimed, performing another prostration. "This treaty is far too generous—magnificent! You are the reborn guardians of Japan!"
Arthur stared, momentarily incredulous.
I strip your country bare and you thank me for it?
But Mizuno's thinking was simple:
better to surrender abstract sovereignty than have the Shogunate obliterated by a single broadside from the Revenge. Compared to annihilation, this was a bargain.
"Your Highness!" Mizuno's eyes glinted. "Our Shogunate accepts the treaty exactly as written—every clause! I shall have the Shogun's seal affixed immediately!"
"However…" He shifted to an obsequious smile. "This humble servant has one more request."
"Speak," Arthur replied curtly.
"Your Highness's divine might is unparalleled, and Her Majesty's Revenge is truly a heavenly vessel. We humbly request the privilege of purchasing an ironclad—smaller than yours—from your Future Industries Group. Any price—double, triple—we shall pay it!"
His intention was transparent: to use modern weaponry against the troublesome western domains—Chōshū and Satsuma.
Arthur Lionheart's smile deepened.
This man, he realised, understood his place perfectly.
Japan might serve a greater use than he initially imagined.
A divided, internally strained, yet slowly modernising Japan—under his indirect control—would be the perfect hound to restrain Tsarist Russia in the Far East. And it could serve as a laboratory for political and economic reforms. If the experiment succeeded, he could replicate it in Britain; if it failed, only the Japanese would suffer.
Such was the true function of a colony.
"Very well," Arthur said, wearing the gentle smile of an angelic tyrant. "Your request is reasonable.
"Upon my return to London, I shall design a light ironclad cruiser specifically for Japan's coastal defence. It shall greatly assist you in… persuading the unruly daimyo."
"Arigatō! Father!" Mizuno nearly wept with joy.
Thus, amid an atmosphere of grotesque piety, the profoundly unequal Kanagawa Treaty was signed.
"Arigatō! Father! The Tokugawa shall never forget your kindness!"
"That will do," Arthur said, waving him away. "The treaty is signed, the gifts exchanged; you may—"
"Father, please wait!" Mizuno interrupted, wearing a sycophantic grin. "This humble one has prepared a modest local tribute for you and our distant 'Mother' Queen!"
He clapped his hands.
A small Japanese boat approached, and from it descended twenty adult women, elegantly dressed in formal kimonos, each between twenty and twenty-five years old, poised, graceful, and evidently selected for refinement rather than youth.
They knelt in unison before Arthur Lionheart.
"Father," Mizuno said with a conspiratorial smile, "these are Yamato Nadeshiko chosen from distinguished families—versed in tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and court etiquette. We wish to offer them to you, to accompany you to England, and to serve you and Her Majesty in daily matters—"
Arthur's brows tightened.
He recognised the tactic—an old feudal custom, as crude as it was common.
"Lord Mizuno," his tone chilled, "your diligence is noted. However, the British Empire does not engage in the exchange of human beings. Her Majesty's household requires no such… attendants."
Mizuno paled, misreading the reaction. "Father, forgive me! If they do not please Your Highness, I shall immediately procure—"
"No," Arthur interrupted sharply. "This is unnecessary."
Through this encounter, Arthur Lionheart had secured, without firing a shot, the most obedient and strategically invaluable piece in the Far Eastern theatre—sufficient to contain Tsarist Russia for decades to come.