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Tsushin Zenran and Zoku Tsushin Zenran: The Diplomatic Archive That Recorded Japan's Encounter With the World

Among the most monumental historical records preserved in Tokyo are two extraordinary compilations of diplomatic documents: Tsushin Zenran (Compendium of Foreign Communications) and its sequel Zoku Tsushin Zenran (Continued Compendium of Foreign Communications). Held by the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these compilations preserve, in painstaking detail, the diplomatic correspondence and negotiations that defined Japan's dramatic transition from a closed nation into an active participant in the modern international order.

For visitors interested in the late Tokugawa shogunate (Bakumatsu) era, the arrival of Commodore Perry's “Black Ships,” or the diplomatic incidents that shaped modern Japan, these archives represent an unrivaled primary source. With Tsushin Zenran comprising 320 volumes and Zoku Tsushin Zenran totaling 1,784 volumes, together they form a record of approximately two thousand bound volumes—a documentary mountain rising out of one of the most turbulent decades in Japanese history.

Historical Background: A Decade That Changed Japan

The years from 1859 to 1868 (Ansei 6 to Keio 4) are arguably the most consequential in Japan's diplomatic history. Following the conclusion of the Ansei Five-Power Treaties in 1858, the country opened its ports of Yokohama, Hakodate, and Nagasaki to foreign trade, while political pressure inside Japan intensified between supporters of opening the country (kaikoku) and advocates of expelling the barbarians (joi). Diplomatic missions from the United States, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Russia established themselves in Edo and the open ports, generating an unprecedented volume of correspondence, memoranda, and conversational records.

The Tokugawa shogunate's newly created Foreign Affairs Office (Gaikoku-gata) found itself inundated with documents. Recognizing that scattered records would soon become unmanageable—especially after fires and political upheavals such as the 1863 Edo Castle fire—officials began an ambitious project to compile, classify, and preserve these papers as institutional memory.

Why It Was Designated an Important Cultural Property

On August 17, 2016 (Heisei 28), Tsushin Zenran and Zoku Tsushin Zenran were designated as Important Cultural Properties under Japan's Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. The designation, in the “Historical Materials” category of arts and crafts, was made by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology following the Council for Cultural Affairs' recommendation in March of the same year.

The official rationale is striking in its directness: these compilations represent the very first systematic compilation of diplomatic documents undertaken by an institution whose duty was the conduct of foreign affairs—the prototype, in other words, of modern Japanese diplomatic record-keeping. The work's academic value as a fundamental resource for the study of Bakumatsu-era diplomatic history was deemed exceptionally high.

Beyond their scholarly significance, the volumes themselves are testament to the dedication of their compilers, who labored to gather and reorganize documents that had been scattered by fires, political turmoil, and the dissolution of the shogunate. Their efforts established a tradition of foreign-affairs documentation that continues to shape the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

Highlights and What to Look For

While the original volumes themselves are kept under strict archival conditions, the depth of their content is what continues to fascinate historians and visitors alike. Several features stand out as particularly compelling.

Visiting the Diplomatic Archives

The Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located in the Azabudai district of Minato Ward, Tokyo. The original volumes of Tsushin Zenran and Zoku Tsushin Zenran are stored in the main building's archival stacks. Researchers may consult facsimile reprint editions—published by Yusho-do Shoten between 1983 and 1988 in 60 volumes plus 61 supplementary volumes of indices and commentary—at the Reading Room (Honkan).

For general visitors, the more accessible point of contact is the Diplomatic Archives Exhibition Room, which reopened on April 8, 2024, on the 5th floor of Mori JP Tower at the new Azabudai Hills development. The renewed exhibition features expanded explanatory panels and video commentary, presenting representative diplomatic documents from the late Edo period through the 21st century—including the 1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States, Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru's acceptance speech for the San Francisco Peace Treaty, and Japan's oldest passport.

From time to time, themed special exhibitions display original materials including selections from Tsushin Zenran and Zoku Tsushin Zenran. Checking the Ministry's website before visiting is highly recommended.

Around the Diplomatic Archives

The Azabudai and Toranomon area offers some of central Tokyo's most rewarding sightseeing, all within walking distance of the Exhibition Room.