Islands developed by Japanese
Kuril Islands (Northern Territories) began to appear in history in the early 17th century. According to Shinra no Kiroku (Record of Shinra), produced by the Matsumae Domain, which ruled over Ezochi (Hokkaido), people in the domain traded sea otter fur and eagle feathers with Ainu people, and it was known that there were islands where such goods were produced.
The shogunate ordered all domains in the country to submit their maps in 1644, in order to create the Shoho Map of Japan. The map submitted by the Matsumae Domain shows island names from which present islands can be inferred, such as “Kunashiri” and “Etohoro.” This map is thought to be based on the exploration of Ezochi by retainers of the Matsumae Domain in 1635.
In 1715, the Matsumae Domain submitted a report to the shogunate, saying, “The main island of Hokkaido, the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, and Karafuto are governed by the Matsumae Domain. The Ainu live in these areas, each of which is led by a chief, but the Matsumae Domain has overall control.” The Matsumae Domain initially traded mainly at Akkeshi with Ainu from Kunashiri and Etorofu, but it expanded its trading area to Kiritappu and Nemuro’s Notsukamappu. In 1754, the Matsumae Domain opened a basho (trading post) on Kunashiri Island to exert greater influence over Kunashiri Island and Etorofu Island.
Meanwhile, Russia was steadily advancing into the Far East. It is said that Russians first entered the Kurile Islands and conquered Shumushu Island in 1711. Peter the Great (reign: 1682 – 1725) became interested in the east, and just before his death, he ordered Captain Bering to explore the area. Following this order, an expedition was organized. The Russian naval officer Martin Spangberg, a member of the expedition, advanced southward through the Kurile Islands in 1738 in search of a sea route to Japan and arrived on the coast of Japan in the following year.
The shogunate, which learned of Russia’s active southward advancement, embarked on a full-fledged survey of the northern region and dispatched an expedition to Ezochi in 1785. The expedition traveled to Uruppu Island over the course of two years and learned of the situation of the islands and Russia’s southward expansion. Mogami Tokunai, a well-known explorer, joined the expedition.
After that, incidents continued to jolt the shogunate, such as Laxman’s arrival at Nemuro and visits by British ships to Ezochi. In the interest of national defense, the shogunate decided to put Ezochi, including Chishima and Karafuto, under its direct control and dispatched a large-scale patrol to Ezochi in 1798. At this time, Kondo Juzo, erected on Etorofu Island a “national station pole” inscribed with the words “Japan’s Etorofu.” The shogunate, which decided to take direct control of Ezochi, immediately launched the development of Etorofu Island, which borders Russia. Kondo Juzo crossed over to Etorofu Island with Takadaya Kahei and others to establish a “village system” that incorporated the administrative system of the mainland and to open 17 fishing grounds. They also developed sea routes and ports, and sent retainers from the Nambu and Tsugaru domains to fortify the defenses of Kunashiri and Etorofu. In this way, the full-scale development of Shikotan, Kunashiri, and Etorofu islands began.
Conflict and agreements regarding the border
Various incidents and conflicts arose as Russia’s southward expansion strengthened. In 1804, Nikolai Rezanov, an envoy of the Russian Emperor, was denied trade with Japan, and he ordered his subordinates to attack Karafuto and Etorofu Island, setting fires, committing assaults, and looting.
The shogunate ordered the Russian ships to be destroyed, and in 1811, Major Golovnin, the commander of the Russian frigate Diana, was captured. Vice Commander Rikord attacked a Japanese ship in retaliation and captured Takadaya Kahei, a pilot of the shogunate. Thanks to Kahei’s great efforts, Golovnin and Takadaya Kahei were released and exchanged. This incident prompted the two countries to begin discussions to determine borders.
In 1853, the Russian Emperor Nicholas I dispatched Admiral Putyatin to petition for trade and to offer to demarcate the border between Karafuto and the Kuriles. After several unsuccessful rounds of negotiation at Nagasaki, the talks were moved to Shimoda (Shizuoka Prefecture) in February 1855, where they continued. The Treaty of Commerce, Navigation and Delimitation between Japan and Russia was signed on February 7, and the border between Russia and Japan was demarcated. Under the treaty, the border between the two countries was drawn between the islands of Etorofu and Uruppu, and it was decided that the islands south of Etorofu would be incorporated into Japanese territory and the islands north of Uruppu would belong to Russia. However, no agreement was reached on Karafuto, which remained an area inhabited by a mix of two peoples with unsettled borders.
The Meiji Government was established, and in 1869, the Development Commission was established to develop the northern region. The Habomai Islands, Shikotan Island, Kunashiri Island, and Etorofu Island were incorporated into the “county system.” In Karafuto, however, conflicts continued between Japanese and Russians as Russia approached the main Japanese strongholds. To break this deadlock, the Meiji Government dispatched Enomoto Takeaki as a special envoy to Russia in 1874 and concluded the Treaty for the Exchange of Sakhalin for the Kurile Islands with the Russian Prime Minister Gorchakov on May 7, 1875. Pursuant to this treaty, Sakhalin Island, which had been considered an area inhabited by a mix of two peoples under the Treaty of Commerce, Navigation and Delimitation between Japan and Russia, became Russian territory, and the Kurile Islands (18 islands from Uruppu to Shumushu) became Japanese territory.
Russia continued to advance southward to Manchuria and Korea, and the Russo-Japanese War broke out in 1904. The war lasted 18 months and ended with the Portsmouth Peace Conference. As a result of the negotiations, the Russo–Japanese Peace Treaty (Portsmouth Peace Treaty) was signed on September 5, 1905, and the portion of Karafuto south of 50 degrees north latitude was transferred from Russia to Japan.